About Xtreme Xperience

The problem with exotic cars is that they’re ridiculously expensive, so for most of us, the idea of enjoying a Lamborghini or Ferrari will always be a dream. Until now.

Xtreme Xperience was founded by a group of car enthusiasts with one mission: make exotic cars accessible to EVERYONE who has ever dreamed of driving one.

Since our first track day in 2012, we have helped over 125,000 people cross ‘drive an exotic car’ off their bucket lists and we can’t wait for YOU to join us. With 25+ events at 20 racetracks nationwide and a full-time location at NOLA Motorsports Park, you’re sure to find Xtreme Xperience at a racetrack near you.

Meet The Team | Meet The Instructors

Adam Olalde

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER / PARTNER

After a sales and management stint in the luxury concierge industry it didn’t take Adam long to realize that people everywhere, from all walks of life, wanted the same thing: to experience the adrenaline and allure of the world’s finest automobiles in a setting that was heart-pounding, yet safe, but most of all convenient and affordable. In 2012, with a small team, Adam proved his point and hosted the first Xtreme Xperience event. Each day he uses that same mentality to continually improve the program, lead the best team, provide new experiences and, above all, help each one of Xtreme Xperience’s customers check something off of their bucket list and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Amanda Parker

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER/CO-FOUNDER

As the Chief Operating Officer, Amanda oversees the daily operations of each department; which makes sense considering she’s worked every aspect of the business at one time or another. Like Adam, she started in the luxury concierge business and helped co-found Xtreme Xperience in 2012. From the beginning Amanda’s focus has been to grow and perfect what it means to be the Premier Supercar Driving Xperience in the nation. After two years of traveling under her belt, her mission has been to steer the ship and grow the company internally.

Joe Moore

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Joe broke free from the corporate world and joined his long-time friend, Adam Olalde, to create Xtreme Xperience. With his background at an award winning marketing agency where he developed social and digital strategies for brands like Nissan, Unilever, Subway, Dell, Moet Hennessy, and many others, Joe quickly identified the necessary building blocks that would launch Xtreme Xperience. As an enthusiastic car guy, Joe seized the opportunity and set out to make the world’s most exclusive cars accessible to the masses.

Chelsea Grint

VP of Communications

Even if you don’t know Chelsea, there’s a good chance she probably knows you. After getting her Master’s degree in Integrated Marketing and Communications, Chelsea joined the Xtreme Xperience team right from the start. She was the voice of the company on the phones as well as the first person you greet at event check-in for over a year. Because of her work both in-and-out of the office, she has infused the importance of humanistic aspects that make our Xperience what it is today. As with any business there are monetary goals. But whether sales go up or down, service stays forever. This is where Chelsea shines her brightest as she helps make another person’s dream come true.

Ryan Love

VP of Operations

Most people can only dream of the kind of life Ryan’s led before joining our team. Growing up his family had a strong passion for racing, which led him to an incredible opportunity to join the crew of ACEMCO Motorsports of Spring Lake, MI. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. From there he’s worked within the Ferrari Challenge Series, Grand-Am Road Racing Series, and ultimately into the American LeMans Series fielding the SALEEN S7R program. After experiencing so much in the world of motorsports, spending some time as a consultant in Chicago and eventually working for a start up in Michigan, Ryan shifted gears and found himself on our doorstep with an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. As the VP of Operations, Ryan continuously works with our team improving our efforts throughout the entire Xperience ensuring that each time you get into the driver’s seat you’re getting the Premier Experience you deserve.

Mitch Gummerson

Brand Manager

Mitch’s work can be seen throughout your entire Xperience. After moving back to Chicago to study Marketing at UIC, he dove into the chaotic scene of the city where he found himself networking with creatives and entrepreneurs. He experimented with multimedia design, music and branding with the dream of growing something from the ground up. After striking his opportunity as Xtreme’s first intern, he’s done everything from customer relations to developing any print material you can find at our events. Mitch’s design work brings our company vision to life and sets us apart from the competition, all while helping to build the bigger picture for the future.

