Brent Olynick
Office/Shipping Manager
Brent was ten years-old and helping his older brother deliver newspapers when he first met Joel Whitburn in 1970. In 1971, Brent played on a basketball team coached by Joel. For the next few years, he helped the Whitburn family by doing yardwork and various odd jobs around the house. In 1975, he started filling book orders and by January of 1978, he was working full-time for Record Research. His initial duties included handling the company bookwork and researching the Country and R&B charts. Over the years, Brent has helped with many different tasks around the office, eventually earning the titles of Shipping and Office Manager. He is also responsible for scanning and editing the many charts and photos that appear in the various Record Research books. Married to Valerie since 1985, Brent loves spending time with family and friends, including his son Jake and daughter Jessie. He recently became the proud grandpa of Landon. An avid golfer, Brent also loves playing cards and cheering on his beloved Packers, Brewers and Bucks.
Kim Bloxdorf
President
Kim cannot remember a time when Record Research was not a part of her life. Her dad, Joel Whitburn, began researching the Billboard “Hot 100” chart from his desk at night next to her crib. His part-time hobby became full-time work when Kim was five and her childhood was filled with record-hunting trips, sorting records, filing customer orders, and so on. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Kim joined the Record Research staff as researcher and editor, and in development and production of the Billboard “Top Hits” music series with Rhino Records. As a “jack of all trades and master of none,” she does whatever needs doing, from admin to e-commerce. Kim relishes time outdoors in beautiful Wisconsin with her husband, Dave, and feels beyond blessed when they hang out with their grown kids and grandsons.
Paul Haney
Head Researcher/Editor
A native of Minnesota, Paul’s love affair with music and the charts began at the tender age of eight. In 1974, he started listening to Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 radio show. Soon he was keeping his own chart statistics, a weekly ritual that lasted well into his college years and planted the seeds for his future career path. In the summer of 1980, at the age of 14, he started riding the bus to the downtown Minneapolis Public Library where he discovered several Record Research books. In 1983 he purchased the very first edition of The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits and by 1987 he purchased his first Top Pop Singles volume. During the next few years, Paul would continue to add to his Record Research collection and periodically send in edits to Record Research. After graduating from college in 1988, he went to work as a morning DJ and high school sports announcer at KDWA radio in Hastings, Minnesota. In late 1991, the station was sold and Paul once again wrote to Record Research, this time looking for work. The company was looking to hire and soon he landed his “dream job” of working on the books that he so enjoyed reading. What Paul loves best in his job is researching and editing new book projects. He also enjoys collecting vintage sports cards and adding to his personal library of vintage TV shows and movies on DVD and Blu-ray.
