There are 35,000 tow truck operators who belong to the WreckMaster school of towing – and an Alma man was named WreckMaster of the Year here on Nov. 19.
Ken Buehler, who operates Buehler Automotive and Transmission Inc., in Alma, has taken the highest training levels offered by WreckMasters, a towing teaching organization that operates in Canada, the United States, and overseas.
WreckMasters is run by Ken Cruse, and he said in an interview that Buehler “is not a guy who goes after it. Ken is very humble.”
But Cruse said the award is not only for excellence in towing, and not just for customers who take WreckMasters classes.
“He’s an all around upstanding guy besides being part of WreckMasters.”
Cruse said Buehler was instrumental in forming a county towing association in 1999 that lasted until 2006. In 2009, he helped form the Wellington County Tow Group, and was named vice-president. Besides that,he has been a captain in the volunteer Fire Department for 15 years.
During his years with those towing groups, he has hosted educational seminars on towing to ensure towers learn how to work safely.
Cruse said WreckMasters teaches towers how to work safely and teaches new techniques to enable towers to manage their work efficiently.
“Besides being a great citizen, Ken is on the board of the Auto After Market Retailers of Ontario, a provincial body that has 900 members.
Buehler lived up to Cruse’s assessment of a humble man. When asked what the award means he quipped it means he can keep on operating a tow truck.
It was a friend and fellow towing company member who contacted the Advertiser about Buehler’s win.
WreckMaster also names a Top Ten in the towing industry each year, and Buehler was named to that group in 2005.
He received his award in Baltimore at the American Towing Exposition. With the trophy also came a championship gold ring.
