Meet Bennett Lisenby | Founder: Project 15 LLC

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bennett Lisenby and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bennett, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk tolerance and evaluation are key as a young business owner. When intrinsically looking at risk, it is not the presence or lack of it that defines it, but what it is pitted against. Risk is a unique entity in the way it is defined different by each person: circumstance, experience and our core beliefs direct us to respond and place fear in unique places. No two people see risk in the same perspective. In business it usually comes down to the following questions. “Can I afford this risk from a capital standpoint?”, “Can I endure the challenges this risk offers me without dropping other obligations?” or simply “Do I have what it takes?”. All of these questions are nearly unanswerable with certainty, but rather with an educated guess of who we are now and what we may sacrifice to see a stronger self. By nature, I have always been a rather anxious human being in relation to my peers.
Anxiety is a very similar feeling to risk, you are aware enough to know something is wrong but too frozen or unwilling to change circumstance. Underperforming in college, I knew I had more in me so I started looking deeper in myself, establishing roots that predated the way I treat anxiety. The formula for what I was chasing was rather simple: what would you wake up for everyday and eagerly chase? I began to day dream of when I was a highschooler, building my first carburetor on my ’73 Honda motorcycle. Riding the bike or working on it, it was as if time went still. My mind was quiet, and all that mattered was the next job on my whiteboard or the next corner and downshift. January of 2020, I took the deep dive and opened Project 15. The concept was it to begin as a classic car “resto-mod” (restoration/modification) shop, blending modern technology, comfort and safety with the nostalgia and design cues of era’s left behind. In 2025, I am proud to say that while every day has its stressors as a shop owner, I wake up achieving my goal: a smile on my face and a scrappy soul ready for more. At its core, fear is only an acknowledgement that you inherently do not know what is on the other side of it. Whether if offers opportunities beyond our horizon, or despair yet to be felt, it yields a larger version of ourselves. Project 15 is a manifestation of this practice, and has truly transformed how I respond to fear in other aspects of my life.

“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”- Mark Twain

What should our readers know about your business?
Project 15 is a family business, unique in that we have the energy and creativity of youth and the wisdom and thoroughness that comes with age. We carry a mission to revive automotive history and re interpret the car culture abundant in the 1960’s and 70’s. This era of vehicles was produced in the apogee of United States exceptionalism, we were sending men to the moon using analog technology, John Wayne and Clint Eastwood were Hollywood’s leading men, we had created and maintained the most successful domestic manufacturing base in modern times, blue collar work was considered honorable and valuable, and Detroit’s vehicles were admired by the entire world. We aim to capture the essence of this era in our builds, all the while adding modern technology that enhances the ownership experience of these amazing vehicles.
We all romanticize the experience of driving a classic car, leaving behind the 100’s of buttons, plastic bits and screens riddled in modern vehicles. This is only before receiving a stark reminder of the technological gap we face on the road today. Classic vehicles can be unreliable, and in un touched form are usually unable to keep up with modern traffic standards. By using modern drivetrains from vehicles such as new Mustang’s and F-250’s, we are bridging the gap enthusiast often overlook. The outcome is a classic car or truck that drives like you just took it off the dealership lot! We offer an inventory of over 30 vehicles to start from, or we take in projects already owned by clients.
All of this aside, the best part about this company is the way the staff and supporters treat each other like family. We show up for each other on the weekends, taking personal time to share knowledge as we build our own vehicles. No one is below a menial task, nor too set in their ways to learn something new. It is this kind of integrity, grit and comradery that transforms a company into a culture. For the future, I hope to maintain this small business culture as we rise to the top of the classic car restoration and modification industry.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I love the outdoors, playing music and anything with wheels. The majority of my friend group shares these passions! I would start out by grabbing a classic car from the shop, and giving them a tour of midtown. A lunch stop at taqueria del sol is never unwarranted, before heading to the northern perimeter of Atlanta for a hike at upper palisades for a good river view. To wrap the evening, a dinner at Canoe to plan the next day’s ventures. Playing one of the many golf courses we have, floating the river or hitting Caffeine and Octane car shows fills a weekend well. Sporting clay’s at Cherokee Rose or a high speed go car track day at Atlanta Motorsports park is sure to please if your willing to get out of the city a bit. Atlanta has a lot to offer for any interests, brave the traffic bring some friends and see what’s out there!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
From a young age, my parents always encouraged to chase passions, dreams and curiosity with vigor. Without this from a young age I do not think I could back my passion with this much energy, its part of my blood at this point. At a young age, I did not conform well to a classroom setting. There were a few people who saw past my appearance into who I truly was. These teachers, mentors and family members will always hold a special place in my heart. Two gentleman that deserve outstanding recognition would be my middle and high school teachers, Mark Gerl and Peter Emmons. Mark taught me in design and engineering class that I could build whatever I dreamt. He saw that passion was the fuel I propelled myself with. Rather than putting me into class assignments, he had asked me what I wanted to build for my 1976 bronco. I designed a touch screen, apple car play esque navigation system that I programmed entirely myself. A task I thought I would never say I could do. Peter saw it similarly. Mountain biking together, advice after school and assignments that yet again sparked my passion instilled a different kind of confidence in myself. For the first time, I realized I didn’t need perfect grades or a dream job in my path, I needed to be an innovator and life long student of my passions. Peter and Mark, I will always be grateful for who you saw in me.

Website: https://p154x4.com/

Instagram: @P15_4x4

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bennett-lisenby-33713b19a/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Project15Motorsports/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@P15_4x4

Image Credits
Spencer Goetz Jr.
Craig LoPresti
Emma Suave