The Story Behind NMS, by Elaine Taule

It was 1989 and all my children were away at college. As you know, children of college age are always experimenting with one thing or another and drugs were no exception. While I was researching ways of getting drug testing done for my kids, I thought about other mothers looking for a way to test their children as well. I developed a relationship with a sales rep at the local LabCorp facility and that was the beginning. He explained how the entire drug testing industry was about to explode, especially in Florida.

At that time, certain states were becoming drug-free workplace states, which meant you had to have a policy and program in place if your business intended to work with the state and/or federal government. In order to encourage any size business to implement such a program, they were given a benefit of a 5% reduction in the Workers' Compensation premium. Naturally, the Department of Transportation (DOT) already had regulations, as did the FAA. Each state now was looking into setting up rules and regulations to be followed.

Out came the typewriter, fax and pen. I turned one of the bedrooms into an office and began researching and calling everyone involved with the drug testing process. I had some very talented mentors who shared their experiences with me. I was very fortunate. My first client (who I am happy to say is still with me) received a hand-typed policy from me and I walked him through the process of implementing the program. I hand delivered his chain-of-custody forms. I could be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I must say I loved it and still feel the passion for it. I really believed in the process of drug testing and rehabilitation of substance abusers.

I assisted employers in implementing their programs and maintaining compliance with the rules and regulations. Programs were difficult for the individual business owners to implement by themselves; however, with our assistance, it became an easy process.

Our Company's growth has been phenomenal. In 2006 we outgrew our Delray Beach location and built a free standing building in Palm Springs, Florida. NMS has 20 employees who work in the office and 30 contractors. Add that to our network of over 2000 collection sites nationwide and affiliations with four major laboratories, and this home-based business has grown into an industry leading powerhouse in the drug testing field.