C. L. Sturkey Inc.

Established in 1944, C. L. Sturkey, Inc. is a Woman-Owned and Small Business Enterprise that manufactures permanent and disposable microtome knives. C. L. Sturkey's knives are used and endorsed by hospitals, research and diagnostic laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, universities, colleges, medical and veterinary schools, and industry throughout the United States. We are internationally acclaimed for quality and excellence.

Serving histology and pathology laboratories for over fifty years, the Sturkey name has become a legend to technologists using microtome knives. Our high quality, innovative edge coatings, durability, longevity and economical price present a value unprecedented in the medical industry.

Our unconditional guarantee is your quality assurance!


REPRINT FROM BUSINESS EDITION, LEBANON DAILY NEWS, FEBRUARY 2002

Sturkey, World Leader
in Microtome Knives
__Producing a product that is considered to be a vital tool used in medical diagnosis and research had inspired C.L. Sturkey, Inc. to be the world’s leading innovator in the making of microtome knives.
Microtome knives are precision cutting instruments used by histologists who cut ultra-thin tissue samples from humans, animals and plants for microscopic examination. A pathologist, whose purpose is diagnosing diseases and conducting medical research, then examines the processed tissue samples.
__Founded in 1944 by Clarence L. Sturkey and formerly located in Perkiomenville in southeastern Pennsylvania, the company initially operated as a sole proprietorship. Sturkey traveled from hospital to hospital sharpening permanent microtome knives and selling ones his company had manufactured. From a one-man operation more than 50 years ago serving local hospitals, the Lebanon-based company now employs 12 people and serves customers worldwide. Today in Lebanon, C.L. Sturkey, Inc. manufactures both disposable and permanent knives, and sharpens and repairs an array of surgical instruments. The Sturkey name can now be found in hospitals, physicians’ offices, private and government laboratories, colleges, universities, medical schools, veterinary schools, and pharmaceutical and industrial companies throughout the world.
__In 1992, the company was acquired by the current owners, Leon and Arbelyn Tarsa, who moved the operation to Lebanon. Recognizing a trend towards disposable 		XX knives with innovative edge coatings quickly presented new opportunities for the company’s growth. Since then, a trademark of C.L. Sturkey, Inc. has been its reputation for offering the largest line of microtome knives in the world.
__"Our ability to offer several kinds of disposable knives stems from our successful research and development efforts to produce unique coatings that we apply to the edges of our knives, that in turn, give our customers options when it comes to choosing a knife that best serves their specific cutting needs," Leon Tarsa, president, says. In addition to developing edge coatings that are exclusive to Sturkey knives, the company has also developed unprecedented coating application techniques.
__C.L. Sturkey, Inc. is known for its diamond, gold, and silver coated disposable knives. A new knife to be introduced later this year will be known as EXTREMUS. It will have a combination of coatings, including one that the company has had under development for almost two years.
__"We are very excited about EXTREMUS. It will be a knife that will be known for its longevity," Tarsa said.
__C.L. Sturkey’s uniqueness within the industry is bolstered by the fact that it has a reputation for honoring its customers through the establishment of its own Heirloom Club, The Heirloom Collection and a company sponsored public awareness campaign.
__Membership in the Heirloom Club allows members to purchase custom handcrafted 		XX artifacts commissioned locally by C.L. Sturkey, Inc. from the Heirloom Collection. The artifacts in the collection are meant to honor and recognize individuals in the histology and pathology professions.
__The public awareness campaign consists of editorial messages extolling the virtues of the profession. It educated the public about the merits and worthiness of the histology profession.
__"We have a tremendous amount of respect for the people in the professions we serve. Their contribution to society is little known outside of their inner circle and because of that, we have undertaken to let the public know what histologists and pathologists do. Consequently, we have provided a means for them to acknowledge the pride they have in what they do," Tarsa stated.
__During the past 10 years, C.L. Sturkey, Inc. has been the recipient of three state grants under the Ben Franklin Challenge Grant program administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce. The grants were instrumental in funding the company’s successful research and development of new knife products and specialized coatings. A unique safety dispenser for disposable knives was also developed as a result of the grants.
__Tarsa points out that C.L. Sturkey, Inc. is a woman-owned and family-run business enterprise. "Not all of our employees are family, of course, but we consider them to be," Tarsa related. "And together, as a family, we’re going to continue to grow."