Born the son of a veteran and post war "Tool and Die" man, baby boomer and company founder

Philip Carson

apprenticed in the small manufacturing family business during his formative growing-up years.  Beginning with basic machine shop skills,  he learned the manufacturing and management processes starting with receiving raw material to shipping finished product.  This was the tail end of an era when, in order to survive, the tradesmen in small businesses needed to be competent in all shop operations, from equipment maintenance and process development to vendor and customer relations.

                "Learn everything you can, about everything you can"                 was the mantra, one that still serves its patrons well to this day. 

Taking that to heart helped to provide a well rounded real world education that produced a balanced set of skills, patience and fortitude to deal with both the creative and the necessary but mundane elements of operating in today's business climate.
 
Immersed in a work environment with processes that required holding close tolerances, often there was no room for error. The importance of doing the job:          

       * right                                                                               
       * the first and only time                                                   
       * safely                                                                          
       * always seeking to improve the quality and streamline the process 

was considered the imperative standard.

Phil realized early on that being equipped with the heart and hands of a craftsman, Swiss blood, and a burning creative streak, was not a good match for a career in production work. However, the concept of transforming a rough and crude chunk of metal into a crown jewel had a unique appeal to it,  much like creating a diamond out of the rough as a sculptor would do (prophetic irony).

Infatuated with the new musclecars (mainly Mopar) and enamored with the entire Hotrod and Showcar scene of the late '60s and early '70s, an opportunity to be mentored by the metal polishing guru of the day had more appeal than a scholarship to Stanford.  Tutoring for a time under one Elijah Overbee Jr., best known in the S.F. Bay Area as "Junior",  Phil gleaned the basic finishing skills and enhanced them with the use of techniques and supplies garnered from other trades. These improvements would prove invaluable in polishing the original spindle mount 5 and 12 spoke magnesium wheels in the early years for American Racing Equipment, then located in Brisbane, CA.

Being firmly ushered into the real world with a strong work ethic and the encouraging fatherly nudge of "Sink or swim, kid", Phil embraced the ranks of the self-employed one-man shop and embarked on a life journey that would involve him in many diverse projects created by people from very different walks of life.   

SEE Testimonials and Photo Portfolio

 for a history of notable projects beginning with the

'71 AMBR Del Rio Brothers roadster

_______________________________

"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody"