Christi graduated with a BS and a Kindergarten Endorsement in Education. She taught in the Fort Wayne Community Schools district for 18 years before coming to Blackstone to build kits, help in receiving, and assist with data entry. In the summer, she enjoys traveling, hiking, camping, and fishing with her husband and three kids. To relax she likes to read, knit, craft, or binge a good crime show.
Arryn went to school at the AFI Conservatory, becoming the first of her family to obtain a master’s degree. After graduation, she returned home and took up her oldest habits: keeping her dog away from the cat’s food and “discovering” decades-old popular video games. When she’s not working on scripts or analyzing what’s going on in your engine, she likes to take long walks or try new cooking experiments.
You can find kit builder extraordinaire Erica at any number of places: home with her dog and husband, in southern Michigan day tripping at the beach, watching independent films or cooking shows, visiting thrift stores, or learning ASL. Or maybe, just maybe, one of these days you’ll find her living her dream of touring Europe with Rick Steves.
A man of mystery, Ben is an ace sample jockey over in the lab. What else do we know about Ben? He’s the proud parent of a 1-year old, at least at press time. Clearly he likes balloons. He’s got a fearsome beard. The rest will have to be up to your imagination, because Ben ain’t talkin.
Stephanie did not give us a bio, so let your imagination run wild! Is she a superhero? Sure! Can she run 40,000 oil samples all by herself in one day? Why not? Does she have potatoes for legs? Maybe! Is she secretly a vampire? We’re not telling! Maybe one day we’ll learn the truth about our mysterious lab operator, but until then, you’ll just have to wonder.
When Eric doesn’t have his eyes on oil reports, he has them behind acorn hats. And when he doesn’t have them behind acorn hats, he has them in a book, on a screen (probably watching Fantastic Mr. Fox for the 50th time), or on the road while riding his bicycle.
Eric also enjoys creative writing (mostly in Spanish), attempting to teach his cat to go on long walks like a dog, and attending live music events.
When your kits arrive, you have Ashlee to thank. A kit builder extraordinaire, Ashlee also knows how to do many things at Blackstone – she can unpack samples, fix weird printing problems, and enter your info into the computer. Don’t get on her bad side, is what we’re saying. Just kidding, Ashlee doesn’t have a bad side (unless you ask her kids). When she’s not at Blackstone you might find her painting with acrylics or spending time in a cabin at one of her favorite places on earth, the Great Smoky Mountains!
When senior analyst Brett isn’t writing oil analysis reports at Blackstone, she’s lying in bed watching Netflix, hanging out with her writer friends, walking in the woods, playing Dungeons and Dragons, or trying to find weird things at thrift stores. She graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from Bennington College in 2010, and is a bona fide published author, publishing a book of poetry in 2023. She once tried to name her cat, Nora, as her life insurance beneficiary, but the HR person at that job didn’t think it was funny. Brett has been known to bring singing telegrams to the office, as well as naming the metal chicken that lives in the writer’s area and bestowing him with his own desk.
When he’s not lifting test tubes in the lab, Kenny can be found lifting weights at the gym. He also likes spending time in the great outdoors, fishing on Lake Wawasee, and kayaking on Cedar Creek.
When she’s not logging in your samples and answering your phone calls, Megan can be found reading, playing with her Australian Shepherd Barry and hound dog Bella, and volunteering at local food banks.
Send samples to:
Blackstone Laboratories
416 E Pettit Ave
Fort Wayne, IN 46806
Talk to a human:
(260) 744-2380
A Newsletter With Oil the News That's Fit to Print!
© Copyright 2025 | Blackstone Laboratories, Inc. | All Rights reserved
Send samples to:
Blackstone Laboratories
416 E Pettit Ave
Fort Wayne, IN 46806
Talk to a human:
(260) 744-2380
© Copyright 2025 | Blackstone Laboratories, Inc. | All rights reserved
