THINKING
general manager. “I was a CNC guy originally, and
eventually had my hands in a lot of the NHRA Pro
Stock stuff in the early 2000s when Greg Ander-
son and Jason Line were winning championships,”
notes Giebas, who worked closely with the teams.
“I was the one that perfected the billet piston at
Diamond, but eventually had an opportunity to
go out on my own.”
Giebas partnered with legendary NHRA Pro
Stock racer V. Gaines in 2013, and the two men
officially opened the doors of Gibtec Pistons in
Denver, Colorado. “We started from scratch, built
all the fixtures, and made everything exactly how
we wanted it – which is a rare thing to be able to
do,” says Giebas proudly of how the men started
July 2018
with absolutely nothing within four bare walls.
“We acquired the machinery and equipment nec-
essary to begin production, and, within one year,
we made our first piston.”
The men had hired on Nick Plantus to act as an
engineer and expert consultant for Gibtec. Giebas
had met Plantus while working at Diamond, and
Plantus acted as a mentor to the young man at the
time. “If it wasn’t for Nick, I probably wouldn’t
even be in this spot right now. Thanks to him for
showing me things when I was in my twenties – I
learned so much and excelled because of what he
showed me,” Giebas states of how the student
became the master.
Together, the Gibtec group grew. There were
hiccups along the way, of course, but rather than
let the issues upset him, Giebas saw each as an
opportunity to refine his program and hone how
he handled things. Eventually, Gibtec expanded
enough to begin shipping internationally, and
currently employs a group of six along with sev-
eral engineers.
The team is kept small for a reason, as Giebas
prides himself on the company’s personalized
customer experience and one-on-one involve-
ment with each client to make sure their needs
are met as fully as possible. “I’ll take an order
and work on it myself from start to finish, I don’t
hand it off to someone else,” Giebas elaborates
of the service that allows him to strengthen the
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