April 7, 1937- January 24, 2014

As many already know, we recently lost our beloved founder and CEO, Mel Berman, to leukemia on January 24, 2014. While Mel’s daughter Lori, President of B/A Products Co., has been managing the company for many years now, Mel was still actively involved in the day-to-day operations.

Mel began B/A Products Co. in 1978 after recognizing a need for towers and creating the solution through hand-making our first part. Since then, he has grown the company to the 80+ people you know and work with today and represented by distributors across the globe. Mel has served as a valuable resource to all through his lifetime of knowledge and experience, but, more than that, Mel was a friend and a mentor to many. It was not uncommon to see him taking a stroll around the office and warehouse, offering positive thoughts and words of encouragement.

2014 meant big plans for B/A Products Co., as we revealed our updated brand and re-committed to delivering the “Best Available” products through exploring innovation. Mel was excited to see this direction and was no stranger to giving a humble thank you to his Employees and Distributors alike, as he did during his toast at the B/A Products 2013 Distributor Dinner. We are grateful that Mel was able to be a part of our recent endeavors and will continue to honor his memory each day through furthering his efforts in the company and industry he loved so much.

Thank you to all of our friends, distributors and end-users who have shared kind words, stories and condolences in Mel’s memory and honor. Your support is very much appreciated.

Mel is survived by his wife Enid; daughters and sons-in-law, Lori and Chip Kauffman, Kim and Ray Goldstein, and Patti and Fritz Dahlin; eight grandchildren; and two great grandchildren.

Leading Auction Company Brings Highly Popular Seminar to Florida Tow Show

Are you a towing professional interested in learning how you can turn your abandoned cars into cash? You can find out how with Insurance Auto Auctions (IAA), the leading live and live-online auto auctions company and wholly owned subsidiary of KAR Auction Services, Inc. (NYSE: KAR) at the 2014 Florida Tow Show and International Expo taking place April 11-13 in Orlando. IAA has been driving the salvage auto auction industry for more than 30 years, providing the best value to buyers and high returns to sellers.

IAA will offer to Florida Tow Show attendees a special “Don’t Crush Your Cash” seminar on April 11 in the Gardenia Room.  In five easy steps, this free educational seminar will give towers an understanding of the selling process for lightly damaged, high-mileage, repossessed, impounded and abandoned vehicles through IAA’s combined live and live-online auction system. Professionals will also share helpful tips for turning unclaimed cars into cash and ensuring the best return possible.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to speak with representatives from IAA’s Tow and Abandonments and Transportation divisions.  IAA’s unique business model offers a single solution for disposition of vehicles, from navigating the title procurement system and calculating the value of abandoned vehicles sitting on their lots to transportation.  The company has solid relationships with more than 900 independent and national towing companies and has sold millions of vehicles to buyers worldwide.

Be sure to visit the IAA booth (#150/151) throughout the Florida Tow Show and come to the Gardenia Room for the “Don’t Crush Your Cash” seminar. For more information on IAA, visit www.IAA-Auctions.com.

Lift and Tow is a company that has been in the Towing and Recovery market for 15 years.  Company President & Owner Cal Roth stated that safety is the upmost importance and a lot of thought went into making his line of lifts for his towers.

The Z-series is their top-of-the-line lift. What’s so special about the lift and tow system? It is the fastest and most efficient way to get any tow job done. You can literally pick up a car in 36 seconds, and be on your way. Besides its speed and efficiency, the system can be installed on a large variety of vehicles, and is hardly noticeable, so there is no need to purchase a separate tow truck or rollback; just install it right onto your work truck.

The Z-series has upgraded double wall construction. The power boom is equipped with 6 function hydraulics and a wireless remote. It allows you to power up or down while extending or retracting. When retracted, however, the T-bar extends past the bumper 4-10” (depending on your truck model). This unit is fully self -loading and has in-cab controls. Once in place, just lift and go!

Unit comes with straps and wireless remote.

Christopher King of KingSize Enterprises stated, “I brought my first lift package in 2009, from Lift and Tow, and I certainly got my money’s worth. I started my business KingSize Enterprises with a 2003 Chevy 2500 Silverado and the 5 series tow package from Lift and Tow. Almost five years later, I am still impressed with the lift but needed to upgrade to save time and, of course, money. I call the folks at Lift and Tow, and we upgraded my lift to the Z series type. It has been the best decision I’ve made lately for my business! KingSize Enterprise is a small operation here in North Carolina, and we repo about 25 cars a week and tow about 10. In less than a month, my operation has become faster, smoother and less stressful as a result of upgrading to the Z series from Lift and Tow. A good product plus a good price equals a customer for life. Parts and customer service are always the most important factors in forming good customer relationships. My friends at Lift and Tow has met all of my towing lift needs, and I am completely satisfied with my new Z series lift from Lift and Tow.”

For more information on the 3, 5, and Z-Series lifts, give the team a call at Lift and Tow!!

Lift and Tow
www.liftandtow.com
1-866-494-6500
717-532-5558

This year, we have seen harsh weather blanketing most of the country. This has meant that recovery specialist products are being put to the test. Manufacturers want to build the most reliable product that they can. OPS is excited to share its knowledge on products that are made to withstand these harsh conditions.

Ohio Power Systems is educating these manufacturers as to why our products are superior to the other products that the market has been using. Our product line covers both simple on off winch systems to full rotator systems.

