Snow Business April 2022 by SIMA Snow Business Magazine

CONTENTS APR 2022

Rorie

Jabaay

Patrick White / Photography by Wendy Schreier Photography

Symposium celebrates

Why do I still attend? Continuous growth, networking and fun

By DAVID GALLAGHER

25 YEARS! 1998 had its fair share of remarkable milestones: Google was founded; 77-year-old John Glenn became the oldest person to go to space; Michael Jordan played his last game as the Chicago Bulls won the NBA title; and the first SIMA Snow & Ice Symposium was held in Pittsburgh, PA. The snow and ice management industry has changed a lot since then as more companies have seen the benefits of building a professional industry focused on best practices and standards.

ANNUAL

How far we’ve come

The first Symposium brought together 75 trailblazers. Last year’s Symposium was a little different due to Covid, but more than 1,600 contractors and 160 exhibitors still made the commitment to attend. Given the circumstances, I find that truly awesome! Of the 25 shows, I have attended 18. For me, there is never a doubt of whether it is worth it to attend.

Make connections

Networking is probably my No. 1 reason for attending. I have made lifelong friends and mentors through my SIMA membership and volunteerism. I would not have the experience and expertise I have acquired without the people I have met and continue to engage with through SIMA.

I met Alan Steiman at one of my first SIMA events in 2002. Alan encouraged me to get more involved in snow and ice management and was a constant source of knowledge. Today, I honor his memory by contributing to the SIMA Foundation and encouraging others to follow their dreams in the industry. Don’t just attend the Symposium and hang out with your team or your spouse. Meet people, make friends and forge professional connections. The power of SIMA is in its members and their collective knowledge. Share, and ask others to share with you!

Continuous learning

Each year, experts in a host of focus areas deliver reminders and a plethora of information that you can use to better serve your customers. I have presented many sessions on operational and business management. If you feel led, volunteer to speak. It can be more of a learning experience than attending a session!

Trends and technology

Equipment technology has changed immensely since 1997, where we saw the relatively new technology of V-plows and pusher boxes. Today, commercial snow and ice managers use tech-controlled application equipment, hydraulic wing plows on sophisticated wheel loaders, a host of software solutions and more. We are more environmentally conscious, while delivering better (safer) results. None of this would be possible without the Symposium and SIMA membership working together.

I hope I have built a case not only for attending the 25th Annual SIMA Symposium in Milwaukee but also future shows. In my opinion, you control the return on investment. Participate and engage? You win. Stay home or merely attend as a spectator? You lose. To all my friends and colleagues, see you at the Best Show in Snow!

David Gallagher is principal for Spiritus Business Advisors. Contact him at david@spiritusba.com.

BROCHURE: 2022 show details are on Pages 9-22. #SEEYOUATSIMA!

MAXIMIZE: Mike McCarron shares tips for making the most of your experience on Pages 30-31.

SAVE: Have a little fun with our Seek & Find on Pages 32-33. You could win a free or discounted show registration.

APPLY: If you’ve never attended a Symposium and have snow revenue of less than $100,000, apply for the Alan Steiman Symposium Scholarship. You can win free registration, hotel and travel stipend. Apply at www.sima.org/awards

A Publication | www.sima.org

EDITORIAL

Director of Education & Content

Cheryl Higley // 262-236-9972 // cheryl@sima.org

Design & Production Director

Lisa Lehman // 216-798-1853 // lisa@sima.org

ADVERTISING SALES & MANAGEMENT

Senior Manager, Engagement and Business Development

Kerri Joseph // 614-557-3948 // kerri@sima.org

DIGITAL MEDIA & MARKETING

Manager, Marketing & Communications

Stephanie Orvis // 262-236-9948 // steph@sima.org

SUBSCRIPTION

Subscription questions/cancellations: cs@e-circ.net

Subscription changes/updates: sima.org/subscription

EDITORIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Charmaine Allen Allen Builders

Nichole Ashton North Country Snow & Ice Management

Erin Faupel, ASM ULS Landscaping

Jim Hornung Jr., CSP Elbers Landscape Service

Tyler Jabaay Priority Landscape & Maintenance

Rick Kier, CSP Forge Ahead Consulting and Software LLC

Mike Kukol Horizon Landscape Co.

Bob Marks, CSP, ASM emi landscape

William Moore, CSP, ASM Executive Property Maintenance

Jason Ostrander, CSP Sauers Snow and Ice Management

USM

Kevin Speilman Nxgen Networks Inc.

Evan Tachoir Snow & Ice Management

Robert Young

K.E.Y. Property Services

Michael Wagner, CSP Colorado Designscapes Co.

