Inspiring Conversations with Antonio Rodriguez of A-ROD TOWING LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Antonio Rodriguez.

Hi Antonio, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story really starts about a decade ago. I had just caught a felony drug charge for selling cocaine; set up by someone I once considered a “friend”. It was one of the only times in my adult life I got into legal trouble. I’ve always been a responsible person. I had my first son at just 16 and stepped up to the plate to raise him the right way. I purchased my first home when I was 18 straight out of high school, and have had a lot of success early on in life. But life threw me some hard punches over the years.

Several years later, I found myself laid off and unemployed, now with both of my sons living with me full-time, they were around 9 and 12. I didn’t know what to do. Money was tight, but time was abundant. I used that time to be the dad I always wanted to be. I took them to school every day, picked them up, brought them to football practice, and even had them learning to cook with a personal chef, Chef Mo. Those moments were priceless, and the bond we were able to build then still holds strong today.

But let me take it back to June 22, 2016, the day that changed everything. I was on my way to my uncle’s funeral when I got several texts asking for a half ounce. I thought it was odd because the guy knew I wasn’t available that day. He kept pushing the subject, and after a full day of back-and-forth texts, I finally agreed to meet with him, just to get him taken care of. I pulled into a McDonald’s parking lot, I looked down at my phone to send the “I’m here” text, and before I could lift my head up; boom I was surrounded by several detectives and cops. Guns drawn. A full-blown bust over half an ounce.

I didn’t cooperate with the police, so they hauled me off to jail. I was facing a lot of time, luckily I was only sentenced to 3 years of felony probation with a deferred judgment and served 30 days in jail thanks to my lawyer Adam Tucker. I completed probation in a year and a half. That experience was humiliating and eye-opening. Jail was annoying and a joke, honestly, but it showed me what I didn’t want for my life. When I got out, I couldn’t go back to the work I’d been doing before on the streets or in the medical field. I tried a couple of driving jobs, but I felt dumb and I was treated like I was disposable; especially when I had to leave early two days in a row to pick up my sick daughter from school. After being confronted in front of the whole staff by my boss for choosing family over the job, they fired me the next day before I could even walk in the building.

That moment lit a fire under me.

Soon after, I was talking with a good friend of mine, Javier, a fellow tow owner/operator, and a legendary DJ here in Denver, DJ Javio. He told me, “Bro, you’re a hustler. This towing game is just like the dope game, same hustle, different product.” That conversation sparked the beginning of A-ROD Towing. I scraped up every dollar I could, about $7,000 from credit lines and savings, and borrowed another $3,000 from Javier and my best friend. With $10,000 in cash and a few credit cards, I flew to Arizona, bought my first tow truck, and drove it straight back to Colorado.

And to top it off? I started this business while I was on felony probation, technically against the rules. But I wasn’t going to sit around waiting for a second chance. I created my own. The system may not have made space for someone like me to thrive, but I pushed through anyway.

It was some time in October of 2017 when my journey began. By November 11, 2017, A-ROD Towing was official, fully registered, insured, licensed, and ready to take on my first tow. My first tow was a BMW X5 that I towed off a trailer and stored at my house for a day for a transporting company. From that day forward, I hit the pavement running, shaking hands and handing out business cards.

In 2019, my best friend got his own tow truck, and in 2020 we decided to merge our businesses together and form Trifinity Towing. During COVID, we grew into a 4-truck operation running 24/7 hiring multiple drivers and a dispatcher. We worked together and grew very fast, and in a pandemic. But after a year in, my best friend decided he was going to move out of state. By 2023, I bought him out, sold a truck for capital, and rebranded back to A-ROD Towing.

I’ve now been in business for nearly 8 years, I’m still standing. And I don’t regret a thing. Every struggle has made me stronger, more patient, more compassionate, and more grateful. I’ve worked on myself and have become the person I needed to be to lead, withstand and conquer. I’ve seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in small business ownership, but I’ve also seen the power of resilience and consistency.

I come from a line of entrepreneurs. My grandfather on my dad’s side owned several businesses up until he retired, my grandma on my mom’s side owned several business, and my parents have had a couple of businesses too; including the one they have now, Nite Lite Screen Printing in Lakewood Colorado. As a kid, I always wanted to be my own boss, and despite everything stacked against me, I made that dream come true. It’s not easy, because if it were everyone would be doing it. I am proud of who I am, where I came from and how I’ve developed myself with the help of friends, family and my faith. Without any of that, I’d be dead or in prison locked away.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
A few months in, I noticed my truck was losing oil daily. At first, I thought it was minor, until I started running auction cars and discovered I was losing up to two gallons a day! The repair? Injector cups. A major fix. I had no capital. Bills were piling up. I was faced with a brutal decision: lose my house, or sell it to a friend who could cash me out on the equity, pay my debts, and fix the truck. OR, shut down what I had just started. That friend bought my house, and I stayed as a tenant. It saved me. And yes, I have some amazing friends, that I have been very blessed with.

One December morning in 2023, I got a call saying one of my trucks was wrapped around a tree near the 9News building. My driver had crashed and fled the scene. The truck was a total loss. No one was severely hurt, but the financial blow was heavy. Since then, the two remaining trucks have been nothing but problematic. I’ve had to rebuild them piece by piece, including full engine replacements.

As a small business owner in MY industry, I have found that it is hard to get funding from a bank, it’s been challenging but not impossible to get funding, but also not ideal. Having to use my personal credit cards to manage the biz has also made it hard to secure a loan because banks only care about your credit score, they don’t actually care if you can afford the loan, only if you can qualify based off of your credit score. With all of the issues I’ve had with my trucks I’ve looked into loans to help manage the cash flow of the business and to buy a new or newer tow truck that’s not breaking down all the time. After all, I have been learning as I go.

As you know, we’re big fans of A-ROD TOWING LLC. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
A-ROD TOWING LLC is a small roadside assistance tow company. We specialize in towing and recovering vehicles that were involved in accidents, breakdowns or various other reasons for them to be inoperable. We are known for having great customer service, for shop owners we are the first face for some of their customers, so it’s important for us to uphold a standard to provide a great overall experience. My can do attitude is what sets us apart from others, I am involved in the day to day operations, I am the face of the company, so I am out there helping people out along with my driver when I have one. A-ROD is a known name, thanks to Alex Rodriguez, my name is Antonio Rodriguez, and a long time ago when I working in an office, a lady called me AROD, so when it was time to choose a business name, that’s what I went with. I’d love for your readers to know what it takes to even be in business first and foremost, it is not easy, but not impossible. As you can see from my story, I’ve put my all into it. So please be more compassionate and reasonable when dealing with small business owners, especially in this industry. Every company is priced similar but different, and it’s based off of their overhead to operate. Most of us operate legal, and of course you’ll find the guys who don’t, they’re typically cheaper. I wish people would look at quality over prices, because at the end of the day, it’s expensive to own and operate a tow truck and be able to provide Towing services, jump starts, tire changes and vehicle lockouts consistently for our customers.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Although I have several favorite childhood moments, I would have to say my most favorite Memory as a child would be when my parents owned their cigarette store. I learned a lot from just being around them. When I wasn’t in school, I got to go with them to Sam’s Club and Costco to pick up more inventory, try out all of the free samples and get to leave with either a slice of pizza or a Polish dog almost every time. Being around them and that business environment is crucial to who I am today.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.arodtowing.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arodtowingllc?igsh=ZGN3d2l5M3V5NXFw&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/14FrGXVpvoy/?mibextid=wwXIfr
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/a-rod-towing-denver

Image Credits
All images were taken by Antonio Rodriguez