About the owner

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Where it all began.

Automotive passion wasn't something I discovered — it was handed down to me. My grandfather restored Corvettes back when they still had fiberglass bodies. My dad rebuilt engines in the basement as a teenager. My uncle spent his career in tire shops. Cars weren't just a hobby in my family; they were a way of life.

I grew up in Nokesville, Virginia — a small town where the biggest car event within 20 miles was a Saturday morning gathering in a Burger King parking lot. Muscle cars, vintage builds, customs, classics, and full-on dragsters trailered out for the occasion. It was at that very show where I saw my first Lamborghini in person — an orange Gallardo. I didn't know it then, but that moment planted something in me that never left.

Learning the hard way - and loving it.

I started working as soon as I was able, cleaning out repossessed vehicles for a neighbor who ran a repo company. At 15, I landed my first real job at a hobby store in Manassas. At 16, I was hired at The Embassy Autowash — part time during the school year, full time in the summers. It was there I gained a real appreciation for what it means to clean a car, learning the operation from the wash bay all the way through the finishing end.

That same year, a demo Lamborghini Aventador came to the Northern Virginia Community College where my dad worked. I sat in it. I started it. And in that moment, I made myself a promise: no matter what path I took, I would one day work around vehicles like that every single day.

At 17, I earned early release from high school to work full time in the wash bay at a local body shop — all while completing a college-level AP Psychology course my senior year. After graduation, I moved into the paint and refinish department, where I learned to cut in panels, prime and block out body work, prepare vehicles for the booth, wet sand, polish finished paint, and sand out runs. Within six months, I was mixing and spraying — capturing color with the mixing booth camera, maintaining primer, sealer, color, and clear guns, and pulling vehicles through the full paint process from prep to final coat.

Putting myself in the right rooms.

I carried that knowledge to a second body shop in Sterling, Virginia, where I began seeing more of the higher-end vehicles I had always been drawn to. I knew I was heading in the right direction — so I started putting myself in front of the people who owned them. I attended Katie's Cars and Coffee, Dulles Landing, Ferrari of Washington, and Lamborghini of Sterling, and even sent out a targeted résumé to local shops specializing in exotic and luxury vehicles.

A leader at my church asked me about my goals, and after hearing my answer, connected me with someone who had been among the first in the United States to get his hands on Rupes random orbital polishers when they were first introduced — tools that are now the industry standard for high-level paint correction. He had an extensive training program and a portfolio filled with 7 and 8-figure exotic vehicles and private collections. I couldn't afford it at first, but I knew I had to find a way. I paid for the two-day training in two portions. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

At 19, six months into working at a detail shop following that training, I began taking on freelance work for a local high-end exotics and customization shop. The volume grew steadily, and I made the decision to launch my own business — contracting for that shop while building my portfolio and acquiring clients of my own.

Building something that lasts.

By year three, I had taken on numerous private collector clients, worked on vehicles valued well above a million dollars, and continued expanding my skillset in long-term vehicle preservation. Around 2021, I went fully mobile — purchasing a cargo van, water tank, and all the equipment necessary to service vehicles virtually anywhere, on the client's terms.

Since then, JMC Exotic Detail has grown beyond detailing. I've supported collector clients across other areas of the hobby, including horological acquisition and sales, and vehicle sale preparation — areas where trust, discretion, and a trained eye matter just as much as the work itself.

What sets JMC apart isn't just experience — it's the depth of it. Most detailers recklessly polish paint without truly understanding its properties — how it was applied, how thick it is, or what it can withstand. I know how paint is made, mixed, sprayed, cured, measured, and corrected. I have hands-on experience in interior conditioning, paint protection film, window tint, and the full refinishing process. I understand these vehicles at a level most never will.

This was never a hobby that turned into a side income. From the moment I saw that orange Gallardo in a Burger King parking lot, this has been the goal. Over 15 years of automotive experience — more than 10 of those dedicated exclusively to exotic, luxury, and collector vehicles — every one of them treated with the same standard I set for myself from day one.

If you take pride in what you drive, you've found the right person.