History of Wyoming Analytical Laboratories, Inc.

In 1977, chemist Jane Thomas and the late mining consultant Fred L. Smith co-founded Wyoming Analytical Laboratories, Inc. (WAL) in Laramie, Wyoming, to specialize in coal, soil, and water analysis. Dr. LeRoy Jacobs and Charles R. Wilson established a sister laboratory in Golden, Colorado, in 1984. Branch laboratories were established in Rock Springs, Wyoming, in 1993, and in Arvada, Colorado, in 2002. From 2005 through 2015, WAL operated the laboratory at the Bridger Power Plant in Point of Rocks, Wyoming.  WAL closed the Arvada facility in 2007, and has since consolidated all other Colorado operations into a larger facility in Laramie, Wyoming. WAL currently comprises the Laramie Headquarters and Rock Springs Branch facilities.