Capt. Gareth Stamm opened TowBoatUS Joliet (Illinois) to service members on the Illinois and other rivers in the area.

“After I saw how simple, inexpensive and incredibly valuable the towing service is to BoatUS members, it was a natural progression for me to make that service available to Joliet and Illinois River boaters," Stamm, who spent two years working on Lake Michigan for TowBoatUS Chicago, said in a statement.

TowBoatUS Joliet will have two boats in service this year: a 25-foot Sea Ark workboat with a 300-hp inboard in downtown Joliet and a 22-foot StarCraft center console that will be kept on a trailer for quick deployment.

Stamm said his service area extends about 60 miles and includes parts of the Des Plaines, Kankakee and Illinois rivers, Stamm said.