Last Monday as part of our series Towing Company of the month, I met Serge Landry, co-owner of Remorquage Meteor in Montreal, Quebec
In 1971 Landry family opened in St-Hubert its first towing company. From 4 units at the time to 28 today, Remorquage Meteor has come a long way!
A TURNING POINT
In 2011, after 5 years of efforts and negotiations with the Montreal city, Remorquage Meteor becomes the owner of a plot of 290 000 p2 in northern Montreal, sector where the company primarily operates. Before this acquisition, Meteor was renting a yard in Montreal. Needless to say it was a big change for the company.
“It was quite an accomplishment when we got into the building for the first time in 2011. After five years of negotiation failures with the city, we were more than proud.”
VISIT
At Meteor, everything is settled to be effective and avoid wasting time: no unnecessary travel, a well-organized dispatch system and trucks always ready to work!
Trainer at heart, Serge encourages drivers to take time to think before making a recovery. In fact, he prefers that his drivers take a few minutes to think about the job they are about to perform, to ensure that their recovery will be done safely and efficiently. Serge strongly believes in continuous training and therefore, he does not give the solution to its drivers; it encourages them to become independent by taking their own decisions.
“If they screw up, we take notes and learn. If all goes well, congratulations, youdid it the Meteor way! “
TOWLIFE
One thing is for sure, Serge is a towing operator at heart; despite his entrepreneurial side, Mr. Landry is not an office kind of guy. Wreckmaster instructor and founding member of the Association des Professionnels du Dépannage du Québec, Mr. Landry has the profession at heart.
After 5 minutes asking questions, duty call; always ready to jump abord and work hands on with his guys, Serge picks up his keys, safety vest, and go! For a girl who has a hard time driving her Honda Civic in Montreal, seeing someone getting through traffic handling a massive 40CS is quite impressive.
I asked him what fascinated him in his work
“It’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle. When it’s a passion, can it be called work? ”
That pretty much sums up what it takes to be a good tow truck driver: passion. Working crazy hours under difficult and stressful conditions definitely calls for a special breed.
NOSTALGIA
Questioning him about his best career memories Serge remembers:
“In 1986, it was my first tow show in Chicopee, Massachusetts. We went there with other people from Quebec and that’s when I saw the brotherhood that existed in the world of towing. We brought to this show the truck which I learned the most with. It was a small 25-Ton wrecker, so we had to use our head to use it well! That truck had guts, a beautiful machine»
He also mentioned the show in Baltimore, in 2013:
“Our new 40CS NRC was on the show that year, on the NRC booth. Seeing the reaction of my father, when he saw one of his trucks in such a big show, was amazing. We could see he was proud and that was beautiful! “
METEOR AND NRC INDUSTRIES
I finally asked him, after 40 years, why he has been repeatedly doing business with NRC?
“NRC equipment don’t break! We have trucks with 1 million kilometers on them, the chassis was changed 3 times, but the equipment is still good! “
He said that he also attaches particular importance to the business relationship he has with its partners. The service, the fair price of the service and the confidence he has in NRC Industries, these are all reasons why he continues, after 40 years, to buy from us.
Consumer Choice for 12 years now, Meteor remains focused on what made its success: an excellent service, appropriate equipment and effective operations. Serge believes that the company’s family thinking and the importance they give to each customer allows them to stand out from their competitors.
Serge, we hope we will count you among our customers for a long time!
Congratulations on your beautiful success!
