Background

Ryan Michael Friedlinghaus was born on April 22, 1975 in Los Angeles, California. Growing up, Ryan would customize his friends’ bikes and skateboards. His first real project was his own car, a Mazda Pickup, which he customized to demonstrate his ability for future clients.

Ryan proved himself to be a worthy entrepreneur when he started his own business in 1994 when he was only 18 years old. He founded his company West Coast Customs in the city of Laguna Niguel located in Orange County, California. The company was cofounded with Quinton Dodson and a five thousand dollar loan. The five thousand dollar loan is speculated to have come from one of two sources. The first theory was that his grandfather loaned him the start-up money. A second theory suggested that his father, a liquor store owner, loaned him the money.

Marriage, Wife, and Children

Ryan lives a quiet and private life with his wife, Meagan Elliot. They have two children, Ryan Jr., and Dylan. Ryan’s family is very rarely seen in public. The only time his wife made an appearance on TV was on a special episode for his show “Inside West Coast Customs”. The episode showed him surprising his wife with the personal customization of her Mini Cooper. Her car was decorated with over 80,000 crystals strategically glued to the top of her car, giving it a gleaming appearance.

Career and Net Worth

Ryan Friedlinghaus' fast success opened the door for him to move his company closer to Los Angeles. In 1998, he moved his company, West Coast Customs to the outskirts of Compton. In the year 2000, he was able to move his company to a nicer neighborhood in Burbank, California.

While Ryan worked hard to grow his business he was approached by several other opportunities, one being the ability to grow a franchise business. He has opened franchises in Tokyo Japan, Moscow Russia, Kuala Lumpur, Berlin Germany, and Mexico. Ryan did not stop at simply creating a shop for car modifications, he also expanded into clothing and apparel.

Despite his growing company, there were questions about the practices of all his shops, including his headquarters in Burbank. In the shop, he is known as “Shady,” a nickname that has stuck with him while at work. Ethical and moral implications have been cited by customers and concerned workers. Some customers feel pressured to accept alterations that were not originally agreed upon. Getting pressured into sales and up sales and customer orders not being completed promptly were among some of the complaints listed against them. Also, some workers have reported unethical behavior in the shop and find it difficult to work for a variety of reasons.