December 2020CIOAPPLICATIONS.COM 19national labs can be complex and impersonal, having to deal with employees who have very specific training and responsibilities. Our microbiologists are cross-trained. We have a team of highly skilled analysts qualified to collect environmental swabs on-site, perform the analysis, and interpret the results -providing clear, accurate results the next day. If there are questions, customers have direct access to the biologist who was explicitly involved in all phases of the sample collection and analysis. This single source accountability creates a high care factor in our performance. I've heard from several companies, as well as State and Federal agencies, that ours is a service they very rarely see, but one that adds a great deal of value to the customer in staying compliant with audit requirements.Could you comment on your client engagement model? We can receive samples in several manners. Samples can either be shipped through UPS, FedEx or US Postal, service or even be hand delivered to us. Alternatively, we can pick them up or do the sampling ourselves. Once we receive the samples at the laboratory, they are logged into our LMS, and prepared for analysis. Results are then brought to an administrator, who provides a report of the labs findings, which can then be sent to the clients in any manner they'd like. We also have a password protected, online reporting system, through which our clients can access all their reports at one place. Our support services involves being promptly available to the customers in case there is any ambiguity regarding the data. It is very important to us that our customers have complete understanding of what that data means for them.Could you share with us a few customer success instances? Recently, a food manufacturer testing their own product determined they had bacteria counts in their finished product much higher than their allowable limit. The national chain lab they were working with took three weeks of testing to conclude there were no bacteria and the food manufacturer was just testing their own product incorrectly. To this end, it took us 48-hours to determine the product did in fact have very high levels of bacteria and it was the nation chain lab that was incorrect. Summit Laboratory was then able to track the high bacteria counts to a single raw ingredient. There was another food processor that was struggling with several Listeria spp. positives in their facility. After multiple rounds of vector swabbing they were unsuccessful at locating the source. Summit Laboratory was asked to come on-site to evaluate and swab the production area and with a single round of swabbing was able to identify the Listeria reservoir responsible for causing the past several months of Listeria spp. hits. The source turned out to be a large Listeria spp. biofilm hidden within the leg of their equipment and much closer to their finished product than they realized. Both of these examples required expertise in laboratory procedures and on-site evaluations. This is the kind of value Summit Laboratory brings.What does the future hold for your organization? Any footprint expansion plans or platform enhancement strategies that you can shed light upon? Summit Laboratory has experienced significant growth over the past several years. Our expectation is for the growth to continue well into the future. As the demand for our services grows, we adjust accordingly, acquiring new personnel and equipment as needed. By the end of the first quarter of 2021, we will be one of the first laboratories ISO accredited in horizontal methods for sampling techniques using contact plates, stick swabs, sponges and cloths on surfaces in the food chain environment for pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria. Plans are also currently in place for a building expansion to accommodate anticipated increases in sample volume. We are in a continual state of improvement and it is my goal to never stop improving. With that said, we are always careful to stay true to our business model and our area of expertise. It has never been my intention to accept every job that comes our way. It's really a disciplined approach to business management that controls growth without compromising service. After all, we never forget it's our customer's needs that always come first. I won't jeopardize that with "busy work" that distracts us from our true purpose. Whether you prefer ELISA-based or DNA-based testing technology, results can be received within 26 hours of sample receipt
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