AMMO NYC STORY
I wasn’t supposed to build a car care company.
Like a lot of people, I followed the path I thought I was supposed to follow. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a degree in economics, I went straight into finance, working on the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange trading natural gas. On paper, it was exactly where I should’ve been—fast-paced, high-stakes, and full of opportunity.
But it never felt right.
Every day I showed up knowing I was in the wrong place. I tried to convince myself it was just part of the process, that eventually it would click. It didn’t. The truth was, I couldn’t stop thinking about cars, and more specifically, the way they looked, the way they could be refined, perfected. It was something that had been with me long before any job title or career path.
Growing up just outside New York City, I had started a small detailing business in high school, working out of driveways and parking lots. It wasn’t about the money, it was about the process. I was fanatical with getting things right. Not just clean, but perfect. I bought a beat-up 1989 Mustang LX that I loved more than anything, and I spent countless hours working on it, refining it, learning what worked and what didn’t. That car taught me more than any classroom ever could.
So eventually, I made a decision that didn’t make much sense to anyone else, I walked away from finance.
I took a job making $12 an hour at a small automotive museum in New York City. From the outside, it looked like a step backward. For me, it was the first step in the right direction. I was surrounded by cars again, detailing them before sale, prepping them for film shoots, driving them through the city. It was hands-on, it was real, and it reminded me why I cared about this in the first place.
After about a year, I saved what I could and borrowed the rest from my mom to open a small car wash in Harrison, New York. It wasn’t glamorous, and there was no safety net, just long days, a lot of uncertainty, and a belief that if I did the work properly, people would notice.
They did.
That car wash became more than just a place to clean cars. It became a hub for people who cared about driving and maintaining their vehicles the same way I did. We started a driving club, organized long drives, track days, and even late-night rallies through New York City. It was chaotic, loud, and completely organic, but it built something that mattered: a community.
At the same time, I started to notice something that would eventually change everything.
The products we were using didn’t perform the way they should have. Cheap and watered down. As a detailer, you feel that immediately. You see it in the finish, in the way a product behaves, in how much effort it takes to get a result that should come easier. It became clear that most products weren’t built from the perspective of someone actually using them every day.
That realization pulled me deeper into the chemistry side of things. I began working closely with manufacturers, chemists, and blending facilities, learning how products were formulated and produced. Eventually, I stepped into the role of lead blender, which gave me something most detailers never get, direct control over the formulas themselves.
That’s where things really started to change.
During the day, I was detailing cars for clients, some of the most demanding environments you can imagine. At night, I was in the lab, experimenting. Adjusting formulas. Testing different raw materials. Trying to squeeze out just a little more lubrication, a little more gloss, a little more performance.
Most of it didn’t work at first.
But slowly, piece by piece, it started to come together.
The products that became AMMO weren’t created with the intention of selling them. They were built because I needed them. They were designed to meet a standard that didn’t exist in the market, a standard based on real-world use, not marketing claims. I didn’t care how long they took to make or what the margins looked like. I didn't have any investors or private equity to answer to...and still don't. The only question was whether they performed the way they should.
That mindset still defines AMMO today.
In 2012, something unexpected happened. I had the opportunity to create a video series focused entirely on car care, explaining the process, the techniques, and the reasoning behind everything I was doing. At the time, there was nothing like it. Most people had never been shown how to properly care for their cars in a clear, visual way.
So I made the videos the same way I approached everything else, no shortcuts, no oversimplification, just the real process.
People responded.
What started as a small series quickly grew into something much larger. Millions of people began watching, learning, and applying what they saw. It wasn’t just about clean cars anymore, it was about understanding the process and taking pride in doing something properly. It wasn't just about a clean car anymore. It was about the therapeutic process of cleaning on the mind, body, and sole. (As weird as that sounds. It's true)
AMMO grew alongside that.
Without outside investment. Without shortcuts. Without compromising the formulas.
Everything was built the same way it started, with long hours, constant refinement, and a focus on doing things the right way, even when it would’ve been easier not to.
DRIVE + PROTECT