and Eric saw a need for higher quality of imported Chinese manufactured products. The idea was simple, Steve would form a company in the US and handle setting up the distribution channels, while Eric would set up a factory in China and handle the supply chain. Their focus was on quality, and all products shipped to the US would go through a quality control inspection, labeling, and packaging, prior to shipping out to customers or to distributors. This insured that product with the Westover Scientific label, meant that it meet higher quality standards than products simply shipped into the US and put directly onto shelf's for customers to purchase. As the companies grew, so did their ambition, and quickly they realized that "why simply just import, why not develop our own products", and so began a legacy that has lead to two successful startups in the Telecommunication and Life Science industries. Westover Scientific was the first venture in which they started out developing and imported refractometers, microscopes, and fiber optic light sources. However in the late 90's an opportunity presented it self and first handheld fiber microscope was born. It was a simple design, that fit into the palm of your hand and allowed the technician to visually inspect the end of fiber optic cables prior to mating them. This ensured the end face of the fiber was free of dust, scratches or any other imperfections that might inhibit the laser from passing between connectors. Their concept and design quickly took off, and development of video based microscopes was soon introduced. By early 2000 Westover had grown to become a market leader in microscopes for the telecommunication industry and was soon purchased by a large Telecom giant.