Chief Executive Officer

Martin Tirado, CAE // martin@sima.org

Chief Operating Officer Brian Birch, CAE // brian@sima.org

Director of Events

Heather Carew, CAE // heather@sima.org

Manager, Education & Credentials Ellen Lobello // ellen@sima.org

Manager, Member Development Chris Dix // chris@sima.org

Manager, Finance & Operations

KC Hallgren // kc@sima.org

Manager, Billing & Member Services

Aimee Krzywicki // aimee@sima.org

Office Manager & Executive Assistant Nikki Luedtke // nikki@sima.org

SIMA OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

Board Chair: Jonathan Crandall, CSP, JC Grounds Management

Immediate Past Chair: Wayne Michalak, CSP, The Greener Side

Vice Chair: Mark Arthofer, CSP, Skyline Construction

Secretary / Treasurer: David Wescott, CSP, Transblue Ruben Diaz, ASM, Diaz Group LLC

Connie Gaul, ASM, Brightview Enterprise Solutions

Patrick Kane, CSP, Evercor Facility Management

Chris Hinton, CSP, GRM Inc.

Danny Milligan, ASM, Strathmore Landscape Contractors

John Janes, CSP, ASM, Caterpillar Debora Babin Katz, TrucBrush Corporation

Snow Business (5730) (ISSN 2155-2576) Copyright © 2022 by the Snow & Ice Management Association, 10140 N. Port Washington Rd., Mequon, WI 53092 is produced and published February, April, June, August, September, October, December by the Snow & Ice Management Association. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without permission of the Publisher, SIMA – Snow & Ice Management Association. Subscribe at SIMA.org/subscribe. Periodicals postage prices is paid at Mequon, WI, and additional entry offices at 11716 S. Preston Hwy, Lebanon Junction, KY 40150-9998. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SIMA - Snow Business – PO Box 8818, Lowell, MA 01853. 10140 N. Port Washington Road, Mequon, WI 53092 414-375-1940 //info@sima.org // www.sima.org

Thomas Skuta, CSP

SIMA STAFF

WORTH THE WEIGHT

The EZ-V ® V-Plow and STEEL-CASTER™ Hopper Spreader for Half-Ton Trucks.

The EZ-V V-plow comes with all the features and efficiency of our full-size V-plows, but in a lightweight design that’s precision engineered for your half-ton truck.

• Industry-leading trip-edge design

• InstaLock double-acting cylinders

• Minute Mount® 2 mounting system

• Powder-coated or stainless steel options available

• LED or dual-halogen INTENSIFIRE ™ headlight options available

• 0.7 cubic yard capacity

• Convenient flip-up chute

• 15.5"-wide pintle chain conveyor system

• Dual variable-speed control

• Accessory integration, including the 50-gallon direct liquid application kit

New member referral initiative

The industry advances when we all work together

By CHRIS DIX

SIMA’s mission is to empower snow and ice management professionals for success. We are able to achieve this through thousands of partnerships with industry practitioners, suppliers and vendors, insurance professionals, SIMA’s board of directors and education committee, and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). It really does take a village to create positive and lasting change.

While we welcome new member companies at any time, SIMA’s Membership Team is planning two membership drives in 2022: one in the spring and one in the fall.

SIMA has grown with direct help from our most tenured and engaged members, supplier partnerships, referrals and in-house marketing and outreach efforts.

We believe that we can achieve unimaginable results both personally and professionally when our industry is connected and working together.

We are launching these membership drives to further expand SIMA’s mission while incentivizing current members and non-members to share in the mission and results.

You will be hearing more about this in the coming weeks through email and social media. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions or to get started. Together we thrive!

Chris Dix is Manager, Membership & Development for SIMA. Contact Chris at chris@sima.org or 262-236-9949. Schedule time to chat with him at meetings.hubspot.com/chris2533.

SIMA MEMBERSHIP DRIVE INCENTIVES

We’re making it worth your time to help grow your SIMA community of companies dedicated to professionalizing the snow and ice management industry.

GET STARTED

STEP 1: Current SIMA members must request a specific referral code at https://bit.ly/SIMARefer, emailing chris@sima.org or calling (262) 236-9949

STEP 2: Give the code to as many non-members as you’d like. You can verify if someone is a member by checking the SIMA Contractor Directory at my.sima.org/snowcontractordirectory. Any referrals who join will receive $100 off an annual membership.

MEMBERSHIP REFERRAL INCENTIVES

SNOW CONTRACTOR / FACILITY MANAGER MEMBERS

REFER 1-2 MEMBERS: Additional $200 Training Credit

REFER 3-4: Free Advanced Snow Manager (ASM) or Certified Snow Professional (CSP) course

REFER 5+: Free Membership for 2023 & one free ASM or CSP

For each drive, the company that refers the most new members (6+) will receive a one-year All Access Training Pass ($1,800 value) and a pizza party for their team ($150).

