About Petroff Towing
In 1948, Thomas G. Petroff started a small garage and towing company in metropolitan Saint Louis, MO. In fact, the family home and shop were located where the westbound lanes of I-64 at Route 111 are today in E. St. Louis, IL. Tom cultivated the company for twenty years until undertaking new endeavors in 1968. The business was dormant until 1976 when Edward and Debra Petroff rejuvenated the new Petroff Towing.
Growing up the industry, Ed was always interested in towing and mechanics. This personal drive when combined with youth and ambition proved to be successful. The company started small, but expanded into the multi-million dollar venture that it is today. The towing and recovery field became so vast that they could not manage to maintain their reputation as “The Best” in all facets, so the Petroffs chose to specialize in heavy-duty towing, recovery & loadwork. Years of service and dedication to the industry have fostered close working relationships with local and state law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and an extremely loyal customer base of fleets and dealer networks.
towing is a family tradition
FOUR GENERATIONS MEANS
the pETROFFS
a closer look at
Our family's story is a blend of Eastern European grit and tenacious work ethic plus the American dream. Like many families impacted and displaced by war, our family was forced to leave their home and arrived in America without knowing English, $18 to their name, and heading to the St. Louis area to meet distant relatives.
Thomas G. Petroff started his business in his parents' garage in 1945 and was able to purchase his first tow truck a few years later. He was living the American dream. He and his wife, Jane, built a business that allowed them to raise five children. In 1968, Tom got out of the towing business to focus on other interests.
During and after high school, Ed worked for his father as well as another local towing company. He and his wife, Debra, purchased their first tow truck in 1976 and Petroff Towing grew from there.
Once again, hard work and dedication that paid off as times were difficult, interest rates were nearly unbearable, and business was sporadic. But, with a young family to support, they stayed the course and built the Petroff Towing as we know it today. A loyal and dedicated team of employees, strong working relationships with local dealerships, police agencies, and myriad of businesses helped us cultivate and sustain a world-class reputation as heavy-duty towing & recovery professionals.
Ed and Debra still run the day-to-day operation of the company. Their daughter assists them as needed but works for a Freightliner dealer network and their twin grandchildren are often at the shop assisting with paperwork, on a forklift, or terrorizing the guys.
