Rich | owner & technician
Rich has been working on Volkswagens and Audis since 1994. He is a graduate of Lincoln Technical Institute where he studied Automotive and Diesel Technology. His love for the German breed of cars began with his 1st Volkswagen which was a 1973 Bug that he rebuilt from the ground up, including a new paint job and an 1835cc engine with all the goodies. The bug was sold a long time ago but he's owned many VW's since then including a 1984 Rabbit S, 1987 Jetta GLI, 1995 Golf Sport to his current 2002 GTI 1.8T (aka Cherry Bomb), 2004 Touareg V8 (which tows the Cherry Bomb to the races) and a 1963 Bug that he purchased in 2008 for another project rebuild. Rich worked for an independent VW/Audi Repair Shop in McHenry, IL for 4 years, when the owner closed up shop in early 2000, Rich knew it was time... in February 2000 dub werks was born and Rich hasn't looked back. He has been very devoted to creating an honest and friendly shop to fulfill the customer's needs.
Katie | owner & office manager
Katie has been working around cars since 1995 and worked for one of the local Volkswagen dealers for 4 years before dub werks doors were opened as the Assistant Office Manager doing all the behind the scenes paperwork that needs to be done when you purchase your new VW. Katie and Rich have been married since 1997 and definitely have a common bond with everything automotive. Katie's love for VW/Audi started with her parents who owned several VW Bugs, she was always out in the driveway helping Dad with his cars until the time came for a VW of her own, a 1973 Bus. Katie was/is a big air-cooled fan and also owned a 1962 Bug (this one she had for over 10 years), 1968 Bus, 1973 Bus and a 1978 Bus. She joined the water-cooled world in 1998 with a 1996 Jetta GLX, she also owned a 1991 GTI with a VR6 swap and a 1975 Rabbit. She currently drives a supercharged 2004 Golf R32.
Tony | Apprentice Technician
Tony has been here at the shop, working under Rich since early 2006 and has learned a great deal since his start, proving to be a devoted employee and a quick learner. Tony was a big hatchback fan growing up and his first VW was a 1999 Golf 2.0 which did not stay stock for long and ended up with an aftermarket turbo system. Tony and his girlfriend own a 1998 Supercharged Jetta VR6 and also owned a 2007 GTI 2.0T but discovered that the MKIIIs are his preferred VW, so the GTI was sold to his brother and another MKIII was purchased, a 1998 GTI VR6...and an 89 Ford Ranger ;)
Mike | technician & sales
Mike met Rich and Katie when he was 16 and he had his 1st car/1st VW, a 1998 GTI VR6. He spent his high school career either in the auto shop at school or in a garage with Rich, tearing into the VR6. Mike has stated that from Rich, he learned a tremendous amount about VWs and Audis. Mike has worked at dub werks since the day that we opened the doors. He worked summers and vacations while attending Western Michigan University for Engineering Management and also while he studied abroad in Germany. Even though Mike is now a graduate and working in his field, do not be surprised if you come in on a weekend and see Mike staying true to his roots! The dub werks doors are always open to him.