SUPPLIER MEMBERS

REFER 1-2 MEMBERS: Free promotion on SIMA’s Social Live (LinkedIn/ Facebook/Instagram Story)

REFER 3-4: Free Member Connect Product Showcase ($750 value)

REFER 5+: SIMA Solutions Banner ad and story distributed to $25,000+ readers and placed in the SIMA Tools portal ($1,100 value)

For each drive, the supplier company that refers the most new members (6+) will receive a free custom email blast ($5,000 value).

AWARDS NOMINATIONS CLOSE APRIL 30

The Snow & Ice Awards provide SIMA members the opportunity to showcase their company’s professionalism and commitment to creating a culture that honors their employees’ hard work and dedication.

Nominations are open for the following awards:

• Best Companies to Work for in Snow & Ice

• Alan Steiman Symposium Scholarship

• All Stars of Snow & Ice (Sales, Office Professional, Field Operations and Field Operations Manager)

There is no cost to enter, but the portal is only open through April 30 Learn more about the awards criteria and access the entry forms at www.sima.org/awards.

UPCOMING EVENTS

APRIL

14: Free webinar: Pricing for 2022 & Beyond with Steve Steele

21: Postseason Course Corrections with Rick Kier, CSP

MAY

11: Member Connect & Product Showcase

19: Sales Jam with Jack Jostes

JUNE

21-24: Snow & Ice Symposium

Check out the 2022 events calendar and register at my.sima.org/home/calendar

Opt-in for SIMA updates Add the events to your calendar or sign up for text reminders.

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Burnout in the snow industry is real! Recharge your batteries and refocus your attention on critical outcomes that help build successful, resilient businesses — all while enjoying the company of like-minded industry leaders who understand the stress and challenge of snow. Scan this code to get updates and a calendar invite

Dynamic speakers will push you to look to the future and build on your success.

Meet forward-thinking snow entrepreneurs and build lasting relationships.

Kick back and take some much-needed time to build your stamina for the coming snow season.

event

Best Show in Snow turns 25 in ’22

This milestone is remarkable and worthy of celebration on its own; but SIMA will also be celebrating a return to normalcy: one show, one location and one time a year we all get to be together. It’s been a long time since that has happened. When this year’s show kicks off, it will have been 1,095 days since we said goodbye in Grand Rapids, MI, not realizing a storm of epic proportion was coming that would change business as usual.

After spending 2020 in the virtual world and breaking up 2021 into 4 smaller shows, we’re looking forward to getting back to the traditional format of the Best Show in Snow. But we promise “traditional” doesn’t mean boring — the week is going to be “out of this world!”

Highlights

Education Galaxy: We have two facility tours planned, concurrent sessions, a special owner-focused track, workshops and new strategic planning sessions to help place you and your company on a solid trajectory toward the future of snow and ice management.

Cosmic Connections: Our popular snack and chats and role-focused roundtable discussions are back, plus you will have several chances to meet, network and engage with fellow snow professionals. You won’t want to miss our 25th Anniversary party as we come together to celebrate our industry; plus SIMA After Hours, the welcome reception and the closing event at Summerfest will give you a taste of Milwaukee’s Best.

Mission Control: Spend time at our trade show to connect with loyal exhibitors who have the latest and greatest snow and ice management products and services to take your operations to the next level. Plus, Tech Talks are back. Listen in for great information from subject matter experts on liquids, software, snow removal and more.

This brochure features all of the educational events, networking opportunities and trade show details to plan a great week for you and your teams to learn, engage and innovate. Ignite your passion for snow and join us June 21-24 for what we expect to be a heck of a party!

Heather Carew, CAE Director of Events

Cheryl Higley Director, Education & Content

7:00-8:00am

Education Galaxy

Chart your own course for learning with a mix of sessions for nearly every role in snow and ice

TUESDAY, June 21 wednesday, June 22

Pre-launch event: Facility Tours

On Tuesday, June 21, the day before the show officially kicks off, go behind the scenes with Winter Services, one of Milwaukee’s premier snow companies; plus check out the manufacturing process and demo equipment at the Western Snowplows facility. Transportation and lunch are included in the tour.

This facility tour is limited to 140 participants and is only available to full Symposium registrants. Cost: $55

LIFTOFF KEYNOTE Off Balance on Purpose with Dan Thurmon

WORKSHOP Wednesday

Plan your own unique learning experience in the day’s multifaceted, interactive framework:

STEP 1: MOONSHOT LAB STRATEGY SESSIONS

STEP 2: WARP SPEED WORKSHOPS

STEP 3: STAR CLUSTER ROUNDTABLE NETWORKING

MOONSHOT LABS

In 1962, President Kennedy set an ambitious goal — “We choose to go to the moon in this decade” — that an entire country rallied around. That big and bold innovation requires a shift in mindset, unconventional thinking and inspiring everyone involved toward action. “Moonshots” take passion, perseverance, hard work, time and even failure to materialize … let alone succeed.

