Meet the Team

Andy first fell in love with automobiles at the age of 19 after buying his first car, a well-used British Roadster. Even if it only ran half of the time, he claims it was the scent of gas, oil, wood, and leather that gave him no choice but to keep coming back for more. Even as he pursued a career as a financial trader, he had the nudging feeling that he would someday return to his automotive lane.

After buying his first Porsche, a 1988 911 turbo, he became a client of Midwest Performance Cars and went on to admire the reputation for excellent work that MPC possessed. In 2014, he had the unique opportunity to take ownership of the garage himself- it was fate and it allowed him to explore his love of autos after a successful 20+ year career at the Chicago Board of Trade. Seven years later and some turbo power to the new MPC under Andy’s supervision, there are now 2 locations with the same loyal clientele and two bigger and better teams.
Andy is highly invested in the professional development of his crew and strives to help them be the best-trained in the industry. When he’s not at the office, Andy loves snowboarding, traveling, and spending time with his kids, his wife, and their 2

French bulldogs, George & Gus, that he claims are like having “real-life cartoon characters living in his home”. He is a longtime supporter of several Chicago giving back programs and serves as a director of Checkeditout Chicago, a 501(3)b non-profit that organizes an annual Porsche event to raise money for a different worthy cause every year.
Andy strives for MPC to maintain an open book policy in all operations. He also holds a soft spot for helping people renew or max out the enjoyment of owning a vehicle, whether it is finding the perfect car, or assessing the condition of the car they already own.

“Very few cars, like the Porsche 911, can be 50+ years running with the same model, still evolving, always improving, a true objet d’art”

Chris joined our team in 2015, after being well-seasoned in the dealership world for over 7 years. He specifically found himself drawn to German marques and identified MPC as the industry leading garage when it comes to European service. Four years into his role, and with coaching from business owner Andy himself, he’s now managing the Chicago location. When Chris is not overseeing our day to day, you can find him putting on his dad cap and spending time with his newborn. Another common place to find him is behind his camera lens, Chris likes to take the time to capture the talented staff doing what they do best.

It doesn’t matter how someone is when they’re winning, it’s how they are when they’re losing that matters.

From hot wheels and die cast models, to car racing movies, Ryan developed a love for cars from as far back as he can remember. Always fascinated by taking things apart and putting them back together, Ryan found himself most indulged in the intricate mechanisms of high end, luxury cars. This piqued his curiosity and led him to a job working at garage shop where he could really see what goes on beneath the hood. Ryan joined the MPC team in 2017 as our Northbrook service manager after he found himself seeking a higher caliber of cars and professional work environment. He still holds as much wonder as ever and is known to really enjoy explaining as much of the repairs, maintenance and work that is needed on our client’s vehicles to our team until sometimes, they simply can’t take it anymore! Needless to say, he believes in over-communicating, and believes the more informed clients and our team are, the better. When reviewing a repair with Ryan, expect full transparency of your service, from start to finish.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going!

As Administrative Manager for both locations in Chicago and Northbrook, Barb is responsible for the day-to-day management of human resources, payroll, and bookkeeping functions for Midwest Performance Cars. She keeps MPC facilities compliant with safety, emergency, inspection, and all regulatory procedures, as well as staying informed and up to date with government policies and basic employment law as they relate to MPC.

When not at work, Barb’s favorite place to be is a bookstore, a thrift shop, or home at a table with a secondhand book or foreign film…Preferably with a cup of coffee and a roll.

Aimee joined our team in 2019 with her ever-evolving love for cars and her beginnings of holding a job as a receptionist for Volvo in high school. She was attracted to the team at MPC and the challenge of working with a clientele that are generally very knowledgeable about their vehicles which keeps her on her toes. She loves a good challenge and stays on top of the latest car models, tips and tricks of our life in this fast lane industry. When not at the office, you can find Aimee spending time with her miniature pinscher Grizzlee, listening to classical music or tuning into a new series of a crime fighting show. She really treasures traveling solo and searching for unique hidden gems, especially when it comes to spicy food! She avoids the mundane routines in life and enjoys her role at MPC, where in her view, no day or car is the same.

Big Sur, a convertible & Queen… enough said.

Paul’s passion for cars was kindled at a young age after attending auto shows around Chicago. This only continued to grow, leaving him searching for a role in the industry. He knew there was only one way to see this caliber of cars on an everyday basis, and thus Paul joined our team in 2019 as service advisor. Paul holds a keen eye of real quality and craftsmanship and is meticulous with every inspection he performs and seeing through every detail of a client’s repair. When Paul isn’t in our office, he likes to grab a cup o joe and head to a car show. Like Chris, he loves the art of automotive photography and has a growing portfolio. Although he finds himself partial to any and all Italian culinary dishes, his love runs even deeper for various types of European cars.

Sometimes in life you just have to floor it.

Emil developed a trained eye to recognize the true art of car design at an early age by constantly spending time at his dad’s auto paint shop. He remembers a specific day that really activated his imagination after his dad painted his friends 60s-something Jaguar mint green. With an open and expanded mind, he dove deep into exploration of both the aesthetics and functionality of car makes and models. After starting out in a career in the industry, Emil joined our team in 2005 as a mechanic, technician and our personal keeper of the showroom. If you visit our garage or showroom, expect to meet a smiling, welcoming face followed with authentic admiration of your vehicle. He hasn’t seen a car that he’s been unable to find something beautiful about. When Emil is not at Northbrook, you can find him enjoying time outdoors with his dog Ziggy, or not to our surprise, digging around his toolbox for a home renovation project.

