Transforming in the Wild West

It was during the early ’80s that Mark Schifo landed in Parker, Ariz., coming from California as a kind of hippie. He worked as a bartender at the famous The Sundance Saloon, later became a rogue tower who impounded vehicles off of private property on nearby Arizona campgrounds and finally transformed himself into a successful businessman with a Christian attitude, creating a fairly large towing enterprise with 22 trucks and six locations.“The campgrounds would be filled,” Schifo said of his early towing escapades. “It was like working the parking lot of Woodstock. We were doing 300 tows a night.”Parker was a happening place back then, right smack in the middle of the state near the Colorado River, where tourists arrived to boat and camp out while young people enjoyed some binge drinking in a more permissive state.“Yuma County was like the Wild West with only five deputies,” he said.Times have changed as civilization encroached upon this Wild West. Schifo has a couple of old tow trucks to serve as a reminder of years passed, including this 1951 Chevy with a 515 Holmes and butt plate.“I picked it up in Blythe, California, 10 to 15 years ago. It has beautiful lines and was in pretty good shape. I never used it, but occasionally put it in car shows, where I would hang out and pass out business cards,” he said.Today, you can find it as marketing vehicle for Tow Truck Mark’s and as a landmark for the town of Parker, as it sits on the edge of town like an advertising billboard.The truck’s marked characteristic is the bubble nose, a defining characteristic of trucks from the era. Its light yellow body, enveloped by custom flames, gives it a warm vibration.On the side of the truck you can’t miss Mark’s name, written in a funky script, similar to the writing that you will find on its front bumper spelling out the name Parker Arizona. It’s a ’50s car with a ’60s peace-loving feel.Today Mark’s business is located on an Indian reservation where working with one’s neighbors is now the goal.“I started out as a pirate in the towing business, but over time I learned I had to count on my neighbors.”