Michelle grew up in an Air force family, primarily in Texas and Okinawa. Her earliest memories are of the fighter airplanes overhead and the classic cars in her father’s garage. Looking for a life of her own, Michelle joined the Navy only to follow in her father’s footsteps while operating some of the same communication systems he had built in the Air Force. Serving in Iceland and mainland Japan, Michelle worked in telecommunications for the anti-submarine P-3 squadrons. She earned a B.A. in English as the next step in her journey as a prolific writer of a stack of love-lorn poetry no one has ever read, much fitting a girl named for a love song no one can ever remember the words to properly sing. Michelle is a pet mom to a rescue dog, Luna, and a ragdoll cat, Frankincense “Frankie” Valli. She enjoys spending time in nature with her family hiking, snowboarding and paddleboarding.

Before joining Blackstone Ethan worked with animals in Australia, but relocated to marry his true love. He’s survived encounters with man-eating sharks, deadly spiders, venomous snakes, something called a “stinging tree,” and a malevolent seagull who stole all his chips. Since moving, he enjoys great barbeque, great lakes, and free coffee refills.

Augustia holds a Bachelor of Arts in theatre performance and writing. She spent a couple years after graduation hopping around between food service jobs and the occasional seasonal position before finally landing the coveted Industry Job here at Blackstone.

When she’s not writing your report comments, you may find her jamming out to Hozier and mid-10s punk rock, reading a book, (cleverly avoiding) writing her own book, or on stage in a local production. She enjoys hiking, stargazing, baking, long walks in Eagle Marsh, and Lake Michigan beach days. Above all, she loves spending quiet nights at home (or any time anywhere else) with her husband and their four cats.

Sarah is a former library clerk who was excommunicated from the Allen County Public Library for spending too many of her working hours sniffing old copies of the Beckett Anthologies. A native of Warsaw, IN, she’s fluent in Pig Latin and Klingon, and she spends her spare time rolling in the dirt with her unathletic Jack Russell Terrier, Simon, who has his own line of designer handbags for other dogs. She dual majored in English and Business Administration and holds her school’s record for most Chicken McNuggets eaten in a single sitting (574). Her favorite game is Chutes and Ladders.

Before joining Blackstone as an analyst, Nick studied 3D Modeling and Animation at IPFW, then taught the subject for five years after graduation. He is an introvert who fluctuates between the mediator and adventurer personality types.

Outside of work, Nick enjoys spending time with his wife and son, playing tabletop or video games, watching films, or collaborative writing games with friends online. He enjoys imaginative activities like creative writing, world building, and designing assets like logos and maps for fictional worlds. He is most recently interested in trying his hand at 3D printing. Heads up: Nick is legally prohibited from entering any Jamba Juice establishment.

Matthew is a recent graduate of Oklahoma State University with a degree in music performance and was a member of the Cowboy Marching Band drumline.  He spent the better part of the past ten years jet setting around the world as an open deck truck driver. (Check out my rig of tightly secured anchoring devices just off the shores of lake Michigan in Millenium Park, Chicago.) Matt can also be found moonlighting as a freelance writer for online and print publications, a music instructor for Fort Wayne area high schools, and an amateur dart player.  Okay, maybe the graduation wasn’t so recent, but rest assured, Matt has collected a unique set of skills through life’s twists and turns that coalesces quite nicely into being an enthusiastic oil analyst at Blackstone Labs!

We conduct a lot of tests here at Blackstone, but none have helped us determine if Luke is as young as he claims to be. When he’s off the clock, Luke can be found watching decades-old movie franchises, dusting off the cartridges for his Nintendo 64, or rocking out to some heavy metal. That guy in the car next to you pumping those Black Sabbath tracks… yeah, that’s Luke. Graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Communication/Media, Luke puts his video editing skills to use sometimes on his small “gaming” YouTube channel. Where it is, we won’t say. He’s the father of two cool cats, Ori and Crump, a title bestowed upon him by his sisters.

Chris is a small-town green bean farmer. He’s also a Grace College alum, where he earned his Bachelor’s of English. Before becoming an analyst at Blackstone, he worked as a newspaper reporter and a bartender. He’s an Eagle Scout for life. He’s deathly allergic to gluten. His love for motor oil started at a young age, rebuilding classic cars with his dad, including a ’57 Ford F100 and a ’70 Chevelle. Blackstone is currently financing his latest project; the shell of a ’67 Camaro. He cooks, he gardens, he games, all to the tunes of the Grateful Dead.

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.

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.