From Battlefield Brotherhood to Laboratory Innovation

The story of LABTECH Environments begins not with a business plan, but with a conversation; the kind of offhand remark that changes everything. In 2017, Jonathan Kendall was sitting in a Long Island meeting room surrounded by wellintentioned people discussing ways to help veterans. The room was full of talk and short on action, and Jonathan, a longtime business owner and father of a service-disabled veteran, was seconds from calling the meeting a waste of time. As he stood to leave, the man beside him made a passing comment: “I wish I knew a veteran,” he said. Jonathan replied, “My son’s a veteran.” The man continued, “I wish I knew a service-disabled veteran.” “My son is 100% service-disabled.” Then the question came; the one that would redirect the Kendall family completely: “Well, does he own a business?” Jonathan laughed. “No, he’s an actor and model in New York City.” The man shook his head. “Are you crazy? Do you know the opportunities available to service-disabled veteran-owned businesses?” By the time Jonathan reached the train platform, he was already calling his son. Harrison listened, processed, and filed the paperwork to launch a new company within a week. Their first contract was modest, about $50,000 worth of tire chains for the Missouri National Guard, but it was enough to show them what was possible. That one moment, that one comment, had ignited a trajectory neither of them had planned but both were born to pursue.

Building a Business Through Action, Not Intention

LABTECH Environments did not grow through venture capital, private equity, or splashy marketing. It grew because a small group of veterans; people who had faced real danger, real pressure, and real consequences applied the same discipline, adaptability, and grit they learned in combat to the world of government contracting. Harrison, the founder, served in combat alongside his closest friend, Onur Oncer. They were battle buddies, bound not just by shared experiences but by unwavering trust. When it came to business, trust became a foundation. “If there’s anyone I’d trust with money,” Onur said, “it is Harrison. And I have.” Jonathan, who brought decades of experience in building academic medical centers and complex environments, became the operational and technical compass. He understood laboratories, safety systems, and high-risk spaces. Onur understood medical science and lab function from his time working in a stem cell core lab. Harrison understood federal contracting intricacies and what it meant to fight through adversity. Together, they formed a leadership triad uniquely equipped to serve some of the country’s most demanding environments.

A Company That Followed the Work and Found Its Purpose

From that first Missouri contract, opportunities began to unfold. Government agencies, universities, medical systems, VA hospitals, and correctional facilities sought vendors who could not only deliver products but understand the environments they were going into. Many vendors did not know the difference between a biosafety cabinet and a fume hood. They did not understand ventilation requirements, behavioral health safety standards, anti-ligature design, secure mounting systems, or the operational realities of a working laboratory. LABTECH did. And when an agency realized they had finally found a contractor who understood their needs, they did not let them go.

•  A behavioral health unit in need of specialized furniture.
• A VA hospital requiring hundreds of medical beds.
• Rikers Island is seeking safe, damage-resistant correctional furnishings.
• Queens College renovating a vivarium with precise scientific requirements.
• A federal lab in Albany needing integrated benching, ventilation, and biosafety equipment.
• The U.S. Army in Fort Sill requiring a full, military-grade installation team.

LABTECH did not look for ways to avoid complexity. They leaned into it. And with each project, their name moved through the halls of federal and state procurement. “That’s really how we grew,” Jonathan said. “We kept doing good work, and the work kept finding us.”

The Culture of a Unit, Not a Corporation

Inside LABTECH, the culture resembles a military unit far more than a traditional company. The team is small, about eight to ten people, but the cohesion is powerful. Many have known each other for years. Some served together. Some have been through situations far more intense than any federal bid submission. Everyone works. Everyone communicates. Everyone contributes. There are no silos, no hidden agendas, no competing priorities. When LABTECH takes on an installation, Harrison, Jonathan, and Onur are just as likely to be on the ground as any technician. “We’re usually ahead of schedule,” Onur said. “Sometimes we have to wait for others to catch up.” Weekly full-team meetings keep every person aligned, whether they are in Fort Myers, Texas, or Washington, D.C. Their unity — forged in experience few companies share — becomes a competitive advantage clients can feel immediately. And that unity is exactly why clients often say, “I wish we had found you sooner.”

Innovation That Extends Beyond the Laboratory

While LABTECH has become known for laboratory and medical environments, one of their most groundbreaking divisions points toward the future of American infrastructure. Through HUBZoneEquipment.com, a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) – certified operation based in Fort Myers, Florida, the company works with a U.S.-based manufacturer to deliver advanced lithium iron phosphate energy storage systems; safer, cleaner, more reliable, and supported by a proprietary Artificial Intelligence (AI) monitoring platform. These systems are designed to support remote communities, tribal lands, hospitals, laboratories, data hubs, government campuses, and disaster-prone regions. The technology can predict stress, monitor each battery cell individually, prevent thermal runaway, regulate temperature, and deploy instant backup power even if a generator fails. The units are durable enough to survive crush tests and gun-range testing. This is not a sideline venture. It is a natural extension of LABTECH’s mission: to bring safety, reliability, and innovation to the environments Americans rely on most. And the demand for this technology, both domestic and international, is growing fast.

Growing Every Year Without Losing Purpose
Since its founding in 2017, LABTECH has grown revenue every single year. They have remained profitable every single year. Even when major projects faced delays; asbestos discoveries, schedule changes, procurement cycles, the company’s diversified portfolio kept it strong. Their work spans the entire country, but their heart is now rooted in Florida, where they moved in 2021 seeking a stronger business climate and new opportunities. They hope Florida will one day follow New York’s lead by implementing statewide mandates requiring agencies to support certified veteran-owned businesses, a change that would unlock immense economic opportunity. Even without that mandate, LABTECH is committed to expanding its presence in the state.

What Comes Next

The next chapter for LABTECH is already in motion. More federal laboratory work. More behavioral health and corrections environments. More VA partnerships. More complex, high-stakes buildouts. And a major push into rapidly deployable, AI-backed, U.S.-made energy storage systems. But when asked what truly drives the company, the answer is consistent.
“We’re fearless,” Jonathan said.
“We’re veterans,” Harrison added.
“And once people discover us,” Onur finished, “they’re either thrilled… or wish they’d
found us sooner.”

LABTECH Environments is more than a business. It is a mission powered by service, shaped by trust, and built by people who know what it means to get the job done.

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