The Quantabio team prides itself on developing life science products that make a difference for our customers. To ensure that we’re on track with what customers need most, we count on people like Kevin Bobofchak, director of product management. He was initially with Quantabio from 2014 to 2016 and later rejoined the company in 2021. Kevin holds a bachelor’s in chemistry from Hope College and a PhD in biochemistry from Loyola University Chicago.
Q: What do you do at Quantabio?
A: One of my primary responsibilities is to help guide and manage our product roadmap. That involves understanding our customers’ needs, the things they’re doing on a day-to-day basis, and any gaps in their testing or research workflows. We aim to develop appropriate products to fill those needs and gaps. We also do this for current products, such as suggesting updated protocol options to let customers use them more effectively. All of this is a really collaborative process at Quantabio, bringing together the R&D team, our applications team, and product management, with critical input from our sales team in the field.
Q: What brought you to the company?
A: When you’re in the market and talking to customers, it is such a benefit to be able to offer really good products that perform exceptionally well. That’s what Quantabio has, especially with our PCR and qPCR portfolio. We get that feedback from customers all the time — that our products work great and save them time. In addition, Quantabio is constantly paying attention to what people need. That adaptability is something I picked up on early when I started here. Those are all strong ingredients for success. When I returned to the company in 2021 it was because of the people on the Quantabio team. It’s a family kind of company with high performers who enjoy working together.
Q: What’s the best thing about your job?
A: The thrill and the recognition of all the work that goes into getting a new product launched! After the amount of work that goes into that tiny box or pouch, seeing it go out the door and get into the hands of customers and then hearing great feedback is a wonderful thing. I started off my career as a scientist. Even though I’m not in the lab anymore, I feel like this is my way to drive great results by making a difference in our customers’ workflow.
Q: What do you wish more people knew about Quantabio?
A: The degree of thought, care, and expertise that goes into our simple master mixes. The internal expertise we have from years and years of fine-tuning these components and how they work together to get an end result is inc0072edibly valuable. People might look at all the different products out there and think they’re very similar, but the degree of expertise and thought that goes into these formulations to deliver truly optimized products is very important. All mixes are not created equal.
Q: Fill in the blank: Better reagents lead to ______.
A: Rapid results. When you have things that work, you’re more likely to get to the answer quickly because you’re not trying to deal with something that is ineffective or takes longer to run. In the end, reagents are tools scientists use for a research program, and better reagents will help them get to answers more quickly.
Q: What’s your favorite thing to do in your spare time?
A: I’m a family guy. I love having time with my wife and my kids. As my kids are heading off to college, I’ve gotten more into playing music. I picked up an electric guitar last year and it’s been a ton of fun, though challenging!
Q: What’s your ideal vacation?
A: We do this every year: go to the beach with no plans and good friends. We just make our way to the beach and we’re there all day. It’s a total unplug. Nothing relaxes me like that.
2min
May 9, 2024
