Tow Professional Podcast
Tow Professional Podcast
A Heartfelt Tribute to Towing Families
Reflecting on the strength and unity of the towing industry, we bring you stories of resilience and advocacy in our latest episode. Experience the heartwarming tales from Olivia, the mother of Keegan Spencer, and his fiancée, as they share personal memories and the profound impact of the Survivor Fund on their lives. This episode introduces our new publication section, "A Voice for the Families, a Voice for the Fallen Families," dedicated to supporting towing families in their times of loss and providing a platform for their heartfelt stories and cherished memories.
Join us at the eighth annual Slow Down Move Over event in Hueytown, Alabama, where the vibrant towing community gathers in honor of John Hubbard. Wes Passmore and the Alabama Towing Association have organized this tribute to raise awareness for the safety of tow truck drivers and the importance of the Slow Down Move Over law. Alongside industry advocate Kevin Goodyear, we celebrate the selfless dedication of volunteers like Frank Ennis, whose contributions exemplify the spirit of the community.
Our conversation takes a deeper look into the legislative efforts crucial for the protection and advocacy of towing professionals. Through the story of Keegan Spencer, we explore how individuals like Matt Spencer and Kevin Goodyear are driving change to ensure safer roads. We emphasize the importance of collective action, urging support for both state and national associations. As we share these poignant stories, we invite you to stand united with us in the mission to create a safer environment for all towing professionals.
Welcome one and all to the Tow Professional Podcast. This is your podcast. It's for the pros that have a need to know, that are on the go. This is truly the voice of the towing industry. I'm DJ Harrington, your co-host, better known as the Tow Doctor, and the real host of the program is the president and publisher of the great magazine Toe Professional, my dear friend, darren Weaver.
Speaker 2:Darren, how are you? This is a beautiful day here in Atlanta. I don't know how it is in Alabama. Well, I'm going to tell you, dj, it is a porch-sitting day in Alabama, and that's where you're getting this podcast from is right off my back. It is a wonderful day and I've got a motto If it's beautiful out there, if it's a great day, you better be out there and enjoying it, and that's certainly what I'm taking part in today. And, man, I'm excited about our guest today. He's an awesome guy, intergalactical sales manager, man of the hour. No, I'm just kidding, it's just me today, everyone.
Speaker 1:If they do sometimes how you answer your phone, I get the biggest kick out of it because I'm laughing, that's a damn issue.
Speaker 1:Before we even start, we have to thank our listeners because they have really come through and shared the podcast with so many listeners. We're growing and growing and I can't thank you enough. So, yes, and you'll be our guest. Oh, you're a character. The podcast has grown. This is your 14th year, so this I have to tell you. Here's the first one. I want to ask you Tell our listeners a little bit about the new section of publication that supports the efforts of the museum and the Miller Industries effort with the Survivor.
Speaker 2:Fund. That's a great one. D yeah, I'd love to talk about that. You know, for many years, like we talked about a little bit in the past episode, co-professional has always done the two-page spread in the publication for the Survivor Fund. And now what we've done is we've made that place a place that's called a voice for the families, a voice for the fallen families, called A Voice for the Families, a Voice for the Fallen Families, and this simply gives the loved ones in the industry an opportunity to express their love for their loved ones, the things they enjoy doing and the highlights and moments of their life and moments of their life. And also we found so many families that want to express the benefit of what the Survivor Fund has done for them. Many have said it's been something that just out of nowhere helped shore up our family and get us through some of the hardest times we've had. So I'm very excited about it and that's something that is going to be coming with this next issue that's about to hit hands, first of January.
Speaker 1:Okay. So, and you know that Keegan's mom was on this last one. Keegan Spencer yes, she was. I read the article. I think it was really. I mean, she put her heart and soul in it and I think what's nice about it, darren, is some of the members that lost their loved ones a couple of years ago couldn't talk about it at that time, but now they could See, three years later, maybe they could talk about it now to to share what the survivor fund really meant at the time. A lot of people are so emotional at the time they can't talk and of course, you give them an opportunity to express your feelings.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think you could have said it better, dj. I think there's so much going on in that, trying to process that and trying to heal, if that's even a word that you can do in a way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree with you. Okay, let's talk about to share with our readers what they will see in the upcoming issue.
