Highway Superintendent Brian Ingraham and the Town of Sweden
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It’s good to be back publishing Superintendent’s Profile after a month’s hiatus and we hope you all had a great New Year and are having a good, productive and safe 2026 so far.
This publication is primarily about local roads, bridges and town and village maintenance work and Superintendent’s Profile is essentially the only magazine that discusses this work through all of you.
Interstates and major bridges are vital, but no one is getting to them without first traveling on small local roads.
James “Jamie” Dussing, highway superintendent of the town of Clarence and New York State Association of Town Superintendents of Highways president, recently took the case of CHIPS funding for local roads to the New York State legislature.
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During a Transportation Committee hearing, Jamie initially asked for a $250 million increase in CHIPS funding because he believed that to be a reasonable request, considering there was only a $50 million last year. But Sen. Mario R. Mattera, Suffolk County, transportation committee member, asked him point blank how much money would all highway departments really need.
Jamie replied bluntly that to address everything that must be done just to keep local infrastructure up to speed, funding would need to be in excess of $1 billion. With current funding, he said, “We can do a lot patching, we can do a lot of minor repairs — Band Aids, if you will, with the money that we have — but to do real repairs, where you’re doing full-depth reconstruction, drainage, sidewalks ADA, $250 million won’t touch it.”
When I spoke with Jamie about this issue, he said when you factor in inflation and the rising cost of doing business and material costs, etc., that $50 million was essentially a flat number. He added that the state DOT received approximately $800 million for 13 percent of total mileage, but we (local highway departments) maintain approximately 87 percent of total mileage.
So, as I said, no one is getting to any major state route without exiting your driveway and making your way to an on-ramp. Certainly, Jamie didn’t think that CHIPS would actually get a billion-dollar increase, but he told the truth when asked and our lawmakers need to hear the facts.
We at Superintendent’s Profile commend Jamie for his strong advocacy of the industry and for telling it like it really is. P
Craig Mongeau
4 Superintendent’s Profile • www.superintendentsprofile.com • March 2026
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Highway Superintendent Brian Ingraham and the Town of Sweden
Brian Ingraham, superintendent of highways of the town of Sweden, is following in the footsteps of his father, Tom, who served as highway superintendent of the neighboring Town of Hamlin, both in Monroe County.
“I looked up to my dad a lot and always knew that this was something that I wanted to do,” Brian said. “There were times as a young kid, I would beg my dad to take me to work with him when he went in to snowplow and had to do anything like that.”
Brian began working for the town of Sweden Highway Department at 17 as a seasonal laborer in high school and he participated in the coop program during his senior year through the Monroe 2-Orleans Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES-2) career and technical education center heavy equipment operations and maintenance program. While attending the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, where he was studying heavy construction equipment technology, Brian continued with the department during summers and school breaks.
“I knew when I went to college that eventually I wanted to come back and be employed here full time and eventually work my way up to the highway superintendent position, and here we are today,” he said.
Brian began working full-time for the town after graduating college in 2001, first as a heavy equipment operator, then as working foreman and as deputy superintendent of highways.
After his predecessor retired in 2014, the town board appointed Brian to the position. Later that year, he ran for the position and was elected. Brian, now 45 and the married father of two daughters, was most recently reelected in January 2024 for a term that expires at the end of 2027.
One of his first initiatives after taking office was implementing a salt conservation program “to get the best bang for our buck for every pound of salt that gets placed on the road. And that really has done a great job of cutting down our salt usage per person, in addition to our computerized salt application systems.”
Sweden averages approximately 100 in. of snow annually. However, totals vary across the town due to lake-effect snow from Lakes Erie and Ontario. Lake Ontario is eight mi. from the town while Lake Erie is approximately 50 mi. away.
The town has 163.51 mi. of road that the department is responsible for when storms hit. The town owns 58.90 lane mi. and contracts for snow and ice control for Monroe County’s 68.82 lane mi. and an additional 40.79 lane mi. for the state roads that are in the municipality.