Juan Leon

CUSTOMER SERVICE SPECIALIST / PROFESSIONAL DETAILER

Juan’s been a part of Xtreme Xperience from the beginning as a professional detailer, but over a short period of time his role grew to become so much more. Today, he is your go to guy in the pit for anything you need. Helmets, extra laps, special requests or maybe just a quick selfie for your Facebook page; Juan’s got you. But at the end of the day, our fleet is his primary concern. With a few of the Xtreme staff, Juan manages the cleaning and detailing of our fleet after every event day so each morning starts off with a Supercar as neat and clean as it would be right off the showroom floor.

Andie Grint

Customer Service Manager

With over 10 years working in customer service, Andie is much more than another voice behind the phone lines of Xtreme Xperience. Our Florida transplant came to Chicago over a year ago to help run our communications department and has taken on so much more since then. Although her efforts may be intangible, without them our growth and development wouldn’t be there. From handling customer bookings and lending a hand with our online shop and so much in between, Andie is there to support all our efforts and help strengthen our Xtreme Team.

Cal DeNyse

OPERATIONS MANAGER / CHIEF INSTRUCTOR

Amongst all our lead instructors, Cal started racing the youngest at 7 years old. After 14 years of wheel-to-wheel racing, he began instructing in the southeast region and around his home city of Atlanta. Eventually, his name landed on our desks to work an event at Atlanta Motorsports Park and he’s been a part of this team ever since. Although he’s one of our youngest instructors, Cal’s experience behind the wheel for so many years makes him one of our most experienced instructors.

Ted Tragas

Chief Technician

Ted “Tedoww” Tragas grew up in the automotive world early on. As a kid hanging around his uncle’s auto body shop his passion for cars grew larger and larger. His passion became reality after graduating from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale with a degree in Automotive Technology, earning his ASE Master certification, and setting goals to align himself with a growing company. At Xtreme, Ted has utilized his knowledge and skill set to elevate our Xperience to the next level. As our Chief Technician, it’s up to him to diagnose, repair, and maintain the fleet to ensure your Xperience is safe and performs at 100% each time you take the wheel. As a car guy at heart, he’s always open to talking about the underpinnings of our fleet and connecting on an automotive level. Feel free to say hey at your next event!

Reid Garcia

GROUP XPERIENCE MANAGER

Reid took the leap and came to Chicago right after graduating from the University of Missouri. Dead set on joining the business world, he fell in love with the small company atmosphere and high-energy that came from it. After finding his niche in sales, Reid found his way to Xtreme Xperience and immediately hit the ground running. His passion for the brand has elevated the expectations of what it means to coordinate a private corporate or group event. He’s helped others plan everything from bachelor parties and small private groups to full-day programs for Fortune 500 companies who all want the same, Premier Supercar Driving Xperience.

Alyssa Butler

Customer Service Specialist / Communications Coordinator

Alyssa came to Xtreme from the old adage – at the right time, in the right place. After working non-stop hours at a corporate job right out of college, she realized there was more to life and went in search of adventure and excitement. Within 24 hours of quitting, she saw our job posting and reached out for what has become the best journey of all time. At Xtreme Xperience, Alyssa can be found at our Front-of-House, helping customers check in for their event. Alongside working events, she handles our PR coordination to host influencers and VIPs at events across the nation. For whatever you need, any question you have, or even if you just want to chat for a bit – she’s your girl.

AJ Martin

Media Director

Working for Xtreme Xperience isn’t just another job, it’s a lifestyle, as AJ has found out. Coming from a background of wedding and product photography, XX was a nice curveball that has opened his eyes to the world of motorsports photography. As a content creator in nature, he works closely with the Marketing department developing our brand image through photography and videography to showcase our amazing Xperience to the nation, and eventually the world.

Brian Vang

Fleet Technician

Brian is our local tuner transplant straight from Wisconsin. During his middle school and high school years Brian found his love for cars and took every class possible before obtaining his degree in Import Automotive Technology. Over the years he’s acquired multiple ASE certifications and focused much of his time on electronic fuel injection tuning, which he eventually turned into a small business before joining Xtreme. As our Fleet Technician, Brian takes care of all the essential maintenance within our fleet from tires, brakes, fluids, engine diagnostics, and much more to ensure that every Xperience is 100% mechanically safe.

Rich Schumacher

Marketing Coordinator

Rich has been an automotive enthusiast since he was young, stemming from his childhood working on cars with his dad. Throughout his teenage years and early twenties, Rich has found ways of embracing the automotive culture to the fullest. After graduating with his degree in Marketing and gaining experience in the field, he looked for a way to blend his passion for cars with his professional career. All of this lead him to Xtreme Xperience, where he began to manage our social media presence and the development of our brand’s content – acting as the voice of Xtreme.

