Speedy Brakes: Tony Staab
Photos by John Burns
When people think about super-fast services, they think of fast food. Rarely would brake replacement fit into that category. Traditionally, you would make an appointment to get your brakes fixed and either drop it off for half the day or sit around for a few hours and wait for the repairs to be completed.
Tony Staab, owner of Speedy Brakes, decided he could make that experience much more convenient in a lot less time.
Watching Tony and one of his technicians replace rotors and pads on a car is like watching a NASCAR pit crew. From the automatic jack to the custom design electronic tools to make the job faster and more efficient, Speedy Brakes lives up to its name. From jack up to jack down, Tony’s record for front and rear brakes and rotors is 15 minutes and 6 seconds.
“We are going to set a Guinness World Record—they don’t have one right now; we have to create one. From jack up, tires off, pads on, tires on, jack down, car started, our fastest front brakes time is 3 minutes 18 seconds,” Tony said.
Hailing from Hays, Kansas, Tony joined the Marine Corps right out of high school at the ripe old age of 17. He was stationed in California and did two deployments in his first two years. He met his wife, Shelby—also a marine— while stationed in Japan.
“Here we were, from opposite ends of the country, and God brought us together in Japan, of all places,” Tony said.
Tony was stationed in Topeka in April, and with two kids and another on the way, he began thinking about his future beyond the military. His dad was a mechanic for Frito Lay and also owned Bakersfield engine machining and a tire and machine shop in Hays, which he still owns and runs. So, auto mechanics is in his blood.
“I had been working on the idea for this business for about a year, developing the business plan, building an app, and figuring out the logistics,” Tony said. “But in June, I was like, ‘OK, let’s do it!’”
On June 22, Tony officially opened Speedy Brakes.
“I thought it was going to be a soft opening, with a couple of signs and an ad or two, picking up a few jobs here and there while I am still in the marines,” Tony said. “But it’s like this baby that I bloomed is already going off to college. It’s crazy to fathom how fast this is taking off.”
With Speedy Brakes signs all over town and a huge social media presence, business has been growing exponentially. In fact, the company recently serviced 25 cars in one day.
Tony employs eight technicians but is always looking for more.
“Sometimes my wife even swings in and helps out,” Tony said.
Tony says his business approach is modeled after that of Jeff Bezos whose philosophy is to make minimal profit at first so you can build economy of scale to create greater profit down the road. In fact, Speedy Brake’s prices are so low that they don't seem real. But he has negotiated with parts suppliers to get the lowest possible prices, which he passes along to his customers.
“I tell the companies I work with that if they go with me on this, I will take them with me to the next level in the future,” Tony said. “That is how I can do $99 brakes.”
Speedy Brakes offers 24/7 service— simply because “it’s the right thing to do.” Tony says if someone calls at 3 a.m. he will be there. He plans to continue offering that service, even if the company goes big.
“Why not?” Tony said. “I had a phone call once at 9 p.m. A guy was stranded on the side of the road. I brought all four rotors, four pads and two calipers. I got done at 1 in the morning and he was back on the road.
Speedy Brakes doesn’t even charge extra for afterhours work.
“I want the mindset to be ‘We’re here to help.’”
Tony is leaving his military career to concentrate on Speedy Brakes full time. Leaving behind the safety net and structure takes a real leap of faith, but Tony has plenty of that.
“God will lead the way. It would be amazing to just watch this blow up in five years.”
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