Natick - State Senators Richard Ross (R-Wrentham) and Karen Spilka (D-Ashland), along with Representative David Linsky (D-Natick), toured Natick-based company Hybrivet Systems, Inc. Thursday morning.  Hybrivet Systems produces LeadCheck swabs, the only EPA-approved lead detector for contractors, painters, and renovators.

            New EPA guidelines, which have rendered LeadCheck the only EPA-recognized lead detector, have caused Hybrivet Systems to see dramatic increases in their business.  The company has grown from 4 employees to forty in the past year.

            Senator Spilka, the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, cited Hybrivet as an example of the innovation economy that thrives in MetroWest.  "LeadCheck is a prime example of a commercial idea born out of scientific research and developed to meet a pressing need - in this case, for our children," stated Spilka.  "This is the hallmark of the Massachusetts high tech economy.  I look forward to working with Hybrivet Systems to help them stay and grow in Natick.”

            Senator Ross, who is thankful for the opportunity to see firsthand the growth of the Natick based company said,“ I am thoroughly impressed with what I saw on my tour at Hybrivet Systems facility in Natick.  From workforce to the products being created there, this is a thriving business with great potential.  We need to make sure  all small businesses around the Commonwealth are given the opportunity to grow and prosper.”

            Representative Linsky said that “it was fascinating to learn more about the cutting-edge technology that Hybrivet Systems develops right here in Natick. They are a growing business who produces the only EPA-approved lead test kit. These are exactly the kinds of businesses that sustain our local economy and keep Massachusetts a leader in the science and technology sector.”

            Marcia Stone, who received her PhD in Organic Chemistry from Northeastern University, founded Hybrivet Systems in 1987.  According to the company's website, "LeadCheck® Swabs, Hybrivet's flagship product, is the fastest, easiest, most cost effective lead detection product on the market."

###