Brian Tooley was raised in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He had an early beginning in performance, stemming from and interest in go-carts, all-terrain vehicles, and motorcycles during his youth. Brian's father passed on an interest in racing by allowing Brian to help work on the family circle track car. It seems as if Brian was destined to start an automotive performance business.

During Brian's high school years, his interest in electronics developed into working with computers. He graduated from high school in 1982 and joined the Navy. He began studying to become an electrical engineer aboard a nuclear submarine. He was assigned the task of maintaining Trident ballistic missle computer systems. Brian saved enough money from his Navy paychecks to purchase a new '83 Chevy Camaro Z28 with crossfire fuel injection. The car was unique because its electronic fuel injection was one of the firsts of its kind in a GM product. It would be some years before Ford offered an EFI system in any of their products. Brian dedicated his spare time and money to improving the performance of the Camaro, and his interest in automotive performance continued to grow.

Brian completed his Navy career in 1988 and returned to Bowling Green. He soon got a job as a maintenance worker in a local factory. He acquired many new skills while on the job, such as MIG welding, TIG welding, and working with mills, lathes, and surface grinders. It was also during this time that he began studying to become a mechanical engineer. The educational and professional experience that Brian acquired during this time in his life combined with his interest in automotive performance would help eventually lead to success in the automotive performance industry.

Through Brian's studying and tinkering, he realized that airflow is an important element of performance. His physics and mathematics studies had provided him with the tools that he needed to engineer powerful performance engines. When the company that employed Brian as a maintenance worker downsized in 1992, Brian took the opportunity to start his own business, Tooley Engine Airflow. Tooley Engine Airflow would eventually become Total Engine Airflow. Starting TEA was a risky move for Brian, but it would prove to be worthwhile. By purchasing state of the art machining and flow testing tools, he was finally able to put his skills to use creating high flowing cylinder heads.

One of Brian's first purchases was a Flow Data flow bench. Flow Data benches use a high quality Meriam Instrument element, unlike Super Flow benches. Merian Instrument flow elements are used by major auto manufacturers to construct their own flow benches. During the first year of TEA, Brian developed a very powerful engine combination for a 1969 Camaro that was owned by the son of an engineer at Holley Performance Products. The folks at Holley were so impressed by the performance of the car that they offered Brian a position in their Product Development Division (R&D), which would be moving from Warren, Michigan to Bowling Green, Kentucky. Holley realized the importance of studying the airflow characteristics of their products, and they began leasing Brian's Flow Data bench. Along with his flow bench equipment, Brian brought to Holley years of experience in cylinder heads, intakes, camshaft selection, carburetion, fuel injection, electrical systems, metal fabrication, and machine work. Brian was assigned to development teams for Holley's SysteMAX Engine Systems and the Pro-Jection Fuel Injection Systems.

After spending some time at Holley, Brian decided to again dedicate all of his time to his own business, Total Engine Airflow. Brian has succeeded in creating an extremely positive reputation among many racers, especially in the Ford community. He has continued to improve and expand his business, and he is very excited about the acquisition of his new Fadal 5 simultaneous axis CNC machine. Today, Total Engine Airflow's products are used by record-setting racers in many professional classes. This web site contains plenty of proof of that. The business has expanded to into a complete performance parts dealer, a tuning shop, and much more. Look for more great things to come as time goes on.