by
Cameron Hanson
| Oct 13, 2023
Brian Booker lives by the Golden Rule. He treats others the way he wants to be treated. He credits that philosophy for the growth of his towing company, Wes’s Towing Service, in the Chicagoland area. It’s also the reason he’s been buying
trucks, parts, and apparel from Zip’s AW Direct over the last 10 years.
“If I had to describe Zip’s in one word, it would be ‘excellent’,” said Booker, owner and director of operations at Wes’s. “My salesman is great and communicates with me on everything. Zip’s really provides
a great all-around experience. Customer service is how businesses grow. Even with my business, it’s all about customer service.”
Wes’s Service is this month’s Zip’s Spotlight tow company profile. The business was founded in Calumet City, IL, on the southern edge of Chicago, in 1963 by Wesley Gass. The company originally started as a gas
station and naturally grew into the towing business. A former employee, Booker bought the company from its namesake in 2008.
Prior to purchasing the business, Booker had actually left Wes’s to form his own tow company back in the early to mid 2000s. He said he left on good terms, and he and Gass remained in regular contact. In fact, Gass twice tried to
recruit Booker back to his company. The first time was in 2006 after Gass served as a pallbearer for Booker’s father. The second time came two years later with an ownership offer.
“I worked for Wes for several years and learned a lot from him by watching him run his business,” Booker said, retaining the company name to honor his mentor who passed away in 2019. “After I left the first time, there was never
any bad blood between us. I just kind of liked doing my own thing. Then two years later, the whole process to purchase the business began, and by July 1, 2008, I was on the hot seat.”
Wes’s Service remains located on the original property, which still includes the original building. In 2020, the company expanded with a brand new facility. Including Booker, the company currently employs 31 operators, dispatchers and technicians,
and their service territory covers all of Chicago and parts of Wisconsin and Indiana.
The company’s fleet includes heavy-duty wreckers and rotators, car carriers, light-duty wreckers, service vehicles and transport trucks. Booker bought his first truck, a 50-ton rotator, from Zip’s in 2014 and has worked with
sales rep Lon Schlader on a number of other purchases, including a Century 3212, Century 5130, a 75-ton rotator and an RSB service truck.
“I’ve ordered every variety of truck from Zip’s. They get me the equipment I need right away,” Booker said of his relationship with Zip’s. “If I order a truck and they promise me a date, that’s
the date the truck comes.”
Besides delivering on what they promise, Booker said he appreciates the level of customization he gets with each build at Zip’s. From the lights on the rotators to the storage options on the service trucks, he said he gets to add his personal
touch, so the equipment fits his needs and his employee’s needs. He said it just makes good business sense and helps retain good employees.
“My guys all love the new trucks,” he said. ”You want to keep your equipment up to date, so your drivers have the best equipment available to do their job and it isn’t breaking down all the time. You give them
good tools so they can perform their duty. That goes a long way with all my guys.”
Besides providing them with the tools they need to succeed, Booker also considers himself a resource for his employees to reach out to if they encounter a situation they may not know how to address or resolve. His own background includes more than 20
years of experience in towing, which helps his credibility as an operational leader.
Each tow you go on can be a challenge, and no tow is actually the same. Every tow you go on, you gain some type of knowledge.
—Brian Booker
“Each tow you go on can be a challenge, and no tow is actually the same,” Booker acknowledged, specifically recalling a time he had to recover a fire truck which had fallen into a sinkhole and was teetering over a gas main. “Every tow
you go on, you gain some type of knowledge.”.
Booker regularly reminds his employees to provide good customer service when they head out. He realizes his operators may be going into a situation where a customer may be upset they were involved in an accident or that law enforcement
is having their vehicle towed. He said it’s important to remain professional on the scene.
“We want to keep the customer happy, so they don’t slander your company’s name, even though the situation they are in is not our fault,” he said. “They don’t understand that sometimes. We’re
not the reason your car is here. We always strive to provide good service, and we try to do the best and make everyone happy.”
Most of the time, the good calls outweigh the bad, and Booker is often reminded of why he is in this business.
“The most rewarding aspect of this job is when you go out and rescue that family or change that flat tire so they can finish their trip. Those are the good ones,” he said.
Booker said he also builds goodwill for his company by remaining active in his community. His equipment is regularly entered into parades, and his staff often passes out t-shirts and toy diecast wreckers at community events, such as National
Night Out with the local police department. They also work closely with emergency personnel on training exercises, like vehicle extrication.
“Whenever any of the towns around us has an event, we try to take a truck there and give out stuff. The kids and the adults both love seeing our trucks,” Booker said. “You want to be surrounded by good people. I’m part of the community
and the community is part of us. We’re all one family.”
