Joe Russeau: Straddling Work in the Test Lab With Life on the Farm

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Joe Russeau, president of Precision Analytical Laboratory, Inc. (PAL), has studied chemical residues on electronic assemblies for nearly 30 years. An IPC leader who chairs the 7-11 Test Methods Subcommittee and a member of the 5-32G Residue Task Group and J-STD-004 Task Group, Joe’s expertise lies in the analysis of manufacturing residues on the performance of electronic assemblies.

While Joe is an acknowledged leader in the field of chemical electronics and ion chromatography, what really makes his heart sing is his herd of Black Angus cattle and his deep love of cattle farming. He and his family—wife Andi, and children Rachel, Isaac, Claire, and Jacob—spend their free time preparing for 4-H competitions and local fairs in Indiana.

“I was raised on a farm, and truth be told,” Joe says, “if I had the lifestyle of my choice, that is what I’d be doing.”

Luckily, Joe finds time to do the things he is best at: both raising cattle and evaluating and analyzing printed board and assembly cleanliness. His expertise in ion chromatography (IC), surface insulation resistance (SIR), and electrochemical migration (ECM) enables him to help clients find solutions to cleanliness questions that will mitigate risk to their products.

This knowledge about cleanliness led him to IPC at the suggestion of Doug Pauls, an IPC Hall of Famer and longtime volunteer. “I was a lab rat who used to work for Doug, and he suggested getting involved with IPC to help my business grow,” Joe says.

However, Joe gets more out of his IPC involvement than just helping grow his business.

This article appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of IPC Community. Read the rest of the article here.