Meet Our Staff
Justin Cole - Primary Investor, President, and Sales Manager
Justin has loved cars since he was very young. His favorite toys as a boy were always model cars. He remembers attending car shows with his dad when he was a toddler. By the time Justin turned four he was going through piles of his father's car magazines enjoying the pictures and reading what he could. By the time he was six he was obsessed with go karts and being able to identify any car that a friend or family member pointed on the road.
By the age of eight Justin had developed an extensive knowledge base on Corvettes, Porsches, and many other cars. By age ten Justin was writing and placing ads in the Dallas Morning News for his dad in order to assist him in the selling of his Porsches. Justin's first business, JJC’s Landscape by Design was a product of the news his dad informed him of right after his twelfth birthday. That news was that Justin was going to have to pay for his first car.
Justin started JJC’s Landscape by Design by mowing both his parent's lawn and neighbor's lawns. The business grew very quickly and by the time Justin was 14 he had made enough money to buy his first car. The car he bought was a 1968 Ford Mustang fastback that needed a body off restoration. Justin's parents allowed him to go ahead and buy the car even though he was too young to drive so he could restore it and have it ready to drive by the time he turned 16. Justin did all of the restoration work himself except for the engine machining and the paint. After completing the restoration on the 1968 Mustang Justin was ready to look for another car to restore.
He sold that car for a profit and purchased a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Super Sport 396 which was in comparable condition to that of the mustang when he had bought it. Justin went through the same restoration process with this car and made money when he sold it. Since selling the Chevelle, Justin has done extensive restoration/customization work on other cars he has owned which have included a 1965 Ford Mustang Coupe, a fully customized 1968 Chevrolet pickup, a customized 1996 Ford Mustang Cobra, and others.
While in junior high and high school Justin found enough time to start on school sports teams, restore some of the cars previously mentioned, and grow JJC Landscape by Design to a very successful landscaping and property maintenance management company in north Dallas, Texas. Justin has worked professionally in auto sales since 2003. Justin is also a graduate of the University Of Wisconsin School Of Business.
Bruce Cole - Primary Investor and Chief Consultant
Bruce Cole has spent, for the most part, his entire career as an accountant consulting on very challenging accounting issues while serving some of the largest companies in our country. As a professional he started collecting cars in 1974 when he bought a 1966 Austin Healy 2000 for $2,000. It didn’t look great but it ran well. As his budget would allow he slowly restored the car and then sold it for a profit. He would have kept it, but at the time it was too hard to find replacement parts. In the 80’s he began collecting Jaguar XK- 150s and 1966-7 big block Corvettes. Not being exceedingly patient the Jaguars did try his soul. But the XK-150’s were among some of the most beautiful cars ever designed and they had a great racing heritage. Jaguar won the Lemans six times in the ‘50s.
The big block Vettes were unsophisticated but could have competed with some of today’s cars if they had reinforced frames that could get all the torque generated by the huge 427s to the rear wheels. The ’67 Vettes looked great and may have sounded even better with their chrome side pipes. They were icons of their era and of the industry in general. Bruce would challenge anyone to find a large bookstore that doesn’t have at least two large books dedicated exclusively to Corvettes. America has had a love affair with its classic cars for decades. This love affair has been rekindled with the reemergence of quality collectible cars.
“His fascination with cars came quite naturally,” his mother once commented, “genetics I suppose, every male on his father’s side of the family was hooked on cars.” After a very successful career in public accounting Bruce has returned to a hobby that has preoccupied his mind for decades, a hobby which has turned into a multibillion dollar industry. He did take a break from public accounting by walking to the other side of the street and served as a CFO for two different companies, to learn how to run a business as opposed to how to account for its transactions.
Bruce knows the automobile dealership industry as he has served as an auditor and consultant to some of the largest dealerships in the country. But automobile dealerships just provide, for the most part, a means of transportation, with varying degrees of opulence and performance purchased as options. Benchmark Classics provides not just a means to get from point A to Point B. More importantly it allows each generation an opportunity to relive the “good ole days” in a car that will attract everyone’s attention as it slowly drives by, allowing everyone the time to soak up the vision and to vicariously experience the ride.
Dan Atkins - Consultant
After a 30 year carrier with Cuna here in Madison, I retired in 2001. I recently came back into the workforce when I was given the opportunity to work in a field I've grown up with from mechanical to show and shines.
