Chad’s serves need in Bloomington

Chad’s Towing and Recovery is primarily known for, as might be expected, towing services. The company also works with several local property owners to manage parking lots.

“You live at Hyde Park subdivision,” said Brian Sample, manager of Chad’s. “Someone comes in the middle of the night and parks at the end of your driveway. Do you have the right to remove that vehicle?”

This hypothetical situation frames Chad’s responsibility to local property owners in a way the public can relate to.

Despite public perception, cases of roadside assistance outnumber all other aspects of Chad’s business, including towing, Sample said. As part of roadside assistance, Chad’s tows broken-down vehicles, jumpstarts cars and fixes flat tires, among other services.

The towing aspect of the business is costly. Most vehicles pulled from parking lots require specialized tow trucks and highly skilled drivers to safely transport the car. These factors increase the price of towing, Sample said.     

However, few deny the fact that being towed is a difficult experience. One must locate the vehicle, travel to the towing company and pay for towing and possibly storage.

For this reason and others, some people take a negative view toward businesses like Chad’s, such as junior Mike Bizzell.

“I see (towing companies) as taking advantage of students and people in general, because there’s nowhere else to park,” Bizzell said.

But not everyone shares that opinion. Junior Harrison Osborne said he has a positive view of the towing company.

“I see them as the good guys, almost. ... We have limited space and people come in and take it. I’ve never thought of them negatively,” junior Harrison Osborne said.

It is the driver’s responsibility to park correctly, Sample said. Chad’s tows only from clearly marked lots. It is the driver’s duty to ensure proper parking.

“It’s a growing problem because we continue to develop buildings that don’t have adequate parking,” Sample said. “We are providing a legitimate service that’s needed.”