An experienced stationary engineer, Colin Buqueras spent more than six years as an engineering technician at L’Oréal in Piscataway, New Jersey. His responsibilities in this position ranged from designing cosmetic processing equipment to troubleshooting and resolving technical issues impacting the company’s manufacturing workflows. Colin Buqueras also provided L’Oréal with computer-aided design and electrical schematic design.
In addition to improving L’Oréal’s manufacturing efficiency and quality, Colin Buqueras worked to help the company achieve its environmental objectives. He assisted in shrinking the organization’s carbon footprint, waste, and water usage. He also integrated sustainable practices in many departments, impacting the company’s product design, manufacturing processes, and supply chains.
Colin Buqueras studied mechanical engineering in Corning, New York. Throughout his career, he has excelled in areas of stationary engineering, utilities engineering, electric schematics, and building automation, among others. His professional certifications include his New Jersey electrical infrastructure license.
Apart from his engineering work, he enjoys photography. His wildlife photos have appeared in exhibits at the White Space, Art, and Event Gallery in Hackettstown, New Jersey.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
I wake up, iron my clothes for work, eat breakfast, and leave my house. I make my way to the gym. Then I commute to work. I really enjoy what I do, so when I arrive, I’m naturally prepared to hit the ground running. My coworkers are all dependable people, and since we don’t see each other every day, when we get the chance to work together, we get a lot done. After work, I’ll get home and fire up the grill, let my dog out to run around in the back yard while I sit on the deck. I sit out there and listen to music and read, maybe answer a few emails until I’m done with dinner. That’s about where I call it a night. The key to making a day productive is relying on the stability of how you structure your time. You can get more done if you’re prioritizing what you need to do over what you want to do.
How do you bring ideas to life?
First, I write them down in an organized fashion. Then I draw diagrams or pictures to aid in conceptualization. After that, list any materials or resources needed to bring ideas to life.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Homesteading or regenerative farming.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Keeping my cell phone out of arm’s reach whenever possible.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Don’t waste time, set your goals high. Quit thinking about what’s wrong and start thinking about what you can make right. Love more, stress less. You have no idea what you’re capable of.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Eat raw manuka honey and turmeric daily. It’s a powerful and, most importantly, natural tool in fighting infection and keeping your immune system strong. Its bioavailability is higher than traditional vitamins.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I walk through my forest; I own about six acres behind my house for the very purpose of having a place to go where you can be in nature when overwhelmed. The trees, the stream, the sounds of wildlife rustling around you can bring your attention and focus back. When I lived in the city, I would often run through a nearby park. Exhaust your body, and your mind will quiet down. That’s how you regain control over your emotional state and refocus your energy on a productive path.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
The most transformative strategy in my career has been refusing to stop learning. Growth isn’t something that happens by accident, it’s a discipline.
Advancement requires mastering the “shorthand” of your industry, the unspoken expertise, judgment, and capability that separates someone who performs tasks from someone who creates solutions.
I intentionally step into challenges that confuse me, seek mentorship that sharpens my mind, and keep honing my craft. When you embrace discomfort and continuously refine your skills, you don’t just progress you become someone others look to for clarity, capability, and leadership.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
I don’t view failure as final; I see it as feedback. In this industry, there really is no failure, only resets. An opportunity to begin again armed with the knowledge of what didn’t work the last time. The only real failure is refusing to learn. Everything else is iteration.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Embracing Microsoft Teams if you’re on that OS can be very productive. It can take the place of three other apps, consolidating them into one place. I use it most often as an instant messaging platform between coworkers.
What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?
An SLNT faraday bag. Our everyday environment is constantly immersed in electromagnetic radiation. The modern generation will come to a reckoning on the negative health effects, the same way the last generation did with tobacco. I’m trying to mitigate the effects for those around me the best I can.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
“Time Tactics of Very Successful People” by Eugene Grossman is a great book because it permanently changed how I think about time. Not as something to manage, but as something to design. The book doesn’t focus on motivation or theory; he shows how high performers build systems that remove friction, eliminate repeat decisions, and keep work moving without constant oversight. Reading it helped me shift from reacting to problems to creating processes that prevent them, which has had a direct impact on how I lead, communicate, and drive accountability. It’s a book I still reference because its ideas scale from personal productivity all the way to organizational operations and the results are measurable, not abstract.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
The HBO series called “Boardwalk Empire.” It’s the historical retelling of a true story about the political forces of Atlantic City battling the mob in the 1920s prohibition. They got everything from infamous mobsters to historical women’s rights leaders portrayed so vividly that you’ll never picture them the same way again when you read their names from history books. The backdrop of the roaring 20s painted with opulence Atlantic City once held looks incredible onscreen.
My grandfather used to take me to Atlantic City as a kid, and we would fish before walking down the boardwalk. Maybe in 30 years I’ll walk my grandkid down the boardwalk and tell him about the empire that once stood upon it.
Key learnings
- Productivity is driven by disciplined routines and intentional time structure, with consistent prioritization of responsibilities over distractions.
- Effective idea execution benefits from organized documentation, visual thinking (diagrams), and clear identification of required resources before action begins.
- Continuous learning and deliberate exposure to challenging situations are key drivers of long-term career growth and leadership credibility.
- Nature, physical exertion, and controlled disconnection from technology are effective tools for regaining focus and emotional clarity during periods of overwhelm
- Long-term success is reinforced by leading with generosity—openly sharing knowledge to build trust, demonstrate capability, and create lasting value before transactions occur.