Events are being planned to celebrate the lab’s 50th anniversary but details have not been nailed down because the administrators want to try to make sure Davis can participate.

Meanwhile, the company’s success story continues to grow. Insurance companies have changed the game, somewhat, by determining which lab a patient can utilize for tests, but the lab’s high ratings and hi-tech capabilities have helped to prevent any negative impact on business from that trend, Courson said.

“It used to be you would go to the doctor and he or she would give you a requisition for a lab test, and it would be your responsibility to go find a lab to get it done,” he said. “Now insurance sometimes dictates which labs they’ll use. It’s not always the case but it’s getting to be more prevalent. But we don’t seem to be losing any business as a result. We’re doing very well.”

Q: What sorts of capabilities does Doctors Laboratory provide?

A: Our broad testing capabilities include chemistry, immunology, parasitology, cytology, microbiology, pathology, toxicology, hematology, microscopy, serology and virology.

Q: What are some of the latest technological advances, equipment wise, the lab now uses to continue its competitive reputation as state-of-the-art?

A: (From Phil Shah, department head of Microbiology at the company) We have the D.D. Viper, an automated pippetter. With its robotic arm, enclosed in glass, and using space-age technology, the Viper tests for sexually transmitted disease, saves thousands of man hours by testing multiple samples in just minutes and removes the chance of human error with its incredible accuracy.

There is also the Vitek analyzer, which can diagnose types of growths caused by common infectious diseases and also tells which anti-biotic will treat the growth. It was developed by NASA. These go for about $250,000 apiece.

There’s also our Roche Modular, which cost more than the construction of our administrative wing. It performs 13 different comprehensive metabolic tests of blood, urine and body fluids and can perform 4,000 tests in one hour and can release results in 15 minutes on liver function, kidney function and electrolytes. These are just a few examples of the equipment we have on site.

Q: What are your plans for the future?