Stephen Poon

Event Media

All you need is a few minutes with Stephen and you’ll see he’s essentially the poster child of Southern California personalities. After studying photography at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, CA, Stephen made his way east to Chicago picking up jobs as a freelance photographer. Not too long after landing in the city, he found his way to Xtreme Xperience where his passion for photography and love of cars flourished immediately. At events he ensures our media department runs smoothly while helping guests with their video and photo needs, works alongside our media team to capture content, and helps bring our Xperience to life through beautifully vibrant photos.

Shannon Ranzini

Event Coordinator / Guest Services Associate

After graduating from SIUC with her bachelors in Hospitality Management, Shannon found her flow as an Event Coordinator hosting events worldwide. Soon she realized coordinating corporate events wasn’t as rewarding as she hoped, and went in search of something new and fresh. Through her friend and fellow co-worker, Alyssa Butler, she found herself exactly what she was looking for at Xtreme Xperience. Shannon doesn’t only coordinate our events across the nation, she is also on the front lines as one of our Front of House staff members checking guests in for their Xperience. Seeing the whole operation come together and meeting our guests first hand is exactly the rewarding feeling she was looking for all along.

Cyndy Korfel

Accounting Manager

The world of accounting may not sound exciting, but that’s a different story when it’s for the nation’s premier exotic car experience. Cyndy joined the team in the summer of 2017 after spending nearly 10 years in the hotel industry. After working for larger companies she decided it was time to find a new path where her experience and expertise could make a bigger difference. As our Accounting Manager Cyndy not only handles the day-to-day finances but takes it a step further to analyze and ensure our future business decision will continue to help Xtreme Xperience grow.

Ellie Howard

Guest Services Associate

Another California transplant, Ellie moved to Chicago from San Francisco looking for adventure and excitement in a new city with new opportunities. After 3 years, quite a bit of learning and personal growth, she put her sights on making another change to find somewhere that would fuel her passions even further. Ellie found that adventure and excitement after all. As part of our customer service team, Ellie handles our guests with the same friendly and professional attitude that our company was founded on. Catch her an event near you or the next time you call us up!

Julia Applegren

Guest Services Associate

Julia joins our band of supercar misfits with 8 years of hospitality management and customer service under her belt. After working the corporate grind she found herself the family atmosphere she was looking for here at Xtreme Xperience. As a member of our Guest Services department Julia impacts our customer journey with high-energy, a big smile and a personality all her own. After all, an aspiring professional wrestler needs all those traits to make it to the main arena! Catch Julia at your next event or ask for her the next time you call to book your supercar experience.

David Eisner-Kleyle

Director of NOLA Operations

David has always been fascinated with two things in his life; food and cars. After a successful career in the food, wine and spirits industry he happened upon our doorstep just as we began our endeavor into a permanent location in New Orleans, LA. As our Director of NOLA Operations, David utilizes his talents and experience managing previous startup businesses to breathe life into the Xtreme Xperience New Orleans operation. With his help, it’s our goal to offer the premier experience at a premier location, turning NOLA Motorsports Park & Xtreme Xperience into the destination for car enthusiasts nationwide.

Walter Smith

Sr. Operations Associate / Lead Instructor at NOLA

Autocross, go-karts, track days – Walter does it all. A former movie theater manager turned motorsport junkie. As he built experience in various motorsports events he began coaching with his local SCCA club, offering his advice and expertise to new members who share the same passion for motorsports as he does. Walter joins Xtreme Xperience as much more than just an instructor. With previous experience under the hood and experience in managing people, Walter helps keep our fleet in tip-top shape and our instructors on point each and every Xperience.

Kyler Thibodeaux

Customer Service Associate, New Orleans

Kyler is your typical car fanatic practically from birth, with a love of exotic cars, anything fast and a dream goal of becoming a professional race car driver someday. After a few years of following Xtreme Xperience through social media and attending New Orleans based events, Kyler got his chance to join the team when we established the Xtreme Xperience New Orleans location. As our New Orleans location continues to grow, Kyler’s on the front lines ready to capture content for our social channels and help set you up for the experience of a lifetime!

