Time for Texas by Dennie Ortiz
They say time flies when you’re having fun, but time disappears when you’re busy working. Here at American Towman, we’ve been hard at work gearing up for our Tow Expo-Dallas in its new location at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine. For the towing business owner there will be plenty of equipment and industry suppliers on the exhibit floor to engage and learn about new products and services for your business. Towers seeking greater engagement and education will sign up for the diverse seminars including the newly announced Repo “Under Cover” conference (See page 82). For some of those towing families who have members looking to take advantage of more than the trade show, there is a great time to be had at the 10-acre pool and Lazy River. I might even just join you for a swim;
everyone needs some down time, right? The Sprit Ride also will be making a stop at the Tow Expo-Dallas to raise awareness of the dangers towers and other first responders face on the roadways every day. Check pages 1419 to learn more about the reasons certain suppliers are supporting the Spirit Ride initiative and how this awareness can help towing businesses in different ways. An important aspect of the Spirit Ride initiative is to encourage towers in the field to work safely. Also in this issue, you will find Randy Resch’s article with recommendations on flares and cones to avoid injury both to yourself and motorists. Safety is paramount and that’s why we feature safety articles each month. If you have safety tips you’d like to share with fellow towers, please send them our way. We welcome information that can help everyone get home safely.
Looking Back to See Ahead by Brendan Dooley
I’m a sentimental guy … I like to reminisce about the old days (whether I was there or not.) Especially when it comes to the garage. That’s why my garage has my great uncle’s 1966 Chevy Impala, tools that my dad got when he was a boy from his dad and uncle, and a parade of 1960s and ’70s motorcycles that have been through. So when Chuck Anderson, owner of Nolte’s Towing in Oshkosh, Wis., called to let me know Oshkosh Corp. was celebrating 100 years in business with a parade of new and old vehicles, I was in. So yesterday (as I write this), I drove up to Oshkosh and got to see a procession of new and old vehicles from the corporation (mostly new, but that’s OK). Oshkosh has owned Jerr-Dan since 2004, so there were several wreckers and rotators in the parade, as well as some lifts from its sister company JLG. Check out the story on page 12. I think it always helps to figure out where you’re going when you know where you’ve been. 6 • August 2017 - TOWMAN.COM
First On The Scene! Dennie Ortiz Steve Calitri Brendan Dooley Charles Duke
Publisher Editor-In-Chief Editor Senior Editor
Randall Resch
Operations Editor
Terry Abejuela
Field Editor, West
Jim “Buck” Sorrenti Don Archer David Kolman Bill Simmons Emily Oz Mark Lacek
Field Editor, Northeast Field Editor, Midwest Chassis Editor Safety Editor On Screen Editor Repo Run Editor
Editorial Board Tommy Anderson Roy Carlson Debbie Collins Belinda Harris Bill Johnson Ron Mislan Kurt Wilson
Dallas, Texas Saint Paul, Minn. Las Vegas, Nev. Greensboro, N.C. South Hadley, Mass. Warren, N.J. Creve Coeur, Ill.
American Towman Staff Ann Marie Nitti Dennie Ortiz Ellen Rosengart Norma Calitri Jimmy Santos Miriam Ortiz Henri Calitri Toni Vanderhorst William Burwell Peggy Calabrese Ryan Oser Helen Gutfreund Emily Oz Steve Calitri
Page Layout Artist Advertising Sales Mgr. Senior Account Exec. VP of Accounts General Manager Subscription Manager Customer Service Publisher’s Assistant TIW Media Director Regional Advertising Sales iMarketing Manager Communications Mgr. ATTV Producer President
American Towman Media Headquarters 7 West Street, Warwick, NY 10990 800-732-3869 or 845-986-4546 E-mail: Publisher: dortiz@towman.com Editor-In-Chief: scalitri@towman.com Editor: bdooley@towman.com AT’S Digital Edition: itowman.com AT’S Website: americantowman.com AT’S Weekly: towindustryweek.com ATTV: americantowmantv.com Copyright ©2017 American Towman Magazine is published 12 times a year by American Towman Media, Inc. Subscription: $50–1 yr; $95–2 yrs • US $65 and $105 • International Editorial Policy: the act of mailing or delivering a letter or article to American Towman Magazine, shall constitute permission to publish that letter or article or any portion thereof. American Towman Magazine reserves the right to edit any and all material submitted.American Towman Media does not test or review products submitted for inclusion in its publications. All included information, specifications and abilities are as claimed by the equipment manufacturer who is solely liable for any defects or misrepresentations in its products.
