Our Story
How We Started
Eastex Environmental Laboratory was founded in 1986 in Coldspring, Texas. From the beginning, the idea was straightforward: build a lab where people could do excellent work, serve their communities, and raise their families in East Texas.
The water and wastewater testing industry was different then. Labs were local. Relationships were personal. You knew who was running your samples, and they knew your permit, your plant, and your deadlines. That's the kind of lab Eastex was built to be, and nearly 40 years later, it still is.
Growth
Eastex grew the way a relationship-driven company grows: one client at a time, one facility at a time, earning its way into new markets.
Headquarters established. Serving East Texas engineering firms, municipalities, and water systems.
Opened Nacogdoches facility serving Deep East Texas. Expanded with a dedicated annex building in 2011.
Achieved NELAC/TNI accreditation from TCEQ. Continuously accredited ever since.
Certified as a Historically Underutilized Business and Woman-Owned Business by the State of Texas.
Became 100% employee-owned through an ESOP. The people doing the work became the owners.
Coldspring, Nacogdoches, Katy, and Austin. Serving MUDs, operations companies, public water systems, and engineering firms statewide.
Employee-Owned Since 2014
In 2014, Eastex became 100% employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). There are no outside investors, no private equity firm, and no corporate parent. The people who test your water, pick up your samples, and answer your calls are the owners of this company.
In a market where labs change hands every few years, employee ownership means stability. It means the people doing the work have a personal stake in the quality of their results and the longevity of your relationship. It means your lab isn't for sale.
"Built to last. Owned by people who care."
Culture
Eastex is the kind of place where staff stay for decades. Several team members have been here for 10, 15, 20+ years. In an industry where consolidation churns staff and disrupts client relationships, that kind of retention means institutional knowledge that doesn't walk out the door.
"Participate in the protection of the environment and public health by delivering reliable, quality analytical data and environmental compliance services in a friendly, personal, professional manner while growing our employees in experience and skill."
Company mission statement, in use since 2016
Independent in a Consolidating Market
The environmental testing industry has been consolidating for years. National companies and private equity firms have been acquiring independent labs across Texas. Since 2021 alone, at least four Texas labs have changed hands.
Every acquisition means new ownership, new corporate priorities, and often new faces for the clients who chose the lab because of the people. Eastex has made a deliberate choice to remain independent, employee-owned, and Texas-based.
When you choose Eastex, your account isn't a number and your lab isn't for sale.
Want to Know More?
Meet our team or learn about our accreditations and certifications.