Company History
Our Reno laboratory was, historically, known as Sierra Environmental Monitoring or SEM. The Reno Laboratory now operates as Silver State Labs – Reno. Going back to 1974, Sierra Environmental Monitoring was as a DBA of William F. Pillsbury, Inc., Consulting Civil Engineers with one full-time employee. Initially the laboratory emphasized water quality analysis for support of operations at the Tahoe Keys surface water treatment facility at South Lake Tahoe and for support of water and wastewater facility plans being designed by the parent engineering company. A second full time employee was added in 1975. Gradually the laboratory acquired additional business, principally servicing NPDES discharge permits for industry and publicly owned treatment facilities. As more business developed from Nevada, the laboratory was moved to Reno, Nevada in 1979. Additional business was acquired through engineering and hydrological consultants with concomitant increases in staff and equipment.
With the mining boom in Nevada in the 1980 and 1990’s, business was developed with the environmental aspect of the gold, silver and copper mining industries. This increase in business necessitated a move to larger facilities in Sparks, Nevada. After five years residence in a leased building, the company moved to a custom built facility in Reno, Nevada in 1994. In 2002, an investment group that includes the Laboratory Director, Dr. John Kobza, purchased the stock of Sierra Environmental Monitoring, Inc. from Mr. Pillsbury. In 2015, Silver State Analytical Laboratories purchased Sierra Environmental Monitoring and merged operations. The original Sierra Environmental Monitoring operations continue today with upgraded facilities, new and modern equipment and operates as the Reno Laboratory Division of Silver State Analytical Laboratories, Inc.