Who We Are

The shop behind the build

Bad Cat Engineering mascot

Bad Cat Engineering was started in 2022 — not because of a grand strategy, but because two people were in the right place at the right time.

Justin and Carl had both put in years at other shops. They knew what a well-run operation looked like, and they knew what they wanted to build differently. Less drama. More creativity. Open communication with every customer. No taking deposits on labor that hasn't been done yet. Just good work, done straight.

"I just want to build cool stuff and have fun doing it."

That was the pitch. They said it to each other countless times before Bad Cat ever had a name.

When they were setting up their first shop space, they borrowed their landlord's trailer to move everything in. Inside was an old rat rod that looked like it had been sitting there for decades. Hand-painted on it was a greaser cat — cigarette, attitude, middle finger and all. Justin and Carl looked at it and practically said it in unison:

"Now that is a Bad Cat."

The logo showed up before the business cards did. That's about right.

They hit the ground running. Year by year, they carved out a space in the DMV community — great projects, great people, and a customer base that kept coming back. Not because they had to. Because they wanted to. In 2024 they moved into a larger space and have kept growing at a steady pace ever since.

We're grateful to everyone who has supported us along the way. Several customers have become close friends. We're on a path to make some waves — and we can't wait to see what comes next.

— Justin & Carl, Co-Founders
The Crew

Meet the cats

Carl Hernandez
Co-Owner · Cat #1

Carl Hernandez

Co-Owner · Cat #1

Carl Hernandez

Carl has been in the JDM world long enough to have strong opinions about almost everything — and the track record to back them up. Before Bad Cat, he spent years at other shops learning what works, what doesn't, and exactly what kind of place he wanted to build instead. Serious about the work, relaxed about everything else. He's the one who will sit down with you for as long as it takes to figure out exactly what your build needs — then go make it happen. No upsell, no runaround. Just straight answers and good work.

Justin Mitchell
Co-Owner · Cat #2

Justin Mitchell

Co-Owner · Cat #2

Justin Mitchell

Justin has been wrenching since he was a kid — hooked the first time he heard a turbocharger spool. He learned his craft on the job at independent shops, then spent years building his own projects before finding his real passion: bringing wild automotive ideas to life from scratch. Justin is on the leading edge of what small shops can do with CAD design, metal 3D printing, and CNC work — and nothing gets him more excited than turning an idea nobody else has attempted into something that actually runs. He's not done yet.

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