an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . october 2013 learn how and when to remove this template message biotek instruments inc. type private industry scientific equipment founded 1968 founder dr. norman alpert headquarters winooski vt u.s. 1 area served worldwide key people briar alpert chairman ceo adam alpert vp business dvlpmnt peter weith vp mktg & sales peter banks scientific director products microplate instrumentation website biotek web site biotek instruments inc. is a privately held vermont based manufacturer notable for microplate instrumentation and bio analytics software for life science . 2 it designs builds and sells detection washing liquid dispensing and automation products that are compatible with various microplate formats . microplates sometimes referred to as microtiter microtitre plates are typically found in flat or round bottom configurations with multiple wells arranged in a rectangular matrix often made of polystyrene or polypropylene . 3 they are used by medical and scientific researchers for screening and measurement and numerous other purposes by biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies university science departments clinics food manufacturers and nonprofits such as the american red cross . according to ceo briar alpert 2 biotek s instruments help researchers in the life sciences drug research and disease analysis to better understand biological processes at the cellular and molecular level . 4 contents 1 history and milestones 2 business model 3 facilities 4 employees 5 products 5.1 microplate readers 5.2 microplate washers 5.3 microplate dispensers 5.4 automated microplate products 6 challenges 7 references history and milestones edit elx405 microplate washer from biotek instruments . the firm was begun in 1968 by university of vermont physiologist dr.norman alpert who developed biomedical testing equipment . the initial focus of the biomedical business was hospital safety and quality assurance with products that included medical safety analyzers cardiac simulators and defibrilator testers . in 1981 the firm built its first microplate reader 5 leading to the creation of biotek s laboratory instrumentation division . by 1984 it wrote software to log data which worked on various personal computers including the apple ii plus and the ibm pc . in 1986 the firm moved r & d and marketing and sales departments to colchester vermont but then moved in 1990 to the highland park section of winooski . 5 in 1987 it offered a stacking automated reader that could read up to 25 plates at a time . 5 the firm adopted voice mail technology in 1991 and buried a time capsule that is scheduled to be opened october 2041 . 5 in 2001 briar alpert son of founder norman alpert became president and ceo 5 and faced a tough decision . at that point it had a thriving business in biomedical as well as microplate technology . briar alpert in consultation with his brother adam and his father norman wondered whether the firm lacked resources to compete effectively in biomedical technology since industry survival required substantial investments . the houses of biotek s top executives were all mortgaged and the company had substantial debt and selling the biomedical division in 2002 allowed the company to pay off its debts . 6 selling the division felt like selling one s baby according to alpert . the company has since expanded with overseas affiliates and offices and entered into cooperative arrangements with the university of vermont as well as companies such as immucor inc. diachemix llc gyrasol technologies invitrogen corporation enzo biochem inc. and global cell solutions inc. 5 the firm s marketing effort is led by peter weith and briar alpert s brother adam is the vice president of business development . biotek s first website appeared in 1996 and has since been updated and expanded to offer multi lingual access . 5 in 2007 it launched an online customer resource center and opened offices in china india and singapore . 5 in 2008 it held a global sales meeting in burlington vermont which was attended by worldwide staff and distributors from 42 countries . 5 it has distributors in nations such as new zealand . 7 additional expansions were seen in 2009 and 2010 with a corporate headquarters expansion and the opening of a swiss office respectively . business model edit in 2002 the alpert brothers decided to focus exclusively on the laboratory microplate business and sold its biomedical division . 5 the decision proved prescient 8 and helped sales . 8 alpert explained that the practice of keeping the firm privately held was an advantage despite the drawback that publicly traded firms have greater access to cash . 2 8 in october 2009 senior executive adam alpert participated in programs to help budding entrepreneurs . 9 the company gives scholarships to promising students . 2 10 the company s strategy includes continually reinvesting in the business over the long term to provide sustainable and consistent growth . 11 this growth also includes expanding operations globally ; biotek currently has eight offices around the world . 2 in addition to direct sales the company markets sells and supports their microplate instrumentation through a broad network of scientific distributors . the company also as many do engages in product co development with peer companies . for instance in 2016 biotek entered into a co development agreement with milliporesigma focused on automated cell perfusion and imaging . 12 facilities edit biotek instruments headquarters in winooski vermont usa . as of 2008 the company has several buildings in winooski s highland park section . 8 the largest building is a manufacturing center 40 000 square feet headed by amit lodha 13 and an office center 27 000 square feet . 8 in 2009 the company expanded their service department and applications laboratory 4 headed by peter banks the company s scientific director . 2 other facilities are located in china france germany india singapore switzerland and the united kingdom . 