Behlen brothers have careers in tow

COLUMBUS -- Sometimes, when opportunity knocks, a person just has to weigh the options and go for it. This is how it worked out for Carroll Behlen, former owner of Behlen Towing, when Mick Smith approached him with an offer to buy the business.

The deal was finalized Oct. 9, and when it was done Mick became the owner of Behlen Towing and the original service department went to Carroll Behlen’s brother Bob.

Carroll Behlen came from the farm and knew all about farm equipment, tractors and vehicles when he began working with Gene Christiansen at Gene’s Conoco in 1962 at the age of 21. Behlen’s younger brother, Bob, joined the company in 1965.

In 1967, Carroll purchased the business -- then a full service gas station -- and changed the name from Gene’s Conoco to Behlen’s Conoco. The business was moved to its current location on Howard Boulevard in the early 1980s. Within the next two years Behlen added towing services to his new business. Behlen changed the name again from Behlen’s Conoco to Behlen Towing Inc. in 1990 when it was decided that selling gasoline was no longer profitable.

“Back in those days every little gas station had it’s own wrecker, Behlen said. “Our first wrecker was a homemade job we put together with a boom we had bought from Loup Power District. We’d get calls to go out in the middle of the night for $25 and thought that was going to make us rich. Fuel, insurance and the cost of vehicles was much less in those days.

Since that first truck, the company has had about a dozen wreckers and three flat-bed trucks. The business still relies on the hand-written ledgers but has updated the billing and statement process to computer-generated reports.

Through the years Behlen’s brother, Bob, has always managed the automotive service department while Carroll took care of the towing service. The family connections don’t stop there. Carroll’s wife, Charlene, and Bob’s wife, Ardith, have always taken care of the bookwork.

When business was slow in the early years, a salvage yard in Omaha would send Behlen all over the country to bring back wrecked trucks for salvage. He branched out in the early 1980s to include an over-the-road trucking service and employed up to five drivers from the early 1980s through 1996.

“Our main customers for the trucking business were Lindsay Manufacturing, Labenz in Humphrey and Westring and Sons in Genoa,” Behlen said. “We had five drivers and ran it all under the Behlen Towing name.”

Behlen said the biggest changes involved the switch from mechanical wreckers to hydraulics and the communications systems the business has relied on.

“In the beginning we kept in contact with the trucks by citizens band radio,” Behlen said. “Then we went to business radios, and now we all use cell phones. In 1983 we were recognized by Holmes Corporation as the first in the state of Nebraska to purchase a Holmes hydraulic wrecker. That was a big deal at the time.”

Training is another important aspect of the towing business.

“We have to keep up on things,” Behlen said. “For instance, vehicles with all-wheel drive have to be hauled on a flat bed and you have to know what you’re doing if you ever get an electric car to deal with because there’s enough voltage there to kill a person if you handle that wrong.”

When you’re on call 24/7 through a 40 year career you’re sure to encounter some situations that stand out.

“We probably averaged pulling one car a year out of the canal,” he said. “Many of those were tragic situations. The worst accident we ever had to work with was a head-on crash between two semi trucks between Columbus and Duncan one year. That one took every piece of equipment we had, and I had to rent a crane to pull it all apart. We closed the business for the day to work just on that one accident.”

Behlen remembered when he was called on by the sheriff’s department to pull out a safe from the Loup Canal following a robbery and one winter call in weather so cold the Nebraska State Patrol stayed with him to ensure his safety.

“I’ll never forget that winter call,” he said. “It was so cold out I could only work a few minutes at a time. The state patrol stayed with me and let me warm up in the patrol car every couple of minutes. They stayed with me for that entire job to make sure I was going to be OK out there.”

Behlen said he wasn’t really thinking of retirement at this time, but the opportunity came to sell the business and after thinking it over he decided to go for it.

“It’s just a thing that happened,” he said. “The opportunity came. Mick Smith talked to me and told me he wanted to buy the towing business, and my brother, Bob, wanted to keep the automotive service side of it, so I took the offer. Mick is a very capable and energetic young man, and he’ll do great in the business.”

After 40 years of being on call 24/7 every day of the year, Behlen plans on relaxing a bit and working with his hobbies.