The products we supply are built to withstand some of the harshest of weather conditions with -15 F to 160F rating and no less than IP65-IP67 water rating.  All of these radios use FHSS RF technology so that you will not compromise safety by risking cross talking with other vehicles at the recovery site.  Some manufacturers are building products with no IP rating, and they only use fixed frequency technology in this market.

Ohio Power Systems
807 East Findlay Street
Carey, OH 43316
Office: 419-294-4985
Fax: 419-396-4045

www.ohiopowersys.com

The Recovery First Program started with one client who was having trouble with insurance coverage. They satisfy the requirements set forth by Major Lenders and Forwarders.  Over the past 15 years, Recovery First has grown to insure over 200 repossession companies nationwide, including some of the major repossession industry associations themselves.

Recovery First’s Insurance uses insurance companies that meet the AM Best Rating Guideline of A- VII or higher.

We are here to guide you with online explanations and definitions. You can email us or call us with questions anytime or call us during business hours. We want you to understand what you are buying and feel comfortable with your decision.

Jim Deason
CIC  Program Manager
(800) 687-4631
jim_deason@ajg.com
www.recoveryfirst.com

TomTom Business Solutions announced the hiring of Ty Lambert as account manager for the towing industry.  Ty’s responsibilities including consulting with new customers, providing training on TomTom’s solution, and managing relationships with the more than a dozen software partners integrated with TomTom’s fleet management solution.

“Ty’s capabilities are a perfect fit for our towing partners and customers.  As TomTom is the only GPS solution that integrates with all the major dispatching software companies, he will help towing business owners navigate through the muddy waters of GPS and find the right solution for them.  Towing software partners that integrate their solutions with TomTom now have a dedicated resource to help shoulder the ever-changing GPS features that their customers need to understand,” said Matt Gunzenhaeuser, Sales Director, TomTom Business Solutions.

Lambert is a Kansas native and lives outside of Portland, Oregon. Connect with Ty at ty.lambert@tomtom.com, by phone (360) 450-1941, or meet him at TomTom’s booth (#274) in Orlando and receive a live demo and enter to win a TomTom PRO navigation device.

TomTom Business Solutions offers an out-of-the-box fleet management solution for commercial vehicle fleets.

TomTom offers towers an out-of-the-box GPS vehicle tracking and connected navigation solution. Integrate dispatching, tracking, navigation and reporting into your operations with most tow management software. We serve more than 330,000 vehicles worldwide and have over 27,000 satisfied business customers.

Velvac, Inc., a leading manufacturer of components to the truck, bus, recreational and specialty vehicle industries, has announced that it has acquired the assets of the ViewMaster mirror product line from the former Mirror Lite Company. ViewMaster mirrors are used on vehicles in the refuse market, as well as other heavy and medium-duty trucks.  Velvac now offers the refuse industry’s broadest line of rear-view mirror products, covering OEM vehicle applications for the full range of vehicles in that market.

“The refuse market has a number of unique and critical vision system requirements,” noted Velvac President and CEO, Jeff Porter, “and the acquisition of the ViewMaster product line strengthens our presence, positioning Velvac as the leading tier-one vision system provider to this segment. We believe the ViewMaster product line, which is modular and flexible in its design, will have good application in other truck market segments, as well.”

“While Velvac’s primary focus has been to grow organically through product innovation and design leadership, this acquisition will enable us to better leverage advanced technology in our new product pipeline specifically dedicated to the refuse industry,” added Sean D. Custis, Director of Marketing at Velvac. “ViewMaster offers true synergies with our current served markets and product roadmap, and will allow us to expand our leadership in advanced vision systems on multiple chassis platforms.”

For more information on this and other Velvac vision solutions, visit www.velvac.com.

This unit appeals to those who need a lower deck height for transporting taller loads that would otherwise be over height on a standard height deck.

In addition, the lower deck height makes tying down a load more accessible from the ground. The 8.5 Ton XLP also gives the operator additional capacity and deck length over a standard carrier for more flexibility on the job.

Also, improved load angle another benefit of the design that accommodates loading low clearance vehicles or other equipment.

This product is a medium duty cross over carrier that bridges a car carrier with a heavy industrial carrier, creating a multipurpose unit and offering more versatility. It has increased deck and wheel-lift structural capacity for heavier equipment/vehicles.

“The introduction of the Jerr-Dan 8.5 Ton XLP continues the expansion of our low profile carriers into the medium duty product line,” said Jeff Soldner, Product Director for Jerr-Dan. “This gives the customer additional options when selecting a carrier that fills the needs of their particular application. The main benefits being increased payload capacity, lower deck height, lower load angles and increased wheel lift capacity that allows the customer to maximize their productivity.”

XLP benefits:

• Low load angle
• Low deck height
• Lowest maintenance and cost of ownership in the industry
• Exclusive No-Lube ™ pads and pivot points
• Galvanized steel cross-members
• Galvanized wire rope standard on aluminum beds
• Patented Steel Beam Technology™
• Standard 3 year warranty
• Optimized deck design for maximum payload
• High strength materials
• Roll formed steel/ extruded aluminum rub rails
• Deck, subframe, tilt cylinder saddles and tow options
• Exclusive 6 inch cross-members (steel deck)
• 3,500 lb low profile wheel-lift
• 5,000 lb high capacity wheel-lift
• Designed for long life and durability
• Advance hose/ wire cable-tracking
• All standard LED lighting
• Both supply & return hydraulic filtration
• Automotive grade electrical system
• 12 standard key-slots for maximum flexibility
• Dual lighted, corrosion resistance control stations with hydraulic pressure gauge