I became car crazy about the age of 10 as I was building every 1:24 scale model car I could get my hands on while building/racing slot cars. Do you remember those? At 16 years old, i bought my first car, a 1967 Mercury Cougar XR7 Dan Gurney Special. I've gone on to own a number of very desirable collector cars over the years, wishing I had them all back now. Happily, I still have 2 cars in my collection. I've got lots of great stories to tell about the "good old days," so stop by Benchmark Classics and tell me yours!
Tim Marotz - Head Mechanic
Tim is a Master Mechanic, specializing in drive trains and electrical work. Tim began work as a mechanic right out of school in 1977, but he started tinkering with motors much earlier. Before his 15th birthday, Tim had already built his first motor by reading how-to books. Though it didn't run perfectly the first time, he knew where he went wrong; he forgot to clean the ring grooves. At his first mechanics job at Zimbrick Buick, he was mentored by Cal Wilhelm. More recently, Tim worked as a service manager for a large car dealership, where he was the head of service, parts, and detail. Tim has worked at numerous other shops in WI as a lead mechanic.
Rich Schulenberg - Body Specialist
Rich Schulenberg is our Body Specialist in our Restoration Services division. Rich began his restoration career in his father’s garage working on MOPARs in the 1960s. His favorite car back then was his uncle’s 1968 Coronet 500 Convertible. He also raced a 1971 Satellite at Columbus 151 Speedway and Capital Super Speedway. In addition to his years of restoration experience, he has worked in the computer industry, built early versions of arcade games in the 80’s, and was actively involved in Wisconsin Rottweiler Rescue. In his personal time, Rich enjoys the company of his 2 Rotties, King and Brom.
Derek DiPietro - VP of Marketing
Derek is the VP of Marketing for Benchmark Classics. He recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BBA in Marketing.
Derek served in the United States Air Force from 1999-2003. He was stationed at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, CA where he was an Aircraft Mechanic. While in the Air Force, Derek was deployed for both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Derek moved to Madison in 2004 and began attending the UW-Madison in 2005.Dan Pernik- VP of Advertising
Dan will soon receive bachelor’s degrees in Marketing and Statistics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Prior to taking a position with Benchmark Classics, he worked as an intern at Procter & Gamble in the marketing research department. Other marketing and business experience includes selling original T-shirt designs, creating a website, and working with a marketing professor in the School of Business. Dan is looking forward to making a difference as a member of the Benchmark Classics team.Erich Rusch - VP of Technology and Web Marketing
Erich Rusch is the VP of Technology and Web Marketing at Benchmark Classics. He currently holds degrees in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Erich directs and oversees all of Benchmark Classics major software and technology systems. In addition to Benchmark Classics, he has worked at BigMachines Inc. located in Chicago, IL as a Marketing and Web Analyst and has independently consulted for a number of firms in Madison and Southeastern Wisconsin on a number of technology related issues through Rusch Technologies.Matt Henkel - VP of Global Operations
Matt is the VP of Operations at Benchmark Classics. Matt moved to Madison to attend school in 2004 from Warrens, WI where he grew up on a cranberry marsh. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin – Madison and holds a degree in Economics. Just like the rest of the staff at Benchmark Classics, Matt was born with the "Car Bug". Matt grew up with car posters plastered all over his walls and tinkering with his family's classic car. Matt enjoys going to car shows and watching Top Gear in his spare time. Prior to taking a position with Benchmark Classics he worked as the assistant finance director for CERS and as a State Capitol intern. Lastly Matt also interned with Spectrum Brands in inside sales.