Speaker 2:Yes, dj, I think this is going to be fantastic because what we're doing in this upcoming issue is we have, just like you said, we have Keegan Spencer's mother, olivia, and also his fiancee, that has wrote a heartfelt, just unbelievable story about Keegan, about him and the type of father he was to his little boy and his little girl, and about his passion and commitment to the industry. So I can tell you, between those two stories, it was just something that was very beautiful. We had some great photos to share of the family, of the family with Keegan, and it was just something that I think our readers will not only appreciate, but they'll feel it in their heart as well, because we've got so many that have been there and not been able to express.
Speaker 1:I agree with you 100% and I think you know, by taking those two pages that you dedicated before to the museum and Survivor Fund and giving the families an opportunity to share, I think it's great. Why don't we do this? Listeners, hang with us. We're going to take a real fast commercial message break and we'll be right back.
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Speaker 1:Welcome back listeners. Of course you know you're listening to the Toll Professional On-The-Go podcast Every week. We do our best to bring you informative episodes like this one with the president and publisher of Toe Professional Magazine. Listen, please download and listen. We're available on Spotify, itunes, pandora, stitcher, iheartmedia, amazon or wherever you get your podcasts. So, darren, here's the question I want to ask, and you can take your time now. Tell us about the events you attended the other week with the Alabama Towing Association.
Speaker 2:Oh man, I tell you, dj, that was a phenomenal event. Now I'd say it was the eighth annual Slow Down Move Over event and it's put on by Wes Passmore of Classic Towing, as well as with Alabama Towing Association myself, because one of his drivers, john Hubbard very young I think, don't quote me on this, but I think he was 22 at the time was assisting a motorist on the side of 2059 Highway and was struck by a driver that was distracted, not paying attention, and, um it, it was something that that law shook his entire company, as you can imagine. And uh, wes said hey, listen, we have to do something to promote awareness. And every year, um, they start out in uh, hueytown, alabama, with in a park that they had five parking lots, this year that they were filling with the tow trucks, dj, they had blow-up jump houses for the kids that came. They had food trucks there for anybody that was hungry. Santa Claus was there, taking everybody's Christmas list and making sure it would happen. He looked at me, winked. I don't know if he was saying I might be on the naughty list, but hey, I'm thinking a piece of coal might be in my future, but I'm hoping for the best. But let me tell you a phenomenal event. They have a live music there and then they take the parade of tow trucks and I think it was 100 plus trucks this year and drive from hueytown all the way to tuscaloosa and do a another event at a parking lot there in tuscaloosa and the whole purpose for it is to promote slow down, move over and get industry awareness out there to the public on how important this is.
Speaker 2:And during that event we were approached by the news network. I myself took questions from the news and also a good friend of ours and a tremendous friend of this industry, kevin Goodyear, was there and Hall of Fame member as well. He was there to take questions from the news, answer questions. And it's, dj, when you explain to them that this job is more dangerous than deadliest catch the crab fishing episode that everybody watches and says I'd never get on one of those boats it's even more dangerous than that and it really helps them understand what these men and women go up against every day when they go out there to serve others' families and how important it is for us to get them back home safely. So that was the whole gist of the event. It's a tremendous event and I've just got to give the West Passmore Classic Towing and Automotive and as well as the Alabama Towing and Recovery Association, just a definite hand clap and just celebrate them for what they've been able to do eight years in a row with this. It was a fantastic event.
Speaker 1:Yeah great great people and you go every year, so this is good that you're there one more time and, of course, you're the only publication that was there. You don't want to say that, but you were well well, I missed it the first year.
Speaker 2:Somehow I did not hear about it. But I'm just, I thank god I've had the ability to be there. Uh, the seven following that. So out of the eight years we've covered it seven of the eight. And yeah, I have looked around. I haven't seen anybody else in the industry there. But I'm just so happy that I can be a part of the media that can take that information in, put it in the publication and let our folks know about what's going on and that there's others down here fighting in this part of the industry for them, for their safety, for their rights to be out there and get home safe well, the next question I want to ask you and I I want to preface it with and I want to tell all our listeners you're going to talk about someone very special to both of us.
