June 30, 2025 • 36 mins
"The impression you leave on people is far more important than what you get from them." This powerful philosophy, passed down from father to son, forms the bedrock of Jim's Towing success story. In this inaugural episode of our multi-generational towing family series, we're joined by Jim Conroy and his son William, representing the second and third generations of their family business.
From their humble beginnings in 1986 to their current impressive operation spanning three locations (with a fourth on the way) near Charleston, South Carolina, the Conroy family shares how their customer-first approach has built a thriving enterprise with 36 trucks serving communities and even the Naval Weapons Station.
Jim reveals how taking over from his father in 2018 taught him invaluable lessons about the business side of towing that he'd never fully appreciated before. Meanwhile, William brings a fresh perspective while honoring the traditions established by his grandfather and father, having literally grown up in the industry – even "towing" his first vehicle at age three and taking a rotator certification class by age six!
What makes this conversation particularly meaningful is the focus on values rather than just technical expertise. When customers are having their worst day with a broken-down vehicle and unexpected expenses, the Conroys emphasize patience, respect, and understanding. As Jim explains, "We're not in a very affluential part of Charleston, so it's best for our community that we're not extremely expensive." This community-minded perspective exemplifies why family-owned towing operations remain the backbone of the industry.
The episode also touches on the importance of family-oriented industry events and training, with both generations expressing appreciation for opportunities that welcome children and spouses to tow shows, helping foster the next generation's interest in this vital profession.
Subscribe to the Towing News Channel, available on Spotify, iTunes, Pandora, Stitcher, iHeartMedia, or wherever you get your podcasts, and join us for more inspiring stories from the towing and recovery industry. Have a multi-generational family story to share? Call our podcast studio at 706-409-5603.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
you're on the train to success with april and wes
wilburn.
I'm dj harrington, the co-host,better known as the toe doctor.
We're all on our way to thetown of proper towing and
recovery, along with ourproducer, chuck camp, in the
studio.
Don't go to the town of woulda,coulda, shoulda.
(00:25):
You coulda had done this.
You should have done that.
Listen every week tothought-provoking wisdom from
great guests.
So if you have Spotify, itunes,pandora, stitcher, iheartmedia
or the number one podcast, ormaybe Amazon or wherever you get
(00:50):
your podcasts, turn in onWednesday and be turned on all
week long.
If you are a state associationand want your announcements or
upcoming state association newsannouncements or upcoming state
association news or maybe aco-show that's coming up, let us
(01:10):
know.
Our podcast studio phone numberis 706-409-5603.
I'm proud to be part of a greatteam at the american dorm
recovery institute.
Let's make 2025 our best yearever.
Now let's take a quick breakand we'll be back with a great
interview.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
TRAA, the Injured Drivers Fund and legislation
that makes all of us safer arewhat makes this industry special
.
Ina Towing supports all of thisand more.
When there is a need, gayRochester is always one of the
first to come forward and askhow can I help?
The American Towing andRecovery Institute is honored to
(01:52):
have the support of the INATowing Network.
Together, we all make adifference.
Ina Towing Network Simplifiedsolutions, superior service.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
For electric and other alternative fuel vehicles.
We have developed an app thatgives you all the manufacturers
411 for when that 911 happens.
Whether you are a fire tow orpolice, we got you covered.
To find the EV Clever app, goto your Apple or Google Play
store for a 30-day free trial.
Speaker 5 (02:23):
We also offer the National Tow Operator
Certification an independentlysourced virtual testing program
covering light duty, heavy duty,electric and alternative fuel
vehicle.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Welcome back listeners.
You know you're listening tothe number one podcast in the
towing and recovery industry.
Towing News Channel is growinglarger and larger because of
sponsors and because you'retelling your friends and
neighbors about this podcastEvery week.
Wes and April Wilburn do theirvery best to bring you
(02:57):
informative episodes like theone you're about to hear.
Make sure you download andlisten.
We're available on Spotify,itunes, pandora, stitcher,
iheartmedia or wherever you getyour podcasts.
So, without further ado, april,I'll turn it over to you.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Thank you, dj, very much for that and, as promised
with the intro, we are startingour multi-generational.
Actually, let me just say itthis way Wes has been involved
in training for more years thanI've been alive, which is not
true, I'm old, but he's beendoing it for a really, really
long time.
He's been doing it for 30 plusyears and because of that range
(03:39):
of years that he's been doing it, he's been privileged and
honored to educatemulti-generational families of
these great towing industryleaders that we have and this is
a first in a series Our firstever that we have in this series
is going to be Jim Conroy, withJim's Towing, and I would like
(04:01):
to introduce Jim and his son,william.
Jim, can you tell us a littlebit about yourself?
Speaker 6 (04:07):
Yes, ma'am, my name is Jim Conroy.
I'm second generation owner ofJim's Towing.
I've been in the towingbusiness since I was 15 years
old, which is back in 2000.
My father started the businessin 1986 and I took over the
business in 2018.
Met Mr West, as he was saying,back at a tow show in Myrtle
(04:28):
Beach, south Carolina, severalyears ago and we all clicked
very well together, and myfather's done training classes
with him, which got us into theheavy industry.
And then I took severaltraining classes with Mr Wilburn
and I'm confident in sayingI've gained most of my knowledge
from him and I still rely onhim heavily when I get into a
bind.
And my friend recently got intothe business as well and has
(04:53):
become the third generation inour family in the towing
industry.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
Yeah, I can't tell you how awesome that is to see
that all around the country.
That is to see that all aroundthe country.
As you know, manymulti-generational family
businesses don't end up having anext generation interested, so
it's very nice to see that, thatthere is a next generation
interested.
We got to meet William out of aclass recently.
Real quick for our listeners.
(05:19):
Tell us what part of thecountry you're from and a little
bit about the size of youroperation and the scope of your
operation.
Speaker 6 (05:28):
Well, we're out of Somerville, South Carolina,
which is just on the outskirtsof Charleston.
We currently have threelocations that are getting ready
to open, our fourth location inthe Charleston and surrounding
areas.
We have 36 trucks in our fleetand we've been in business since
1986.
We do everything fromlight-duty towing with rollbacks
(05:49):
all the way up to heavy-dutyhauling with lowboys, land dolls
.
We have heavy-duty wreckers anda rotator and with our fleet
we're confident we can getanything done.
Speaker 5 (06:01):
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 6 (06:20):
Yeah, absolutely, and there's a huge army base there,
or navy base that the army uses, have a close working
relationship with the NavalWeapons Station here in
Charleston and do a lot ofbusiness with them, so they're a
big part of our operation.
Speaker 5 (06:34):
That's awesome that you make part of your business
serving the country.
That's very awesome to seeWilliam tell us about your
experience and how things aregoing getting involved in the
family business so, as Jim said,I'm still fairly new to it, but
(06:54):
I've been to a few of yourcourses.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
I've learned a lot in the few years that I have been
doing it and, honestly, I reallylove it, and I love being the
third generation in our business.
How long have you been doing it?
Speaker 4 (07:04):
And, honestly, I really love it, and I love being
the third generation in ourbusiness.
How long have you been doing it, william?
How long?
I know when you're raised up onsomething you're kind of doing
it from the time that you couldwalk, kind of, really.
But how long have you beenactually behind the wheel doing
it?
Speaker 2 (07:21):
So behind the wheel probably just, I'd say roughly a
year, but I've been with thecompany for about three so I do
a little bit of everything andthat's a good way to learn a
little bit of everything
Speaker 6 (07:37):
too, though, and to touch on william william a
little bit in the towingindustry he, uh, he actually
probably towed his first car atthree years old.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
I've got pictures of him sitting in the towing
industry.
Speaker 6 (07:46):
He actually probably towed his first car at three
years old.
I've got pictures of himsitting in the tow truck.
He took his first heavy-dutyrecovery course.
