“In general, it is rare to find a business still operating over 50 years and across three generations,” said Greg Wingard of Wingard Towing Service. This family-owned legacy is currently overseen by husband-and-wife team, Greg and Anna, and they, along with their dedicated staff, all work together to provide first-rate vehicle assistance to the greater Midlands community.
When mutual friends invited Lexington natives, Anna and Greg, to a party, so they could meet each other, those matchmaking skills were spot on. A best-case scenario evolved from that introduction as a serious relationship developed that eventually led to marriage, a growing family, and a successful business venture together.
In those early days, Greg and Anna were pursuing their own unique career goals. As a speech and language pathologist, Anna specialized in voice, cognitive, and swallowing disorders associated with Parkinson’s disease, while Greg was overseeing the operations of Wingard Towing Services, a family-owned enterprise, after receiving a degree in Human Resources Management from the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business.
In fact, Greg grew up riding in a tow truck with his dad, Dean, since the company was started in 1972 by his grandfather, Sam Wingard. In 2002, just one month after Greg graduated from college, he became the third-generation owner of Wingard Towing Services, alongside his mother Patricia, when his father passed away unexpectedly. After Greg’s mother lost her life to cancer in 2020, Anna decided to join the company full-time by stepping into the role of business operations manager. “Clearly,” she said, “I had no background in business management, human resources, or accounting, but I seemed to have figured it out!”
“Greg never pressured me to join the business,” she added. “Wingard Towing Service was a family business from the beginning, so it was only natural for me to join my husband’s business when Greg’s mom passed away.”
When people speculate about the challenges of working with one’s spouse in the same company, “We see it differently,” Anna said. “We got married because we like to be around each other, and have the same goals, so working together is easy, really. We were already on the same team at home, so now we are on the same work team, too.”
“Most business decisions are a joint effort,” Anna continued. “We collaborate well together because we trust and respect each other, and we value the different strengths we bring to the business.”
To build her knowledge about towing, Anna joined the Towing & Recovery Association of South Carolina (TRASC) organization, a non-profit group that promotes and protects the welfare of the industry. During her tenure with TRASC, Anna has risen through the ranks from regional board member to vice president and is now serving as the current president. “My involvement with this association grew as I realized that if I wanted to make changes in our own business, statewide changes to the entire towing industry were necessary,” she said.
Named “Woman of Towing” by Tow Times Magazine in 2021, Anna has also collaborated with statewide government agencies to share how the towing industry assists emergency responders in safely and efficiently clearing public roadways. In this role, they are vital to the emergency response team, she said, “as we are the last piece to the puzzle once fire, EMS, and police are finished with their jobs.”
While Anna handles business-related responsibilities behind the scenes (like billing, accounting, and human resources), Greg said, “I am very hands-on, so do not be surprised if it is me who shows up to tow your car.” When he is not behind the wheel, he can be found in the shop repairing or maintaining the company’s equipment or manning the phones and dispatching tow trucks to assist customers in need.
“Towing is largely about problem solving,” Greg explained, and his technical expertise stems from the countless on-the-job calls he has handled during his several decades in the field. Additionally, he holds a commercial driver’s license, has completed the South Carolina Department of Transportation’s Towing and Incident Management Training Course, is WreckMaster Level 4/5 certified, and has earned the American Towing and Recovery Institute’s Fire/Tow/Rescue accreditation.
Wingard Towing Service offers standard light- to medium-duty towing and hauling, equipment transport, and roadside services, and the company boasts of having several long-term staff members. “Our tow truck operators are truly experts at their job,” Greg said. “We focus on capitalizing on everyone’s strengths so that together we make a great team. Our goal is to minimize the inconveniences of being towed, getting you back to what matters most to you in life as soon as possible.” The company’s headquarters are located in the city limits of West Columbia, but the business has satellite locations in Lexington and Chapin. Although most of their customers are within the greater Midlands area, they occasionally are called to cross state borders to extend their assistance.
The company’s online presence can be found on Facebook and on its website at wingardtowing.com. “Go ahead and save our number in your phone: 803-796-1467,” Anna said. “When you get in a wreck, tell the police to call Wingard Towing Service for you on your behalf, or just call us directly. You can call us if you have a breakdown, too.”
“Our last name is the first word of our business name,” Greg said. “We want our neighbors and other business owners in the Midlands to associate ‘Wingard’ every time they need a tow. Even though we hope no one ever is in an unfortunate situation where they would need a tow, try us once, and we believe you will be a customer for life.”
As for the company’s future, Anna and Greg are the proud parents of three daughters, and “Our goal is to continue running our business so well that we will have a strong foundation for the fourth generation to take over Wingard Towing Service,” Anna said.