Valley Towing is under new ownership. 

Owned by Terri Cloonan-Pelham

Operations Manager is Chris Cloonan

The History

Boulder Valley Towing began in 1994, by Doug Shull.  Doug had successfully managed American Towing for many years and made a name for himself in the industry.  Doug decided to move out on his own in 1994 and created Boulder Valley Towing.  Boulder Valley Towing was a success and served Boulder and the surrounding areas for many years under Doug's leadership. 

After a long, successful career Doug decided to retire and sold Boulder Valley Towing to Northern Colorado Towing, LLC.  Doug stayed on as Manager for the transition.  In 2005 Doug did retire and Boulder Valley Towing went under new ownership and management. Terri took over as general manager and the company had been sold to a corporation that operated several other towing companies around the state.  Towing is a very tough industry with a high overhead.  The economy has a strong impact on towing as well, rising cost of fuel and insurance, more stringent requirements from the state, higher permit fee's etc.  In 2008 Northern Colorado Towing decided that surviving the financial hard times that towing has to endure was not cost effective and they chose to sell some of their companies and close the doors on others. Terri was part of the creation of Boulder Valley Towing and has a sentimental pride in the company and couldn't see it beaten by hard times.  She decided to take over as the owner and keep pushing forward. 

When Terri took over ownership she did not have a dime to her name, no financial backers, no bank loans or grants.  She knew that it would be a rough road but she was determined to make it work.  The owners of Northern Colorado Towing also had faith that she could do it so they worked it out and Terri took over ownership.  The first day of business came with no money in the bank and huge fuel needs because fuel was $4.99 per gallon when she took it over.  She knew the company would have to run with each day paying for that day, month after month.  One big break down or unexpected expense could cause catastrophe. With the personal advice and moral support from friends George Connolly, owner of Connolly's and Bob's towing and long time personal friend Jim Schofield, owner of Hamilton Towing she jumped in with both feet, rolled up her sleeves and committed to succeed. 

The beginning was a tough go and Terri knew that she would have to make cuts in order to survive the first year and build a base financial structure so the company could grow.  Every unnecessary expense was cut.  Terri also knew that the owner would need to be one of the primary revenue earner so she got in a truck and put herself on a full time drivers schedule.  She has always felt that if a woman is going to own a business in an industry  predominately run by men, she better be able to do the same job and not sit behind a desk paying men to run it for her.  A local competitor seemed more than eager to put her out of business like they had done to many other towing companies in Boulder but a woman facing this kind of uphill battle is not someone to trifle with when she is hyper focused and determined.  Boulder Valley Towing had weathered many storms over the years as the industry became more and more difficult, and she was determined it would survive this.

Shortly after taking over it became apparent that cut backs in payroll would be needed so the company could put that money back in to get a base to be able to handle unexpected expenses.  Boulder Valley Towing has always been run like family, the crew hanging out together, having BBQ's and being friends, not just co-workers.  Having to lay anyone off was the hardest thing that any company ever faces but when the people are your friends, not just workers, it is even more so.  With a heavy heart Terri took the entire crew to dinner and explained that starting with no money and no backing at a time when the expenses were very high forced Boulder Valley Towing into cutting back.  Terri would have to take over answering phones 24/7 and would have to lay off her dispatcher because she couldn't afford that expense until we stabilized.  Terri was on the driver schedule and she would need to cut back to one other full timer and a relief.  She went around the table and asked who would want to come back when she got things on track.  One by one the employees stated that they were not leaving.  It was explained again that we could not afford to pay them until we earned a base.  Terri told them all that she and the other driver were willing to run alone, without pay, so that all funds could be reinvested and the company could survive the financial storm.  The employees repeated that they were not leaving.  These are the kind of dedicated professionals that Boulder Valley Towing is known for.  These people had faith, they loved their company and had pride that we were already doing the impossible and living with each month paying for that month and no buffer.  How many business's can you think of who have employees with that kind if dedication?

Terri is also a single mother who home schools her youngest son and also serves on the board of directors for the Towing and Recovery Professionals of Colorado.  She is very busy but is still determined to stay in the race.  Structures have changed a bit and we have hit some bumps along the way but we are still standing and determined to offer a family style towing service to the community that has supported us since 1994.

We continue to grow and take pride in serving the Boulder community.  We have a crew of professionals who take pride in their work.  We offer some of the lowest rates in the Boulder area and we have discount programs for shops and dealerships.

We can go almost anywhere!

Send mail to boulder_valley@yahoo.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 03/05/10