That was actually a rotatorclass that we took together at
the Florida Tow Show when he wassix, so he was certified to run
a rotator at six years old Wow.
He's been in it a while.
Speaker 5 (08:01):
Yeah, yeah, that's awesome to see.
We just did the New York ToeShow.
We did a kids event up thereand there's a gentleman there
that looked to be about my agewith a baby in a stroller and I
(08:23):
was walking over getting readyto do the kids event.
We got him hard hats and glovesand stuff and all the kids had
safety wear on.
But each one of them got tostep up and run the rotator,
pick a car, swing it through theair and set it down and then do
it again.
So it was a big, a lot ofhoopla going on.
It was a lot of fun.
The kids really enjoyed it.
And a fellow you can tell he'sfrom New York City from the
heavy accident.
When you go to the New YorkTowed Shed there'll be some
(08:45):
folks from the New York Cityarea, there'll be some folks
from upstate, but I can tell thefellas from the city area and
he goes hey, wes, how you doing?
He said you're doing thetraining here with the kids.
I said well, yeah, we'rerunning the program anyway.
He said man, that's great.
(09:07):
I know you don't remember, but25 years ago at Knight's
Collision you taught a course.
So I made the assumption it washis grandchild and he quickly
pointed out to me that it washis child.
Like I said, it felt like myage.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
A little bit of ageism, but okay.
Speaker 5 (09:21):
Well, yeah, we do it all the time on this program.
But anyway, he quickly assuredme that that was his son, and
then also just how proud he was.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
Yeah, that we um things like that that drive us
in the industry yeah, we, wedefinitely want to, we
definitely want to be one of thepeople who encourages that.
Um, very, this, this industryis a very noble profession.
We don't always get that titleor that respect, but we are a
very, we are very noble peopleand, um, if we can instill that
(09:53):
in the little ones when they'rethat small and when they're that
impressionable even if theydon't do this for a living,
they'll at least have that highregard and high respect for it,
um, for what their family doesand what their family put into
it.
Um, that people don't see.
You don't see what you have tosacrifice or or give up to do
what you do and I know thatwilliam has because he's been in
(10:16):
that family.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
But if you're outside of it, you don't know well, you
know, the whole concept of theToe Show has changed.
A vast majority of them areabout making money, and that's
it.
And yes, I understand anorganization has to make money
in an event like that to fundtheir program.
But it's very obvious as youlook around which ones care
(10:40):
about the family or not.
This year the Florida Toe Showbrought back Kids Night on
Friday night.
Proud to say, cardinal ToeingLegacy Group, the organization
that I'm involved with now,helped sponsor that Also.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Bald Eagle Toeing in Florida.
Speaker 5 (10:59):
Bald Eagle Toeing in Florida.
Please clean that up for me.
Chuck Also sponsored thekidsowing in Florida.
Please clean that up for me.
Chuck Also sponsored the kidsevent in Florida.
Up in New York, our EV Cleverapp, along with Cardinal Towing.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
Cardinal Legacy Group .
Speaker 5 (11:18):
Sponsored the kids training event and, like I say,
each child got a proper hard hat.
They got safety, proper hardhat.
They got safety glasses, glovesand each one of them got a
certificate.
They got a certificate ofparticipation.
And I have to tell you it was agreat feeling, dj, when eight
hours later two young men thatwere about I don't know seven,
(11:40):
eight years old, both had theirhard hats on, still had been
there all day.
They'd been a band you know,stayed with their parents and as
they were leaving they both hadtheir hard hats on.
So probably a good point totake a quick break.
Can you guys hang around andwe'll come right back after the
break.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
Yeah, the best towing companies offer a combination
of great training, efficientoperations, along with quality
supplies.
Towing Equipment Direct iscommitted to help your towing
company stay ahead of thecompetition by providing the
best quality of towing equipmentand supplies.
Here's why you should chooseTowing Equipment Direct for all
(12:17):
of your towing supply needs.
We provide affordable towingsupplies and equipment.
All towing supplies andequipment are made from the
latest technology and we supplyproducts from the most respected
brands in the towing industry,offering the widest variety of
towing supplies and equipment inNew England.
If you're not using the latesttowing equipment, there's a good
(12:38):
chance your company has fallenbehind.
Savvy consumers can quicklytell which towing companies
provide the best service.
In many cases, the quality ofyour equipment and supplies can
make a huge difference.
Behind Savvy consumers canquickly tell which towing
companies provide the bestservice.
In many cases, the quality ofyour equipment and supplies can
make a huge difference.
Our representatives areknowledgeable in the towing
industry, so for the best towingequipment and supplies, count
(12:58):
on the team at Towing EquipmentDirect.
Browse our catalog online attowingequipmentdirectcom or give
us a call at 910-747-9000.
That's 910-747-9000.
We look forward to serving you.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Welcome back listeners.
Of course you know you'relistening to the Towing News
Channel and this is a great one.
I always tell April that thisis a great one Jim's towing in
the Carolinas, South Carolina,now going on his fourth location
.
But I want to remind all of you, if you have a third-generation
(13:32):
tower that you'd like to hearfrom, by all means dial the
hotline number here in thepodcast center 706-409-5603.
And we're more than happy tohave Wes and April Wilburn do
their very best to get thatthird generation to run.
We want to thank every one ofyou.
(13:53):
Please remember to like, reviewand share everywhere.
We're over 20,000 listeners perweek and I can't thank you
enough.
So, without further ado, thishas been a great one, april,
I'll turn it over to you forJim's telling thank you very
much, dj.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
And sometimes I forget, when we're doing these
things, how involved DJHarrington is and what we do,
what we do now.
You have met.
You have met this great family.
Um, yeah, you've met this greatfamily.
Um, I don't know, um, jim, ifyou remember meeting dj or not,
but he does leave an impression,that's for sure.
(14:34):
He's very memorable.
We call him the godfather ofthe towing, the towing podcast,
for for good reason.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Yeah, we'd met him briefly in Myrtle Beach that
time, but I never realized thatJim's the Conroy family had 36
trucks and three locationspresently going on their porch.
He's just a humble, humble guyand when you meet him you're
(15:08):
just like a Wes Wilburn.
Wes Wilburn is a very humbleguy and I'm proud to know him.
I'm proud to know the wholefamily.
It's great, and one day I'llget a chance to meet William.
Speaker 6 (15:21):
I hope to get a chance to meet you.
We definitely appreciate yourkind words and you know I I'm
proud to say that I've modeledmy business off of the great
people I've met, the industry,such as west.
So I I credit 100 of my successto the, the people who have
guided me through this industry,and west played a very big part
(15:43):
of that.
So, yeah, I agree with you.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
I agree with you, Jim .
He has helped a lot of familiesin the touring and recovery
industry and we all need to tipour hat to him.
He's a big guy.
Speaker 6 (15:58):
Yes, sir, and I learned from him very early on
that this industry has a lotmore to offer than just money.
That was very important in theway I modeled my business when I
took notice of my father.
Speaker 5 (16:11):
Very humbling, gentlemen, very humbling, thank
you.
Just to clarify one thing, dj.
The three-generation thing isthree generations of people have
had one person from eachgeneration in a class.
Oh, one person from eachgeneration in a class Not at the
(16:32):
same time, although that didhappen one time in Alabama.
Grandfather was there, fatherwas there and son was there.
But others like Jim's andRenwalski's would be two
examples.
I've had three generations oftheir family in a class, but not
(16:52):
at the same time, and it's aresponsibility that I don't take
lightly.
Again, it's very humbling.
We go back to the New York ToeShow.
A year ago we went up there andI saw someone from Roosevelt
toowing, mw Roosevelt, and Irecognized immediately that was
(17:12):
Warren Roosevelt, who had servedon the board of directors at
the Towing Museum back about theturn of the century and at that
point I was just starting outon my own.
I'd been with Wreckmaster for adecade but I was starting on my
own and went to the New York TowShow and didn't know many
people in that part of the world.
