Today is Founders Day at NMS Labs – a day set aside to honor the memory of a man who truly lived the “American Dream.”
Our founder, Dr. Fredric Rieders was born in Vienna and immigrated by himself to the United States at the age of 16 after escaping the atrocities that faced Central Europe in the 1940s. After serving his new country during World War II, Dr. Rieders came back to the United States to complete his education. He embarked on a scientific career that spanned for more than five decades and led him to become a world-renowned forensic toxicologist. 
Early on in his career when he worked as the City of Philadelphia’s Chief Toxicologist, Dr. Rieders researched such mysterious topics including
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Legionnaire’s Disease,
and heavy metal poisoning. During this time, he also taught at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Through the years, Dr. Rieders provided expert testimony in a variety of high profile cases including the Michael Swango case for which he received a Bronze Eagle from the Department of Veteran’s Affairs, the Libby Zion case that led to legislation affecting hospital care, and the O.J. Simpson trial.
His love of science and teaching led Dr. Rieders to pursue a variety of philanthropic interests. Most notably, he established the non-profit Forensics Mentors Institute, a hands-on research and academic instruction organization to support scientific and humanitarian activities serving students of all ages but specifically the young and disadvantaged.
Dr. Rieders career took him to the private sector where he worked for a number of years and eventually started his own company, National Medical Services, now known as NMS Labs. Over the years, NMS Labs has been setting the standards for excellence in clinical toxicology and forensic testing – responding to the needs of healthcare providers, medical researchers, coroners, and the criminal justice system with well over 2,500 state-of-the-art tests. Almost 40 years later, NMS Labs remains a family-owned and managed company that provides scientific results in the pursuit of truth.
We would like to invite you to share some of your great memories of Dr. Fredric Rieders as well.
Fredric Rieders
July 9, 1922 - November 26, 2005