Russ Rizzo is a dirty guy. Don’t shake hands with this man. Don’t try to get close lest you are willing to walk away with the vestiges of his job on your sleeve.

There is nothing clean about him or the work he does. Once he pops the hood on your ailing vehicle he’s all business at fixing your radiator or air-conditioning unit or both depending on the severity of the problem.

Russ has labored 30 years, more than 20 of ‘em at ABC Radiator, getting hot under your car to keep you cool inside it. He’s seen every do-hickey and quirky thing that can go wrong on a car heating and cooling system and is still amazed that some cars can go 15 years without a blink of a problem and others come to him 10 days past the warranty.

His arthritic hands are still able to turn a wrench. His keen sense of where the problems are occurring don’t make fixing it easier on him but easier on your wallet. He’ll tell you he won’t charge you if he can’t fix it. He’ll tell you cars are complicated and simple at the same time.

Originally from Buffalo, NY, Russ came west eventually finding work with ABC’s previous owners Mike Sweeney and Gary Bell back in June of 1990. They sold him the business a few years ago. He had help for a while with an associate who passed away leaving him alone to handle the front desk and the back shop at the same time.

He doesn’t mind the 10-hour days and aggravating part suppliers who often send wrong parts or no parts. It’s “part” of the business he says.

His ability to diagnose those noises under the hood is what separates him from the larger shops with newly hired techs.

Experience counts most when it comes time to spend your money. Russ has a unique policy. He’ll call you and let you decide even as the engine is running in the background. He has to. He’s got no one to do that and fix the car at the same time.

You won’t find another shop where you can talk to the sales department, the operations manager, the parts department and the service department at the same time. That’s Russ Rizzo.

On second thought, If you get down to ABC Radiator, even if you don’t need Russ now, take some hand cleaner and shake his hand just for being the kind of local businessman this town is proud to have around.

ABC Radiator is located at 160th and 1st S. in Burien. Phone 206-244-2682 and wish him a happy birthday. We don’t know if you’ll be early or late, but it sounds like a good thing to say to a nice man.