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Priorclave North America Announces New President, New Directions

Priorclave North America (PNA) is pleased to announce that Barbra Wells has been named their President and CEO. Wells had served for the last year as PNA CEO, spearheading the expansion of the North American arm of Priorclave Ltd.—one of the world’s leading manufacturers of research-grade laboratory autoclaves.  

Tony Collins, Managing Director of Priorclave Ltd. UK, noted that “For almost three decades we’ve offered sterilizers throughout the world. But for cultural, regulatory, and practical reasons, North America had proven a challenging market. Over the last several years Priorclave North America has been instrumental in overcoming these obstacles and educating customers as to the notable savings they can gain-in reduced energy, water, and maintenance costs-by adopting a proper research-grade laboratory autoclave. We look forward to seeing further growth and success under Barbra’s leadership.”

This management change marks the departure of PNA founder Bernie Youngblood. An entrepreneur at heart, irresistibly driven by his passion for sustainability and the public good, Mr. Youngblood is eager to move on to his Next Big Project. “I’m very excited about Barbra’s new role as President and CEO,” Mr. Youngblood said. “Priorclave has made an incredible impact on the market, while raising customer and industry awareness. It will be Barbra’s leadership that will take Priorclave North America to the next level.”

Moving forward, PNA will expand their global reach by continuing to build an international team of authorized service agents and dealers, and by increasing their focus on developing and supporting growth in Mexico. Having established a firm toehold among North American researchers and educators, PNA looks forward to expanding their scope to include veterinary labs in 2017.

Even as they evolve, Priorclave North America continues in their unflagging support of existing customers, as well as their commitment to environmental sustainability, offering lab autoclaves that regularly use 81% less energy and 93% less water than same-size units performing similar tasks.

Barbra Wells said, “It’s an exciting time to be part of the sustainable/green movement in labs. I’m eager to take the helm of a company that’s leading the way in lab efficiency in North America, while continuing to meet and exceed the needs of our customers.”