Staff Biographies


Meet the Team

> OJ

Osvaldo J. Lopez  is one of the original founders and owners of Fluid MotorUnion. He attended UIC but his automotive education and experience started at WyoTech taking basic automotive classes as well as courses like Chassis Fabrication and High Performance Engines. He went on to complete further training in high-performance engine building in Colorado.

After graduating Wyotech, he was selected for the BMW STEP OS program which he successfully completed and then went on to work for Perillo BMW in Chicago. Perillo BMW is where he gained most of his BMW experience and where he achieved Master Tech status in just one year (becoming the youngest Master Tech in Perillo BMW’s history!).

OJ has also completed courses at EFI completing both Beginner and Advanced levels as well as training with Haltech.
He continues to gain as much experience and training as he can get his hands on. Staying on the cutting edge is one of the things that makes us who we are.

As little as one year ago, OJ was doing everything from diagnosis to basic oil changes. While he continues to jump in at every level he also manages the entire FMU team. He is constantly raising the bar and he is the drive and creativity that Fluid is built on.
 
> Craig

Craig chooses to remain as mysterious as possible. We don’t know anything about him. He’s Canadian, we think.

Craig is the other founder and owner of Fluid MotorUnion. He is the head of fabrication and is responsible for most of the beautiful welding and exhaust work that comes out of Fluid. If we need it made, Craig does it. In addition, Craig is a fully fledged and certified mechanic who’s been working on cars professionally since his teen years.
 
> Marilynn

If you’ve ever called us you’ve more than likely talked to Marilynn. To all of us she’s the shop mom, she’s always looking out for us. She’s been a registered nurse for the past 20+ years, and has run her own nursing business, as well. She’s the brains, brawn, and beauty behind the business of Fluid MotorUnion. Marilynn is behind it all. She’s here before anyone else, and she’s here after everyone else has left. Marilynn is the one scheduling your appointments, ordering your parts, and juggling everything that keeps the whole thing running smoothly behind the scenes.

> Mike Eastway

Mike does a little bit of everything around Fluid. His main focus is electrical/electronics as well as computerized diagnosis, repair work, and tuning. He also rounds out the engineering team with a focus on fluid dynamics. Mike’s motor sport experience ranges from tractors to airplanes and everything in between. He studied aeronautical engineering at the University of Michigan and has FAA licenses as both a pilot and A&P aircraft mechanic.
 
> Mike Keller

Mike Keller, the last but certainly not least Mike at Fluid, is our other super mechanic. Mike has his automotive degree from Lincoln Tech. He has a wide range of ASE certifications and is both Saab and BMW certified. Between Saab, BMW, and Fluid he has more than 5 years of experience working on the cars that we specialize in. Mike’s quickness, efficiency and level of excellence keep Luci on his toes.

> Mike Marzano

Mike Marzano still has not given us a biography, so this is all he gets.

> Zach Berlin

Zach rounds out our collection of talented mechanics in the service department. Originally, Zach worked at another independent garage after finishing Universal Technical Insitute (UTI), where he specialized in both auto and diesel. He had heard about Fluid through his trainer, and after meeting OJ at the gym one day, he inquired about a position in our service department. And boy, are we ever glad he did.

> Thomas Maloy

Thomas is Craig’s current welding protege. He graduated from Wyotech’s 9-month program, where he took classes on chassis fabrication and custom paint, along with the general automotive courses. He also took 2 years of welding classes at IVVC. Legend has it that he graduated from Wyotech on Friday, drove back to Illinois, interviewed for the job at Fluid on Saturday and started work on Sunday. Despite his inability to grow a wicked beard, his welds certainly rival Craig’s.

> Andrew Krok

Andrew was brought on to maintain the communications side of Fluid. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in English. Andrew is the sole writer and photographer for Fluid’s blog, and he also maintains the social side of our internet presence. If you’ve had a chat with Fluid on StanceWorks’ forum or our Facebook page, odds are you’re talking to Andrew.