“Life in this business means you get a lot of delayed meals,” he said. “When someone calls you just go because that’s the business you’re in. Just last year was the first time in 40 years we’ve been able to take any kind of extended vacation. We always knew that if you don’t treat your customers right they’re going to go somewhere else. We must have done something right because we’ve made a lot of friends over the years and many of them started out as customers.”

Mick Smith takes over

The purchase of Behlen Towing is Mick Smith’s first venture into business. His advantage is the opportunity to take over the operation of a successful business with a 40-year track record.

Less than two hours after signing the final papers Oct. 9, Smith took his first call as the new owner.

He said he’ll be keeping the Behlen Towing name and phone number. Smith said the company will continue to be operated 24/7 and 365 days per year.

“The towing business is a professional business. We’re on call 24 hours a day and work in any kind of weather, like the postal carriers.”

Smith said he saw an opportunity to begin business with an established company and to continue doing something he enjoys while helping people in need.

“Carroll served the community for 40 years through all kinds of weather, missing holidays and time with his family,” Smith said. “That’s the kind of business this is. You have to do it because you enjoy helping people and you have to know you’re going to be called out at any time. I’ll be bringing in some new services and young blood into the veins of a well-established business,” Smith said.

Smith said the rates in place will remain the same, but he also is immediately implementing several new services, including jump starts, on-site tire changes and unlocking services.

“The most important part that will remain the same is the business motto ‘A Company Built by Service,’” Smith said. “This is the only way a business can be successful; to provide good service, ensure customer satisfaction and good, competitive pricing.”

Smith begins business with all the equipment needed to meet the changing demands of the towing business. Included in his purchase were two wreckers for cars and light trucks, two heavy duty wreckers and one flat bed for hauling all-wheel drive vehicles. He also brings with him several years of experience and a WreckMaster certification.

The towing company’s range of service is unlimited. Between Smith and his three part-time employees they will be able to answer the call day or night and will go anywhere to help his customers.

“I look forward to providing fast, helpful service to the community for years to come,” Smith said. “My hope is that people will feel comfortable to call Behlen Towing anytime day or night and know that we’ll be there to secure their vehicle in a secure, locked storage area and get them to a safe location.”

Smith has been the East Vice President for the Nebraska Towing Association for the past three years and is currently the association’s librarian, able to provide training and safety materials for other towing firms in the region.

Smith is originally from Silver Creek. He and his wife, Jill, have resided in Columbus for the past 11 years. Smith’s wife will be handling the bookkeeping for the business. The two have twins, Austen and Shelby, who are 5 years old.

Bob Behlen -- Behlen Auto Repair

Bob Behlen has worked with his brother, Carroll, since 1965 -- before his older brother purchased Gene’s Conoco. His primary work during the company’s 40 years was managing the auto repair service side of the business.

“The shop has been my main part all along,” Behlen said. “Of course I also went out with the wreckers whenever needed through the years.”

In the wake of Carroll’s retirement and the sale of Behlen Towing to Mick Smith, Bob has retained the automotive repair service portion of the business.

“Really the only thing that has changed here is the name and the phone number,” Behlen said. “The new name is ‘Behlen Auto Repair’ and the new phone number is (402) 563-4586. We’re still open from 8 a.m.-5:30 Monday through Friday and our motto, ‘A Company Built by Service,’ is still the way I do business.”

Behlen works on all makes of domestic vehicles and some foreign models.

Behlen prices his work by the job and offers free estimates on work, including brakes, shocks, oil changes, tune-ups, alternators and starters, water pumps and other light maintenance.

“Right now I’m the lone ranger here at the shop,” he said. “Through the years we’ve had some part-time technicians, but for now I’m on my own.”

Behlen said a lot has changed through the years with new automotive technologies coming along every year and sometimes more often than that. His shop is equipped with a scanner and a scope, making it possible to access the new computerized electronics and diagnostic information they provide.

Behlen Towing, which included its service department until just recently, has been honored with the first place certificate in the local “Best of Columbus” competition eight of the past 10 years.

“Over the years Carroll and I have had a multitude of fantastic customers who have been just great to work with,” Behlen said. “Many of those have become good personal friends.”