The Brake Man Story
Although "The Brake Man" was founded in 1993, there is no company with more in-depth experience and practical application of brake design anywhere. Warren Gilliland, the President, began his career in the brake industry back in 1967 when he joined Airheart Products Inc., then the undisputed industry leader in high performance brake systems.
Already an experienced designer, it was here that Warren met Frank Airheart, Vice President of Engineering at Airheart Products. Like father to son, Frank the mentor, and Warren the protégé, came several innovative and, at the time, new ventures. One of these was a new series of quick change calipers that are the forerunners of those still used in the industry today. The pads created for that series of calipers, the 2" midget and sprint pad, the 4" drag and rear midget pad, and the 4 3/4" pad found on everything from the rear of a sprint car to the rear of a Winston Cup car, are still the most popular pad shapes in racing. These systems were on as many as 28 of the 32 starting cars at Indianapolis in the early 70's.
Other joint efforts of Frank and Warren were, the caliper used on the original BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) trains in San Francisco, the Disneyland Autopia Cars and Parade Floats, and numerous different performance vehicles from Snowmobiles to Indy Cars.
In 1969, Hurst Performance purchased Airheart. Frank's brother, Bob Airheart, the company Sales Manager, was promoted to the same position with the parent company, and Warren was chosen to replace Bob. This exposure to the professional methods of sales management provided by Bob Airheart, helped Warren quickly learn to help distributors produce results. Bob Airheart, a close friend is a longtime member of the SEMA Hall of Fame.
In 1975, Warren left Hurst/Airheart, to join an automotive dealership as Service Manager, which allowed him the opportunity to understand and fulfill the needs of the retail public. Because of the ever increasing improvements in horsepower and effective gearing, it was apparent that the brake systems were seriously behind the design curve. Because of this, it is why many of his ideas for helping the end consumer were born.
In 1985, he was asked to become the Sales Manager for JFZ Products Inc. In three short years he took them to the most prestigious position in the racing industry, not only because of the products, but because of the first class commitments to their dealer network. Among other innovations, a telephone tech hot line and seminars for the retail customers on site at their distributors were first made commonplace. Today, "The Brake Man", supplies only the best brake related components available, through a first class dealer network to the end consumer. The seminars have become an effective way to prove the importance of brakes to the overall performance of the vehicle.
It's not enough to have good products today. Now, the customer deserves the information and assistance to achieve the best results. In this website we debut our new line of unique brake calipers and rotors that prove we are miles ahead of the competition within the brake industry in both design and functionability, for the future. We are setting new standards. Our products represent significant breakthroughs and for that reason, will be the company everyone else looks to for leadership. If quality and performance are what you are looking for, then you have come to the right place! We are dedicated to that goal! As you browse through our site, keep in mind that the components shown here are leading edge technology, representing a whole advancement resulting in performance improvements never before possible. After all, "The Brake Man", has been teaching and helping the racers for years. Who else would you call?
Warren Gilliland
President