2 the company implements many initiatives to lessen their environmental impact and won the 2009 waste reduction award by the chittenden solid waste district cswd . 14 employees edit it can sometimes be difficult recruiting quality employees to vermont since some outsiders with desirable skills are reluctant to move here according to briar alpert . 15 the firm has worked hard to attract quality employees and creates a positive work environment . 16 a family atmosphere and culture of mutual respect as well as flex time good benefits and profit sharing contribute to the average 12 year tenure of a typical biotek employee . 1 biotek was awarded a 5x5x5 award from vermont business magazine in 2008 and 2011 . 17 in 2009 biotek was awarded best place to work in vermont 16 from vermont business magazine and business of the year from the lake champlain regional chamber of commerce . the company was also nominated for a deane c. davis award . in 2010 biotek won the deane c. davis award 18 and was subsequently inducted into the vermont business hall of fame in university of vermont s college of business administration . 17 products edit biotek is iso 9001 certified and their products fall into four categories read wash dispense automate . microplate readers edit microplate readers are used to quantitate a reaction between a sample and reagents in a variety of scientific and clinical disciplines . many methods are used to detect this reaction including absorbance luminescence fluorescence fluorescence polarization time resolved fluorescence and tr fret . a single mode reader uses a single detection method while a multi mode reader incorporates several methods for increased flexibility . microplate washers edit microplate washers remove reagents from microplate wells during assay wash steps . the rate of removal aspiration can range from gentle for sensitive cell washing to robust for standard elisas . specialized microplate washers also exist for bead based assays using biomagnetic separation or vacuum filtration . biotek is best known for their elx405 microplate washer which is often called a biotek by users . microplate dispensers edit microplate dispensers deliver pre determined fluid volumes to microplate wells using either peristaltic pumps or microprocessor controlled syringe drives . peristaltic pumps are used for continuous or semi continuous liquid dispensing ; syringe dispensers are used for precise dispensing in sub microliter volumes . automated microplate products edit automated microplate products provide increased speed flexibility and unattended operation when configured with microplate readers washers and dispensers . automated systems can range from processing of a few microplates for low throughput to hundreds of microplates for high throughput . biotek s automated microplate products are designed for mid throughput needs and can be combined with biotek products and many other manufacturers . challenges edit competitors include companies such as life science laboratory beckman coulter molecular devices bio rad laboratories turner biosystems tecan bmg labtech berthold phoenix equipment and others . vermont s taxes are relatively high although the state has provided low interest loans to biotek as an incentive for the firm to stay . 15 china presents both a competitive threat as well as an opportunity according to alpert . 15 as of 2010 the firm plans to remain in vermont . 15 alpert credits the obama administration for increasing budgets for the national institutes of health and the national science foundation since they helped fund research universities which are prime customers of biotek . 2 references edit a b staff writer profile biotek instruments vermont economic development authority jan 1 2008 quote the elder alpert a physiology professor at the university of vermont had started the business in a colleague s basement and had guided it to success as a manufacturer of biomedical instruments that test the safety and reliability of machinery used in hospitals ... retrieved 2010 01 29 a b c d e f g h kevin kelley biotek thrives despite industry difficulties vermont business jan 15 2010 quote biotek president and ceo briar alpert his company and its main competitors were expanding at an annual rate of 6 or 7 percent . last year alpert adds the industry contracted by about 10 percent as the recession hit hard ... retrieved 2010 01 29 peter banks the microplate market past present and future microplates today the global market drug discovery world spring 2009 edition retrieved 2010 02 17 a b biotek instruments expands world headquarters in winooski vermont business dec 17 2009 quote the company added 8 000 square feet ; effectively increasing the size of its service department by 50 % and housing a new applications laboratory ... retrieved 2010 01 29 a b c d e f g h i j biotek instruments biotek instruments web site biotek instruments 2010 01 29 retrieved 2010 01 29 staff writer profile biotek instruments vermont economic development authority jan 1 2008 quote but by 2000 norman alpert s successors saw greater opportunities for growth in the life science tools that the company had started making in the late 1970s . these instruments are used for 10 000 purposes briar alpert says citing the examples of testing the safety of the blood supply and enabling forensic labs to process dna as evidence ... retrieved 2010 01 29 biotek instruments appoints millennium science as new zealand distributor vermont business jul 9 2009 quote biotek instruments of winooski vermont has appointed millennium science pty. ltd. as their official distributor in new zealand ... . retrieved 2010 01 29 a b c d e staff writer profile biotek instruments vermont economic development authority jan 1 2008 quote biotek s sales more than doubled in the five years after the company s consolidation and alpert has a goal of doubling revenues again during the next five years . ... retrieved 2010 01 29 cari kelley be part of the action at the third annual innovation jam vermont.org october 2009 retrieved 2010 01 29 cari kelley leadership champlain welcomes class of 2010 vermont.org october 2009 quote amit