Latsiklanunha Hill - Restoration Technician
If you can pronounce this name, then you would be one of the first! Here in the shop, he is known as Latsi, pronounced “Ledgy.” Latsi is Native American, and a member of the Oneida Nation, his tribe located in the Green Bay, WI area. Being the second youngest of 5 boys, life growing up was quite interesting to say the least. He graduated from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College with an associate’s degree in automotive technology. After graduation, Latsi worked as a technician and diagnosed/troubleshoot vehicles in need of repair. Although he helps the mechanics when needed, Latsi is focusing more on the restoration side of things. “I am lucky to be trained by the best restoration technicians there is today,” Latsi said when asked how he liked doing restoration work. Other things that he likes about working at Benchmark Classics includes the knowledge of the team, the quality of work, the strong teamwork and the creative minds of everyone on the Benchmark team, always looking at ways to not only create a better end result, but also a better work environment. Competitively minded, Latsi enjoys all parts of restoration from body work to complete body off restorations. When not at work, Latsi enjoys spending time with his girlfriend and baby girl. He also enjoys golfing, fishing, swimming, tubing, and of course, visiting his friends and family back in the Green Bay area. Adam Reihl - Restoration Technician
Adam learned the art of body work at the age of 15, working on his very first car with his father ; a 1977 Cutlass 442. Little did he know this car was just the first of the many Oldsmobiles He would own. Adam bought his father’s 1972 Cutlass Supreme last year, at age 20. He hopes to restore the car and share the joy of classics with his father again, like he used to “back in the day.” Adam is currently a student at MATC in the auto body field and is looking to finish his 2 year degree next spring. Adam is energetic, outgoing, and brings a good atmosphere to the Benchmark Team.Colin Rainer - Restoration Technician
Colin is a automotive mechanic from Portage, WI and has recently graduated from Wyotech. Colin considers himself born and raised around hot rods and classic cars, and blames this for his passion. In his free time, Colin enjoys working on his own hot rod, racing, and spending time with family and friends.
Don “Doc” Schulz – Restoration Specialist
Don has always been intrigued with mechanical objects and started repairing his friend’s bikes, motorcycles and their parents lawn mowers. Even as a child he would take things apart to see how they worked. When he was in high school they wouldn’t let him take Auto Shop 3 without completing Auto Shop 1 & 2. However, those were the “ this is a screwdriver” type of classes. One wise teacher knew his potential and offered to have him come early to class to help restore his ’55 Chevy Nomad for a grade in Auto Shop 1. He then went on to own his first shop in his twenties, named Auto Medics. Hence, the nickname “Doc” stands to this day. In fact in the auto world if you ask for Don Schulz most people respond….”who?”. But if you say “Doc” they know who you are talking about, especially in the Vintage Racing Circuit. Doc spent 12 years building and restoring vintage and historic Porsche race cars. Anything from 356’s to 962’s.
He spent his early years in several dealerships in Milwaukee and then went to restoration primarily for his own vehicles. The first love was a 1968 Ford Mustang. He then did a couple of Jaguars and in the more recent past has specialized in American muscle cars, with several cars going thru the Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale auction. Most notably he completed a restoration of the Dick Harrell COPO Camaro featured in the Feb 2009 issue of Popular Hot Rodding, while contracting with several restoration shops.
Doc came to Benchmark Classics from Bennett Coachworks and with many years of experience. He looks forward to being part of the future of Benchmark Classics.
Ryan Genin - Automotive, Fabricator & Restoration Technician
Ryan developed his passion for cars while never missing a show of HOME IMPOVEMENTS – Tool Time with TIM THE TOOLMAN TAYLOR (Tim Allen) and AL BORLAND (Richard Kam). Then it was on to OVERHAULIN’, THE SPEED CHANNEL, THE BOYD COTTINGTON SHOW and OCC (Orange County Choppers). It was during this time that Ryan set his goal to attend Wyotech, an Automotive Specialty College, in Laramie, Wyoming.
Ryan purchased his first restoration project at age 16, a 72 Chevy SS, on Ebay and drove out to the east coast to trailer it back to Wisconsin. It is still a work in progress along with an 85 Chevy K1500 pickup and a 67 Chevy Malibu.
Ryan studied Automotive Technician Programs at Madison Memorial, McFarland High School, and Madison Area Technical College. He participated in Dane County Automotive Apprenticeship Program and was a participant in the 2005 FORD /AAA Auto Skills Competition.
Ryan went on to study and receive five diplomas from WYOTECH in Laramie, Wyoming. He completed the Automotive Technician Program, Street Rods & Custom Fabrication, High Performance Power Trains, Chassis Fabrication, and Trim & Upholstery. As well as completed a Chip Foose Custom Air Brush Course.
Ryan also studied and received a Degree in Applied Automotive Service Management.
Ryan has also worked the last seven years as a service technician, earning 7 ASE – Automotive Service Excellence certifications. ASE is a voluntary national automotive professional testing program. Ryan is certified in – Engine Repair, Automatic Transmissions, Manual Drive Trans & Axles, Suspension & Steering, Brakes, Electrical / Electronics Systems and Engine Performance.
“One thing more important to me than old cars is my black Labrador – CADILLAC.”
Ian Mullarney
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