Bulldog

Vol. 2 2016

Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/737157

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1 6 | B U L L D O G | 2 0 1 6 V 2 AT WORK He maintains trucks dedicated to spe- cial purposes, with rollbacks reserved for the general public, trucks reserved for use with sheriffs and police depart- ments, and trucks that never leave the yard unless they are called beyond a 100-mile radius. Towing and recovery is a 24/7 busi- ness, and the fleet stays busy, with each truck averaging three to five calls per day. Adams will tow anywhere but typi- cally stays within a 200- to 300-mile radius. He limits wreck recovery to a 50-mile radius. But even as the com- pany — and the payroll — grows, loyal customers still ask for "Mr. Mike" to tow them home, no matter where they are. "When I first started this business, I answered the phones, I drove the trucks, I did the bills, all out of my house," Adams says. "It's grown so much that I can't get to all of them." Training fills the gaps. Adams sends his employees to special classes, but he also goes behind the wheel with his drivers, teaching the techniques he has learned the hard way. That's why he appreciates the user-friendliness and easy maintenance of his Macks. "With Macks, you don't have a lot of problems," Adams says. "Most of the guys service their own trucks, because (those trucks are) their liv- ing, you know? I feel like Macks are the simplest trucks to maintain." Their durability helps him save money, too, he says. The Superliner has more than 3 million miles on it, and he has several late '90s models pushing more than a million miles. He is completely rebuilding one of his older Macks, but he says the cost is more than worth it. "It was an awesome truck. It's still an awesome truck, but it had a few little issues," Adams says. "A new truck (with all the equipment and body installed) is $500,000. We're going to have $80,000 in this one, but you know, we'll be able to go 15 more years with it." A mural painted on his office wall by his wife, Judy, features local landmarks as well as scenes of his trucks in action. In the left-hand cor- ner, his mentor, Jesse Kitchens, stands beside a black Mack truck — a memorial, Adams says, to the man who introduced him to the business. "He told me, 'Mike, those Mack trucks may not be the most beautiful, and they may not be the fastest, but I promise they will take you and bring you,'" Adams says. "That's when I first realized there was a difference." Equipment longevity is important not just for the company's present, but for its future as well. Adams and Judy are raising their four children to someday take over the family business, and they know that every decision they make now will determine future success. The new Granite model figures heavily into the success equation. "I chose my time to invest in my company and in my family," Adams says. "My children will be stepping into this someday, and I felt like that would give them a heck of a good start. It's not just about Mack; it's about family, too." Clockwise from left: A mural, located on the wall at Mike Adams Towing and Air Cushion Recovery, depicts the life of the company. A Mack Trucks bulldog hood ornament adorns a tool chest. Mike Adams operates the controls of his newest truck, a 2016 Mack Granite with a 50-ton Century rotator.

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