Three Leaders Awarded Towing Industry Recognition

WASHINGTON, August 21, 2019 (Newswire.com) - Tow Times magazine awarded national recognition to three towing and recovery industry professionals for their leadership roles during its sixth annual Towing & Recovery Management Summit recently held in Washington, D.C.

Tow Times, the leading publication in the towing and recovery field, singled out three industry stars for Lifetime Achievement, Industry Champion and Rising Star awards.

They are:

• Gary Coe of Speed's Towing, Portland, Ore., winner of the Lifetime Achievement award.
• Jim Jennings, Emerald Transportation Corp., Pompano Beach, Fla., for the Industry Champion honor.
• David Williams of Tow Pro Services, AB Collier, Cotton’s Towing and Davenport Towing in the Nashville, Tenn-area for the Rising Star award.

Each year Tow Times recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the towing and recovery industry. Serendipitously, all three award winners grew up around towing businesses, representing second-generation towing company owners and operators, an increasingly rare phenomenon. 

Lifetime Achievement

The Lifetime Achievement Award is Tow Times' most prestigious honor, and goes to an individual who has an established record of distinguished service, demonstrated leadership and provided inspiration to others in the industry; and positively influenced the industry on a state, national or international level. The Lifetime Achievement award winner, Gary Coe, has expansive knowledge of the industry and has used that knowledge for the industry’s betterment.

Coe grew up in his father’s Flying A service station, showing determination, dedication and drive to build the one-truck firm into one with 150 vehicles operating out of 14 locations and offering towing, recovery and more. Today, Coe's company, Speed's Towing, is the largest towing company in the Northwest U.S.

His forward-thinking included being co-founder of the Towing and Recovery Association of America (TRAA), representing towing companies nationwide providing an umbrella under which towing operators can gather, share ideas and address issues that may impact the towing industry.

Industry Champion

Jim Jennings began working for the family business right out of high school, helping propel it to the well-respected, successful company it is today. In 2015, the Jennings family celebrated 50 years in the South Florida towing industry.

He has been involved with local fire rescue in support of extrication training, receiving numerous awards and acknowledgements from fire rescue services in his region. Jennings was one of the few in the towing industry to grasp the importance of the concept of traffic incident management, has been a heavy-rescue instructor, and is founder of Towers with Heart Inc. Charities, which promotes awareness of Florida's Move Over law in public spaces such as billboards and at public events.

Jennings is a founding member and current president of the Sunshine State Towing Association and currently serves on the board of the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Rising Star

The Rising Star award recognizes a person who is dedicated to the towing and recovery industry, exemplifies leadership, is a role model for others, and strives to improve their knowledge of the towing industry and business ownership. 

David Williams earned a Bachelor's degree in finance at the University of Tennessee after which he returned to work at his father's successful company. Over the past few years, he and his father have expanded the company's reach through acquisitions of three west and middle Tennessee towing companies.

Williams has already served as president of the Tennessee Tow Truck Association; is a member of the Tennessee Trucking Association Maintenance and Safety Councils; Nashville Towing Association; TRAA; and the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum. He is also a stockholder of TT Publications Inc., parent company of Tow Times.

For interviews contact:

Gary Coe of Speed's Towing, Portland, Ore., at 503-234-5555.

Jim Jennings, Emerald Transportation, Pompano Beach, Fla., 800-239-0604 or Jim@emeraldtowing.com.

David Williams, Tow Pro Services, 615-306-9891 or david@towproservices.com.

A unit of TT Publications Inc., Tow Times is the leading magazine in the towing and recovery industry and host of the annual Towing & Recovery Management Summit, launched in 2014. The Summit, held in 2018 and 2017 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville, and in 2019 in Washington D.C., provides a vehicle for towing company owners and managers to stay abreast of industry trends, continue to professionalize their businesses and network with other leaders. Previous years' summits have also been held in New Orleans and St. Louis. The Towing & Recovery Management Summit is again scheduled for the Capital Hilton, Washington, D.C., in 2020.

Source: Tow Times magazine

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