You know, with my accent thatdoesn't invite a lot of people
(17:34):
to talk to you in that part ofthe world that don't know you.
So anyway, it was a long storyshort.
Warren always made sure that Iwas sitting at a table with
people you know introducing etc.
Going to dinner with his groupand he was one of the founders
of the association, one of theleaders, and I never forgot that
(17:55):
kindness and that generosity.
So last year when I saw thisyoung couple, they were there
with the Roosevelt truck shiningit up, showing it at the beauty
contest for the trucks.
I walked up to him I said Ithought the world of your father
.
He was just such a great man.
I served on the board ofdirectors with him at the museum
and the husband and wife arelooking at each other.
(18:16):
The wife is Warren'sgranddaughter.
They look at each other andthey say oh, museum, oh, you're
talking about granddad, aren'tyou?
Oh my God, dj, I never felt soold in my life.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
Join the club.
Speaker 5 (18:37):
But anyway, many families I've been blessed to
interact with.
Jim, you said some kind wordsabout your success, one of the
things I want you and Williamboth to keep in your mind, and
everybody listening, one of thethings I want you and William
both to keep in your mind andeverybody listening all you
folks that perform in theindustry the way you do and
(18:58):
bring service to your community.
You would be successful with orwithout interaction with me.
It's nice to think that maybewe helped make that path a
little easier for you, but youwould have been successful with
or without me and you folks gotto know that in your heart,
right, dj?
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Yes, but a lot of it.
You know Wes, it's the way youdo the training and, just like
Jim said, you added more thanjust the ability of hookup and
so forth.
You added that atmosphere ofthis is why we do what we do.
I mean, do you think how manymeals Jim's dad has gone without
(19:36):
?
How many meals Jim has been notthere?
How many birthday parties hedid wasn't there, and now
William is accepting the samerole of being in the industry.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
So that kind of leads me to something that I want to
ask Jim.
And then I want to ask Williamand I know what Wes is saying
that with or without him, thatmight be true, but I think when
you do something and you walkout into this world, you impact
people, whether you know it ornot.
(20:11):
And in some ways we know it.
Wes knows it because he's donethe education, he's done the
class and he's got it soformulated and he knows what you
guys need.
So that's kind of a knowingthing.
But there are other things thathe does that you pick up on,
that he isn't aware that he'sgiving this contribution.
But the question I want to askyou, Jim, is you have taken this
(20:37):
from your father.
You have taken this over fromyour father.
In what big way and in whatmaybe unknowing way did your
father contribute to how youhave picked this up and moved it
forward yourself?
Speaker 6 (20:52):
That really is a tough question because I got to
say just about every decision Imake in business.
I ask myself what would myfather do?
Speaker 4 (21:01):
That is a testament to your father right there.
Speaker 6 (21:05):
I'd say the most important lesson my dad taught
me about business is theimpression you leave on people
is far more important than whatyou get from them.
Using that in my day-to-daylife and the way I interact with
every one of my customerswhether good interaction, bad
interaction or anything inbetween I always treat them with
(21:26):
respect, and that was somethingI learned from my father that
you know whether respect isgiven or not, you always show it
, and that's a testament of yourcharacter.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
That that is something I've never uh thought
of in the way that you said itwith.
Uh, it's more important theimpression that you give than
than what you think of somebodyelse.
That's very, very important.
That's very powerful, andthat's a small thing somebody
else.
That's very, very important.
That's very powerful and that'sa small thing.
See, that's the thing that he'sjust exampled.
Speaker 6 (21:51):
Your father example of that to you and he he opened
my eyes very on that.
In our industry, nine times outof ten when we're interacting
with somebody, it's becausethey're having a bad day.
It's on us to remainprofessional and try to make
those people smile while we'reinteracting with them.
They may not be in a good mood,but we need to go into every
(22:12):
situation expecting that.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
Exactly.
Speaker 6 (22:15):
Because they are having a bad day.
Their car's broke down.
They're having to spend moneythey weren't planning on
spending.
The least we can do is make theexperience pleasurable.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
As much as you possibly can.
Yeah, and sometimes you can'treally make it pleasurable, but
you can make it not more.
Uh, you can.
You can make it a little biteasier.
Speaker 5 (22:32):
You can make it not as hard don't have to be a jerk
about things yes that's right.
Speaker 6 (22:37):
You, you can't win every situation, but you, you
also don't have to fuel anyfires yes, that's exactly right
all right william to put you onthe spot.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
Everybody's listening to you.
What you got.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
I think the most impressionable thing that I
learned from my dad with cominginto the business is obviously,
most importantly, how you treatpeople and having patience with
people.
So I think the mostimpressionable thing that I
(23:10):
learned from my dad is obviouslyhow you treat people, making
sure that you're there for thepeople that ultimately support
us and help us with making ourbusiness run, because we heavily
obviously rely on our customers.
So I think the most importantaspect that I learned about
business from my dad is abouttreating people with respect and
(23:34):
having patience with peoplebecause, again, like he said you
, the only, the main reason youguys are talking is because
somebody's having a bad day, soit's ultimately important not to
make it worse.
I also learned a lot aboutlogistics with him and you and
learning to take a deep breathand think about the situation
that you have, maybe referencepast training, things like that.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
It's definitely a plus to have those different
points of view and thoseperspectives.
You know to think it more thanthe one angle.
Speaker 5 (24:07):
I agree with that, but I got some other questions.
William, I can't remember forsure.
Were you around yourgrandfather in the business?
I can't remember he's been gonefor what six or seven years.
Speaker 6 (24:25):
Seven years.
Yes, sir, he died in 2018.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Gotcha.
I was around him a lot.
I actually spent like most ofmy time with him, like all
summers.
I was here at the shop, youknow playing, clinging to his
side or washing trucks, you knowkind of doing whatever I can.
So I'm very, I'm very familiarwith the industry, like I.
I just started getting backinto it, um, but I I did
definitely learn a lot from himas well.
Speaker 5 (24:54):
What do you, what do you think is the most important
thing you learned from him atthe, at the business?
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Um, I'd say he taught me a lot about patience and,
you know, working with peopleand he was very, he was very
compassionate.
So I learned how to deal withsituations when you know people
were irate or it was a sad storywhere you know something bad
had happened and the people werehaving issues, you know,
covering a bill or something.
He was always really, reallygood with that kind of thing.
(25:22):
So probably about the samething my dad said is you know,
ultimately, what it boils downto is problem solving.
Speaker 5 (25:31):
Absolutely.
Is your mother involved in thebusiness?
Speaker 2 (25:35):
No sir.
Speaker 5 (25:36):
Okay, I just wanted to give her a shout out, if she
was.
Speaker 6 (25:42):
But just to touch on one more thing about my father,
one thing that really stands outwith me that he always said to
me because money was never ofany importance to him whatsoever
, he just wanted to survive thatthat was how he modeled his
business from the beginning, washe?
He wanted to have his own joband wanted to be his own boss.
So he, he, was all aboutsurvival.
But the way he looked atprofits was it's easier to ask a
(26:06):
million people for a dollarthan to take a million dollars
for one man, so don't try tohurt anybody.
Oh yeah, absolutely, and andI've always, I've always thought
of that.
And by doing that, you know, ofcourse, we're one of the
cheaper companies in townbecause we don't have as high of
a profit margin.
Then again, know, we're not ina very affluential part of
(26:30):
Charleston, so it's best for ourcommunity that we're not
extremely expensive.
Speaker 5 (26:35):
Right, you know everybody.
That's one thing.
People don't realize thatthere's business strategies and
marketing thoughts.
A whole lot of people think youjust get a truck and jump in
and the rest will come to you.
And it's not that way at all.
Adapting to your surroundings,reading the room are huge to be
successful in any business,especially a towing business on
(26:59):
any business, especially towingbusiness.
