Under new management…sorta

PINEHURST — “I always wanted to be a business owner. I remember being 10 or 12 years old and thinking I wanted employees. I would never have dreamed of owning a towing business until I grew up and worked for my dad,” said the owner of Jim’s Towing Service LLC, who, funnily enough, is not named Jim, but Brandon Church.

The Jim in question is Church’s father, who owned and operated the towing business for years before selling it to his son roughly a year ago. The father and son duo would go on calls together, which taught Church an essential part of the job, treating people with kindness and being a positive part of their day.

“I was able to see that you are able to make people’s day better by being there. That was good for me to see, and I really enjoyed that,” Church said.

Church graduated from Kellogg High School in 2017, working primarily as a 911 dispatcher, while also moving back and forth from Montana to the Silver Valley.

“After I graduated, I started as a 911 dispatcher for the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office in Superior, Mont. Later, I got a job offer from the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office, so I came to work in Wallace.”

Church was offered a supervisory position in the Montana dispatch office but realized it wasn’t his dream. So he returned to work in Wallace before he approached his father about selling the family business to him.

“In November 2021, I told my dad I wanted to take over the business. He said quickly, ‘OK, you can have the phone set.’"

His father is still the owner of Jim’s Bobcat, in charge of tearing up yards, tree removal, putting new yards in and your basic excavation needs, with Jim’s Towing LLC taking over the lockout and roadside assistance.

Church never imagined wanting to own a towing business but always thought he would love to own and work in a coffee shop, and he was recently able to make that dream a reality with his new coffee stand, Wide Awake Espresso.

Church remains humble, not wanting to brag about his business accomplishments but instead wanting to inspire others who grow up in the Silver Valley,

“I had a dream, and I want others to know they can accomplish what they dream about.”

Jim’s Towing Service LLC is a 24-hour towing and lockout service and operates as a U-Haul neighborhood rental agency. For towing and roadside/lockout assistance, call 208-682-9800. For more information, visit Jim’s Towing Service LLC on Facebook, where you can also find their website with more details.

To contact U-haul rental services, call 208-784-6219; the services are open seven days a week, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sunday, from 8 a.m. to noon.

Wide Awake Espresso is open seven days a week, Monday through Friday, 4 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.

All services are located at 607 N. Division St. in Pinehurst.