Speaker 1:That is from PWOF and before you mention it, I have to tell you. I told my wife, sheila, I said years and years ago there were two shows in that same state and I was putting up the competitors banner by myself in Tennessee. Nobody was helping me and I didn't know what to do. And all of a sudden I hear from the background Doc, I'll be right over to help.
Speaker 1:I shut the truck. You know which truck it is. I shut the truck and here we are, in the middle of this hall, and who else is putting up the banner to a competitor? Yep, frank. So let you tell a little bit about the upcoming issue where you're honoring our dear friend from BWOF. That's a good friend of both of ours, and when I told Sheila this story, she goes you're kidding me. I said no, we were by ourselves in the hall and Frank saw that I was struggling. I was by myself and I'm struggling. Years ago, and here he is, knowing that I'm just a paid person being paid to promote this thing, he comes over and I said but this is your competitor, and he goes yeah, but you are my friend. Up goes the banner.
Speaker 1:So, tell our listeners about this wonderful guy.
Speaker 2:Well, man, I tell you, if anybody knows Frank, they know he will not toot his own horn. And I've known him for almost 13 years, got to know him so much better the last I would say three or four. But I tell you, just to watch him last year at the show he was on a cart because of his knee and everywhere I went trying to see folks and just stop in and say hi, he was there or leaving. And when you look at it, you go is this guy getting paid for working this hard? Because I know people that make good money that won't work like that. And when you find out it's all volunteer. That's what makes you know just how special he is and how much pride he takes in his, his work and this industry, um. So I contacted him and I said, listen, um, I want to, I want to honor you because I know you will never toot your own horn, but I want to talk about what you've done and from him, you know, starting in the industry, uh, when he was 18, and, um, you know, working on, uh, driving part-time a tow truck and also working part-time in a butcher shop, which was his dad's trade, all the way to him working with a company L&J and then leaving that company to start his own company, and it's just something he's always had a passion for. I knew that, but I wanted to dig in a little deeper.
Speaker 2:And what we did, dj, is we put a collage of all the photos of some of these shows he's taken this Hino truck to and I know what a lot of folks don't know and some might know. This is that every year Hino donates a cabin chassis, which is huge, and Miller Industries donates the wrecker bed, which is just as huge, and they take this truck and use this truck to raffle off with $10 tickets, and it gives people across the nation the ability to change their life for $10. They can buy a raffle ticket and have the opportunity to win a, I'm going to say, 160 000 plus dollar truck. Um, and what I've seen over the years is him and lisa traveling um and both of them taking not much passion and cleaning the truck, making sure it looks fantastic. They came down to my show a couple of years in a row and bought the truck down there to the Southern Tow Expo in Beach Bash and all of these events he goes to is volunteer and, as you can see when he's working around that thing.
Speaker 2:It's his baby, he's took it on 100% and it's nothing he gets paid for but something that really adds to his life and something that really means something to him. So we did a spread, that kind of incorporated talking about some of Frank's background coming up the presidential award he won with PWF, which is only given to those that go above and beyond their calling what you had done, and many other things. So it was a great way to give back to somebody that's always trying to give to others. So just wanted to honor him and wanted to let him know how much he's appreciated even though I have nothing to do with the PWF. But I want people like that to be spotlighted in the industry for the work they do, and I know the PWF knows how special he is, but I certainly thought a national magazine was time to highlight him as well.
Speaker 1:Well, he's a wonderful guy and he did a great job. Frank Ennis is one of the key people in our industry that I'm glad you honored and recognized, so this is a good one, Darren. If we could, let's take one short more break. When we come back, listeners, you will learn more about the upcoming magazine and what's happening in your world as being a tow work professional. We'll be right back tow work professional.
