About Us

“Servicing the Midwest for Over 60 Years.”

From the very start, our small family-owned company was built on an unwavering commitment to provide service to people when they needed it most. This commitment has remained steadfast for over sixty years and three generations. While the extent of our services continues to grow from towing and recovery to transportation to crane services, our core values will always remain the same in memory of our founders Terry and Ruth Chamness.

Our story began in 1965 when Terry and Ruth established Terry’s Overnight Service, a heavy-duty truck repair company serving the greater Kalamazoo area. In 1969, Terry and Ruth purchased their first heavy-duty wrecker, and in 1970, the business expanded into the towing and recovery business under the name Terry’s Road Service. Terry quickly earned a strong reputation in the community for his reliability, determination, and hard work ethic, tackling the worst wrecks across Southern Michigan and Northern Indiana. Terry was always on the cutting edge of equipment and recovery knowledge, deploying innovations such as air bag recovery in the field. Terry expanded into heavy haul trucking in 1975, which later become Terry’s Transportation, building on his experience to take on further reaching and more demanding work throughout the Midwest.

A major turning point came in 1979 with the purchase of a local crane company, marking the beginning of what would eventually become Grand Davo Crane Service. The company entered into specialized lifting services alongside towing, recovery, and heavy haul trucking, setting the stage for long-term growth. In 1983, the second generation joined the business when their son Jim Chamness came on board to work alongside Terry and Ruth. That same year, the company purchased its first 80-ton mobile hydraulic crane, strengthening its ability to serve larger commercial and industrial projects. Throughout the late 1980s, the fleet would continue to grow with the addition of 130-ton Krupp cranes and then the 175-ton Krupp crane, the largest hydraulic cranes in Southwest Michigan at the time.

Following Terry’s passing in 1999 and Ruth’s passing in 2003, Jim and his wife Kimber carried the business forward, building upon the strong family foundation they were entrusted with. Their focus remained on safety, integrity, and tremendous growth while honoring the legacy that started decades earlier. This growth included the purchase of the Grove GMK7550 550-ton crane, the largest hydraulic crane in Michigan at the time. Our capabilities expanded to provide specialized service on railroad derailments, wind turbines, and bridges. In 2016, the decision was made to phase out towing services to prioritize crane operations and heavy hauling in Michigan and Indiana.

In 2020, the third generation joined the business when Jim’s and Kimber’s son Jacob Chamness came on board to work alongside them, continuing the family tradition and bringing new energy into its future with his engineering and business background. More recently, in 2025, the company reached another significant milestone with the purchase of the Grove GMK6450-1 500-ton crane, further developing its lifting capacity and reinforcing its commitment to growth, innovation, and meeting the evolving needs of its customers.