Drive within your financial means and physical limits.

Brandon has been with our team for 8 years. Like most, he developed a deep love for cars around 4-5 years old, however, his ran a bit deeper as he became more and more inquisitive and began the hobby of taking things apart and putting them back together. Legos had nothing on him! He began to get his hands dirty in the industry at a young age in high school, working with small engines, then motorcycles and leading up to the best of the best at MPC. After an apprenticeship under our in-house Master Technician, followed by extensive training from noted Porsche racing and performance sources, Brandon is now our water-cooled Porsche Master Technician. He travels annually to train with Tony Callas of Callas Rennsport. Needless to say, Brandon enthusiasm of taking things apart and putting them back together has only scaled higher since joining our team. He holds a strong belief for fixing everything right the first time – He lives this daily at MPC.

Good work ain’t cheap, cheap work ain’t good

Some kids play with toys, Tom played with wrenches. His family had an auto repair shop and day to day repairs, cars, and tools became second nature to him very early on. As he grew older, he began to appreciate the engineering that goes into “high end” vehicles and a growing curiosity and infatuation shifted towards sports cars. Following suit, Tom worked on custom race cars to rally car builds and practiced the more intricate skills such as ECU programming & fabrications to building award winning show cars and participated in rally racings as both a driver & a navigator. Tom joined MPC in 2018 as our product and service manager after being drawn to the types of cars that enter our doors and our professional edge that many repair facilities lack.

When not at the office, you can find Tom playing the piano, cooking unique dishes, being active or riding bicycles. Tom is also a Licensed Motorcycle Instructor for the state and a Driving Instructor for Porsche Club of America sanctioned track days.

Being well seasoned in the industry has led Tom to understand what a client wants/needs from a repair facility in order to turn a one-time customer into a lifetime client.

There is no such thing as a “Lifetime” fluid!

First inspired by Mike Whiddet on YouTube, Sam tried his hands at being a technician. 6 years later and he hasn’t regretted a single second. He lives by the words “work to live not live to work”. When not in the office, you may find him motorcycle stunt riding or snowboarding. Some may call that thrilling activity, to Sam, it’s leisure. Not only is he quick on his feet but also with his actions. He is great at solving even the most complex repair that enters our garage. There hasn’t been one to slow him down yet and we work on a lot of fast cars! In summary, Sam knows how to leave a job in the dust, and by that we mean, flawless repair service when it returns back to the pavement from MPC Northbrook’s shop floor.

Keep your bolts organized, use the right tools for the job.

Ruben joined MPC in August of 2021 with a strong background in all things BMW. Like most of our technicians his love of the automobile grabbed a hold of him in his early teens from wrenching on cars like the Nissan Altima and Toyota Corolla. So what is his favorite car to work on… The 2003 BMW E46 M3, a favorite of BMW enthusiasts for as long as it’s been in the market. When asked what would be his dream car, Ruben quickly replied “The F90 BMW M5 and I would blast Foo Fighters – “The Pretender” while cruising around!” If you have a BMW, Ruben is your guy.

Future goals: To welcome a puppy into his home!!!

Talk about fate! Drake spent his High School years driving past our old Lake Street location so he had always known about MPC. Fast forward several years to 2021 and now he is part of our team. Unlike most of our technicians who were bit by the auto bug early on, Drake was interested in computers more than anything else – how they worked, what parts fit together, and why. He was in college for electrical engineering and realized that he wasn’t going to get anywhere doing something he wasn’t enjoying so he left school and enrolled in a trade school for auto technicians. Guess what, he discovered he loved working on cars! He is passionate about the 993s we see in the shop, and the more recent GT3. “There’s something about them that piques my interest, and the GT3 is just a beautiful car, the noise it makes, the feeling you get while driving it, it’s extremely engaging and addicting.”

Blake participates in beach cleanups around the city of Chicago and supports no-kill animal shelters.

Jimmy joined our team in 2018, he claims by coincidence. We say by skill and his outstanding auto industry track record. Over the years, he has been noted for his long list of servicing a variety of vehicles, finding unique parts and people who specialize in particular services.

As a well-seasoned industry technician, Jimmy continues to hold high hopes that he still hasn’t seen the most outlandish luxurious car yet. Recognized around the garage as an “oddity” due to how much insanely detailed information he can routinely retain, he’s a highly sought after team player when it comes to MPC trivia nights. He holds high standard in keeping cars safe and on the road and a high appreciation of our collective clientele- the true car enthusiast.

To quote KISS: Keep it simple, stupid.

Blake has always loved cars and motorcycles – he’s been a true petrol junkie from early on! He really got into working on them in 2016 when one of his buddies bought an E36 BMW roller. Watching, helping and absorbing all he could, it opened up a whole new world and career path. Blake joined us in 2022 and he exemplifies what it means to be a true team player. The synchronicity in the garage between Blake and Jimmy is something to behold. When he’s not working on his car, Blake loves to play video games and ride motorcycles.

On the weekend you will find Blake grilling food and watching Supercross.

Jose got his start working at a car wash. It wasn’t long until his interest was piqued in the car industry, and the carwash wasn’t quite hands on enough. He began taking autobody classes and carried on pursuing a career in the industry. Jose was drawn to join the MPC team in 2017 after discovering their scope and scale of imported cars. He now strives to provide a clean environment for not only customers, but our workers. When he’s not in the garage, although he keeps his professional life tidy, he loves to get down and dirty with playing soccer and indulging in some red enchiladas.

Latch the hood hinge by hand so the car battery doesn’t die.