Speaker 6 (27:01):
I never appreciated how much my father did until I
had to do his job Because, upuntil he passed away, I was the
driver and I managed.
I was his main driver and Imanaged all the other drivers,
but I never really had to dealwith the business side of this,
and that was something that Inever gave him his due respect
on, because this is a very toughindustry.
Speaker 5 (27:19):
Very tough it is, there's no doubt about it.
Some great people in it andsome other folks that aren't so
nice sometimes yes, sir Iremember one thing about your
father.
You know I did several differentevents at myrtle beach.
I remember coming to someonefor training um, and I also
remember he came to the firsttow show where we actually did
(27:41):
it as a tow show, apologized andI think you were with him, I'm
almost positive you were Gotthere on Friday morning
apologized profusely that hewasn't staying.
We were very busy and I don'thave any.
You know I'm shorthandedwhatever.
You know traditional towing.
I'm shorthanded whatever.
Traditional telling the story.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (28:03):
But he said I towed a car up here so I had to stop in
walk around.
He bought something for one ofthe vendors, bought something
for me, supported the show thebest he could Again apologizing
profusely and he bought a couple, I don't know.
He bought one raffle ticket,ten raffle tickets, but didn't
(28:26):
you win first prize and he winsecond prize or something like
that in a raffle.
Speaker 6 (28:29):
I was waiting on an opportunity to tell that story
in this podcast.
There we go.
Yeah, it was a very small show.
I remember it because it wasone of the first show shows I
went to with him.
But it was a very small towshow.
There wasn't very many peoplethere at all.
And I believe that's when I metyou, mr West.
I may have done a class withyou prior, but we never really
spoke very much.
But we bought some products,like you said, and then we were
(28:54):
leaving.
A lady stopped us and said hey,would you like to buy a raffle
ticket?
My dad said no, you know we'renot going to stay.
She said well, please, Ihaven't sold a single raffle
ticket and you know we'll callyou if you win.
So my dad said yeah, I'll buyone.
I said I'll buy one too.
And, yeah, we ended up winningfirst and second prize.
I think it was a TV and a setof Go-Jacks.
(29:15):
So, like Wes said, we were juststopping through.
We had a car to tow in MyrtleBeach and we picked it up and my
dad said well, we need to stopin and let me introduce you to
Wes.
And that's the whole reason.
We stopped there and you gotguilted in buying those tickets
and you won.
Yeah, we ended up getting a.
Speaker 5 (29:32):
TV and a set of Go-Jacks for $20.
Yeah, and we got us thatGoldwick random from Quality.
That helped facilitate gettingthat to you.
Also want to shout out GayRochester.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
INA Towing Network.
Speaker 5 (29:44):
We really appreciate their sponsorship.
Perry Beatty and the Pro StopProgram.
Speaker 4 (29:49):
Hazmat.
Speaker 5 (29:51):
Hazmat Responder Network.
Just wanted to give some thankyous while we could.
So Jim and William got anyclosing thoughts you want to
leave us with?
Speaker 6 (30:01):
Give me just a moment , please.
Speaker 5 (30:02):
While you're thinking , I'll ask you a question.
You came to some toe shows as aoh no, I guess you said the
first one you wanted to do waswith your dad.
Here's my question Toe shows,like the Florida show and the
New York show that are stateassociation shows, should they
get back to doing events for thekids and things exclusively for
(30:24):
the family, in your opinion?
Absolutely.
Speaker 6 (30:28):
Absolutely.
I think the vendors are verynecessary so that we're all up
to speed on what's new in ourindustry.
And you know, obviously we getsome pretty good deals on the
equipment as well in ourindustry.
And you know, obviously we getsome pretty good deals on the
equipment as well.
But you know, I think it shouldbe more family oriented.
Let you know interest, the kidsand the wives and you know, the
(30:49):
whole family and in ourindustry, because there's not a
whole lot for them to do thatyeah, I think.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
I think if they could gear it towards, obviously you
guys want to go because you'rein the towing industry, but if
they make these events that arethe family oriented and then
make it something that you lookforward to next year, you know.
Speaker 5 (31:08):
Yes.
Speaker 6 (31:11):
I was just going to say, unless I'm having a truck
delivered to the show, I got todrag my wife there.
Speaker 4 (31:16):
Yeah, believe me.
Believe me, I understand.
I'm one of the vendors of thisshow and I don't always want to.
I don't always want to be there, um, but it's having something
that they, that the family, canlook forward to.
Speaker 5 (31:28):
I think the florida show is on the right track.
They did that friday eveningpizza party thing again.
Coronal children legacy groupwas the sponsor of it, Very
happy to be a small part of that, and I think we as an
organization are going to try topartner with other
(31:48):
organizations like the FloridaToe Show people like Estro and
the New York Toe Show people andhelp bring that atmosphere back
.
So that's at least what we'regoing to try to do.
Speaker 6 (32:00):
Well, we'd love to get involved If you can find any
.
What we're going to try to do.
Well, we'd love to get involved.
If you can find any way, we canhelp.
Speaker 5 (32:05):
please reach out and let me know.
Okay, yeah, we will, becauseone of the things with doing an
event like this I told everybodyI said I need a lot of eyes
around you know, not that kidsare running wild, but just you
know we had everybody a safedistance away, but just you need
a lot of eyes More like alifeguard kind of a thing.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
Yeah, if you were at a pool, you would have more than
one person looking at it.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5 (32:26):
So yeah, so we will reach out to you.
Are you planning, as far as youknow, are you planning on being
in Florida this year?
Speaker 6 (32:33):
Yes sir, we'll be there.
Speaker 5 (32:41):
Okay, and we'd love to help.
We'll definitely reach out toyou.
All right, sounds good April.
Anything to say to Jim orWilliam?
I want to say that, or DJ forthat matter.
Speaker 4 (32:47):
Or DJ Well, DJ knows that I love him, Don't you DJ?
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Well, yes, but if I listen to William and to Jim
Conroy, I started thinking.
To Jim Conroy, I startedthinking.
I explained to one person, jim,when they said what is Wes
Wilburn like?
And I said Wes Wilburn teachesyou how to develop from within,
(33:12):
so you never go without, becausehe shows you how to be safe on
the white line, but he shows youhow to be a professional,
honest representative of one ofthe finest family-owned
industries.
So he really is.
He's the guy who develops youfrom within and if you listen to
(33:35):
him, you'll never go without.
Speaker 6 (33:38):
I couldn't agree more .
Speaker 5 (33:39):
Thank you, dj, that's very kind.
Couldn't agree more.
Thank you, dj, that's very kind.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
It's true, thank you, and I hope William gets to meet
you and goes to the classes andhe'll learn to grow up to be
like his dad and like hisgrandfather.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
I will say I have been to a few of Wes's classes
and I just went to the NorthCarolina heavy duty class or
course in North, like I said, inNorth Carolina, and I enjoyed
it a lot.
And I've been to some othercourses and I think my favorite
part is getting to hear from Wesand how he sets up his courses.
(34:20):
He makes sure he kind of makessure that everybody understands
what's going on and thateverybody gets an opportunity to
work with the truck and he'svery patient.
So I really do enjoy hiscourses and it's honestly an
honor to meet him.
Speaker 6 (34:36):
I'd like to touch on that a little bit as well.
I've taken courses from, I'dlike to say, probably just about
every instructor in the country.
I've only got one instructor'scell phone number in my cell
phone and that's because hegives it to us at the class and
says if you need me, you call me.
I've never had another guy dothat and that's what stands out
to me.
Speaker 5 (35:03):
This guy will answer my call at 9 o'clock at night if
I need him to FaceTime me andwork me through a rollover.
Speaker 4 (35:05):
I don't have any other friends like that in the
industry.
With that being said, god blessyou, mr Wilbur.
Thank you, jim and William.
You guys are such great peopletoo because, yes, you have done
that.
You have called us and we have,you know, got you guys help.