Before every storm, Brian charts out the snow removal plan with Deputy Superintendent Jacob Moore and Working Foreman Phil Herzog. The team discusses current and future weather and road conditions and, most importantly, the salt application rate the operators will be using on the roads.
continued on page 12
The town of Sweden highway department crew.
from page 9
“Mother Nature is probably my least favorite part of the job,” Brian said. “Storms, wind, snow and ice can make planning difficult. But it’s also what makes the job interesting and keeps us ready for anything.”
All 11 members of the department work to clear the roads when a storm hits, enough so that they can be plowing 24/7, with one crew taking a break while the other is working.
Before the computerized systems, the trucks were outfitted with a simple on/off switch for the salters.
“Now, we can adjust the spread width on how wide the salt gets spread,” Brian said. “You can adjust per pound, almost, how much salt you want to put down per lane mile. And we adjust that as needed throughout the storm.” continued on page 16
The crew performs full-depth milling for parking lot reconstruction at the Owens Road fire station for the Brockport Fire District.
The crew grades stone for parking lot reconstruction at the Owens Road fire station for the Brockport Fire District.
from page 12
Brian also has upgraded the town’s fleet of snowplow trucks with updated pre-wetting equipment. By spraying liquid deicer, a mixture of magnesium chloride and corn syrup, onto rock salt at the spinner, the salt is activated before it reaches the pavement, which dramatically reduces bounce and scatter, and activates the salt quicker in cold temperatures when dry salt is less effective, he said.
As a result, he added, “We’ve been able to lower total salt application rates, reduce return passes and cut fuel and labor hours per storm.
maintenance costs and improved our operational efficiency.”
In addition, the department has installed live edge plow blades on all of its snowplows. Live edge plow blades reduce snow and ice costs by maintaining continuous cutting-edge contact across crowned and uneven pavement, resulting in a cleaner scrape on the initial pass. This minimizes residual snowpack, lowers salt and chemical application rates, reduces repeat plowing and overtime and decreases mechanical stress on plow equipment, Brian said, adding these improvements have produced overall budget savings of 15 to 20 percent.
The crew performs gutter removal on Sherry Lane as part of a road reconstruction project.
from page 16
Other members of the department include motor equipment operators Brandon Armstrong, Justin Espenmiller, Jeff Moss, Adam Shade, Todd Swan and Rick Whitten, laborer Connor Warner, motor equipment operator and assistant mechanic Josh Flannery and head mechanic Cody Hinchey. There are also six part-time seasonal employees.
Secretary/office assistant Susan Kuszlyk “does a great job keeping everything organized and operating smoothly,” Brian said.
“I can’t say enough about my team,” Brian said. “They are the reason we are successful. They work long hours, in all kinds of weather and handle every challenge with skill and dedication. I’m constantly amazed at their commitment, teamwork and pride in their work. Honestly, any success I have as superintendent is because of them.” continued on page 26
The department’s six snowplow trucks are ready for the next snow and ice event.
The crew mills the parking lot at the Seymour community library.
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Brian said challenges are finding equally skilled personnel to fill positions along with the rising costs of goods and services.
From June through mid-September, the department works 10-hour days Monday through Thursday. There are five-day work weeks the rest of the year, from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. A dispatcher is on shift 24/7 during snow and ice season, from Nov. 15 through April 1.
The department’s budget is $2,022,200, including work they do on the town’s highways, sewers and cemeteries, in addition to the roadways. The most recent CHIPS allocation was $137,934.
Brian is getting pricing for a new salt storage facility that can store a winter season’s worth of salt, at least 3,500 tons. The old facility was built in the early 1990s and has a capacity of 1,000 tons, which is no more than a season’s worth. In recent years, Brian said, there have been occasional salt shipping delays.
from page 20 continued on page 28
HEO Adam Shade clears debris from the end of a plugged pipe that flows under the Erie Canal on East Canal Road. This plugged pipe caused East Canal Road to flood.
