Genetics Firm Eclipsing the Competition

From a part-time side job to a full-time business with employees and contractors, Eclipse Genetics has found its stride for bovine reproductive services in the Northeast. As a provider of IVF, embryo collection and ET services, the company specializes in collecting and providing data for their clients each step of the way.

Owners Dr. Kevin Lindell and Sarah Bowley began collaborating on assisted reproductive technology with cattle in 2006 while Lindell worked as a veterinarian at the Large Animal Field Service at Tufts University in Woodstock, Conn., and Bowley directed a nonprofit preserving genetic material of endangered livestock breeds in Newport, R.I. For 12 years the industry’s demand for specialized reproductive procedures increased, and it became more appealing to establish a practice specializing in these services. They made the break into a full-time business in 2018.

“We’ve had incredible and steady growth in the last four years,” Bowley said. “Our clients have responded very positively to our focus on details and the high level of communication we provide them.

“IVF is a high-end elective procedure, and we try to spend a lot of time making sure clients understand everything we are doing and what options they have. We maintain contact with them from the time donors are enrolled to when the calf hits the ground. We’re currently monitoring more than 15 embryo recipient locations, to try and capture the whole picture, from donor enrollment to calving.”

With facilities in eastern New York, Maine, Connecticut and Vermont, Eclipse Genetics works with a variety of clients – from show and type cattle, to creating bulls for stud. Oocytes are currently fertilized through Boviteq’s IVF Lab in Wisconsin; however, Boviteq and will soon be servicing the Northeast when its new lab in Syracuse, N.Y., opens in September 2022. When the new lab opens, shipping and transportation will be handled in-house, bringing all phases of service under Eclipse Genetics control.

Attention to detail and providing tailored recommendations is where Eclipse stands above the rest. Clients receive quarterly reports, are invited to an annual meeting to learn about new industry trends and get a transparent look at their program from collection to calf on the ground. Eclipse also works closely with clients on sire selection, to help producers identify and use the best performing IVF sires.

Bowley and Lindell hope to continue the growth trajectory their company has achieved, but are careful not to grow too quickly or become too large to meet clients’ needs. Bowley said, “Existing clients have been good to us as we’ve grown; we want to make sure we stay loyal to them and meet their needs as we grow. It’s an exciting time to be working in this field with such amazing cattle and clientele.”

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