Q Laboratories was founded in 1966 by Herbert Quinn (that’s where the Q comes from). Mr. Quinn originally operated a small microbiology laboratory in the basement of his home, primarily testing water samples.

In 1985, Michael Knight, a former FDA investigator, bought the company from Mr. Quinn and moved it into a facility in the South Fairmount neighborhood of Cincinnati. Mr. Knight leveraged his FDA background to expand the services offered to include testing of food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and dietary supplements. He also opened the analytical chemistry department, implementing GMP quality standards throughout the operation.

With continued success, Q Laboratories eventually outgrew the South Fairmount facility and, in 1997, moved to 1400 Harrison Avenue. This lab building has a unique place in Cincinnati history. Built in 1911, it comprises over 14,000 square feet of space located in one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods, just five minutes from downtown Cincinnati. The building originally housed the offices of the Herancourt Brewing Company, a brewery operated in the 19th and early 20th century.

In 2000, the business was purchased by David Goins, who at that point served as the Laboratory Director. Growth continued and, in 2010, Q Laboratories opened a new 9,000 square foot addition which allowed for the expansion of laboratory space and more efficient workflow.

Continued success has required another major facility expansion. So, in 2017, the company acquired investment capital and in 2018, construction was completed on the new Q Laboratories campus – a 25,000 square foot administrative building along with a state-of-the-art, 30,000 square foot laboratory facility. The goal of this latest expansion was to enable Q Laboratories to continue to provide clients with cutting-edge scientific technologies capable of accommodating projects and sample volumes of virtually any size.