The highway department crew cleans out a ditch near Ellis Drive.
from page 26
“There’s constant deliveries of salt to keep us full,” he said. The estimated cost of a new salt storage facility is $500,000. It would be very convenient and easier to plan if we could have a snow and ice season’s worth of salt. The goal is to have it sited and built within five years.”
Also in the planning stages is another cold storage barn. The department has two 50-ft. by 100-ft. cold storage buildings and another 30-ft. by 30-ft. cold storage building.
“We just don’t have enough covered indoor space to house all of our equipment and keep it protected out of the elements,” he said. “The main goal would be to have something where we can get all our equipment inside.”
The department has 11 dump trucks, the oldest one from 1996 and the newest one purchased in 2026; 11 small trucks, from 2009 to 2025; and 13 trailers, ranging in age from 1988 to 2025. There are more than 20 other pieces of heavy equipment, including two dozers, two front-end loaders and four excavators.
“Obviously, the price of equipment and trucks these days is very expensive,” he said. “By keeping things
The highway department crew installs new trees along the Gary Drive extension project.
The Sweden Highway Department performs Echelon plowing on Brockport Spencerport Road.
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from page 28
Brian credited the department’s mechanics, Cody Hinchey and Josh Flannery, for their preventive maintenance and repair work.
“We try to complete all this work in-house with our mechanics and avoid sending things out to be fixed unless necessary,” he said. “We try to stretch every dollar as far as we can and our mechanics do an outstanding job doing so. We try to be as proactive as possible to prevent premature failures and downtime. We follow manufacturers’ recommended service intervals and all of our maintenance history gets logged into a computerized maintenance program.
“Our town board has done a great job funding and supporting our equipment replacement schedule with our equipment reserve fund and our operating budget,” he added. “We have been able to update the majority of our fleet in the past 10 years, which has been instrumental.”
In addition, in 2019 the town board authorized municipal bonding of $1.4 million to catch up on long-overdue road and parking lot repairs outside of the operating budget. When the current bond is paid off in 2029, Brian said he would seek another bond approval so the department can plan ahead without raising costs.
“This allows us to avoid spending spikes while keeping up with necessary road reconstruction,” he said. “I have been working on a long-term roadwork plan for this to prepare for 2029 and I will work closely with our town board to hopefully move this forward.”
The department building has nine bays for trucks and includes office space, a lunchroom and a locker room.
When the weather turns warmer, the department turns its attention to road maintenance and repair. During the past few years, the department has been testing out a more environmentally friendly warm mix asphalt.
Warm mix asphalt is produced and placed at lower temperatures than hot mix asphalt. Plants use less fuel consumption for asphalt plants and produce less greenhouse gas emissions. It also utilizes recycled asphalt and it provides better compaction.
The town of Sweden uses warm mix asphalt on longer stretches of roadways where there’s less hand work to be completed.
continued on page 38
Seen here is installation of 19 mm asphalt binder with a road widener on the Monroe Orleans County Line road edge mill project.
The crew works on storm drainage installation for the Gary Drive extension project.
from page 34
Warm mix asphalt is $2 a ton more than hot mix asphalt. That works out to approximately $2,000 a year more than hot mix, but because it can be compacted quicker, cars can get on the roads faster. He added that the county prefers Sweden to use warm mix on projects completed on the county’s behalf.
The department also has a preventive chip sealing maintenance program, which entails spraying emulsified oil on the road. It seals the asphalt and provides a new wear surface, which extends the life of the road.
The town of Sweden was incorporated in 1814 and has approximately 13,900 residents. On its website, the town claims “it remains committed to the elements that have made it successful for 200 years — agriculture, education, recreation and community service.”
continued on page 40
Seen here is the new multi-sport game court constructed by the Sweden highway department.
The crew installs heavy stone fill to add structure to an area that had subbase issues during the rebuilding of the town’s park roadway.
from page 38
Clarkson and shares equipment with other surrounding municipalities. “It’s very important to work cooperatively,” Brian said. Some of
The department performs stone road base installation for the Gary Drive extension project.
