If you have ever been overshadowed by one of Northside Service’s blue “monster” tow trucks, capable of hauling a tractor-trailer out of a ditch, you know the industry has come a long way.

“Back in the day, you used to have steel-structured booms that came out, made out of round tubing and chains, and ‘come alongs,’ which, when you pulled the chain, a hook was raised. That’s the ‘50s,” explained Jeff Finley, vice president of Northside Service, Inc. “In the ‘60s, they got winches and steel booms and steel apparatus, and one bumper you used to have to carry a tire around on to put between your bumper and the hook. Then you had pickup trucks with electric booms in the back with push bumpers on the front, to the modern era of hydraulics. This industry has come a tremendous way over the years. Now it’s all fully hydraulic. Your wrecker can spin 360 degrees on the back to get semis out of embankments or deep ravines, and your flatbed can turn 180 degrees. You have wheel lifts now that either pick the vehicle up by the tires or the frame. It doesn’t even touch the vehicle.”

According to Finley, Northside is the only local company with air-cushion recovery service, enabling it to use airbag-like, inflated devices to lift overturned, loaded tractor-trailers with minimal damage.

The Finley family has been in the truck and auto service industry for over four decades. Father Bob Finley, Sr. started the business with an Arco Station at the corner of Cedar Street and Grand River Avenue in 1967. Jeff started working at the station as a child in 1972.

“My brothers and I all worked pumping gas,” he recalls. “[My brothers] Doug and Bobbie went more into the truck repair, but Kenny and I pumped gas. I was nine years old, and I would work an hour or two a day. I’d get 50 cents an hour, and then I would immediately go down the street and get ice cream and spend it all.”

After moving to various locations (the last time, to make way for the Oldsmobile Stadium), Northside now has three sites in the area.

“In 1999, we started up a location in DeWitt,” says Finley. “That’s just a beautiful little community. Just like Lansing, it’s good people we wanted to service. Back in early the ‘80s, we had a guy up there we helped, and then he sold out, so we opened up our own store and have grown from there. That store does very well. Also, one of my dad’s friends went out of business in the Potterville area back in December of 2002. My oldest brother, Bobbie Jr., wanted to branch out on his own, so we created that store. Unfortunately, a few years later, we lost my brother Bobbie. That was a sad day. My sister-in-law carries that on. She does a real good job with that.”

Last year, the family renovated the hub site in Lansing.

“In 2008, we put up a brand new 17,500 square foot, state-of-the-art facility that houses all of our semi-truck repair,” Finley notes. “We have a tremendous amount of that [business], and we have automotive repair on the side. Then we use the old building to store all of our wreckers and our equipment.”

Northside services small to heavy-duty trucks and trailers, including air lines, engine rebuilds,  trailer floor replacement and general maintenance. The company has over 1,200 fleet accounts. On the automotive side, the company services cars and light trucks, including general maintenance, changing oil and replacing motors and brakes. Finley said in the current economy that people are keeping their vehicles longer.

“We’ve seen a major increase in people fixing their older vehicles, trying to be cost effective on both the heavy-duty trucks and automotive repair,” he states. “If you have a decent-looking car that needs a new motor, it’s $1,500 to $2,500 to put a motor in it. People are going to just stick with their older vehicle and do a lot more preventive maintenance. We offer a 50-point safety inspection as part of our service, free of charge. That [service has] almost doubled, finding a problem before it costs them more than it would to fix it now.”

But Northside has also felt the impact of the economic downturn.

“That’s something that we watch daily,” says Finley. “Like anything, you have to have a good balance. You’ve got to know what you can and can’t do, what you’re going to do five to ten years down the road, and what you can expect tomorrow. What’s really scary for us is the car companies. That’s a really big part of our business with local dealerships needing towing and repair. Also, we’ve got about 28 units, and 14 of them are ‘06s and above with warranties on them. In general, so many people are employed by GM and there is so much other business in town that supports GM that directly needs our services. That’s a huge part of it.”

But Northside has hardly been idle during this brutal winter. “We almost hit our record high in December of ’08,” said Finley. “[January] has been solid. This weather and snow have really kept us busy.”

As for the family company’s future, he states, “Our goal is for you to see Northside blue everywhere you go. What we are is hometown people and hometown service. Lansing and the other surrounding communities have been very good to Northside, and we’re very grateful for that.”

Author: Christine Casewell
Photography: Terri Shaver