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Speaker 1:Welcome back listeners. Now you know you're listening to Toad Professional on the go podcast Listen. If there's an Industry expert you'd like to hear or your state association Is doing something that you want publicized, call the hotline number here at the podcast center 706-409-5603, and Darren would love to put it Not only in the magazine but we'd love to put it in the podcast. So, by all means, we are here to support you people and we thank each and every one of you For supporting us and supporting the magazine. Darren, let me go and ask you this I understand there's an upcoming section you would like to do that would support legislative efforts. So tell our listeners and then talk about maybe the state associations sending stuff to you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's right in line with what I was looking at, dj, I know, with this being so fresh on my mind, the story of Keegan Spencer and his mother's edit that she included, and his fiance's, I thought, also since we have others working behind the scenes from the Kevin Goodyears that just got a law passed here in Alabama that was a tremendous effort to pull through to Matt Spencer that is, that currently went yesterday and faced the man I say the man, but a 19-year-old teen that struck his son and killed him because of distracted driving. That struck his son and killed him because of distracted driving. And the efforts that our tow professionals are making inside of industry to push legislation, also our national association, traa. There's many things that they are doing currently in the national market to push this legislation. But all I can say from that aspect is it is very important when it comes to slow down, move over and also when it comes to those dollars that you're putting in, your till is being involved with your state local association as well as your national association. It's really big. I mean you both have seen being there on the Hill and seeing what's going on. It's so important to be tied in, because once you're tied in with that, you're able to understand sometimes why the process takes so long. And it doesn't create as much anxiety when you know sometimes things sit for a reason and sometimes things take longer for a reason. It helps it understand.
Speaker 2:But what we want to do is we want to give our readers the opportunity to include this information so, as I say, they can always send this my. My email address is inside the masthead of the publication, but I'm going to give it out today again. It's Darren and it is spelled funny. My mother didn't get hooked on phonics tapes, dj, so it's Darian is how it's spelled D-A-R-I-A-N at towprofessionalcom. So Darren at towprofessionalcom. Just spell Darren at towprofessionalcom, just spell it funny D-A-R-I-A-N.
Speaker 2:And if you have some legislative news from any of our associations within our 50 states, we'd love to pass it on. We'd love to share it with the public, because when we certainly know what all ends of the spectrum these topics are being fought on, it will pull us all together more as a joint effort. So that's what we're looking for inside these pages. I think we're going to start out the first one with allowing Matt Spencer to talk about what's happened on the state level with his area and what's happened with the laws and after going to court yesterday on this and what's happened with the laws and after going to court yesterday on this and what we saw DJ, I hate to say it is the person that struck and took his son's life got a lot lighter fine than what most people would get for poaching a deer.
Speaker 1:Oh my.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So when you look at it in that aspect, that if you poach a deer, then take your truck, they take your firearms, they'll put you in jail for up to a couple years and so on and you take a life in a vehicle and a lot of times it's a suspended probation along with a small fine, a slap on the hand. There's things we have to do to tighten this up, and if we understand what other states and other associations are doing that are being successful, I think as a collective, it will make the entire industry stronger. So we want to use that our publication as a way to put it out there and any information our associations want to share on the national level, we just welcome them to send that the national level. We just welcome them to send that in.
Speaker 1:Yeah and you hit it right, and I'll just make this one comment before I go on. One state can help the other state just by learning. They learn from each other. So there's some procedures that are done in Mexico that we could try in Connecticut. There's some in Connecticut that we could try it in Massachusetts or in Maine. All right, so we all work together on this. We'll make it a better one. Aaron, here's what we got you. I want to ask this what does the future look like for Toad Professionals, the magazine on the print and digital planes? Tell us a little bit about that part.
Speaker 2:Ben, I tell you, DJ, when we were talking this digital thing years ago, people were running for the exits and you know watching the plane of it. We've still got 60, 70% of the people in the industry that absolutely love that paper product, want to have it in their hand, want to be able to read it. But we have a lot that are also transitioning over to the digital side and we've seen that not only with the social media and the digital format of the publication, but also with a podcast. I mean that was something three years ago. We went from, you know, 11, 1200 listeners to you listeners to 18,000 plus over three years. So it's something that's growing. I have so many companies we're talking with that want to do more on the digital side. They want to embrace that.
