Lowdown

John Sweezy Jr.’s Eulogy for Howard Eagan

Editor’s note: Due to limited space, a few paragraphs were edited out at my discretion. John Sweezy Jr. is president of Matjack. Steve Calitri Howard would often tell the story how we met some 31 years ago and how my beginnings were humble, which is true. I can’t imagine his were. There was nobody else, with the possibility of our President, Donald Trump, that could walk into a room and command attention the way he did. Whether it was the voice over everyone else or the distinctive laugh, everyone always knew, Scooby’s here.

He was a fierce friend and the kind of guy you wanted next to you going into a battle, you could always, always count on Howard. If he said he was going to do something or be somewhere, you could put it out of your mind it was done, as he always responded to me when I requested anything “Affirm Sweetheart.” He was quick with a joke and even quicker to scold, whichever suited his purpose. Which was normally to embarrass me in some way or another.

Howard knew more about airbags and cushions than most people would learn in 10 life times, both do’s and don’ts, he was a great teacher, maybe a little long winded at times, but he would tell you when questioned about shortening it up, “Hey, guys have to learn about appearance and hair gel along with knowing I’m the handsomest guy with great hair they will ever know.” He literally could go on about his looks and hair for hours on end. In my opinion, Howard missed his calling because if he would have gone to Congress he would have been the greatest filibuster in the history of Congress talking endlessly about everything. You need to fill 20 hours of dead space with talk, he was your man.

When not teaching or working, Howard had a great penchant for story telling. He used words out of his “Kings English” that only he understood and the rest of us got to guess. He would tell stories like the time a guy stuck his head in his daughter’s open window one summer in Tonawanda. Supposedly, she screamed and he reacted by grabbing his AR and running into the room he started shooting out the window, then went outside continuing to shoot up the neighborhood. He said people’s garages, houses, cars, etc… were all full of holes the next day. Of course, the police were summoned at some point during all this and when they arrived, saw what he did and they all just laughed it off as “Well, that’s Howard”.

My response, uh sure.

Howard told that story on several occasions. However, one year at the Ohio tow show he brought his Wife, Jeannene. First time I had met her and ever had a chance to talk. So, of course, I asked about Howard’s tirade. She just laughed and said when that happened she woke him up and he told her to go shut the window and rolled back over to go to sleep. Somehow this wasn’t quite matching up, so here comes Howard, I said “Hey Machine Gun Kelly, come over here for a minute.” So when he heard the conflicting story, he said she just remembers it differently and “it’s my job to entertain so most of it’s true.”

This was just how Howard would capture his audience and draw them in so when he got to the real information he wanted them to have, they were all ears.

Howard and I talked about training back in 2004 and the sore lack of it in the industry. I provided the backing and he put together the team most of which is here today. Howard was the glue and the inspiration for spreading the knowledge about recovery, specifically airbags and cushions. He pushed the knowledge out to towers and rescue personnel across the U.S. and Canada. He was tireless in his efforts to be on the forefront of instruction and became one of the top desired instructors in the nation.

Howard, wherever you are, I hope you can hear me. I will always hear your words and your laughter. I know only by watching you the last few years how much you suffered and did so in silence. I will miss you terribly but will try to continue to do you proud. I love you Scoob.

Joyride is Now in Nine Major U.S. Cities with Impound Auctions Online

Joyride, a dedicated, highly-tailored, online unclaimed-vehicle auction platform and marketplace, is now active in nine major U.S. cities and rapidly expanding into new markets. Launched in Spring 2020, Joyride now has 14,000 active users and sold over 10,000 vehicles.

Joyride provides an expanded buyer audience for sellers by proactively marketing to auto dismantlers, used vehicle dealers and car hobbyists within a larger geographic area. By creating greater demand,

Joyride increases the average sale price of listed vehicles and quickly clears valuable space on impound lots. The platform integrates with existing systems and provides sellers with a seamless interface to list vehicle information, photos and videos. Joyride also provides robust, on-demand reporting to give sellers valuable insights into auction results.

“Joyride has enabled us to greatly expand our bidder base creating a more competitive landscape which has driven up the sale price of our inventory,” said Alanis Wrecker Service owner, Alex Alanis.

“Implementation was very easy and it was simple to upload pictures. Vehicles were ready for online display in seconds and we are now conducting more profitable auctions.”

Joyride’s user-friendly, mobile responsive interface makes it easy and safe for auto dismantlers and vehicle enthusiasts alike to buy cars from the comfort of their home or office. Joyride provides buyers transparent pricing with no surprise fees.

“We designed Joyride with both buyers and sellers in mind,” said Joyride Head of Operations, David Salin. “It’s not just software. We are energized by the momentum we are

seeing of vehicle sellers across the country adapting to and appreciating the value of transitioning to our specialized online vehicle auction marketplace.”

For more information on how to become an authorized Joyride seller, email joyride@joyrideautos.com.

Joyride, launched, in April 2020, is now successfully executing regular online unclaimed vehicle auctions in nine major U.S. cities – Fort Pierce,Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angles, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose and West Palm Beach – and is experiencing rapid product demand and growth. Learn more at joyrideautos.com.

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East Coast Acquires Atlantic Wrecker

East Coast Truck & Trailer Sales has acquired its neighbor to the north, Atlantic Wrecker based in Manassas Virginia. This second location expands East Coast’s inventory to now more than 200 wreckers, car haulers and roll-off trucks with several more arriving soon.

As a premier dealer for Jerr Dan Corporation, this acquisition, according to a company spokesperson, “ represents an extraordinary growth opportunity for us to offer our industry expertise to the towing and recovery industry while giving us the ability to offer premium services to those in the northern part of Virginia and to further scale our services at an unrivalled pace.”

With this expansion, East Coast plans on relocating its operations in Manassas soon. Visit www.ectts.com for up to date announcements and to view a full line of inventory for both parts and sales!

East Coast Truck and Trailers Sales, located in Portsmouth VA, has been a dealer, for over 25 years specializing in product lines for Cottrell, Inc, Jerr Dan Corp, and Gal Fab, Inc. They offer a diverse product line to the towing, recovery, car hauling, and roll off community. East Coast Truck & Trailer Sales also offers a wide range of parts available for purchase in their showroom or online with free shipping; plus services such as vehicle signage, financing, Insurance, leasing, and truck maintenance and services to the trucking community.