About Us
Owners
Brian Hawk
He could say he was born into cars around 2000. He started out in auto body and collision repair, learning the art of custom bodywork, refinishing, and the value of a perfect fit and finish. That foundation carried him through UTI in Phoenix in 2004, where he honed the technical side of his craft, spending nights building air ride mini trucks and soaking up everything the West Coast custom scene had to offer.
By 2007, it was time for him to head home and start his career as an Auto Technician with BMW and MINI. He spent nearly a decade there refining his professional edge, while still chasing custom projects on the side and slowly laying the groundwork for what would become PMF, founded with his good friend and business partner in 2010.
In 2015, he made the jump, leaving the comfortable job behind to go all in on PMF. These days, he spends less time behind the welder or grinder and more time keeping the shop running a jack of all trades, if you will, customer-facing, handling parts, logistics, and whatever fire needs putting out.
What drives him hasn’t changed: chasing that clean fit and finish, sweating the small details most people overlook, and making sure every project looks as good as it performs. Outside the shop, he keeps things low key with live music, travel, and time with family. If this journey’s taught him anything, it’s that money can’t buy time, so spend it wisely, and enjoy the ride.
Gary Rude
Gary grew up super into cars and loved fabrication and chassis design. He never really had the attention span to get through college to be an engineer, so he went to UTI, became a Master Technician for Volvo, and after three years in Miami (where he built his S14), he moved back to MN. Brian and Gary grew up together and spent a year or so building a couple mini trucks. This led to a shop space and tools to start building cages. With his background as a tech, he understood cars bumper to bumper, and the fabrication skills developed from hands-on building. They started the shop alongside day jobs in 2010, took it full-time in 2015, and moved into their current space in 2022. Gary has a passion for what they do and still has the RB S14 he built back in 2006. He also races vintage snow cross, and many weekends he can be found in the trails up north in a SXS.
Meet the team
Benjamin Bardell
Ben is an alum of Dunwoody and has been welding for a decade, with his specialization in fabrication spanning the last three years. His interests are diverse, reaching beyond cars to include bikes and off-road vehicles, and he is also a fan of "pew pew's" (firearms). Currently, Ben's personal project is restoring a 1990 Nissan Skyline GT-R.
Max Odegaard
Max has dedicated almost 15 years to building cars in the automotive aftermarket, with his hands-on experience in fabrication starting back in the 7th grade; now turning 36, he confidently states he can weld just about anything. His skills were formalized in 2012 when he excelled in a Motorsports chassis fabrication course, and today, his number one passion is the grassroots drift scene in Minnesota, where he drives his own custom drift truck. Outside of his shop and the track, he shares his life with his wife of 18 years and their two children, maintaining that he loves his job, the work he does, and the thrill of building "extremely cool and functional cars" (though he is openly soliciting a "sugar daddy" to fund his drifting endeavors).
Andrew Stadum
Andrew has a simple list of favorite things: long walks on the beach, pizza, and, most importantly, turbos! He is a devoted fan of all things motorized and even some things that are non-motorized.
Artsem Vechar
Если ты это переводишь, молодец. Да, я русский, и это по-русски, потому что я смешной.
Derek Peterson
Derek has been involved in fabrication and design from a young age, building and modifying minibikes, gokarts, and snowmobiles. His interest in motorsports began early, starting with BMX racing at the age of five, which escalated into bigger and faster endeavors such as dirt bikes and alcohol restrictor plate gokarts, eventually leading to drag racing.
In the mid-2000s, Derek purchased a 1990 Ford Mustang and began street racing on the weekends, simultaneously modifying the car to accommodate. This early motorsports passion led him to pursue a career in mechanical design.
Prior to his current role at Patience Metal Fab, he worked at MAPerformance for ten years as the head CNC machinist and CAM programmer. During this time, he utilized CAD and 3D scanning to design aftermarket car parts and solutions.
Beyond cars, Derek is a very avid golfer, playing two to three times per week, and also loves to fish year round. He resides in North Branch, MN, on an old hobby farm with his two cats, Atreyu and LuciPurr.
Kendrick G. Morales Ortiz
Kendrick's background is a unique blend of technical skill and creative passion. He initially worked as a Software Engineer but transitioned into a full time role as a Marketing Manager and Media Relations specialist, driven by his love for the artistic side of the car building industry.
He is the creative engine for the shop, handling all video shooting, editing, and managing collaborations. This allows him to merge his technical precision with visual storytelling.
When he's not behind a camera or computer, Kendrick is dedicated to drifting. His current project is a Nissan 350Z that he is meticulously building with the ultimate goal of one day earning his Formula Drift ProSpec license.