But we've called you a time ortwo also with another friend of
ours who may be down in an area,and if you have not been able
to do it yourself, you've gottensomebody else to go out and get
(35:26):
them.
So it is a full circle kind ofa thing with us, and you guys
are very great friends to have.
If we're great, it's because wehave great friends.
Speaker 6 (35:37):
It's families like you all who have turned the
towing industry itself into afamily, so we appreciate you
guys we appreciate y'all too.
Speaker 4 (35:45):
Wes is stepped away from the mic right now, so we're
gonna go ahead and close thisdown.
Dj.
Okay, you got it very much you.
you're on the train to success with april and wes
wilburn.
I'm dj harrington, the co-host,better known as the toe doctor.
We're all on our way to thetown of proper towing and
recovery, along with ourproducer, chuck camp, in the
studio.
Don't go to the town of woulda,coulda, shoulda.
(00:25):
You coulda had done this.
You should have done that.
Listen every week tothought-provoking wisdom from
great guests.
So if you have Spotify, itunes,pandora, stitcher, iheartmedia
or the number one podcast, ormaybe Amazon or wherever you get
(00:50):
your podcasts, turn in onWednesday and be turned on all
week long.
If you are a state associationand want your announcements or
upcoming state association newsannouncements or upcoming state
association news or maybe aco-show that's coming up, let us
(01:10):
know.
Our podcast studio phone numberis 706-409-5603.
I'm proud to be part of a greatteam at the american dorm
recovery institute.
Let's make 2025 our best yearever.
Now let's take a quick breakand we'll be back with a great
interview.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
TRAA, the Injured Drivers Fund and legislation
that makes all of us safer arewhat makes this industry special
.
Ina Towing supports all of thisand more.
When there is a need, gayRochester is always one of the
first to come forward and askhow can I help?
The American Towing andRecovery Institute is honored to
(01:52):
have the support of the INATowing Network.
Together, we all make adifference.
Ina Towing Network Simplifiedsolutions, superior service.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
For electric and other alternative fuel vehicles.
We have developed an app thatgives you all the manufacturers
411 for when that 911 happens.
Whether you are a fire tow orpolice, we got you covered.
To find the EV Clever app, goto your Apple or Google Play
store for a 30-day free trial.
Speaker 5 (02:23):
We also offer the National Tow Operator
Certification an independentlysourced virtual testing program
covering light duty, heavy duty,electric and alternative fuel
vehicle.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
Welcome back listeners.
You know you're listening tothe number one podcast in the
towing and recovery industry.
Towing News Channel is growinglarger and larger because of
sponsors and because you'retelling your friends and
neighbors about this podcastEvery week.
Wes and April Wilburn do theirvery best to bring you
(02:57):
informative episodes like theone you're about to hear.
Make sure you download andlisten.
We're available on Spotify,itunes, pandora, stitcher,
iheartmedia or wherever you getyour podcasts.
So, without further ado, april,I'll turn it over to you.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
Thank you, dj, very much for that and, as promised
with the intro, we are startingour multi-generational.
Actually, let me just say itthis way Wes has been involved
in training for more years thanI've been alive, which is not
true, I'm old, but he's beendoing it for a really, really
long time.
He's been doing it for 30 plusyears and because of that range
(03:39):
of years that he's been doing it, he's been privileged and
honored to educatemulti-generational families of
these great towing industryleaders that we have and this is
a first in a series Our firstever that we have in this series
is going to be Jim Conroy, withJim's Towing, and I would like
(04:01):
to introduce Jim and his son,william.
Jim, can you tell us a littlebit about yourself?
Speaker 6 (04:07):
Yes, ma'am, my name is Jim Conroy.
I'm second generation owner ofJim's Towing.
I've been in the towingbusiness since I was 15 years
old, which is back in 2000.
My father started the businessin 1986 and I took over the
business in 2018.
Met Mr West, as he was saying,back at a tow show in Myrtle
(04:28):
Beach, south Carolina, severalyears ago and we all clicked
very well together, and myfather's done training classes
with him, which got us into theheavy industry.
And then I took severaltraining classes with Mr Wilburn
and I'm confident in sayingI've gained most of my knowledge
from him and I still rely onhim heavily when I get into a
bind.
And my friend recently got intothe business as well and has
(04:53):
become the third generation inour family in the towing
industry.
Speaker 5 (04:58):
Yeah, I can't tell you how awesome that is to see
that all around the country.
That is to see that all aroundthe country.
As you know, manymulti-generational family
businesses don't end up having anext generation interested, so
it's very nice to see that, thatthere is a next generation
interested.
We got to meet William out of aclass recently.
Real quick for our listeners.
(05:19):
Tell us what part of thecountry you're from and a little
bit about the size of youroperation and the scope of your
operation.
Speaker 6 (05:28):
Well, we're out of Somerville, South Carolina,
which is just on the outskirtsof Charleston.
We currently have threelocations that are getting ready
to open, our fourth location inthe Charleston and surrounding
areas.
We have 36 trucks in our fleetand we've been in business since
1986.
We do everything fromlight-duty towing with rollbacks
(05:49):
all the way up to heavy-dutyhauling with lowboys, land dolls
.
We have heavy-duty wreckers anda rotator and with our fleet
we're confident we can getanything done.
Speaker 5 (06:01):
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 6 (06:20):
Yeah, absolutely, and there's a huge army base there,
or navy base that the army uses, have a close working
relationship with the NavalWeapons Station here in
Charleston and do a lot ofbusiness with them, so they're a
big part of our operation.
Speaker 5 (06:34):
That's awesome that you make part of your business
serving the country.
That's very awesome to seeWilliam tell us about your
experience and how things aregoing getting involved in the
family business so, as Jim said,I'm still fairly new to it, but
(06:54):
I've been to a few of yourcourses.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
I've learned a lot in the few years that I have been
doing it and, honestly, I reallylove it, and I love being the
third generation in our business.
How long have you been doing it?
Speaker 4 (07:04):
And, honestly, I really love it, and I love being
the third generation in ourbusiness.
How long have you been doing it, william?
How long?
I know when you're raised up onsomething you're kind of doing
it from the time that you couldwalk, kind of, really.
But how long have you beenactually behind the wheel doing
it?
Speaker 2 (07:21):
So behind the wheel probably just, I'd say roughly a
year, but I've been with thecompany for about three so I do
a little bit of everything andthat's a good way to learn a
little bit of everything
Speaker 6 (07:37):
too, though, and to touch on william william a
little bit in the towingindustry he, uh, he actually
probably towed his first car atthree years old.
Speaker 3 (07:45):
I've got pictures of him sitting in the towing
industry.
Speaker 6 (07:46):
He actually probably towed his first car at three
years old.
I've got pictures of himsitting in the tow truck.
He took his first heavy-dutyrecovery course.
That was actually a rotatorclass that we took together at
the Florida Tow Show when he wassix, so he was certified to run
a rotator at six years old Wow.
He's been in it a while.
Speaker 5 (08:01):
Yeah, yeah, that's awesome to see.
We just did the New York ToeShow.
We did a kids event up thereand there's a gentleman there
that looked to be about my agewith a baby in a stroller and I
(08:23):
was walking over getting readyto do the kids event.
We got him hard hats and glovesand stuff and all the kids had
safety wear on.
But each one of them got tostep up and run the rotator,
pick a car, swing it through theair and set it down and then do
it again.
So it was a big, a lot ofhoopla going on.
It was a lot of fun.
The kids really enjoyed it.
And a fellow you can tell he'sfrom New York City from the
heavy accident.
When you go to the New YorkTowed Shed there'll be some
(08:45):
folks from the New York Cityarea, there'll be some folks
from upstate, but I can tell thefellas from the city area and
he goes hey, wes, how you doing?
He said you're doing thetraining here with the kids.
I said well, yeah, we'rerunning the program anyway.
He said man, that's great.
