AMERICAN FALLS — In March, the owners of A & P Auto & Transmission Repair will be celebrating the 24th year since they first revved their auto mechanic business to life back in 1996.

The business has brought decades of mechanic experience to American Falls, thanks to owners and founders Jeff Anglesey and Randy Phythian, who had worked together at an auto repair shop before throwing their wrench in the ring after they encountered issues with management at their previous job.

“(Our previous management) had hired a manager we didn’t care for, and it got to the point that everyone was bypassing the service writer and was calling and talking to us directly,” Anglesey said. “One day we were talking about the situation … and I turned to (Phythian) and said, ‘You know, we’re the service writer, we’re the parts manager, and the mechanic, we might as well become our own business.’ So we did.”

The shop, which sits at 240 Roosevelt St., has been their permanent location since 1996 and has become a staple of auto mechanic service in American Falls as well as a solid foundation for cementing community friendships.

“This community has just been so good at supporting us,” Anglesey said. “For forever, when I was doing business in Pocatello we never wanted to have an empty shop because it brings a negative tone. But I’ll tell you what, people walk in and see your empty shop here and the next thing you know, boom, you’ve got plenty of work because they’re dragging stuff in. And so the community has just been wonderful in helping us, and it’s been a great experience to get to know people and make friends.”

Both Anglesey and Phythian were exposed to mechanic work and customer service experience at a young age, which helped them develop strong skills that they put to good use throughout their careers and even more so at their current shop.

Anglesey was only 8 years old when he built his first motor, and he later went on to work in his father’s Union 76 Station shop in Pocatello. Phythian worked at his parent’s Gamble Store in American Falls where he started out fixing bikes until he moved on to tinkering with four-wheeled endeavors.

“That is where I got into customer service, and I was 12 years old,” Phythian said. “It was my job to assemble new bikes, and it seemed like for every kid in town I was the one who got their bikes fixed up.”

Over the years, A & P Auto has had to adapt to the changing times and updates of new cars, which has proven to be both challenging and rewarding.

“One day you work on a ’53 Chevy and the next day you’re working on a 2015 Duramax,” Phythian said. “So you have to be versatile to keep everyone happy. … But I’m so glad I don’t have to do the exact same thing over and over again. There’s always something that is a challenge.”

According to Anglesey, knowing the fundamentals of how things work is what allows them to adjust to the new style of cars.

“My deal now is I’ve got enough experience and my partner has a lot of experience and it makes things a lot easier, because the reality of it is that anything you work or anything you fix is that it’s all about theory,” he said. “If you understand how things work you can fix things, even things you’ve never fixed in (that specific model of car) before. … If you understand how things work, it’s easy to take on and learn the new stuff that comes.”

A & P Auto also strives to be involved and give back to the community, whether that is donating to the American Falls High School band and Future Farmers of America chapter, Power County Fair Rodeo and Power County Search & Rescue salmon barbecue each year.

This desire to support others is something both Anglesey and Phythian have sought to do throughout their time as owners of A & P Auto, which can make running a business a balancing act.

“I became a mechanic because I like to help people,” Anglesey said. “It was interesting because I went through a managing school one time and they told me I wouldn’t be wise to manage my own business and I didn’t believe it quite at first … The reason for that is because what (the school) explained to me is that most people who get in to become mechanics are mechanics to help people. With that in mind you will never charge what you should charge, you give too many things away, and we found that’s the case. My son (Scott), he’s the one who manages things and figures out what they should be charged because Randy and I give things away too much.”

Yet they’ve found the right balance between business and altruism as they’ve been going strong for over two decades, and don’t appear to be hanging up their tools anytime soon.

“I didn’t think it’d last two or three years and we’ve been here for 24,” Phythian said.

A & P Auto is open 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Those looking for more information can call 208-226-2320.