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WHO WE ARE
We have been small business owners in the classic car industry since 1996, with cumulative performance vehicle experience for over 30 years.
After years of serving as central Ohio's premiere classic car dealer at Cruisin Classics Auto Sales, we saw an unfulfilled need that was not being met for our clients.
We loved helping match our clients with the classic and American muscle cars of their dreams. But what about after the purchase? We recognized that our clients needed a trusted resource to continue to care for their classic vehicles.
It did not sit well with us that our valued clients and their incredible vehicles were being outsourced to, sometimes several, third-party resources for maintenance and performance needs.
We also wanted to help the many people that we had met over the years who already owned classic vehicles which were in need of restoration, upgrades and maintenance. Too often, we were seeing vehicles with so much potential left sitting in garages under covers because their owners did not know who to turn to for such specialized work.
It is our goal to offer our clients a truly comprehensive, seamless, and enjoyable classic car ownership experience, from purchase to maintenance to storage.
Thus, Cruisin Classics Performance Center was born. We have cherry-picked the most talented, experienced and passionate team of technicians to offer our clients a true one-stop-shop solution for any and all of their classic car needs.
Outside of the shop, this business has afforded us the opportunity to be actively involved in our community and fulfill our goal of supporting several local and national organizations that hold a special place in our hearts.
Annually, we are heavily involved as donors and participants in The Arthritis Foundation Car Show and The Columbus Zoo's Colo's Classic Car Show.
We are proud sponsors of the Kiwanis Club of Columbus, the Columbus USO, Honor Flight, Special Olympics, multiple car clubs and much more.
MEET YOUR TEAM
Michael has nearly 30 years of experience in the auto technician industry.
Michael knows the joys of a finished classic car project from his own experience and enjoys being a part of that process for the clients he serves at Cruisin Classics Performance Center.
When he's not at work or working on his own cars, his favorite hobby is bow hunting.
SCOTT SMITH, SERVICE MANAGER
As the Service Manager, Scott oversees our team of technicians while acting as a liaison between our team and our clients to ensure we exceed expectations on every project.
Scott began working on cars in his youth and attended the Fairfield Career Center for Auto Technologies. Before joining the Cruisin Classics Performance Center team, Scott worked for dealerships in management positions.
Scott's favorite part of his position at Cruisin Performance is the ability to work with his team to problem solve and offer solutions.
Scott's passion outside of work still revolves around cars, specifically Mopar muscle cars .
MICHAEL CARROLL, TECHNICIAN
BOB BELL, TECHNICIAN
A true auto enthusiast, Bob studied all aspects of auto repair at CPI Technical Institute where he went on to graduate top of his class. He has 37 years of experience in transmission and auto repair, building hot rods and rat rods.
After all of these years in the industry, Bob says, seeing the client's smile when they get their car back after a job well done is still his favorite part of the job.
Outside of work, it's no surprise that Bob enjoys car shows and showing off his own rat rod, named "The Zombie." He also enjoys spending time outdoors and at his cabin in Southern Ohio.
EDWARD FORD GILMAN III, TECHNICIAN
LARUE JEFFREY, TECHNICIAN
LaRue developed a passion for cars early, at the age of 15, when helping his dad work on his '67 Camaro and '72 Nova. Now, both classic cars belong to LaRue.
LaRue has been part of the Cruisin Classics Performance team of technicians for over five years. His special interest and skill is in the electrical restoration of classic vehicals.
When not in the shop or tuning up his own vehicles, LaRue enjoys yard projects around his house.
JIM MCGRUDER, OFFICE MANAGER
Edward joined the Cruisin Classics Performance Center Team of Technicians in 2022.
After growing up building motorcycles and hotrods, he furthered his formal education by completing a two year training in the field. His passion for and history with building muscle cars made this a natural career choice.
Edward's favorite part about working at CCPC is, obviously, the opportunity to put his skills to use working with classic cars every day, but secondly, he really enjoys the crew he works with.
Outside of work, Edward enjoys restoring hot rods and '70s choppers with his dad.
Jim has been involved in customer service and management for over 45 years. After retiring from retail management, he took the role of the Cruisin Classics Performance Center's Service Administrator.
His combine passion for customer service and classic cars made the position with CCPC a natural fit. He loves the chance to be around classic cars every day and interact with their owners.
Jim and his wife, Dormee, have owned over 70 cars in their lifetime, including many show cars. Jim loves all makes and models but he is partial to GM vehicles, especially Corvettes, having owned 11 of them to date.
His current show car is a 2020 Mid-Engine Corvette Custom.
When not overseeing the CCPC front office, Jim enjoys taking his Corvette to Cruisins and car shows. He also works as Disc Jockey at many car shows throughout the year.
JOIN OUR TEAM
It is our mission to provide excellence in service and care for our clients' vehicles with the same integrity and precision as we would our own. If you're a trained, experienced classic car technician and this mission speaks to you and you're interested in joining one of the most talented and respected teams in the midwest, please email your resume to cruisinperformance@gmail.com for consideration.