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While approximately 70 to 80 percent of the department’s time is spent on road maintenance, crews also work on small construction projects around the town. Among the department’s accomplishments have been the construction of a dog park site work for a new lodge and parking lot, an accessible playground and for splash park and skate parks.
Brian is a member of the New York Association of Town Superintendents of Highways and the chairman of the board of directors for the Monroe County Association of Town Superintendents of Highways. He also serves on the advisory board for the heavy equipment operations and maintenance program for the Monroe 2-Orleans Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES-2) career and technical education center.
“Every day is the best day, and I look forward to coming to work every single day,” Brian said. “I try to instill that same sense of pride and motivation in my employees as well.”
No doubt, Brian’s father couldn’t have said it better himself. P
(All photos courtesy of the town of Sweden highway department.)
The crew removes asphalt at the dead end of Gary Drive be fore the highway department starts the Gary Drive extension project.
(L-R) are Brian Ingraham, highway superintendent; Jake Moore, deputy highway superintendent; and Philip Herzog, working foreman.
always — has helped define Conway Beam Truck Group (formerly Beam Mack), a 75-year-old, family-owned truck dealership group that serves the western and central portion of New York State. It also is a mindset Conway has leaned on as she built her own path in an industry where women at the CEO level remain the exception rather than the rule.
Conway is the fourth generation to lead the dealership organization founded by her greatgrandfather, Fred Beam. Today, she serves as CEO of Conway Beam, overseeing a fivelocation operation with approximately 200 employees and a portfolio of commercial-truck brands that includes Mack, Volvo, Hino, Isuzu and, most recently, TICO.
“It’s still a customer-based industry,” she said. “Relationships are so important because
selling off franchises, Beam “raised his hand” and secured the Rochester branch.
That decision planted the flag for what would become a multi-location dealership footprint across the western half of New York.
“It initially started with Mack. That’s the forefront of our blood.” Conway said.
From there, the organization expanded over time, adding locations and ultimately broadening its line card. Conway describes the company today as covering the western and central-western half of the state with a Mackcentered footprint, complemented by other brands suited to different applications and customer segments.
While Mack and Volvo remain the headline names, the additional lines fill out the mediumduty and specialty niches. Hino and Isuzu,
includes Conway’s father, Tom Conway, who joined the business in 1974 and became president in 1987. Conway said he followed the family pattern of learning the operation from the inside out rather than stepping into an executive office on day one.
“That’s typically what our family path has been,” she said. “Try to get you involved with as much as possible. There’s so many different elements of the business.”
For Conway, being “in the business” began long before she held a title.
“When I was in diapers,” she said, explaining that in a family enterprise, “you actually grow up in a family business. Your family talks about it at the dinner table. You’re constantly exposed to it.”
continued on page 54
(L-R) are Brad Taylor, vice president of Buffalo operations; Matt Sommers, chief financial officer; Tom Conway, chairman of the board); and Chelsea Conway, CEO.
Conway Leads Trucking Legacy
from page 50
Her first actual work experience came in high school — part-time, with administrative tasks and whatever else needed doing. She continued that pattern through college, working part-time and learning the people and the processes. After completing graduate school, she joined full-time.
Looking back, Conway said the turning point wasn’t a single vehicle program or a big sale. It was the human element.
“When you don’t fully understand it, it’s hard to completely embrace it,” she said. “The turning point was when I came on full-time and you really get to know the people. I fell in love with the people, the customers, our coworkers. I said, these are the people that I want to be around for the rest of my life.”
In dealership leadership, Conway said, executives tend to fall into different molds. Some are outward-facing and sales-driven — trade shows, handshakes and constant visibility. Others build strength behind the scenes, focused on process, efficiency and making the whole operation run clean.
Conway places herself firmly in the second group.
“I tend to be more of the behind-the-scenes type of person,” she said. “I like the operation side of it. I’m really fascinated by having
oiled machine.”