Meet The Team | Meet The Instructors

Jim Johnson

PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTOR / SAFETY COMMISSIONER

From the west comes “Fireball” Jim Johnson. He’s been racing competitively for over 25 years at his home track of Sandia Motor Speedway in Albuquerque, NM and around the nation. Alongside his racing, Jim was Captain in the Santa Fe Fire Department and continues to be an active member of his community. Eventually Jim took up instructing 10 years ago and has been helping young drivers find their rhythm behind the wheel ever since.

Stu Warner

Professional Instructor

Stu has been passionate about his racing hobby for 30+ years. He has been all over the Chicago area, with Autobahn Country Club as his home base. As an avid driver, he began instructing 6 years ago with the hopes of sharing his passion for the sport and developing his student’s passion equal to his. “Nothing is more rewarding than when I can help a driver improve their abilities.” At Xtreme, Stu is able to do just that on a grand scale and influence the lives of people nationwide.

Brad Pines

PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTOR

One of our first full-time staff instructors, Brad has traveled all across the nation to host our Xperience. As a journalist and photographer in his previous life, driving was more of a hobby for Brad. As the times changed, he focused more on the track. With 16 years of experience as an instructor and over 30 years on track, Brad is sure to help you smooth out your rough edges for the best laps possible.

Tom Hazen

Professional Instructor

Home to Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota, Tom joined our team for the joy of being able to share high performance driving with as many people as possible. With over 30 years experience on track and nearly 12 years as an instructor, Tom is enthusiastic about developing a driver’s skill and helping them improve lap over lap.

Ryan Yaggie

Professional Instructor

Scientist by day, driving instructor by the weekend, Ryan has been on the track and the autocross circuit for over 6 years now with 2 years of instructing under his belt. Though not long, it didn’t take much time to realize that instructing came natural to him. Must be something in the science of the sport. Along with his easy going personality, Ryan’s able to get you on the line and driving in no time.

John Raymond

Professional Instructor

We’re not sure, but John very well could have been born from the racetrack itself. His earliest childhood memories all focus around his experiences in the world of racing. After many successful years of karting, he graduated to sports car racing and so on. Still young at heart, he shared his passion with the new karting generation by becoming an instructor helping newcomers find their speed. After years of instructing various levels of drivers in all aspects of motorsports, John found his way to Xtreme Xperience and instantly clicked with the program. Helping enthusiasts learn about their dream cars and experience them puts a smile on his face every time.

Alex Awsumb

Chief Instructor, New Orleans

Forging the road ahead, Alex is on the front lines of our New Orleans’ facility helping grow Xtreme Xperience to the next level. After years of go karts, autocross and track days Alex found his way to instructing as a profession. Landing at Xtreme Xperience is a bit of a dream job if you asked him. As our Chief Instructor at NOLA, it’s his leadership that pulls our team of instructors together to provide you with the best Xperience possible.

Dale Lambert

Professional Instructor, New Orleans

Dale’s passion for speed extends beyond four tires and a steering wheel. In his teenage years Dale took to the dirt tracks and raced motocross which first introduced him to the world of motorsports. Since then he’s never strayed and has instructed at various club events for Porsche Club and the National Auto Sports Association. Now, as a member of Xtreme Xperience he can’t help but enjoy seeing our customers light up each time they hit the track.

Vincent Protti

Professional Instructor, New Orleans

Like most enthusiasts, Vincent grew up with posters and toy models of exotic throughout his childhood. After restoring a junkyard Porsche to its glory he was hooked on everything automotive from then on out. He’s worked in the industry for over 12 years and instructed with various national organizations including the Porsche Club of America. Now as an member of Xtreme Xperience Vincent helps make your dreams of experiencing an exotic car everything you imaged it would be. Take a deep breathe, soak it all in, let’s go… it’s your turn!

RaceCraft1

TRUSTED TRAINING PARTNER OF XTREME XPERIENCE

RaceCraft1 develops exceptional racing drivers using on track instruction and the full capabilities of professional racing simulation. RaceCraft1 works with racers, coaches, race engineers, and racing teams, expertly crafting complete training scenarios and programs that zero in and target the specific racing skills that clients wish to strengthen and develop. Clients of RaceCraft1 have raced in IndyCar, Le Mans, GP2, World Series by Renault, ALMS, United Sports Car, Pirelli World Challenge, as well as club, vintage, and kart racing series.

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