Hardy Diagnostics announced today the acquisition of GG&B Company in Wichita Falls, Texas, maker of innovative, automated microscope slide stainers for laboratory use.  

“GB&B has been an industry leader in the development and manufacture of clinical laboratory equipment since it was founded in 1974,” said Jay Hardy, president of Hardy Diagnostics. “With the recent launch of the innovative QuickSlide GramPro 80, Hardy Diagnostics is proud to be on the leading edge of automated slide stainer technology.”

The QuickSlide GramPro 80 is capable of gram staining up to 80 slides per hour, hands-free, and yet is compact enough to fit on any lab counter top. The GramPro 1 is ideal for low volume use and stat procedures. 

In the near future, QuickSlide will also offer the GramPro 40, designed for mid-sized laboratories. For blood smears, QuickSlide offers the HemaPro automated instrument for Wright-Giemsa staining of blood cells.

“Most all of our customers do Gram stains,” said Hardy. “The stainers are in keeping with our core microbiology business and can be used by all types of labs: clinical, pharmaceutical, food, biotech, etc.”

Daniel Crawford, Hardy Diagnostics’s choice to lead the new division, said, “We are impressed with the unique technology of the stainers, especially the patented electric eye to detect differences in smear thickness.” 

Crawford, a manager at Hardy Diagnostics for the past three years, has a degree in biomedical engineering from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in business administration.

Jeff Gibbs, a co-inventor of the QuickSlide instruments, will be retained by Hardy Diagnostics as the director of manufacturing in Wichita Falls. Gibbs has been involved in laboratory instrumentation design since 1974.

Hardy Diagnostics will rebrand the company as QuickSlide, a division of Hardy Diagnostics. All current employees of GG&B Co. have been retained and QuickSlide will continue to operate from the current location in Wichita Falls.

— Lorie Bouget represents Hardy Diagnostics.