She also sees that as complementary to her father’s strengths. In her view, he naturally leans toward sales and the external side of the business, while she gravitates toward operations and execution. Together, she said, it creates a balance that benefits the organization.
Major Milestone
Asked what stands out most from her decade-plus in top leadership, Conway pointed to one defining event: the company’s 2017 acquisition of the Mack and Volvo dealership operation in Buffalo.
“That was the big one,” she said. “An acquisition is a big event for most companies. To be able to go through that as the leader, was very interesting and exciting.”
The Buffalo expansion became more than a new dot on the map. Conway said the location is now the company’s newest, largest and most state-of-the-art facility. It also reshaped the dealership’s opportunity set.
The acquired operation had been “predominantly an over-the-road location,” she said. Her team saw room to grow in additional segments — especially vocational applications — and wanted to bring a fuller focus to customers in the true western part of New York.
turning point for Conway. She met her husband, Greg Dechert, during that period.
Dechert was the union shop steward at the Buffalo operation at the time — an arrangement Conway acknowledged can be complicated in any dealership environment.
“We were not overly warm with each other for a few years,” she said, describing an early relationship built more on tolerance than closeness.
Over time, shared interests and conversations softened the edges. A mutual friend helped bridge the gap. Eventually, the working relationship turned into something more, and Conway said the connection has given her something valuable in leadership: perspective from the shop floor.
“He brings a different perspective,” she said. “I never physically wrenched in the shop. Hearing his stories has been great for my point of view.”
It also is practical. When technical issues land on her desk, Conway said Dechert can translate them in ways that are immediate and clear — sometimes by walking her into the shop and showing her what’s happening.
“That extra level of product knowledge is invaluable because he’s wrenched on these vehicles and worked on these vehicles for so long,” she said.
(L-R) are Greg Dechert, field service manager and husband of Chelsea Conway; Chelsea Conway, CEO; Tom Conway, chairman of the board and father of Chelsea Conway; and Christina Conway, mother of Chelsea Conway.
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Conway: Support Proves Key
from page 54
Standing Out in Male-Dominated Industry
Conway is direct about the reality of being a woman CEO in the truck dealership world: It still changes the room.
“Absolutely,” she said, when asked whether it remains a challenge.
But she also said she has learned not to treat it as an obstacle she can’t control. Instead, she treats it as something to use.
“I’ve tried to lean into it,” she said. “There’s nothing I can do about it. So, I found a way to use it as an opportunity because I stand out compared to a room full of men.”
Conway said she approaches situations with a different perspective, and she’s comfortable having different conversations and reacting differently than some of her male peers might. The key, she said, is not letting it become a crutch — finding a way to capitalize on it while still doing the job at the highest level.
Serving Municipal Customers
In the New York municipal market — snow, ice, narrow budgets and long vehicle life cycles — Conway Beam’s approach is built around uptime and support.
Conway describes municipal customers as different by nature: they buy through a process that doesn’t look like a typical walk-in sale, and the consequences of downtime can hit public safety quickly.
“We understand the town stops if the municipal truck is down during a snowstorm,” she said. “We will do whatever we need to help
the municipality get on the road.”
She shared examples of the dealership’s service commitment: technicians and staff working extended hours on Christmas Eve, employees coming in on days off — whatever is required when a plow truck or critical unit needs to be returned to service.
Conway said the stakes can be especially high in smaller municipalities with limited fleet sizes.
“If you’re talking a small municipality with a limited fleet and citizens can’t get around, the world stops for them,” she said.
Her view of the dealership’s role is bigger than a transaction.
“From a society standpoint, we need safe roads out there,” Conway said. “Regardless from a business perspective, the world stops if our municipalities stop.”
Trucks Break Down, Support Is the Difference
Conway’s perspective on product differentiation is blunt: the equipment matters, but support is what separates good partners from temporary vendors.
“If somebody tells you their vehicle will never break down, they are not telling you the truth,” she said. “All vehicles break down. The crux of a good product is the product support that’s provided.”
To her, that support includes fast parts availability, accurate diagnostics and an organization structured to get customers back on the road quickly — especially when the customer is a municipality under pressure.
