07/17/2025
On this day, 10 years ago, we put our 2nd rollback in service. I saw this photo and wanted to share a bit about our business. It wasn't much of a truck. Didn't have the modern amenities that trucks have this century.
No power windows, aftermarket AC that wouldn't cool your face if you stuck it in front of the vent, headlights that wouldn't outperform a modern flashlight, didn't make much power, and spent a lot of time in the shop instead of on the road. It wasn't much fun to drive, but it made money and kept our customers happy.
It was just my wife and I running the business at the time, with her working a full time job and living at our long time home out of town, and me staying in a 250 square foot apartment in town so I could be close to handle those calls that came in the middle of the night. We stored vehicles in a lot that would hold about 8 cars. It sucked, but we kept at it and started growing.
After about a year we were able to hire one employee to split that workload with me, and life started to get easier, and harder at the same time. We tried hard to do a good job and help as many people as we could and that paid off big. We started getting calls that we didn't have the equipment for, so we invested every extra dollar in bigger and better equipment and have always stuck with that.
Before long, we had more operators, more trucks, off-road equipment, and it just kept growing. We tried to always employ people that were good at the job. We've had a few that weren't, but most of them have been fully capable. Throughout the course of this business we've always tried to keep ourselves educated with the proper procedures and equipment for different situations, and the proper licenses, insurance, certifications, etc. That part is tough, as it cost a lot of money to do it correctly, and it always amazes me to see how many folks just ignore the requirements and tow anyway.
We've dealt with massive corruption in the city and county governments in one particular area that we never imagined would be possible. We've seen ineptitude in the State government. We've dealt with competitors, grown men, who have been so ridiculously childish and underhanded that they have no place doing business with the public. We've had equipment breakdowns that we thought we may never afford to repair. Through it all, we just pushed through as best we could and eventually grew more and more into what we are today.
Now, we have 6 locations across 2 states and 3 counties. We have a 17,000 square foot shop that not only handles our fleet but is open to the public as well. We repair cars, trucks, RVs, busses, semis, you name it. We have the only semi truck lift in the area that I'm aware of. We have about 30 tow trucks on the road, of every size and type you can imagine, and have some really neat supporting equipment for the big jobs, and have some really unique off road recovery tools. We've come a long way from that one old truck and a little dirt lot downtown.
It's taken literally years of working 14 or 16 hours a day, getting a nap, then working a few calls during the night, then repeating the next day, 7 days a week. We've caught a lot grief from folks that have had their car towed by the police for DUI, or other arrests. Those are the unhappy ones, and really who could blame them. They didn't want our service to start with. They pale in comparison to the thousands of great customers that come back every time they need help.
There have been and always will be people that don't understand it, but the point of my story today is not to brag or show off, it's simply this. Do a great job, make your customers happy, and they keep coming back and bringing their friends. Your business can be as successful as you want it to be. Know your worth. Don't just race to the bottom, it's not always about the lowest price. It's about the best value. You get a return on your investment, and the more work you invest, the more you get out of it. This business is living proof of that.
This year, we were voted best towing company in Harrison, and we appreciate each and every one of you that has made that happen. We will strive to continue providing that same great service that has put us on the map over the last decade. I would like to thank our customers for their continued support, and our great team at all our locations for their excellent work.
Drew Klenczar
Natural State Towing and Repair
