Michael Flournoy of Severn Trent Laboratories (STL) is the grand prize winner of Agilent's Lab Makeover Sweepstakes, winning an 1200-Series HPLC and 6410 Triple Quadrupole LC/MS valued at $275,000
This unprecedented promotion was designed to celebrate the largest multi-platform launch in the history of Agilent's life sciences and chemical analysis business: the 1200-Series LC and the 6000-Series LC/MS portfolio.
"I've never won anything on this scale, and at first we were skeptical that we had won a complete LC/MS system with no strings attached," said Flournoy, operations manager at STL's Sacramento, Calif, facility (STL Sacramento).
"It took a phone call from Agilent account manager Cameron George for me to realise that we'd actually won the grand prize, as I'd filled out an online application a few months ago and hadn't given it another thought".
The winning lab selected the Agilent 1200 series rapid resolution liquid chromatography (RRLC) configuration and the Agilent 6410 series triple quadrupole MS, with plans to use the system to test for traces of explosives, chemical warfare materials, perchlorate and other specialty analytes.
"One of our older LC/MS systems is due to be replaced in six to nine months, so the timing is great," said Karla Buechler, STL Sacramento laboratory manager.
"We already have a place for the Agilent system right next to a competitive system, and it will be fun to do an actual side-by-side comparison".
"We extend our heartiest congratulations to Michael and the people at STL Sacramento, and look forward to helping them incorporate the new LC/MS system into their environmental testing portfolio," said Rick Carberry, senior director, Agilent LC/MS marketing.
"The LC/MS Lab Makeover sweepstakes has been a great way to celebrate our new LC/MS portfolio launch, and we're planning the VIP treatment for Michael and the STL team, including a limo ride to our Santa Clara headquarters to discuss applications, training and an installation timetable".
Agilent will be awarding another triple quadrupole or QTOF LC/MS system in a similar sweepstakes for Europe this November.
Receiving either an Agilent multiple affinity removal spin column kit or a choice of four analytical columns were the two second-place sweepstakes winners: Lee Goin of Columbia Food Laboratory, Corbett, Ore; and Joe Troxell of ABC Labs, Columbia, Mo.
Three third-place winners have their choice of an Agilent Zorbax 300SB-C18 reversed phase nano column (0.075mmD x 150mml, 3.5 micron) or an Agilent Zorbax Stable Bond 80A reversed phase column (4.6mmD x 100mmL, 3.5 micron): Keith Goodman of Xanthus Pharmaceuticals, Cambridge, Mass; Michael Henire of Fresenius Medical Care North America, Ogden, Utah; and Mark Domin, Eugene Merkert chemistry centre, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Mass.