Chassis, Bodies, ‘Equipping’ Question
Like many truck dealerships, Conway Beam sells chassis, but the final configuration of many vocational and municipal trucks depends on bodies and equipment installed by specialized upfitters.
Conway said the dealership’s involvement depends on the deal. Sometimes the company sells a chassis only. Other times it partners with a body company and helps manage the full process, even though the chassis typically leaves the dealership and travels to the equipping facility.
Because municipal buyers need a complete working tool, not a spec sheet, Conway said her sales team stays well informed on the body side of the vehicle — what’s available, what fits and what the lead times look like.
Lead times remain a major reality in today’s body and upfit world, she said, and dealers need to educate customers upfront.
“Some bodies’ lead times might be longer than others,” she said, noting that expectations about delivery timelines can make or break satisfaction, especially for public fleets that plan years ahead.
As for why more dealers don’t simply build their own body operations, Conway said her team has discussed it — more than once — but the barriers are real.
“There’s an engineering element that we are not experts in,” she said. “There’s a lot involved … sourcing material, building and actually engineering the design.”
continued on page 60
After 75 years, Conway Beam is still building on a foundation set by a Mack employee who wanted a Rochester franchise and was willing to take the leap.
Service Keeps Trucks Moving
from page 58
Electric Vehicles, Mandates, Unknowns Ahead
Municipal buyers also are watching the industry’s powertrain shift closely. Conway spoke carefully about the transition to electric trucks, describing the current stage as “new technology” with room for manufacturers to better tailor solutions to customer needs.
She said the industry’s direction is still unsettled and could evolve toward electric vehicles — or potentially toward hydrogen fuel — depending on how technology, infrastructure and practical performance develop.
Conway also noted that a federal order signed in June “shut it down” for the time being, referring to shifting policy around mandates and requirements. In her words, there are “legal animals” still at play in government, but the immediate effect has been a pause.
Education, Competition
Conway’s background includes a competitive side that few dealership CEOs can claim: elite track and field.
She competed in the 2020 Olympic Trials (held in 2021 due to COVID) in the 20-km race walk. Qualification, she said, comes either by hitting a standard time or ranking in the top 15 nationally. In her case, it was the ranking — achieved during a period when many athletes had fewer opportunities to compete.
The trials took place in Eugene, Ore., and
and eye-opening experience. It’s almost like imposter syndrome.”
Her education path included finishing her undergraduate degree at Lindsey Wilson College in Kentucky and earning an MBA from the University of Denver.
Industry Groups, Community Work
Conway stays involved beyond the dealership walls. She participates in a NADA 20 Group and is part of a local family business group in the Rochester area, where multigeneration organizations share resources and compare notes on challenges that don’t show up in a typical corporate structure.
She also sits on a board for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Conway said her interest grew from personal experience with asthma and a desire to support an organization where she felt funds were used effectively to advance research and improve outcomes.
‘Handshake Business’ in Upstate New York
Conway watches the broader dealership landscape closely — and sees the same consolidation pressure impacting the truck world that has reshaped other equipment segments.
When she started, she said, there were approximately 200 Mack and Volvo dealers in her space; today, she estimates that number is down into the 80s. Private equity, she said,
enough that “you have to fly to get to the other location.”
Conway believes there is a real advantage to operating in a tight regional footprint where locations can support one another quickly by moving parts, sharing resources and responding faster than a spread-out enterprise can.
In the end, she comes back to the same theme: this industry runs on relationships, and upstate New York, in particular, still operates with a handshake mentality.
“Upstate New York is very different than downstate New York,” Conway said. “It is very much a handshake business.”
Shaped By People, Defined By Service
After 75 years, Conway Beam is still building on a foundation set by a Mack employee who wanted a Rochester franchise and was willing to take the leap. Three generations later, Chelsea Conway’s leadership reflects a modern dealership reality — technology shifts, new powertrains, long lead times, tighter labor markets and ongoing consolidation.
