Thank you for stopping by our forum. Let’s get right to the introductions!
Ruby-Ochoa.jpg 24.22KB 2 downloads
Ruby Ochoa – President & Owner
Born and raised in Texas, Ruby was always an outgoing girl. Early in her career she jumped right into the male dominated compressed air industry at a lab in Texas. She started out assisting firefighters and divers with their breathing air testing. She learned all about the compressed air and gas industry over the next several years and started to realize…there were better ways to fill the needs of her customers. With the goal of better serving customers with superior analytical techniques and excellent customer service, she and her future business partner would soon open their own lab.
When they did their customers were thrilled! That showed by how rapidly business grew. Customers were excited to have a better way to test with a better customer service experience. It wasn’t long before forward thinking manufacturers started calling. Compressed air testing was newer for this industry and they had very specific testing needs. These customers’ concerns were based around product quality. They needed analyses to lower levels for particles and oil than the traditional breathing air customer. And they were having trouble finding a lab that could do it. Never afraid of a challenge, Ruby dove right in to learn all she could about the testing needs of these customers. She and her partner were determined to meet their requests, and that they did!
In addition to assisting manufacturers worldwide, Ruby lends her expertise to several notable organizations. She sits on the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers (ISPE) Critical Utilities Community of Practice Steering Committee. She is a member of the Medical Gas Professional Healthcare Organization (MGPHO), and she is on the National Fire Protection Agency’s (NFPA) Technical Committee for Respiratory Protection.
Ruby invites you to contact her to discuss any of your testing questions or concerns.
Dick-Smith.jpg 21.53KB
1 downloads
Dick Smith – Laboratory Director & Owner
Dick was born and raised near Tarkio, Missouri. His love of the sciences started early and he excelled in academics. Soon he graduated from Northwest Missouri with a BS in Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics. Shortly thereafter he began his career as a Mass Spectrometrist for the US Department of the Interior. He moved on to work as an Industrial Hygiene Chemist for Monsanto and then later headed the NIH Toxicology Repository at Radian Corporation. This eventually led him to managing the compressed air and gas, testing program at a lab in Texas. It is here where he would end up meeting his future business partner.
After a brief time at the Texas lab, Dick came to the same conclusion as Ruby…there are better and more analytically precise ways to serve our customers’ needs. With that, Dick and Ruby set out to open their laboratory. They put their heads together to determine what worked in their previous experiences and what didn’t. The goal was clear from the beginning. Improve the customers’ experience and better meet their analytical needs. They carefully formulated their business plan and in 1989, Dick and Ruby established Trace Analytics in Austin, TX. They have been committed to better serving their customers from day one.
Dick’s demand for precision equipment, attention to accuracy and quality helped the lab grow. So much so they had to move to larger facilities more than once in the early years! As they grew Dick and Ruby started to see that the typical breathing air testing industry was just one type of the compressed air testing services customers needed. Manufacturers were requesting analyses to the very strict limits of ISO 8573. This was a wonderful new type of analyses, and Dick and Ruby loved it!
They put their heads together and came to the conclusion that it was time to broaden the menu of available analyses Trace had to offer. This addition rings true of their original commitment…to better serve the customer.
Dick welcomes your questions please feel free to contact him any time.
Trace Analytics, LLC
We Do One Thing – Test Compressed Air and Gas
Trace’s Clean Dry Air Team of Experts looks forward to working with your team to provide you with the compressed air or gas quality testing you need. That includes BRC, SQF, and ISO 8573 testing! We are simply a click, email, or phone call away. Contact one of our ISO 8573 Specialists today for assistance!
Amy-Field.jpg 26.95KB 1 downloads
Amy Field – ISO 8573 Specialist & Customer Services Manager
Amy is a native Texan and graduated from the University of Texas with a BA in Sociology. She has been serving the compressed air and gas testing industry at Trace since 1997.
Laura-Gunn.jpg 29.39KB 1 downloads
Laura Gunn – ISO 8573 Specialist & Marketing Director
Laura is a transplant to Texas via Florida. After spending a couple of decades as a music and corporate marketing professional, she joined the Clean Dry Air Team at Trace in 2008.
Marka-Peterson.jpg 38.01KB 1 downloads
Marka Peterson – ISO 8573 Specialist & Customer Service Technician
Marka is also a native to Texas and holds a BA from Texas State University in Fine Arts. This former teacher and retail/marketing professional joined the Team of Experts at Trace in 2014.