Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_February_2020 - 62

A box with many, many additions
"It's not the size of the toolbox, it's what's in the toolbox [that matters],"
says automotive technician Anthony Stankiewicz.
by Emily Markham, Assistant Editor

A

nthony Stankiewicz, owner
of Blazin' Blue Automotive in
Pueblo, Colorado, has not one,
not two, but three Snap-on toolboxes
as part of his tool storage solution.
Over the years, this technician-turnedshop owner has accumulated quite
the setup to house his ever-growing
tool collection.
Stankiewicz began his career in the
automotive industry when he was 19
years old as a service porter and worked
his way up to technician while going to
school and learning in the shop.
Fast forward ten years to 2009 and
the collapse of the automotive industry.
Shops were closing left and right, including the shop Stankiewicz was working at.
Stankiewicz had a choice to make.
"I couldn't find a job, and all the shops
were going out of business," he says. "So
I bought a shop that [had gone] out of
business, and I started my own shop. [It]
panned out pretty well."
After 10 years in business, Blazin' Blue
Automotive now consists of Stankiewicz,
his wife, and four other technicians. At
his shop, Stankiewicz and his technicians
do everything from oil changes to engine
and transmission replacement.
"We're bumper to bumper, so we can

62

PTEN

FEBRUARY 2020

OWNER:

Anthony Stankiewicz
Blazin' Blue Automotive
Location: Pueblo, Colorado

pretty much do anything," the shop
owner says.
Although Stankiewicz owns his own
shop now, he still carries one thing with
him from his first job as a technician -
his love for Snap-on tools.
This leads to Stankiewicz's toolbox
setup. As he describes it, "a Snap-on with
many, many additions to it." His big-time
box consists of two lockers, two toolboxes
stacked on top of each other, and a third
toolbox with a hutch on top of it. All
from Snap-on, of course.
"It's all matching, all the trim and the
color," Stankiewicz says. "I had it painted and put together the way I wanted
it - even the drawer configurations.
Normally, it might come with one long
drawer, but I have three long drawers."
The toolbox also features stainless
steel tops and lights in both lockers.
It's taken Stankiewicz a good couple
of years to piece this 18' long and 6' high
toolbox together, but he's putting it to
good use.

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"It's not the size of the toolbox, it's
what in the toolbox," Stankiewicz says.
"I have mine loaded. I [didn't] buy it
because it's a big toolbox, I [bought] it
because I have a lot of tools to put into
it. Some people have a Taco Bell sauce
drawer and napkin drawer. Mine is loaded with tools. Full to the brim already."
The hutch of Stankiewicz's toolbox is
his favorite part. That's where he keeps
his computer and where he can write.
It's kind of like his desk, he says; it's the
most-used part of his toolbox.
Organization in Stankiewicz's toolbox
is pretty standard - everything that has
to do with drills goes in the drill drawer, sockets with sockets, impacts with
impacts. It's set up according to tool type,
so the shop owner always knows where
to find each of his tools.
In the future, Stankiewicz would like
to add some cabinets across the top, but
he says that will be the last addition to
his toolbox.
Want to see more photos of Stankiewicz's box?
Visit: VehicleServicePros.com/21118176
Want to show off YOUR Big-Time Box?
For more information, email
Editor@VehicleServicePros.com.
http://www.VehicleServicePros.com/21118176 http://www.VehicleServicePros.com
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