But her core message sounds old-fashioned in the best way: know your people, stand by your customers and be there when it counts.
In the municipal world, that means the phones ring when the weather turns, and the trucks have to move — no matter what day it is.
“We will do whatever we need to do to help
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Poe grew up as the son of a national park ranger, moving through forests, deserts and mountains. This upbringing shaped both his values and his career.
“It’s a spectacular way to grow up,” he said. “So I wanted that for myself and for my children as well.”
By day, Poe works as a ranger at Bryce Canyon, but his true love is astronomy. He created Dark Ranger Telescope Tours to bring that passion to life: combining science, education and entertainment under some of the clearest skies in the country.
“It’s nice to be able to work with your family,” he said. “They run telescopes, they give presentations … it’s kind of like putting everything you love in one place.”
The skies of southern Utah offer a powerful contrast to what most
“I jump on this rig, the battery is ready to go and I can push snow,” Kevin Poe said. “I don’t have to light a fire underneath my vehicle — literally — to get it warm enough to start.”
people experience at home.
“People come and look up, and they’re just like, ‘Why is this not back home?’” Poe said. “Well, it’s because of light pollution. It’s because of air pollution.”
That disconnect inspired Poe to walk the walk and find better ways to operate his business without contributing to the problems he teaches about.
continued on page 66
Volvo photo
Volvo photo
Kevin Poe’s business requires snow removal, road maintenance and heavy equipment. That’s where the Volvo L25 electric compact wheel loader comes in.
Electric Loader Powers Stargazing
from page 64
Zero-Emission Solution for Serious Winters
Operating year-round in a remote area means keeping a 1,200-ft. road to the observatory clear, even when snow drifts reach 10 ft. deep. Poe needed a reliable, capable machine that wouldn’t expose him to diesel fumes or struggle with cold starts.
“I really wanted something to be able to move snow with in the wintertime and not have to breathe the diesel fumes on my old tractor,” said Poe. “These diesel machines just don’t love winter.”
With the Volvo L25 electric CWL, Poe gets up to five hours of continuous snow clearing and instant torque at the controls, no warmup required.
“I jump on this rig, the battery is ready to go and I can push snow,” he said. “I don’t have to light a fire underneath my vehicle — literally — to get it warm enough to start.”
But the loader isn’t just for snow. Poe also uses it to empty shipping containers and haul equipment without needing to run a generator or deal with indoor diesel emissions.
Partnership Makes It Possible
When Poe decided to replace his old equipment, Arnold Machinery Co. stepped in to help.
“Volvo had just introduced the L25 electric into the marketplace,” said Jared Johnson of Arnold Machinery, who facilitated the purchase. “We were able to bring one out and let Kevin try it. At that point, he decided that this was the machine for him and his business.”
The L25 electric compact wheel loader requires 30 percent less maintenance, no fuel consumption and fewer moving parts, which means lower operating costs over time. For Poe, it also means reliability — a must for a business where timing matters.
“It probably seems like an interesting combination: telescopes and heavy equipment,” Poe said. “But the overlap would amaze most people. It’s all about downtime.”
Demonstrating a Better Way
Poe has spent years with the National Park Service, educating people about climate change. But for him, action speaks louder than words.
“I don’t think that’s nearly as effective as demonstrating it,” he said. That’s why Dark Ranger Telescope Tours runs on solar, electric vehicles and now, Volvo electric equipment.
“Be the change you want to see in the world,” Poe said. “Building a better tomorrow with machines that build my business at the same time.”
Volvo photo
The loader isn’t just for snow. Poe also uses it to empty shipping containers and haul equipment without needing to run a generator or deal with indoor diesel emissions.
13 Spud Lane • Binghamton NY 13904 607-693-2064 • sales@bingtruckbody.com
We are excited to announce the acquisition of Hackers Packers as a Division within Binghamton Truck Body specializing in building garbage and recycling packer trucks. This addition compliments our roll-off and hook-lift box offerings.
Please call or email us with any requests!
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