(09:07):
I know you don't remember, but25 years ago at Knight's
Collision you taught a course.
So I made the assumption it washis grandchild and he quickly
pointed out to me that it washis child.
Like I said, it felt like myage.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
A little bit of ageism, but okay.
Speaker 5 (09:21):
Well, yeah, we do it all the time on this program.
But anyway, he quickly assuredme that that was his son, and
then also just how proud he was.
Speaker 4 (09:31):
Yeah, that we um things like that that drive us
in the industry yeah, we, wedefinitely want to, we
definitely want to be one of thepeople who encourages that.
Um, very, this, this industryis a very noble profession.
We don't always get that titleor that respect, but we are a
very, we are very noble peopleand, um, if we can instill that
(09:53):
in the little ones when they'rethat small and when they're that
impressionable even if theydon't do this for a living,
they'll at least have that highregard and high respect for it,
um, for what their family doesand what their family put into
it.
Um, that people don't see.
You don't see what you have tosacrifice or or give up to do
what you do and I know thatwilliam has because he's been in
(10:16):
that family.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
But if you're outside of it, you don't know well, you
know, the whole concept of theToe Show has changed.
A vast majority of them areabout making money, and that's
it.
And yes, I understand anorganization has to make money
in an event like that to fundtheir program.
But it's very obvious as youlook around which ones care
(10:40):
about the family or not.
This year the Florida Toe Showbrought back Kids Night on
Friday night.
Proud to say, cardinal ToeingLegacy Group, the organization
that I'm involved with now,helped sponsor that Also.
Speaker 4 (10:56):
Bald Eagle Toeing in Florida.
Speaker 5 (10:59):
Bald Eagle Toeing in Florida.
Please clean that up for me.
Chuck Also sponsored thekidsowing in Florida.
Please clean that up for me.
Chuck Also sponsored the kidsevent in Florida.
Up in New York, our EV Cleverapp, along with Cardinal Towing.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
Cardinal Legacy Group .
Speaker 5 (11:18):
Sponsored the kids training event and, like I say,
each child got a proper hard hat.
They got safety, proper hardhat.
They got safety glasses, glovesand each one of them got a
certificate.
They got a certificate ofparticipation.
And I have to tell you it was agreat feeling, dj, when eight
hours later two young men thatwere about I don't know seven,
(11:40):
eight years old, both had theirhard hats on, still had been
there all day.
They'd been a band you know,stayed with their parents and as
they were leaving they both hadtheir hard hats on.
So probably a good point totake a quick break.
Can you guys hang around andwe'll come right back after the
break.
Speaker 3 (11:55):
Yeah, the best towing companies offer a combination
of great training, efficientoperations, along with quality
supplies.
Towing Equipment Direct iscommitted to help your towing
company stay ahead of thecompetition by providing the
best quality of towing equipmentand supplies.
Here's why you should chooseTowing Equipment Direct for all
(12:17):
of your towing supply needs.
We provide affordable towingsupplies and equipment.
All towing supplies andequipment are made from the
latest technology and we supplyproducts from the most respected
brands in the towing industry,offering the widest variety of
towing supplies and equipment inNew England.
If you're not using the latesttowing equipment, there's a good
(12:38):
chance your company has fallenbehind.
Savvy consumers can quicklytell which towing companies
provide the best service.
In many cases, the quality ofyour equipment and supplies can
make a huge difference.
Behind Savvy consumers canquickly tell which towing
companies provide the bestservice.
In many cases, the quality ofyour equipment and supplies can
make a huge difference.
Our representatives areknowledgeable in the towing
industry, so for the best towingequipment and supplies, count
(12:58):
on the team at Towing EquipmentDirect.
Browse our catalog online attowingequipmentdirectcom or give
us a call at 910-747-9000.
That's 910-747-9000.
We look forward to serving you.
Speaker 1 (13:11):
Welcome back listeners.
Of course you know you'relistening to the Towing News
Channel and this is a great one.
I always tell April that thisis a great one Jim's towing in
the Carolinas, South Carolina,now going on his fourth location
.
But I want to remind all of you, if you have a third-generation
(13:32):
tower that you'd like to hearfrom, by all means dial the
hotline number here in thepodcast center 706-409-5603.
And we're more than happy tohave Wes and April Wilburn do
their very best to get thatthird generation to run.
We want to thank every one ofyou.
(13:53):
Please remember to like, reviewand share everywhere.
We're over 20,000 listeners perweek and I can't thank you
enough.
So, without further ado, thishas been a great one, april,
I'll turn it over to you forJim's telling thank you very
much, dj.
Speaker 4 (14:12):
And sometimes I forget, when we're doing these
things, how involved DJHarrington is and what we do,
what we do now.
You have met.
You have met this great family.
Um, yeah, you've met this greatfamily.
Um, I don't know, um, jim, ifyou remember meeting dj or not,
but he does leave an impression,that's for sure.
(14:34):
He's very memorable.
We call him the godfather ofthe towing, the towing podcast,
for for good reason.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Yeah, we'd met him briefly in Myrtle Beach that
time, but I never realized thatJim's the Conroy family had 36
trucks and three locationspresently going on their porch.
He's just a humble, humble guyand when you meet him you're
(15:08):
just like a Wes Wilburn.
Wes Wilburn is a very humbleguy and I'm proud to know him.
I'm proud to know the wholefamily.
It's great, and one day I'llget a chance to meet William.
Speaker 6 (15:21):
I hope to get a chance to meet you.
We definitely appreciate yourkind words and you know I I'm
proud to say that I've modeledmy business off of the great
people I've met, the industry,such as west.
So I I credit 100 of my successto the, the people who have
guided me through this industry,and west played a very big part
(15:43):
of that.
So, yeah, I agree with you.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
I agree with you, Jim .
He has helped a lot of familiesin the touring and recovery
industry and we all need to tipour hat to him.
He's a big guy.
Speaker 6 (15:58):
Yes, sir, and I learned from him very early on
that this industry has a lotmore to offer than just money.
That was very important in theway I modeled my business when I
took notice of my father.
Speaker 5 (16:11):
Very humbling, gentlemen, very humbling, thank
you.
Just to clarify one thing, dj.
The three-generation thing isthree generations of people have
had one person from eachgeneration in a class.
Oh, one person from eachgeneration in a class Not at the
(16:32):
same time, although that didhappen one time in Alabama.
Grandfather was there, fatherwas there and son was there.
But others like Jim's andRenwalski's would be two
examples.
I've had three generations oftheir family in a class, but not
(16:52):
at the same time, and it's aresponsibility that I don't take
lightly.
Again, it's very humbling.
We go back to the New York ToeShow.
A year ago we went up there andI saw someone from Roosevelt
toowing, mw Roosevelt, and Irecognized immediately that was
(17:12):
Warren Roosevelt, who had servedon the board of directors at
the Towing Museum back about theturn of the century and at that
point I was just starting outon my own.
I'd been with Wreckmaster for adecade but I was starting on my
own and went to the New York TowShow and didn't know many
people in that part of the world.
You know, with my accent thatdoesn't invite a lot of people
(17:34):
to talk to you in that part ofthe world that don't know you.
So anyway, it was a long storyshort.
Warren always made sure that Iwas sitting at a table with
people you know introducing etc.
Going to dinner with his groupand he was one of the founders
of the association, one of theleaders, and I never forgot that
(17:55):
kindness and that generosity.
So last year when I saw thisyoung couple, they were there
with the Roosevelt truck shiningit up, showing it at the beauty
contest for the trucks.
I walked up to him I said Ithought the world of your father
.
He was just such a great man.
I served on the board ofdirectors with him at the museum
and the husband and wife arelooking at each other.
(18:16):
The wife is Warren'sgranddaughter.
They look at each other andthey say oh, museum, oh, you're
talking about granddad, aren'tyou?
Oh my God, dj, I never felt soold in my life.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
Join the club.
