Press Releases

For Immediate Release
Date: August 23, 2004
Contact: Liz Lloyd, Marketing Communications Manager
Phone: 800.871.8909 ext. 109

2004 Marks Banner Year in Awards for TREK Diagnostic Systems

Cleveland, Ohio – August 23, 2004 – TREK Diagnostic Systems received three prestigious awards in June, including the Medical Design Excellence Award (MDEA), NorTech Innovation Award, and the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year® Award for Mike Burke, President and CEO of TREK Diagnostic Systems.

In addition to the June awards, TREK received a 2004 NEO Success Award in January 2004 and was recognized as one of Northeast Ohio’s top-performing companies.
Mike Burke was also honored in June as Who’s Who in Technology in Crain’s Cleveland Business magazine.

The MDEA is the premier awards program for the medical technology community. It recognizes the many people—engineers, scientists, designers, and clinicians—who are responsible for the groundbreaking innovations that are changing the face of healthcare. MDEA-winning entries excel in the areas of product innovation, design and engineering achievement, end-user benefit, and cost-effectiveness in manufacturing and healthcare delivery.

The NorTech Innovation recognition program is designed to award the best innovations and designs from companies located in Northeast Ohio. Recognition is given to both the company and the innovators who created the innovations.

The Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program was created and is produced by professional services firm Ernst & Young LLP. As the first award of its kind, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses. The program honors entrepreneurs through regional, national and global award programs in over 100 cities and 35 countries.

The Northeast Ohio award winners are now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2004 national program. Winners in several national categories, as well as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, in November 2004. The overall national Entrepreneur Of The Year award winner is then considered for the world event held in Monte Carlo.

Mike Burke won the Entrepreneur of the Year award for his proven entrepreneurial record and more than 30 years of health care industry experience. He is successfully leveraging his skills and knowledge to shape the future of TREK Diagnostic Systems. Under his leadership, the company has grown to 160 employees and maintained a nearly 20% growth rate.

“The awards we have received in so many categories this year is a culmination of the hard work, insight, and creativity of the TREK employees over the past five years,” commented Mike Burke, President and CEO of TREK Diagnostic Systems.

Founded in January 1999, TREK Diagnostic Systems is a global manufacturer and distributor of automated systems and consumable products for the microbiology diagnostic laboratory. Signature product lines include VersaTREK®, ESP®, Sensititre®, alamarBlue®, para-JEM®, YeastOne®, onSite®, and TREK Lab Services. TREK is committed to delivering the highest quality products and services to clinical, pharmaceutical, and veterinary diagnostic laboratories worldwide.