Jim Stark. Blackstone Laboratories was Jim's brainchild back in 1985. A Purdue University graduate, Jim is an A&P aircraft mechanic and has his private pilot's license. When he's not sniffing oil or writing reports, Jim enjoys flying the skies of Indiana, rebuilding his shed, and contemplating ways for Blackstone to take over the world. To see Jim's most recent report, please click here.

Ryan Stark. Ryan started at Blackstone in 1997 after graduating from Purdue University with a mechanical engineering degree. Ryan is responsible for writing and maintaining Blackstone's software program, setting up and managing the lab, writing reports, and a million other things that need to be done in a business. When he's not kicking ass in the lab or writing code, Ryan enjoys putting his pilot's license to good use, working on his '84 Chevy 3/4 ton and '81 VW Rabbit convertible, and teaching his son to play ball. As an experiment, Ryan is currently running Aeroshell W65 - an oil with (gasp!) no zinc or phosphorus in it - in his Chevy to determine if the hype over ZDDP (zinc dithiophosphate) is all that or not. If the experiment ruins his engine, well, he's rebuilt it before. To see Ryan's most recent report, click here.

Kristin Huff. Kristin deviated from the family flock by attending Indiana University, earning an English degree. She worked as an editor and writer in Colorado and Michigan before the siren call of Blackstone brought her back to Indiana. Kristin started at Blackstone in 2001 and has since learned to love the intoxicating world of oil analysis. When she's not working on the website, creating newsletters, or writing reports, Kristin maintains a freelance editing and writing business, runs triathlons, and enjoys hiking with her husband and kids. To see Kristin's latest report, click here.

Jerry Young. Jerry is Blackstone's lab operator, and he runs the operation with a precision rivaled by no one. Jerry recently completed a course in spectrometry in New Hampshire, so he's now not only the fastest lab guy in the west, he's an ace troubleshooter and keeps us running when the machines are being finicky. In his free time, Jerry enjoys playing basketball and keeping his kids on the straight and narrow. Click here to see Jerry's latest report.

Adrianna Manaugh is a 2002 Taylor University graduate. Adrianna works at setting up samples, logging in all the pertinent information about your oil samples, and building/sending out kits. If there's a problem with your sample, Adrianna is often the first to catch it and she is probably the person who will hound you for more information. When she's not slaving over oil, Adrianna dreams of becoming a missionary and manages to travel to the Philippines or another exotic (read: warmer than Indiana) location each year for missionary work. Click here to see Adrianna's latest report.

Billy Cunningham joined Blackstone as an analyst and backup lab guy. Billy has 40 years racing experience, starting out in drag racing, then switching to speedway. Eventually he became an official and wrote racing stories for national publications. In the 1990s he owned his own company as a business manager of speedways. In his free time, Billy enjoys marrying off his daughters and spending time with his grandkids. He's also an avid NCAA fan and managed to win the office NCAA pool, despite Kristin's insistence that "women's intuition" would conquer all. George Mason! Who knew? To see Billy's latest report, please click here.

Ricardo Mendez is currently earning his bachelor's degree but could not resist the allure of oil analysis (and the income of a job). Now that he knows more about what oil analysis can do, he wishes he'd had a sample done on his Saab before buying it. In his spare time, Ricardo enjoys piña coladas, getting caught in the rain, and going on adventures. Adventures to where? Only Ricardo knows, and he ain't telling.

Michael Harding is our kit builder extraordinaire, when he's not busy getting bashed playing football or rugby at school. He loves Blackstone, for we provide the funds that will eventually become his new (used) car.