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.

Senior analyst Suzi is all about learning and making things. She designs knitting patterns for her Etsy store Nebulous Knits, focusing primarily on plush toys and educational models. She keeps freshwater planted aquariums, way too many houseplants and enjoys gardening in the summertime. She also hikes year round and brings her scruffy little dog Buddy along whenever he can be coaxed out from his blanket fortress.

Raegan was a biology major and spent graduate school concentrating on microbiology and biochemistry, so she loves all things science. But she enjoys spending time in the great outdoors doing things like backpacking, kayaking, and camping, which is handy because she relocated from Indiana to California, where mountains and water are plentiful, and now works remotely for us as a senior analyst. Raegan developed an interest in car things after her brake pads/rotors needed done and she decided to do them myself with a little help from Youtube. Now she does her own oil changes for fun and taught her nephews how to change the oil. She spends a lot of time doing periodic table trivia (which is as nerdy as it sounds) and playing chess.

Although his picture features a machete, senior analyst Brian is possibly the most laid-back person analyst Blackstone has ever hired. When he’s not writing up your reports, Brian can be found visiting national parks, playing his French horn in a community orchestra, jogging around the Summit City, and vociferously supporting the local minor league sports teams. Before joining Blackstone, Brian was an enlisted Marine, playing in a Marine Corps band based in Hawaii. He then attended the University of Utah, where he assisted in research efforts at the National Center for Veterans Studies, eventually graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology.

We have never known anyone who could supply Marines in the desert with water, but that’s exactly what Samir did during his time stationed in Iraq as a Marine. A Gulf War veteran, Sgt. Kharbas is also a computer crackerjack, mechanic, father, and oil analysis guru. Having worked on cars for years, Samir puts his mechanical expertise to good use crafting oil analysis reports and discussing engines with all the people who want to chat. And there are a lot of you. Samir spends his free time hunting elk and moose in Montana, having relocated there from the great state of Indiana with his partner and kids a few years back.