BLI’s lab staff is a group of intelligent and engaging individuals. Keith Biesiada has been a valuable part of that team for 11 years, performing custom tests and giving his professional analysis. He took the time to tell us about his experience at BLI—and make us laugh a little.
The Journey to BLI
“The first thing I learned upon enrolling at Stevens Tech was that I hated engineering, so instead I majored in chemistry,” Biesiada said. “That might have been one of my best decisions because I pursued that course of study all the way to Auburn University—War Eagle!—where I earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry. I was a research chemist for a company that had been bought out and changed names three or four times…you know, I can’t remember what the name was when I left,” he said with a smirk. Biesiada, who has worked with plasticizers and stabilizers—chemicals that change the physical properties of plastics—over his career, found BLI through family members who were already employed by the company. “After 15 years in the plastics industry, I needed a new challenge and that’s when the doors of BLI opened to me.”
Life at BLI
“It wasn’t easy to change professions, but BLI provided a work environment second to none, with established industry veterans like Pete Emory to make the transition easier,” Biesiada recalled. “I like the easy-going, achievement-oriented atmosphere that BLI provides its employees—and this extends to visitors from OEM companies, who feel as much a part of the family as the in-house staff.” He also has enjoyed the experience of learning an entirely new skill set from working hands-on with various projects and a little team effort with other techs.
“My background as a research chemist served me well in my new orbit,” Biesiada explained. “At BLI, I have conducted custom tests on printers and peripherals, especially paper and both ink and toner cartridges.” Because of his focus on private evaluations, Biesiada does tests for various companies (NDAs, however, prevent him from going into too much detail). “We provide our customers with data on competitive yields, reliability, and print quality. Paper testing looks at a wide spectrum of parameters, including jams, multi-sheet feeds, dusting, packaging defects and anything else—our expertise in this area is extensive.” Currently, he is eager to experience some new test objectives that will analyze the various wastes made from imaging devices.
Outside of BLI
“I have been a baseball fan all of my life and pitched for the JV team at Stevens,” Biesiada mused. “At one point the coach wanted to cut me, but I explained that while I couldn’t hit, catch or throw, I was slow too. So I wasn’t destined to become a slugging first baseman, but I had my cup of yogurt so to speak. Nowadays my interest in baseball has expanded into fantasy leagues.” Biesiada represents New York with his Mets hat—his favorite team—and is also a Rangers fan when it comes to hockey.
“I like the easy-going, achievement-oriented atmosphere that BLI provides its employees—and this extends to visitors from OEM companies, who feel as much a part of the family as the in-house staff.” –Keith Biesiada
“My avocation is writing,” he said. “During the late 90s I covered high school sports for a local newspaper. “Today I write flash fiction, with a story due for publication early in the summer. I suppose the dream is to write one great American novel and then to rest on my laurels and royalty checks. Then, I will be able to indulge in a life of leisure that would include sleeping late and walking down to the local coffee shop to read the New York Daily News while I catch up on my caffeine.” Some of his favorite authors are American greats such as Tom Robbins, Hunter S. Thompson and Kurt Vonnegut.
“Then there’s TV,” Biesiada said. “My wife likes to watch murder mysteries and then fall asleep. So I’ll change channels to one of my favorite programs, like Deadliest Catch, River Monsters or Mountain Monsters. When I do, she will instantly awaken and ask for the clicker so she can go back to her show and then fall asleep again,” he said with a chuckle. Biesiada also used to participate in chess tournaments until he “got bored.” Now he occasionally plays chess on a computer just for pleasure.
“I also have a keen interest in physical fitness and nutrition,” he said. “My days as a body building champion are long gone and I think my wife donated all my trophies to the local YMCA, but I retain my airbrushed photos of Steve Reeves with my face superimposed on his…unless she threw them out too.”
If you have any questions or comments for Keith, please send him an email at keith.biesiada@buyerslab.com.