Our tag line is: Know what you don’t know! Owner, Krista Harlan explains how the concept for Celtic Dragon Contracting began with the following story.
Throughout my career, I’ve seen a need for better education and support in labs. In my unique journey from validation to quality/compliance to safety and finally to technical specialist, the gaps in certain knowledge segments or approach to important topics has left a lasting impression. I first noticed a gap in understanding around the basics of compressed gases and regulators. These are items found in most labs across most industries and lab personnel are often afraid or unsure of how to interact with the materials appropriately. This scenario of knowledge gaps showed true for concepts like calibration vs verification, preventive maintenance vs corrective action, and accreditation vs certification. Misinformation in the lab version of urban legends or company legacy has made things like ISO accreditations and safety audits critical to growth and success.
Companies of different sizes may approach these gaps through dedicated quality and safety personnel or through use of consultants. As an analytical chemist, I look at things from a systemic problem-solving perspective. As someone with a natural curiosity and able to understand how things work, I often see trends and forecast outcomes. As the quality manager, I recognize the difference between should and shall and insist on following protocol or revising the procedure for clarity and efficiency.
Several years ago, when I first conceived of this business, I asked myself how I could share my experience and unusual career path with others. I tried several roles and all of them left me with the same answer. In every business something is missing. The expert onsite will never know what they don’t know. If you haven’t ever been exposed to segment of information, how do you know to look for issues there? My core offerings started with compressed gas safety and has grown to include general lab safety, ISO 17025 guidance, and documentation compliance. Between my personal experience and my team of experts, we can help you become aware of what it is you don’t yet know. We can provide the bridge between frustration and resolution and we can do it through education, consulting, or direct service.
When asked about the name of the company, Celtic Dragon Contracting, Krista has multiple reasons for choosing that name. First and foremost, she doesn’t distinguish between magic and advanced science. The smallest components of a molecule are just little packets of energy so really, ‘stuff’ is just a convenient construct to experience the energy around us. If it can be imagined, it is probably real or possible somewhere. As an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy, Krista accepts that eventually we will explain everything currently thought to be imagined or fantastical. Given the freedom to accept things typically considered fantasy, she chooses to believe dragons exist somewhere (even if that somewhere is another dimension of reality). The more practical reason is using a name that is personally inspiring and not linked to one specific industry. She says, “Our services are for laboratories, but those labs might be in a university or a safety compliance cannabis test lab. While we are currently cultivating the cannabis industry we also have significant offerings for the chemical and biological research industries.”
Aside from the need, Krista says it is important to be of service to others. This is her primary motivation, helping others succeed. “Plenty of people have helped me along the way and now I have this incredible skill set and a community of really standout people interested in helping so it would be foolish to try and do anything else.”