Toupin Property Maintenance crew in action (COURTESY BRYAN TOUPIN)
Bryan Toupin became a police officer to help people. These days, he helps people in a safer way that allows him to be home nights with his family.
Bryan is the owner of Toupin Property Maintenance and Toupin Towing & Recovery, the co-Businesses of the Month for May 2024, both based out of 1901 Bridge Street.
After becoming a cop in Lowell at age 21 in 2010, he started the landscaping company as a side job in 2014. He added the towing company in 2020 and, soon after, retired from the police force. Today, he’s a 34-year-old entrepreneur and father of three young girls with his wife, Nicole.
He sees his businesses, particularly towing, as a form of public service, though different from his service as a police officer.
“I became a cop to help people, and I feel the same way about towing,” Bryan said. “It’s my way of helping people, and it’s a more personal impact. When you call me, you need me, and people are happy to see me because they want to see me. You’re helping someone who’s having a bad day. It’s much different than being a cop. I loved being a cop, but people aren’t always happy to see you.”
Owning and operating his own businesses has allowed Bryan to spend more time with his three daughters – Adrianna (5 going on 6), Aubriella (2 going on 3), and Addileia (9 months) – at his Dracut home.
Bryan Toupin with wife Nicole and daughters Adrianna, Aubriella and Addileia. (DRACUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PHOTO)
“I left the force for my family. I wanted to watch my three little girls grow up,” he said. “When I was a cop, I identified as a husband, father, businessman and then police officer, in that order. I loved policing, but there was a bigger calling for me. Now I’m home every night with my family. I’m making dinner every night for my family. It’s great.”
Toupin Property Maintenance started with Bryan mowing a few customers’ lawns when he wasn’t on duty. It has grown to a five-truck operation, mainly doing commercial work but also some residential.
Meanwhile, Toupin Towing & Recovery has taken on a life of its own. In just four years, the tow company has grown to 11 trucks and is the Merrimack Valley’s biggest vendor for AAA, with a primary area of Dracut, Lowell, Tewksbury, Billerica and Andover.
“We have a big impact on the Merrimack Valley on a day-to-day basis,” Bryan said. “We do everything from towing to roadside service to unlocking vehicles to installing new batteries to jumpstarts — anything AAA offers, which is why I can say proudly that we’re the largest AAA vendor in the Merrimack Valley.”
PHOTO COURTESY BRYAN TOUPIN
While Bryan is mainly in the office overseeing both the landscaping and towing operations and their 20 or so employees, he’s not averse to getting his hands dirty.
“Sometimes I’ll hop in a truck and head out for a tow or I’ll get on a mower and mow. I fill in the gaps where I’m needed,” he said.
Of course, the Toupin name is not new to Dracut’s business scene. Bryan’s grandfather, William Toupin, started Toupin Rigging, at 955 Broadway Road, in 1950, with Toupin Industrial Warehousing opening in in 2012 at 983 Broadway Road. Both businesses are still operated by Bryan’s family, but his father, Charles, who passed away 10 years ago, always told Bryan not to feel obligated to enter the family business.
“My grandfather founded that company, and his children, including my father, all got involved,” Bryan said. “Now they do warehousing and trucking and millwright work. I guess you can say it’s a family trait of ours — diversifying. But my father always pushed me to do my own thing.”
Speaking of diversifying, might there be more of that in the future for Bryan Toupin? Never say never.
“As of right now, I’d like to keep the two businesses growing and serving the community,” he said. “But who knows? It’s very fluid. I’m busy with the work I’m doing now and I’m enjoying it. We help people in need get home, and then we go home to our families.
“But you never know. I mean, the towing company came about because of the landscaping company. Sometimes one of our trucks would break down and we’d need a tow. There’s a need in this area for this service, and there’s a sense of fulfillment in helping people.
“So it would be naïve of me to say there isn’t another company I might start. Right now, though, I’m having fun watching my kids grow. My wife supports the household, so without her, there’s no way I could do what I do.”
For Toupin Property Maintenance, call 978-674-7567, or visit www.toupinpm.com. For Toupin Towing & Recovery, call 978-364-0221, or visit www.toupintowing.com.
