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PETROLEUM DIRECTORY: Testing the waters: Alaska-owned lab develops winning formula With a broad spectrum of services, exceptional technology and service, Northern Testing Laboratories gets results Mara Severin PNA Contributing Writer
Feb. 29 is an auspicious date to take a leap. And in 1980, that’s just what Michael and Peggy Pollen did when they co-founded Northern Testing Laboratories in Fairbanks. As it turned out, this was just the first of many leaps, and now, Northern Testing Labs is the largest provider of water quality testing in the state.
The company’s growth has been sure and steady. In 1985, NTL opened an Anchorage laboratory. In 1998, the company opened a facility in Deadhorse that provides highly specialized sampling and analysis for the oil industry. Most recently, the company bought the equipment assets from two Anchorage laboratories that recently closed their doors. At the same time, the Anchorage lab moved from more modest digs to a 6,000 square-foot state-of-the-art environmental lab facility.
But the size of the company is not what Michael Pollen, president of NTL, likes to focus on. “We’re the home-grown guys,” he says. “Throughout drastic changes in the industry, we have been the only laboratory that is exclusively Alaska-owned.”
Home-grown may seem like an understatement. Not only is NTL a strictly Alaska business, but it is also very much a family business. Peggy Pollen, vice president of the company, handles the entire administrative side of the business. Jonathan, their eldest son, is NTL’s property manager and works in the metals lab. Their youngest son, Jerry, supervises the Prudhoe Bay lab. And Michael’s mother-in-law? “She’s our collection agent,” he says. “And let me tell you, she is really good at it.” Offering services unique to the industry But don’t be fooled by the company’s “home-grown” philosophy. “We are a full-service environmental laboratory,” says Pollen. NTL offers the widest range of services and cutting edge technologies in an ever-changing industry. They serve the water and wastewater industries and provide analyses of contaminated soil, water, hazardous waste and materials containing asbestos.
In addition, NTL offers a wide variety of services unique to the testing industry. “We have a consulting capability that is very different from most other labs, says Pollen. “We are the largest provider of water and wastewater training services.” NTL offers public classes and on-site training at various Alaska companies, including utilities and the oil industry. “We present classes which train and certify operators and help them maintain certifications.”
Pilot testing is another service that sets NTL apart from other commercial laboratories. Also known as a pre-engineering study, the results can save a company significant time and money. NTL analyzes the water source and builds a model of a water treatment process including filters, chemicals, and any other water treatment equipment appropriate to the water source. “We operate the facility, monitor it, and report back on how the treatment works on that water supply.” In this way, suspected contaminants and other problems are identified before the treatment system design is complete. Not afraid to get their feet wet — NTL develops water treatment technology NTL is equipped to make almost any kind of water quality diagnosis. But what about the cure? Throughout years of analysis, NTL’s professionals have developed some innovative solutions to the unique and perplexing challenges posed by the formidable Alaska environment.
Recently, NTL worked with a water utility to develop a water treatment process that would meet arsenic standards, which were recently decreased from 50 to 10 parts per billion in the state of Alaska. “There are a lot of water systems in Alaska, particularly wells, that have a much higher level,” explains Pollen. In this instance, the company had 100 parts per billion in their water and was using a conventional treatment process common in Alaska. After intensive experimentation, NTL and the utility developed a chemical treatment technology that reliably removes the arsenic. Says Pollen, “We spend a lot of effort working on treatment technology.” State-of-the-art equipment in the great state Exceptional diagnosis and treatment are aided by exceptional equipment and technology. In addition to the standard instrumentation of the environmental industry, NTL counts among its arsenal some interesting and cutting-edge equipment.
Most recently NTL purchased a scintillation counter which is used for detecting gross alpha and gross beta radioactivity in water. Few laboratories in the United States boast equipment with such capabilities and, until now, in order to test Alaska waters samples had to be shipped to the Lower 48. “This is a very unique radio-chemistry capability,” says Pollen.
Another technology that sets NTL apart from other commercial laboratories in the state is the company’s strong microbiology program. “We can do a test called an MPA-microscopic particulate analysis,” explains Pollen. This test is used by regulatory agencies to determine whether a shallow well or spring is actually surface water or ground water. This, in turn, determines which kind of regulations are applicable to the water source. Around the world in 1,200 days — a commitment to the global community At NTL, a strong emphasis is placed on civic responsibility to both the Alaska and global community.
In 1994 and 1995, Michael Pollen served as the international president of the Water Environment Federation, an organization with more than 40,000 members from 90 countries. This post gave the Pollens a dramatic opportunity to demonstrate their abiding commitment to improving the global environment. “We visited more than a dozen countries in four years, as well as most states and provinces in North America,” says Pollen.
Michael and Peggy are also members of Rotary International. Peggy has just completed her term on the board of directors and Michael begins his this July. Peggy is also on the board of the Boy Scouts Midnight Sun Council.
Real data, real science, real numbers In the end, says Pollen, environmental consciousness is good not only for the Alaska civic community, but also for the Alaska industrial community.
“We can go in and tell you what’s really happening,” says Pollen. “Often, people perceive an environmental impact, but unless you test and evaluate the situation, that’s all it is — perception.”
For example, NTL did a study for members of the placer mining industry. For years, there was concern about the industry’s alleged discharge of silt, turbidity and arsenic into nearby streams. What was discovered, however, after careful analysis, was that the arsenic was bound up in the naturally occurring silt and turbidity and was not biologically available.
“You go in and apply real data, real science, real numbers to environmental concerns,” says Pollen. “We bring science to the table.” “Home-grown” company makes good The combination of experience, a broad range of testing, training and consulting services along with state-of-the-art equipment has proved to be a winning formula for NTL.
Alaska Business Magazine voted them one of the top 100 Alaska corporations three times in the last decade.
Recently the director of contracting for the U.S. Army nominated them for regional small business of the year.
Perhaps more meaningful to this “home-grown” business was another, more local honor bestowed by one of their most valued clients — what Pollen described as an informal but valued “outpouring of gratitude” from Barrow Utilities and Electric for 28 years of exceptional service. Pollen has worked with the utility on their technology since the 1970s — even before the birth of NTL — and is proud to describe the Barrow system as “one of the most advanced water treatment services in the world.” Scientist, family man, businessman, and … fisherman Recently NTL donated extensive time, equipment and supplies to the Kenai Watershed Forum’s project to test water contaminants in the lower Kenai River. While the results indicate that several locations have traces of fuel contaminants near or slightly above state water quality standards, Pollen is optimistic. “Considering the usage, and the number of motorized vehicles in the area,” he says, “the watershed looks surprisingly clean.”
Is his involvement in this project a selfless investment of time by a responsible citizen, businessman and environmentalist? Perhaps. Perhaps, however, his motives are a bit more self-serving. “I really love to fish,” he admits with a smile, showing the Alaskan behind the scientist.
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