Speaker 2:The one thing I have to put out there I mean from, I'd say, almost 40 years of marketing experience, dj is the difference between the print and digital. Digital is fantastic. It gets it out there. You're able to see some returns on your ROI because you're able to see how many clicks you get and so on. But I have to recommend and I have to warn our vendors that you have to understand, on a digital format. It could take 15 to 20 repeat views of that to set that image and to brand like you would normally do, and only two to three times you could image brand with a print publication. The biggest reason is brand with a print publication. The biggest reason is you drop that print publication on the floor. You pick it up, that brand's still right there in front of you. You slip one page to another on a Facebook Instagram app, you name it. It's gone and if you didn't lock it into your mind, it's hard to find that product again. So we're embracing that.
Speaker 2:Toe professional has been ranked as the number one uh digital asset in the industry. Uh, we had a publication. Just the digital's. The lawn dj are ranking with 240 000 plus impressions and over a five and a half minute read time, which is unheard of uh. So they're getting seen, they're being seen, they're being used. So we're going to continue to embrace that. This year was our first year to go from nine print issues to five print issues and four strictly digital and it's worked tremendously with the results for our advertisers we're able to include not only that digital format them, but they can link in videos so once somebody's interested in the product. They can watch the video and proceed right on to the website and it's been something that's been impactful and also it's given our readership and our vendors that platform that they're looking for to try and brace more on the digital side, but also to be able to keep their feet in for own firm, solid ground with the print and be able to do that long-term image branding.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a lot of people don't realize. I, when I listened to you talk to some of the people and you stress with them about a QR code, or put this in, or it goes right to their website and they can play the video that's on the website.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Which is fantastic, because now they got impression after impression. Yes, they want to really do.
Speaker 2:Well, I've always aimed I tell you this to be the best value in industry. You know there's some great quality publications out here in this industry between the three of us, but what I wanted to do is I wanted to be the best value. I didn't want to be somebody that was just selling a place in a magazine that was open All of us have a spot to fill in a publication. I wanted to be the person that would also help lay down their groundwork by allowing them to tell the story about their products and also be able to have other value-added things that would help them. And that was the whole formation of the digital publications, the podcast and other things was to be able to give our clients more of that value added so that they would get the best return on their marketing dollars.
Speaker 1:Well, a little earlier you talked about the podcast. I want to tell all our listeners we are the only publication in the industry that has its own podcast the only one. So what I wanted to ask is three years ago, Darren, we had one thought about the podcast, but I kind of lost track of how many we've archived now, but this has really grown.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I tell you, dj, it's. You know, over the three years we have done a tremendous number and I set out and said, hey, 52 weeks in a year. There's going to be a lot to do between doing, you know, nine publications, four digital issues that we were doing in the past, the quarterly digital and doing a podcast weekly and trade shows and everything else that falls in. So I'm looking at this the other day and we have rolled out over 130 episodes of this Now we've taken some off of there, so 130 plus over the last three years. We're averaging about an episode every week and a half.
Speaker 1:Yeah which is excellent and they'll archive. So the people that we've had on the podcast have just been phenomenal and it was. It's really worth going back and listening to some of these people that were on there. The Jordan one blew me away. I loved, you know, the time we had the people who do the books that we advertise. That is a promoter for the, I guess. Yes, well, those are the ones. Toe Book was excellent. Yes, every time we have our friend Jeff Smith on, it's been a good one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, jim Shellhouse with Ranger, Bob, with Jordan. I tell you we've had some tremendous legends of industry on here Tom Luciano, brian Riker, the DOT guy. That's an encyclopedia of the industry. So, yeah, this has really been something that has been an opportunity for our advertisers to get a tremendous amount out of it, and also our sponsors. This has been tremendous. When you, when you name these sponsors and you look through them from from tow book to Jordan to Tomei, to wrecker rentals, recovery billing who am I leaving out? Um, one more. I've got, uh, in copart every, every one of those advertisers. I apologize, my memory's not as good as it used to be those where I get, but every one of those advertisers.
Speaker 2:Yes, sir, we're in, let's get on there.
Speaker 2:We want to be a part of it from our first year and with the results, as you you can imagine, it's continued to scale and they've really increased the benefit at a, at one of our, as we say, one of the best values in industry and DJ.