Speaker 5 (18:37):
But anyway, many families I've been blessed to
interact with.
Jim, you said some kind wordsabout your success, one of the
things I want you and Williamboth to keep in your mind, and
everybody listening, one of thethings I want you and William
both to keep in your mind andeverybody listening all you
folks that perform in theindustry the way you do and
(18:58):
bring service to your community.
You would be successful with orwithout interaction with me.
It's nice to think that maybewe helped make that path a
little easier for you, but youwould have been successful with
or without me and you folks gotto know that in your heart,
right, dj?
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Yes, but a lot of it.
You know Wes, it's the way youdo the training and, just like
Jim said, you added more thanjust the ability of hookup and
so forth.
You added that atmosphere ofthis is why we do what we do.
I mean, do you think how manymeals Jim's dad has gone without
(19:36):
?
How many meals Jim has been notthere?
How many birthday parties hedid wasn't there, and now
William is accepting the samerole of being in the industry.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
So that kind of leads me to something that I want to
ask Jim.
And then I want to ask Williamand I know what Wes is saying
that with or without him, thatmight be true, but I think when
you do something and you walkout into this world, you impact
people, whether you know it ornot.
(20:11):
And in some ways we know it.
Wes knows it because he's donethe education, he's done the
class and he's got it soformulated and he knows what you
guys need.
So that's kind of a knowingthing.
But there are other things thathe does that you pick up on,
that he isn't aware that he'sgiving this contribution.
But the question I want to askyou, Jim, is you have taken this
(20:37):
from your father.
You have taken this over fromyour father.
In what big way and in whatmaybe unknowing way did your
father contribute to how youhave picked this up and moved it
forward yourself?
Speaker 6 (20:52):
That really is a tough question because I got to
say just about every decision Imake in business.
I ask myself what would myfather do?
Speaker 4 (21:01):
That is a testament to your father right there.
Speaker 6 (21:05):
I'd say the most important lesson my dad taught
me about business is theimpression you leave on people
is far more important than whatyou get from them.
Using that in my day-to-daylife and the way I interact with
every one of my customerswhether good interaction, bad
interaction or anything inbetween I always treat them with
(21:26):
respect, and that was somethingI learned from my father that
you know whether respect isgiven or not, you always show it
, and that's a testament of yourcharacter.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
That that is something I've never uh thought
of in the way that you said itwith.
Uh, it's more important theimpression that you give than
than what you think of somebodyelse.
That's very, very important.
That's very powerful, andthat's a small thing somebody
else.
That's very, very important.
That's very powerful and that'sa small thing.
See, that's the thing that he'sjust exampled.
Speaker 6 (21:51):
Your father example of that to you and he he opened
my eyes very on that.
In our industry, nine times outof ten when we're interacting
with somebody, it's becausethey're having a bad day.
It's on us to remainprofessional and try to make
those people smile while we'reinteracting with them.
They may not be in a good mood,but we need to go into every
(22:12):
situation expecting that.
Speaker 4 (22:14):
Exactly.
Speaker 6 (22:15):
Because they are having a bad day.
Their car's broke down.
They're having to spend moneythey weren't planning on
spending.
The least we can do is make theexperience pleasurable.
Speaker 4 (22:23):
As much as you possibly can.
Yeah, and sometimes you can'treally make it pleasurable, but
you can make it not more.
Uh, you can.
You can make it a little biteasier.
Speaker 5 (22:32):
You can make it not as hard don't have to be a jerk
about things yes that's right.
Speaker 6 (22:37):
You, you can't win every situation, but you, you
also don't have to fuel anyfires yes, that's exactly right
all right william to put you onthe spot.
Speaker 4 (22:48):
Everybody's listening to you.
What you got.
Speaker 2 (22:50):
I think the most impressionable thing that I
learned from my dad with cominginto the business is obviously,
most importantly, how you treatpeople and having patience with
people.
So I think the mostimpressionable thing that I
(23:10):
learned from my dad is obviouslyhow you treat people, making
sure that you're there for thepeople that ultimately support
us and help us with making ourbusiness run, because we heavily
obviously rely on our customers.
So I think the most importantaspect that I learned about
business from my dad is abouttreating people with respect and
(23:34):
having patience with peoplebecause, again, like he said you
, the only, the main reason youguys are talking is because
somebody's having a bad day, soit's ultimately important not to
make it worse.
I also learned a lot aboutlogistics with him and you and
learning to take a deep breathand think about the situation
that you have, maybe referencepast training, things like that.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
It's definitely a plus to have those different
points of view and thoseperspectives.
You know to think it more thanthe one angle.
Speaker 5 (24:07):
I agree with that, but I got some other questions.
William, I can't remember forsure.
Were you around yourgrandfather in the business?
I can't remember he's been gonefor what six or seven years.
Speaker 6 (24:25):
Seven years.
Yes, sir, he died in 2018.
Speaker 2 (24:35):
Gotcha.
I was around him a lot.
I actually spent like most ofmy time with him, like all
summers.
I was here at the shop, youknow playing, clinging to his
side or washing trucks, you knowkind of doing whatever I can.
So I'm very, I'm very familiarwith the industry, like I.
I just started getting backinto it, um, but I I did
definitely learn a lot from himas well.
Speaker 5 (24:54):
What do you, what do you think is the most important
thing you learned from him atthe, at the business?
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Um, I'd say he taught me a lot about patience and,
you know, working with peopleand he was very, he was very
compassionate.
So I learned how to deal withsituations when you know people
were irate or it was a sad storywhere you know something bad
had happened and the people werehaving issues, you know,
covering a bill or something.
He was always really, reallygood with that kind of thing.
(25:22):
So probably about the samething my dad said is you know,
ultimately, what it boils downto is problem solving.
Speaker 5 (25:31):
Absolutely.
Is your mother involved in thebusiness?
Speaker 2 (25:35):
No sir.
Speaker 5 (25:36):
Okay, I just wanted to give her a shout out, if she
was.
Speaker 6 (25:42):
But just to touch on one more thing about my father,
one thing that really stands outwith me that he always said to
me because money was never ofany importance to him whatsoever
, he just wanted to survive thatthat was how he modeled his
business from the beginning, washe?
He wanted to have his own joband wanted to be his own boss.
So he, he, was all aboutsurvival.
But the way he looked atprofits was it's easier to ask a
(26:06):
million people for a dollarthan to take a million dollars
for one man, so don't try tohurt anybody.
Oh yeah, absolutely, and andI've always, I've always thought
of that.
And by doing that, you know, ofcourse, we're one of the
cheaper companies in townbecause we don't have as high of
a profit margin.
Then again, know, we're not ina very affluential part of
(26:30):
Charleston, so it's best for ourcommunity that we're not
extremely expensive.
Speaker 5 (26:35):
Right, you know everybody.
That's one thing.
People don't realize thatthere's business strategies and
marketing thoughts.
A whole lot of people think youjust get a truck and jump in
and the rest will come to you.
And it's not that way at all.
Adapting to your surroundings,reading the room are huge to be
successful in any business,especially a towing business on
(26:59):
any business, especially towingbusiness.
Speaker 6 (27:01):
I never appreciated how much my father did until I
had to do his job Because, upuntil he passed away, I was the
driver and I managed.
I was his main driver and Imanaged all the other drivers,
but I never really had to dealwith the business side of this,
and that was something that Inever gave him his due respect
on, because this is a very toughindustry.
Speaker 5 (27:19):
Very tough it is, there's no doubt about it.
Some great people in it andsome other folks that aren't so
nice sometimes yes, sir Iremember one thing about your
father.
You know I did several differentevents at myrtle beach.
I remember coming to someonefor training um, and I also
remember he came to the firsttow show where we actually did
(27:41):
it as a tow show, apologized andI think you were with him, I'm
almost positive you were Gotthere on Friday morning
apologized profusely that hewasn't staying.
