Butch Kasnowicz has been working on cars and trucks since he was knee-high to a crescent wrench, getting his first taste of auto mechanics before he was even a teen. And with upwards of a dozen men and boys in the extended Kasnowicz family involved in one way or another with autos, you might say it runs in his genes.
One of those men is Butch’s son Phil, who’s now an official partner in the business, and primed to assume the driver’s seat when Butch is ready to relinquish the keys. Which Butch promises won’t be soon!
Phil represents the third generation of Kasnowiczes to work in auto mechanics, starting with Butch’s father, who ran an Amoco station on Grand Rapids’ West Side decades ago.
That’s where Butch cut his teeth – and more than a few knuckles – working a steady shift from 7 a.m. until dark the summer following 8th grade.
In ensuing years, he’d stick around the shop so he could build monster trucks and then run them over the sand dunes at Silver Lake.
Butch earned his mechanic’s license in 1976, and by 1981, he’d learned enough to make a go of it on his own.
He started “Butch’s Complete Car Care” at the Alpine Avenue address where for 30 years and running, he’s served his hometown community. In all that time, Kasnowicz has been a firm believer in delivering first-rate service, and at a competitive price not influenced by what he terms “fancy showrooms and kiddie playgrounds like you’ll find at dealerships.”
Butch’s has been known to go the extra mile as well, in picking up and delivering work to their clients. It makes for long hours, but it also makes for satisfied customers, and word-of-mouth testimony that can’t be bought.
“I figure that in another 100 years, I’m gonna give it up,” he says, “but in the meantime, I’m going to continue to service the people in my community, just like I’ve been doing since 1972. And I’m proud to have my son Phil at my side, ensuring that the business I started will continue on in the same fine tradition.
“You can count on it.”
