Patrick Fredricksen is Leading with Heart and Hustle in Utah’s Towing Industry

There are a fair number of necessary but often thankless jobs that keep modern life moving smoothly and efficiently, enough to make up entire industries. The towing industry is just one example; many people only interact with it when there’s an accident or some legal infraction that requires getting their car towed away, which can leave them with negative impressions. But for every vehicle ordered towed away by the police, there are several vehicles recovered from ditches, transported through foul weather conditions, or assisted to a repair shop. The truth is that the towing industry is a crucial part of the network of first responders and public safety, and that comes with challenges.

As Administrative Supervisor at Larry’s and Stauffer’s Towing in central Utah, few understand the resilience required or the rehabilitation made possible by the industry more than Patrick Fredricksen. An operations overseer with nearly half a decade of experience in the industry, Fredricksen has earned a reputation for professionalism, reliability, and a strong working relationship with local communities and law enforcement. From stolen vehicles to public safety incidents, his dedication to service has consistently helped others and led to positive outcomes. 

As a leader, community servant, and one-time volunteer firefighter, Patrick Fredricksen has consistently demonstrated his eagerness to serve the broader UT community, even in times of significant hardship. He returned to work only a handful of days after his kidney transplant surgery, and his survivor’s perspective informs his work every day. Between health battles and the challenges of a high-stakes, fast-paced field, Fredricksen has been well-trained to manage both operations and people with care and precision. 

“I have a responsibility to help and make sure that everyone goes home at night—and that means everyone: the police, fire rescue, the customer, and the employees that I am responsible for,” Fredricksen says. “I am a supervisor of a nationwide company and I have to be doing something right for the amount of trust and responsibility it takes to do my job.”

Hustling Through Health Issues

As a leader in the local towing industry, Fredricksen’s job is a demanding one that puts a lot of responsibility on his shoulders and his team’s. Every day involves working closely with the state’s Department of Public Safety (DPS), state and local law enforcement, and private clients, each with their own needs, expectations, and challenges. Aside from having trucks ready when his company is up for rotation calls, Fredricksen is in charge of holding crew meetings, setting up safety training and hands-on learning, and working with the UT State IVS system to track impounds, crashes, or abandoned property vehicles. Every day brings new challenges, and neither his job nor his personal values will let him risk falling behind. 

“In my life I have had many opportunities to throw in the towel and quit,” he says, “but I never have. With struggles comes the opportunity to learn, and it’s taught me to be even a better man.”

Nothing has tested and tempered Patrick Fredricksen’s resilience and resolve like surviving kidney failure and the following transplant surgery. When the threat of lifetime dialysis looked like a looming reality due to his rare blood type, he came closer to quitting than he’d ever been before. When the call came through revealing that a kidney match was found for him, it felt like a miracle. When he learned the donor was a recently-deceased 16 year old child, it was a sobering reminder of the cost of his gift, and the pricelessness of life itself. The experience echoes through every action he takes, both personally and professionally. 

One of the many outcomes of his health journey has been a deep appreciation and bond of trust with his team at Larry’s and Stauffer’s Towing. He’s able to trust them to perform the rigorous work of the job in the field, as well as trust them to check him if they see him potentially overworking himself as a leader. Between the surgery after care and follow-up doctor’s appointments, Fredricksen has been forced to trust his team to work with customers and the police when he isn’t able to, and it’s been a mutually beneficial bond.

“We all watch each other’s backs,” he says. “It only strengthens the bond we have, and we work together. Between everyone, it’s an awesome experience.”

Putting Himself On The Line

Some jobs are more important, and more stressful, than others, but each is an opportunity for Patrick Fredricksen to help others. Some are more risky than others. One recent case in particular stands out, a long job on Christmas where the only gift was uncertainty. The initial job was to recover a car from the bottom of a valley, which was going smoothly, but a new call from public safety dispatch revealed a complication: an elderly couple trapped sideways in the snow somewhere up the mountain, exact location unknown. 

Fredricksen took his own personal vehicle up the icy, uneven roads to find them, get their car free of the deep snow and tree that trapped them, and escort the distressed couple down to safety. The couple were found in shorts and T-shirts, entirely too vulnerable to the winter cold encroaching on their trapped vehicle, and the mess of marked and unmarked roads made finding them uncertain at best. Fortunately, he was able to get them free and safely out of the 9 mile canyon.

“I drove around for around three hours before making contact with the two people,” Fredricksen recalls. “They were stuck pretty badly; they had tried to drive up a hill that had three feet of snow on it, slid down backwards 40 plus feet, and got stuck on top of a tree. If the tree had not stopped them, it would have been a whole lot worse.”

Through health struggles and hellish conditions, Fredricksen consistently puts himself on the line for others. Even outside the office (or the cabin of the truck), he works hard to grow both as an individual and as a community leader. One of those efforts involves working with his local police department to speak and present in local programs for youth support, others involve second chance initiatives and support for first responders. 

“My current work goal is to keep making the part of the company I manage better and more known in the area, strengthening community relationships with the brand and name,” he says. “In my personal life I am still working on keeping healthy and keeping the new kidney strong and working.”

Similar Stories