We were very busy and I don'thave any.
You know I'm shorthandedwhatever.
You know traditional towing.
I'm shorthanded whatever.
Traditional telling the story.
Speaker 3 (28:03):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 5 (28:03):
But he said I towed a car up here so I had to stop in
walk around.
He bought something for one ofthe vendors, bought something
for me, supported the show thebest he could Again apologizing
profusely and he bought a couple, I don't know.
He bought one raffle ticket,ten raffle tickets, but didn't
(28:26):
you win first prize and he winsecond prize or something like
that in a raffle.
Speaker 6 (28:29):
I was waiting on an opportunity to tell that story
in this podcast.
There we go.
Yeah, it was a very small show.
I remember it because it wasone of the first show shows I
went to with him.
But it was a very small towshow.
There wasn't very many peoplethere at all.
And I believe that's when I metyou, mr West.
I may have done a class withyou prior, but we never really
spoke very much.
But we bought some products,like you said, and then we were
(28:54):
leaving.
A lady stopped us and said hey,would you like to buy a raffle
ticket?
My dad said no, you know we'renot going to stay.
She said well, please, Ihaven't sold a single raffle
ticket and you know we'll callyou if you win.
So my dad said yeah, I'll buyone.
I said I'll buy one too.
And, yeah, we ended up winningfirst and second prize.
I think it was a TV and a setof Go-Jacks.
(29:15):
So, like Wes said, we were juststopping through.
We had a car to tow in MyrtleBeach and we picked it up and my
dad said well, we need to stopin and let me introduce you to
Wes.
And that's the whole reason.
We stopped there and you gotguilted in buying those tickets
and you won.
Yeah, we ended up getting a.
Speaker 5 (29:32):
TV and a set of Go-Jacks for $20.
Yeah, and we got us thatGoldwick random from Quality.
That helped facilitate gettingthat to you.
Also want to shout out GayRochester.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
INA Towing Network.
Speaker 5 (29:44):
We really appreciate their sponsorship.
Perry Beatty and the Pro StopProgram.
Speaker 4 (29:49):
Hazmat.
Speaker 5 (29:51):
Hazmat Responder Network.
Just wanted to give some thankyous while we could.
So Jim and William got anyclosing thoughts you want to
leave us with?
Speaker 6 (30:01):
Give me just a moment , please.
Speaker 5 (30:02):
While you're thinking , I'll ask you a question.
You came to some toe shows as aoh no, I guess you said the
first one you wanted to do waswith your dad.
Here's my question Toe shows,like the Florida show and the
New York show that are stateassociation shows, should they
get back to doing events for thekids and things exclusively for
(30:24):
the family, in your opinion?
Absolutely.
Speaker 6 (30:28):
Absolutely.
I think the vendors are verynecessary so that we're all up
to speed on what's new in ourindustry.
And you know, obviously we getsome pretty good deals on the
equipment as well in ourindustry.
And you know, obviously we getsome pretty good deals on the
equipment as well.
But you know, I think it shouldbe more family oriented.
Let you know interest, the kidsand the wives and you know, the
(30:49):
whole family and in ourindustry, because there's not a
whole lot for them to do thatyeah, I think.
Speaker 4 (30:54):
I think if they could gear it towards, obviously you
guys want to go because you'rein the towing industry, but if
they make these events that arethe family oriented and then
make it something that you lookforward to next year, you know.
Speaker 5 (31:08):
Yes.
Speaker 6 (31:11):
I was just going to say, unless I'm having a truck
delivered to the show, I got todrag my wife there.
Speaker 4 (31:16):
Yeah, believe me.
Believe me, I understand.
I'm one of the vendors of thisshow and I don't always want to.
I don't always want to be there, um, but it's having something
that they, that the family, canlook forward to.
Speaker 5 (31:28):
I think the florida show is on the right track.
They did that friday eveningpizza party thing again.
Coronal children legacy groupwas the sponsor of it, Very
happy to be a small part of that, and I think we as an
organization are going to try topartner with other
(31:48):
organizations like the FloridaToe Show people like Estro and
the New York Toe Show people andhelp bring that atmosphere back
.
So that's at least what we'regoing to try to do.
Speaker 6 (32:00):
Well, we'd love to get involved If you can find any
.
What we're going to try to do.
Well, we'd love to get involved.
If you can find any way, we canhelp.
Speaker 5 (32:05):
please reach out and let me know.
Okay, yeah, we will, becauseone of the things with doing an
event like this I told everybodyI said I need a lot of eyes
around you know, not that kidsare running wild, but just you
know we had everybody a safedistance away, but just you need
a lot of eyes More like alifeguard kind of a thing.
Speaker 4 (32:22):
Yeah, if you were at a pool, you would have more than
one person looking at it.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 5 (32:26):
So yeah, so we will reach out to you.
Are you planning, as far as youknow, are you planning on being
in Florida this year?
Speaker 6 (32:33):
Yes sir, we'll be there.
Speaker 5 (32:41):
Okay, and we'd love to help.
We'll definitely reach out toyou.
All right, sounds good April.
Anything to say to Jim orWilliam?
I want to say that, or DJ forthat matter.
Speaker 4 (32:47):
Or DJ Well, DJ knows that I love him, Don't you DJ?
Speaker 1 (32:51):
Well, yes, but if I listen to William and to Jim
Conroy, I started thinking.
To Jim Conroy, I startedthinking.
I explained to one person, jim,when they said what is Wes
Wilburn like?
And I said Wes Wilburn teachesyou how to develop from within,
(33:12):
so you never go without, becausehe shows you how to be safe on
the white line, but he shows youhow to be a professional,
honest representative of one ofthe finest family-owned
industries.
So he really is.
He's the guy who develops youfrom within and if you listen to
(33:35):
him, you'll never go without.
Speaker 6 (33:38):
I couldn't agree more .
Speaker 5 (33:39):
Thank you, dj, that's very kind.
Couldn't agree more.
Thank you, dj, that's very kind.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
It's true, thank you, and I hope William gets to meet
you and goes to the classes andhe'll learn to grow up to be
like his dad and like hisgrandfather.
Speaker 2 (33:57):
I will say I have been to a few of Wes's classes
and I just went to the NorthCarolina heavy duty class or
course in North, like I said, inNorth Carolina, and I enjoyed
it a lot.
And I've been to some othercourses and I think my favorite
part is getting to hear from Wesand how he sets up his courses.
(34:20):
He makes sure he kind of makessure that everybody understands
what's going on and thateverybody gets an opportunity to
work with the truck and he'svery patient.
So I really do enjoy hiscourses and it's honestly an
honor to meet him.
Speaker 6 (34:36):
I'd like to touch on that a little bit as well.
I've taken courses from, I'dlike to say, probably just about
every instructor in the country.
I've only got one instructor'scell phone number in my cell
phone and that's because hegives it to us at the class and
says if you need me, you call me.
I've never had another guy dothat and that's what stands out
to me.
Speaker 5 (35:03):
This guy will answer my call at 9 o'clock at night if
I need him to FaceTime me andwork me through a rollover.
Speaker 4 (35:05):
I don't have any other friends like that in the
industry.
With that being said, god blessyou, mr Wilbur.
Thank you, jim and William.
You guys are such great peopletoo because, yes, you have done
that.
You have called us and we have,you know, got you guys help.
But we've called you a time ortwo also with another friend of
ours who may be down in an area,and if you have not been able
to do it yourself, you've gottensomebody else to go out and get
(35:26):
them.
So it is a full circle kind ofa thing with us, and you guys
are very great friends to have.
If we're great, it's because wehave great friends.
Speaker 6 (35:37):
It's families like you all who have turned the
towing industry itself into afamily, so we appreciate you
guys we appreciate y'all too.
Speaker 4 (35:45):
Wes is stepped away from the mic right now, so we're
gonna go ahead and close thisdown.
Dj.
Okay, you got it very much you.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.