Who Am I

My name is Russell Benno Breit Rydin and I am an avid woodworking hobbyist/ home remodeler who loves creating all ranges of wood products.

From a young age, I have always loved building and creating unique things, especially out of wood. People who have known me my entire life would say I take after my Mom and my late Grandpa (her father). Both are super creative and artisans in their own respects. My Mom is musical, an incredibly talented scrap booker (her work is legit) and extremely kind and inclusive of all people… while she is considered the ‘funny one’ of the family, I do believe I got most of my humor from my father… but that is a story for another day.

Some of my fondest memories go back to my childhood when I would build things with my grandfather in his basement shop. As a German immigrant who came with nothing to the United States except for (literally) the clothes on his back, he worked his way up from the role as janitor at a Chicago tool shop all the way up to owner of two small machining businesses. He is the namesake for my middle names, Benno Breit, and someone that I would still consider my hero even after all these years since his passing.

I was lucky enough to get to share with him some of my early woodworking projects before he passed away. At that time, I was truly a novice, and wish that he were here today to be able to see how far I’ve come and to marvel in the legacy that started with his incredible example.

-Russ