MINNEAPOLIS, April 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pace Analytical is pleased to announce that it has purchased the assets of the laboratory division and a portion of the field sampling division of Northeast Technical Services, Inc. (NTS) based in Virginia, MN, as well as the associated Laboratory-Service Center in Duluth, MN.  NTS is a high quality laboratory focused on meeting the environmental testing needs of their customers throughout Minnesota and surrounding states.  NTS has provided sampling and analytical services for environmental, mining, commercial, industrial and various municipal and state government organizations and offers an extensive list of approved testing parameters for soil and water.  The company will continue to offer routine testing services in the Virginia and Duluth locations and will also begin offering the full complement of services available through Pace Analytical.  Our plans include continued growth in the northern Minnesota market to meet the growing demands of that market for years to come.

The new Pace Virginia and Duluth labs will provide enhanced specialty service offerings to the Pace laboratory network including expanded geographical coverage within Minnesota, additional low level mercury capacity, and mine process testing.  In addition, customers in northern Minnesota will now have access to a much broader capability to support their environmental testing needs including the analysis of air samples, biological tissue, dioxin/furan and dioxin-like compounds.  

Steve Vanderboom, CEO of Pace Analytical, commented: "This addition accomplishes one of our key objectives of providing better access to Pace services in the northern Minnesota market.  We understand the importance of a local presence and look forward to growth of the laboratory in Virginia, MN."

The acquisition was finalized on March 31st and began operating as Pace Analytical on April 1.  

For more than 30 years, Pace Analytical has provided comprehensive analytical testing and emergency disaster response services for a broad range of clients, markets and industries. Today, Pace Analytical is recognized as the industry's second largest environmental testing firm in the United States, operating a nationwide network of seventeen laboratories and eleven service centers with a list of certifications and accreditations that cover the nation. Pace prides itself in providing clients – both on a national and local level – with exceptional service, legally defensible data and convenient and reliable online data management.

Visit us at www.pacelabs.com

SOURCE Pace Analytical Services, Inc.