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Quanta Laboratories

Quanta Laboratories, Terry Liu and Dr. Hong-sun Liu

Location: Santa Clara, California
Formed in: 1985
www.quantalabs.com
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"SCORE counselors provide the unbiased, independent perspective that can help us evaluate our options and plans.”

Dr. Hong-sun Liu founded Quanta Labs in 1985. He received his PhD in mechanical engineering from U.C. Berkeley and taught engineering at Berkeley as a PhD student and San Jose State prior to starting Quanta Labs. “Initially I raised money from 29 family members and friends to buy testing equipment and open the company,” says Dr. Liu. “But, this was a really unwieldy group to try to work with and satisfy,” he continues. “Fortunately we became profitable within three months of starting up and eventually the company was able to buy out most of the others. Now we have a more cohesive group,’ he explains.
 
Terry, Dr. Liu’s son, joined Quanta in 2001. Terry went to UCLA where he received both a BSEE degree and an MBA. He worked for IBM, Price Waterhouse Coopers consulting practice and a few start up companies before joining Quanta. “Initially my main focus was business development, but I’ve gradually taken over more administrative and management responsibilities which has allowed my dad to concentrate on developing new technologies and consulting,” Terry explains.

Terry Liu, a principal with his father, Dr. Hong-sun Liu, at the Santa Clara based company,  Quanta Laboratories, says “the reason we came to SCORE for help is that we want to ‘sharpen the saw’ and take our company to the next level.” Quanta Labs is the largest and most experienced independent environmental/mechanical testing and consulting service laboratory in Northern California. “Our business is doing very well even during the current economic recession,” says Terry. “In fact 2008 was the best year in our history and 2009 is shaping up to be an even better year,” he adds. The company is adding employees and currently has 16 full time people, most of whom are degreed engineers. 

How SCORE helped.

 “We’re grappling with how to grow Quanta Labs,” says Dr. Liu. “Our competitive advantage is our exceptionally competitive cost structure, and our extensive test equipment inventory, highly responsive scheduling, our technical expertise, and the outstanding service we provide our customers,” he adds. Terry explains “The real challenge is how can we grow, add capacity, expand geographically and enter new markets without sacrificing the competitive advantage that has gotten us to where we are today. SCORE counselors provide the unbiased, independent perspective that can help us evaluate our options and plans.” He concludes by saying “SCORE’s counseling services are free. If we had to pay a management consultant for this type of help it would cost us thousands of dollars.  I think most small business owners can benefit from the type of help that SCORE provides.”

What's great about my mentor?

 Terry views his SCORE counselors, Mike O’Connor and Chutta Ratnathicam as coaches and advisors. “We want to make incremental improvements in the company and grow our business in new markets and geographies,” he says. Terry and Dr. Liu bounce ideas off Mike and Chutta to get independent, unbiased feedback. Terry claims “Although Mike and Chutta can’t officially hold me accountable, whenever I meet with them I feel like I am accountable.” He adds, “It’s easy to get bogged down in day-to-day issues, but when I talk to my SCORE counselors we focus on the big picture - where is the company going and how we can improve what we’re doing.” The advice that Mike and Chutta provide isn’t only about the future, though. They have helped Terry make better use of his QuickBooks accounting data and reports. They also have suggested ways to improve employee communications and make employee meetings more productive.

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