Jerr-Dan keeps driving forward with 50 years in the towing industry
Shawn HardyMore tow truck drivers are killed in traffic accidents than police officers and firefighters, an estimated one every six days.
They face the wrath of motorists stuck in traffic at crashes, find themselves in dangerous situations high in the mountain and sometimes are the first to see casualties at crash scenes.
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“It’s a pretty hard job so the priority is to make it as easy and safe as possible,” said Sanjeev Kuriakose, chief engineer at Jerr-Dan.
“We’ve all sat in traffic as they work in chaos with people yelling at them,” added Rachel Miller, marketing manager.
They’re part of the committee leading this year’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the company founded at 1080 Hykes Road, Greencastle, in 1972. Now owned by Oshkosh Corp., Jerr-Dan has offices in Hagerstown and manufacturing facilities in McConnellsburg and Greencastle. Others involved in the celebration include Emily Bryan, marketing specialist, and Steve Seylar, customer support lead.
The observance has encompassed owners and distributors of towing and recovery vehicles throughout the country, while instilling pride and passion in local team members, Miller said.
“We design and build products that deliver the kind of durability and reliability we know the job demands … and then some. It’s been that way since 1972,” says the Jerr-Dan website.
How has Jerr-Dan progressed over half a century?
The company traces its roots — and its name — to Jerry Pool and Dan Reynolds, who 50 years ago purchased the agricultural and rollback product lines of what was then Grove Manufacturing Co., today Manitowoc, in Shady Grove.
“They purchased the agriculture division and with that came the first rollbacks,” Seylar said.
Grove had used the rollbacks to transport its products to customers and “Jerry and Dan saw an opportunity to improve on that,” Kuriakose said.
Today, Jerr-Dan offers a range of light, medium and heavy-duty wreckers, carriers and rotators for the towing industry.
Anyone who’s had car trouble and needed a lift to the garage knows that traditional rollback is still around, but is lighter, stronger and has more safety features, such as flashing lights to improve visibility, according to Kuriakose.
In the early 1980s, Jerr-Dan added a tow truck boom for lifting and the product has gotten bigger and bigger over the years. There are booms that rotate 360 degrees to pick up vehicles from the sides and front of a truck as well.
The big rotators and heavy-duty trucks can be used to tackle tractor-trailer crashes and cement mixer rollovers, move heavy equipment or load trucks.
Jerr-Dan products can handle any type of recovery or towing work and also are known for having the most corrosion-resistant bodies in the industry, Kuriakose said.
They are on the road in every state in the U.S., as well as in Canada and parts of Latin America.
How has Jerr-Dan marked its 50th anniversary?
The 50-year anniversary observance has encompassed the industry in general, customers and employees, according to Miller.
Jerr-Dan’s was well-represented at trade shows in Florida and Maryland; reached out through social media and other online platforms; created distributor kits featuring banners, hats and other promotional materials; and added to the merchandise in its online store.
There is a page on the Jerr-Dan website dedicated to the milestone, highlighting innovations, advancement and manufacturing.
“We go above and beyond to deliver the unmatched strength, performance and superior service to the towing and recovery professionals that depend on us and our values,” the website says. “You have our steadfast commitment to excellence today, tomorrow and into the future.”
Keeping customers in mind and going back to the number of fatalities involving tow truck operators, Jerr-Dan made a $20,000 donation to the survivor fund at the International Towing and Recovery Hall of Fame and Museum in Chattanooga, Tenn. Those who have lost their lives in the industry are enshrined during a ceremony each September for the museum’s Wall of the Fallen.
Internally, Miller and her team work to encourage “pride and passion” in team members. In April, every employee received a gift. Office workers got 50th anniversary mugs, while production workers received hats.
Jerr-Dan employees exhibited their product, as well as their “pride and passion,” in the Greencastle-Antrim Old Home Week parade in August.
There was employee event in September and invitations also included “friends of the family,” Miller said, explaining “Jerr-Dan is like a family.”
The day included an opportunity for current and former employees and their families to tour the new training center in a renovated building on Greenmount Road in Antrim Township.
“Little kids loved to see what the trucks can do and where their parents work,” Miller said.
Jerr-Dan will have a focus on training moving forward and the new center will provide customers with demonstrations and hands-on stations.
“We believe proper training is the key,” Kuriakose wrote in a blog post. “It’s more than promoting Jerr-Dan equipment. It’s about helping towers work smarter, safer, and getting them home to enjoy their families when the work is done.”
Who wears red and who wears orange?
The training facility is adjacent to the Hykes Road plant, where Jerr-Dan parts are made. Also in the Greencastle area is the research and development center on U.S. 11, just north of State Line.
There are two Jerr-Dan facilities in McConnellsburg — one for fabrication and painting and the other for mounting equipment.
The corporate headquarters is found at Hagerstown’s Fountainhead Plaza.
The corporate headquarters site is shared with JLG Industries, which also has facilities in the Greencastle and McConnellsburg. Like Jerr-Dan, JLG’s history goes back to Grove Worldwide, with John L. Grove as one of the founders of both companies.
Oshkosh purchased Jerr-Dan in 2004 and JLG, known for its lifting equipment, in 2008. Both fall under its access division, but are separate units, Seylar said, adding, “We wear red, they wear orange.”
What is it like to be part of the Jerr-Dan family?
Seylar, a native of Greencastle who now lives in Waynesboro, is one of Jerr-Dan’s longest serving employees, working on his 42nd year.
“It’s been a great ride for me,” said Seylar, who started out in the stockroom, pulling parts, packing lift kits and checking inventory. After seven years, he moved into parts and customer warranty and has been there ever since.
“I get to do so many different things,” he said. He explained he likes being involved in continuous improvement. If there is a problem, they sit down, analyze and solve it.
With just 230 employees in sales, engineering and operations, “We do work like a family as much as a business,” said Kuriakose, a 25-year employee.
“We’re small enough … everyone’s involved, everyone can talk to each other,” Kuriakose said, explaining that works from the general manager to the guys in the shop.
He sees the addition of Miller, five years ago, and Bryan, seven months ago, as a plus. He said Jerr-Dan’s expertise is in engineering and, in the past, it’s been outpaced by the competition in marketing.
“From a marketing perspective, we’re stronger as a brand,” Miller said, noting guidelines now provide consistency in branding and a new website was launched Oct. 1, 2021. Company slogans include “Leading the Way Since 1972” and “Keep Driving Forward.”
“They’re integrated with us, we’re constantly doing things together,” Kuriakose said.
“We’re learning. Each day is different, we have to know what we’re talking about,” said Miller, who noted she and Bryan have operated the 360-degree Rotator and, with the help of the product team, flipped a cement truck.
“We’re small team, but we’re pretty agile. We support each other,” Miller said.
The team is small, but Jerr-Dan is No. 1 name brand manufacturer in the world, Kuriakose said.
Shawn Hardy is a reporter with Gannett's Franklin County newspapers in south-central Pennsylvania — the Echo Pilot in Greencastle, The Record Herald in Waynesboro and the Public Opinion in Chambersburg. She has more than 35 years of journalism experience. Reach her at shardy@gannett.com