In a further expansion of its sales and service capabilities in the northeast, Olympus America Inc. has announced that it will begin selling and servicing scientific equipment directly in the region surrounding its headquarters in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley beginning October 1. Professionals in science and industry use Olympus microscopes and imaging equipment for research, clinical applications, measuring and inspecting products, and other purposes. The eastern Pennsylvania region extends from Philadelphia north to the New York State border and west to Lancaster. Other areas of Pennsylvania will be serviced by B&B Microscopes Ltd., of Pittsburgh. B&B Microscopes and its sister company, Hunt Optics and Imaging, also will continue to provide sales and service to Olympus customers in Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama and Georgia. “This region is our own backyard,” said Osamu Joji, vice president and general manager of the scientific equipment group at Olympus America. “It makes perfect sense for us to utilize our resources at headquarters to provide the best possible support to our customers in eastern Pennsylvania. We are now able to work and communicate directly with these important customers, who are also our neighbors, bringing them direct sales, technical support and training.” Olympus Corporation of the Americas relocated to Center Valley from Melville, N.Y., in June 2006. Within a 50-mile radius of the headquarters facility there are dozens of colleges and universities, along with a high concentration of pharmaceutical companies, all of which are extensive users of microscopes. In addition to visiting with customers at their own sites, staff members will now be able to access the headquarters facility’s state-of-the art demonstration and conference center for meetings, training and demonstrations with interested users. Olympus relies upon a combination of direct and dealer sales to best serve its customers throughout the US, making decisions in each region depending upon the needs of customers in that area. In addition to making a variety of recent changes in its distribution network, Olympus continues to strengthen its nationwide support and service capabilities with new personnel, features and enhanced availability and response times. The company also has introduced several key products recently, including the flagship BX3 microscope series and the LEXT OLS4000 laser confocal microscope for industrial users. For more information, visit: www.olympusamerica.com