Speaker 2:We also added into that with a fiscal calendar and this is something that runs on the fiscal business year. We drop it every year with our issue six, which is the wall of the fallen issue, and we polybag that calendar and drop it to some of the top 10,000 owners, tow professionals and industry. So that's something. We only have 12 spots, I think this year on that 12-month calendar. We only have four spots open on that calendar and this is something that's hanging on the wall right now in front of the 10,000 top owners in industry and that was another idea that we picked up during COVID to help get exposure and to have those vendors sitting on the wall image branding in front of the owners in industry and it's been a tremendous benefit. So anything we can do to help our vendors get in front of their potential buyers and bring them the products that's going to help them in the long run, help them grow their business, help them be safer and get home, that's what we want to do.
Speaker 1:Oh boy, that was excellent, and this is the reason why, periodically, you and I should do a podcast together.
Speaker 5:Yes, yes.
Speaker 2:It always goes well.
Speaker 1:It sure does, my friend. So what would be your final shot to these people? Matter of fact, how about I do a final shot? Yes, are you ready for this one?
Speaker 2:Yes, sir.
Speaker 1:I want all our listeners. This is called the flight Flight instructions for 2025. That's our flight number 2025. So let me see how good I can do this. Yes, 2025. So let me see how good I can do this. Good morning and welcome to flight 2025. We are prepared to take off for the new year. Please make sure your positive attitude and gratitude are secured and locked in the upright position. All self-destructive devices pity, anger, selfishness, pride, resentment should be turned off at this time. All negativity, hurt and discouragement should be put away. Should you lose your positive attitude under pressure during this fight, reach up and pull down on prayer. Prayer always automatically. Prayers will automatically be activated by faith. Once your faith is activated, you then can assist other passengers who are a little faithless. There is no baggage allowed on this flight. God, our captain, has declared us for takeoff Destination greatness, Wishing you a new year filled with new hope, new joy and new blessings. Stay blessed and welcome to 2025. How's that?
Speaker 2:Man, that is fantastic.
Speaker 1:Fantastic, fantastic I's that man that is fantastic, fantastic. I love it.
Speaker 2:I love it. I want to tell our listeners, you know, something I thought about, dj, is you never know what that person next to you is going through. We've seen people in 2024 with bad attitudes. We've seen people with bad driving. We've seen people in 2024 with bad attitudes. We've seen people with bad driving. We've seen people with bad and rude looks when you look to them or talk to them, but you never know what somebody's going through and I put out a post the other day just to describe that.
Speaker 2:You know, in the last year you and me have talked about it my wife's had four surgeries. The last year you and me have talked about it, my wife's had four surgeries, six procedures, over 160 doctors of visits, lost 45% of her hearing. Bennett was in a wheelchair for three months. My child's had pleurisy twice and we lost two of the animals that were the office managers for Tow Professional, one 13 years and one 16 years old, two of our kitty cats that were buddies of the industry. And also mother-in-law had a stroke last November. That lives with us and I tell you, just like you said, through standing in faith, through God carrying me, as they say, instead of four footprints in the sand, there was only two. Through all of that, we were able to put out nine issues of the publication, four digital quarterly issues, attend for the seventh time the Slow Down Move Over event and do five major shows this year.
Speaker 2:So I say all of that to encourage all of our listeners no matter what you're going through, no matter how heavy the weight may seem, that's always a reminder to ring that bell and say I've got to get back to the rock, stand in faith and know God's got it through all of this and that's what's got me through it.
Speaker 2:And with that I'll say listeners, I pray for every one of our vendors, I pray for our nation, I pray for our first responders that God increase your wealth, your mental capacity, your physical capacity, strengthens it, your health throughout your home, the health of your finances, the health of your finances, the health of your mind, the health of your children. And I pray that God brings every one of you a safe passage back and forth from your jobs on a daily basis and expands your life, helps you find more joy in it. Until next time, I thank and appreciate every one of you. God bless you. I hope every one of you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Be safe out there and keep listening to Toad Professional Podcast on the go. We love you and appreciate you.