The Auto Repair Dream
In 1999, as a new century dawned on the horizon, a dream was growing in the hearts of Tony and Becca Zanders. Together, they possessed some unique talents and abilities. Tony had launched a successful automotive career and had excelled as a technician and manager of auto repair facilities in the Northwest. Becca had operated her own small business and had managed the books for a small business. As they pondered a new direction in life, they began to see the seeds of a dream sprout. A dream of operating an auto repair business in Meridian, Idaho.
A Family Legacy of Auto Repair and Service
The dream needed a name. It became very clear what that name should be as they pondered their Heritage. Tony had a grandfather named Clarence. Clarence was a star technician at a local dealership in Boise, Idaho. After 13 years of loyal service, he bought some of the equipment from the failing company and went out on his own. From 1957-1961, he operated Baalhorns Auto Service in a 900 square foot 2 bay shop behind his house in Boise, Idaho. Clarence Baalhorn passed away in 1961 and his business closed, but he left behind a heritage that a grandson not yet born was destined to take up.
22 years later, at the age of 16, that grandson, Tony Zanders, picked up the mantle and entered the auto repair industry as an eager apprentice. Trained by veteran technician and business owner Daryl Johnson of Boise, ID, Tony went on to attend Phoenix Institute of Technology, graduating with a 4.0 GPA and the Deans Honor Award.
Becca also had a link to the automotive industry in her family, too. Her great grandfather, Roy White of Seward, Nebraska, was a passionate entrepreneur. He started the first Dodge Dealership in his town and began selling and providing service for vehicles in the early 1900s as the automobile was revolutionizing travel across the United States.
Tony and Becca looked through the generations at a theme of entrepreneurship, integrity and service in the automotive industry and decided to name their dream, Heritage Auto Repair. They took advantage of the experience they had received and the relationships they had developed over the years and opened Heritage Auto Repair. This, by the way, was in a 900 square foot 2 bay shop behind their house, following in the footsteps of Tonys Grandpa Clarence.
Expansion of the Automotive Legacy
Heritage Auto Repair has grown since 1999. No longer in a two-bay shop, Heritage Auto repair occupies a 6,000 square foot, 8 bay shop with an award-winning team of ASE Certified Technicians, Master Technicians and Advisors.
Although Tony and Becca never met their grandfather and great grandfather who had started their automotive legacy, they continue the common destiny of serving family and friends with honesty, integrity and old-fashioned values.
