William R. Houston

William R. Houston (Randy Houston) was born in 1953 in Omak, Washington. He is the eldest of three boys and a third generation tower. His parents, William F. and Peggy Houston, owned Houston’s Chevron & Towing, and his grandfather, Charles Houston, owned Chuck’s Auto Service & Towing. Randy is married to Debbie Houston, and they live in Okanogan, Washington with their twelve-year-old son, Ryan.
Randy graduated high school in 1971, and went on to WenatcheeValleyCollege and PortlandStateUniversity where he graduated with a B.S. in Business in 1979. From 1972 to 1981, Randy was a full time alpine ski coach at the pre-Olympic level.  In 1982 he returned home to Okanogan and worked in the family businesses of Controlled Atmosphere Instrumentation and Houston’s Chevron & Towing. In 1984 he purchased Evans Towing & Wrecking in Okanogan. In 1985 he sold his interest in Houston’s Chevron and combined towing operations on Elmway as Randy’s Auto Parts & Towing. In 1987 he purchased the assets of Hank & Earl’s Auto Wrecking in Omak, and moved all enterprises down the road to the present location in Okanogan.  Since 1984, Randy has participated in numerous towing and recovery classes taught by Bill Jackson, Mark Anderson, Joe Sroga, Tom Lucianno, Steve Cardinale, Bob Berry, Ed Rodemeyer, and Donnie Cruse. He has achieved Light and Heavy Duty Certificates, and Wreckmaster Level 7.
In 1995, Randy opened Randy’s Towing of Wenatchee in Wenatchee, Washington, which is approximately 100 miles from the Okanogan office. Both Randy’s Towing locations employ 12-15 full time employees and provide service throughout North Central Washington.
Randy has been a member of the Washington Tow Truck Association (WTTA) sin 1985. He has served on the Board of Directors (1991-2000), and was President in 1997 and 1998. He has sat on the education committee since 1990 and organizes the various schools and training programs.  He has also served on the Legislative Budget, and Washington State Patrol Negotiations Committee. He is presently the chair of TOWPAC, which is a WashingtonState tower political action committee. Randy was named WTTA Tow Operator of the year in 1993 and received WTTA President’s Award in 2000.
In addition to his active involvement in the towing industry, Randy is also very active in his community. He donates to various youth clubs, teams, and organizations. He and his family also donate time, equipment, and money to the Loup Loup Ski Education Foundation primarily focusing on the purchase and installation of a chair lift. He has also donated 20 acres of land for construction of a new educational facility for Wenatchee Valley College North.