What does being an upholsterer mean to you?
Being an upholsterer means that I get to take bare bones shells of projects and make something awesome out of them. Sometimes it’s a simple repair to make things perfect, or nearly perfect, again. It’s also an opportunity to give back to the place that I started, that introduced me to car interiors and upholstery.

For 15 years, I’ve had the privilege and honor to work for and alongside some of the best builders and trimmers in the industry, working on custom and hotrod interiors—with frame off custom builds, paint and body, and sheet metal fabrication and chassis building—at the highest level, competing for shows all over the nation and in the world (including Good Guys, SEMA, Grand National Roadster Show, Viva Las Vegas, Rick Ross Car Show, PRI, NSRA, Early Iron, Canon City Car Show, Gunnison Car Show, Grey Beard Invitational, KKOA, Rock and Rumble, Hotrod Dirt Drags, Detroit Autorama, Back to the Fifties, UAE Concours D’elegance, and Pebble Beach.)

Now, I am one of two Trim and Upholstery Instructors at WyoTech in Laramie, Wyoming (alongside Martin Healy of Hardsewn Upholstery)
I believe the true craftsmen of the industry are closing shops and this is a rare industry that needs more craftsmen working at a high level, or any level for that matter. My hope is to be able to help the future generations of trimmers be as good or better than I ever hoped to be. I also hope to set a higher standard of trim and upholstery than has been taught in the past.

How did you get started in upholstery?
I was building custom cars (I built my first car at 14 years old, a 1937 Ford coupe with my grandfather who owned the hot rod shop I’ve worked in my whole life) and the only thing I didn’t do or have control over was the interior work and I wanted the interior to be at the level I thought it should be so I learned upholstery from Larry Potts of Colorado Springs who had been doing trim and upholstery for over 60 years. He showed me a lot, but I knew there had to be more. So after I graduated from high school, I attended WyoTech where I took Automotive as my core course, with specialty courses like Street Rod, Chassis Fabrication, and Trim & Upholstery.

What types of upholstery do you do?
I mainly do custom car interiors, but I have done everything from cars, trucks, motorcycles, furniture, outdoor, marine, restaurant, and hospitality.

How long have you been upholstering?
I have been doing work in the car and automotive industry for roughly 17 years. I have been doing trim and upholstery for about 13 years professionally and 15 years total.

What is your biggest consumer demand?
My biggest consumer demand or customer base is high end hot rod, custom car, and restomod vehicles - anything from 1920 to 1970.

What is your favorite upholstery project you've done?
I can’t say I have a favorite upholstery project as many trimmers will tell you they are all like your children or family. It’s hard to pick a favorite. Any project I get to do with a 50’s tradition hot rod style interior would be up on my list. That includes anything with a mainly white interior with a second color accent and a lot of tuck and roll with welt/piping.

What is the strangest item you've found in a restoration?
I found a stash of 2 Dollar Bills from 1934 and somone’s wallet (including their school ID, prom tickets, and drivers license) from 1957!

Have you noticed any up & coming trends?
The up-and-coming trends I notice are harder wrapped and CNC cut panels, more molded and high-tech seats and interior components as most customers drive new vehicles which have all the amenities and they want to put those amenities in their other cars.

I also noticed that cloth and vinyl are starting to phase out completely on high end upholstery jobs, and leather is being chosen instead.

What changes would benefit the upholstery industry?
I think some of the things that would benefit the upholstery industry would be the younger generations wanting to take part in the industry and them learning it doesn’t have to just be boring dealership work or repetition on daily driver vehicle or daily use item. It can be the most creative space and industry. I also think it would help if builders and customers were able to understand how long things take, how much things cost, and how the entire process works for us as trimmers.

Have you ever been featured on television, online, or in another publication?
I have been featured on television, online, and in other publications including SEMA, Good Guys Magazine, F100 Magazine, Truckin Magazine, Street Scene Magazine, YouTube, Car Buff Network, Street Trucks Magazine, and many others.

Do you have a shop animal?
I have multiple shop animals including 1 dog. Her name is Nemi and she is Norwegian Elkhound. I have 2 shop ducks. They are mallards and named DeeDee and Peach.

Some answers have been edited for clarity.