The American Repossessor

ONTARIO — Dale Lewis worked his last day at the local General Motors Corp. plant Aug. 1.

This month he started his own towing business, A & P Towing.

“I always thought about getting into this,” said Lewis, 45, a former production employee for almost 25 years who worked as a skilled laborer. “I’m jumping in with both feet.”

At the Mansfield/Ontario Metal Center, Lewis maintained and repaired tooling and equipment to keep the presses running. His production line made panels for customers.

This week, with a new C 5500 Chevrolet diesel flatbed, Lewis said life hasn’t been easy since GM announced closure of the local plant.

“But one door closes and another one opens,” he said. “It was a good place to work and I’ll miss the people.”

Lewis said his wife, Peggy, operates Allure Studios on Lexington Avenue.

“I wouldn’t expect her to close up shop,” he said. “So I took the buyout. I’m too young to retire.”

Lewis graduated from Ontario High School in 1983 and studied auto mechanics at Pioneer Career and Technology Center before attending North- western Business College.

Taking a financial risk, he sold the truck he used to snow plow and purchased the new tow truck to begin the business venture.

He is working to get listed on the local law enforcement towing rotation. He has also approached banks and lending institutions in need of vehicle repossession services.

Lewis said he has experience in snow removal and plans to continue that line of work. His 24-hour towing business serves Richland and surrounding areas, and he will do towing jobs across Ohio and out of state. Call A & P at 419-631-5253.