Lucy is part of a magnificent herd of children who all inherited the family tendency to be jacks of all trades (even if masters of none).

This might mean she’s had less of a career and more of a Series of Interesting Events, but it translates pretty well into fulfilling her designated role in almost every group as The Mom Friend. Formally, she’s been trained in English and history; informally, she knows a little bit about everything from construction (and destruction) to lutherie. When she’s not writing oil reports, Lucy can usually be found reading or writing a new book, turning curtains into costumes, chasing chickens, or eating bread.

Born and raised in Fort Wayne, Katie would love to tell you that she used to live in San Francisco. She is working on not mentioning it so often. She’s been a professional gift wrapper, a college instructor, a digital marketing copywriter, and a project manager, and now she is happy to be able to say she’s a full-time writer, aka her dream job. Katie has been a writer since she knew what words were, and stories and storytelling have always had her attention. Luckily, the other things she likes—cats, goat cheese, and fancy lattes—are good companions to settling down with a story, whether that’s a soap opera or a novel. Other than her two cats, Rupert and Ned, the other love of Katie’s life is her 1870s gablefront Craftsman/bungalow-style house in West Central. 

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.