What’s your “moonshot”? Do you have a plan to get there? Wednesday’s Moonshot Labs strategic planning sessions will encourage you to imagine the impossible and then put a plan in place to make it reality. Every person’s moonshot is different, but the steps to launching it for a successful landing are the same. Choose a lab and work with a facilitator and fellow snow professionals to think critically and strategically about your company’s future in the snow and ice management industry.

LAB

Jack Jostes, Ramblin Jackson

GROWTH LAB

Jason Cupp, Kincaide Ltd.

LAB

Joe Kiedinger, Prophit Inc.

You’ll leave with a plan to take back to your team that includes clear, objective and measurable goals and actions to start you on a positive trajectory!

& TECHNOLOGY LAB

Marty Grunder, The Grow Group

Phill Sexton, CSP, ASM, WIT Advisors

warp speed workshops

Whether you need more knowledge to propel the moonshot you identified in the morning or need to brush up on a particular skill, we’re going warp speed on Wednesday afternoon. The morning’s facilitators will help contract the learning curve and get you where you want to go faster (maybe not at the speed of light) with positive energy:

SALES

Attract + Sell To Your Hell Yes Customers!

Jack Jostes, Ramblin Jackson

Featuring SIMA video case studies, Jack’s workshop will center around a proven, current digital marketing & sales process. You’ll learn the real reason you’re losing on price (and how to finally fix it); how to attract the right, qualified leads (and weed out bad fits); and how to align marketing with your sales process to maximize profits. Walk away with immediate improvements in your sales process plus worksheets, templates and actionable takeaways.

OPERATIONS

Build Your Operational Calendar with the 52-week Snow Timeline

Phill Sexton, CSP, ASM, WIT Advisors

LABOR

Leave the Front Door Open and the Back Door Closed Marty Grunder, The Grow Group

Recruiting and retaining a winning team is one of the greatest challenges business owners face, especially in today’s tight labor market. Marty will share the hiring tactics that have worked—and those that haven’t—for Grunder Landscaping and other companies. From leveraging technology to find and attract young workers, to creating career paths and building a workplace culture people want to be a part of, you’ll learn real-world steps you can take to win the war for talent. In part two of the workshop, Marty will share how to use training and incentives to set your team up for success.

Whether you are a landscape operation that performs snow services or are a “snow only” company, an annualized operational calendar is critical to managing a snow operation and holding your team accountable. SIMA’s 52-week snow procurement timeline gives snow professionals, and their clients, a path to developing an accurate and inclusive operational calendar. Explore the timeline, the role each team member plays to successfully execute the tasks, and how to create a plan to align goals and expectations to the timeline. Plus, Phill will present the customer’s perspective, as well as where you should anticipate roadblocks —and how to overcome them.

BUSINESS

Creating

Team

Efficiency to Improve the Bottom Line

Jason Cupp, Kincaide Ltd.

In any organization, people are one of the key assets to be successful; yet business owners often overlook this very important ingredient. Using his expertise as a Kolbe Certified Consultant, Jason will share how setting your structure, using your team’s natural instincts, and building mutual respect across your entire organization will create a company you didn’t know you could have. He will also share his “Leaders of Leaders” strategy, which takes an in-depth look at what it takes (leadership, management and communication) to deliver your highest level of success.

LEADERSHIP

Leadership Reimagined Joe Kiedinger, Prophit Inc.

Is your company able to function effectively, to cope adequately, to change appropriately and to grow from within? Joe will focus on two key areas that leaders should address to improve company health: organizational and interpersonal communication. Everything begins and ends with a company’s purpose. Once aligned, the team can clearly identify goals and initiatives to drive the organization forward. He’ll share simple changes you can make to connect people in working toward the common cause through healthy conflict resolution, teamwork and cooperation.

star cluster networking

Sponsored by Allin/Rose Consulting, Inc.

Wednesday wraps up with our popular role-focused roundtable discussions (formerly called The Hub). Choose a room (Ownership, Management, Operations or Sales & Business Development) to have a drink and get to know other snow professionals. Talk shop, seek advice, and build or renew friendships.

NEW FOR 2022

ownership track: focus on the future

This track is geared toward owners who are still involved in the high-level here and now of their businesses, but are ready to explore what a future outside of snow looks like for the company, themselves and their families.

WEDNESDAY

Line in the Sand: Ethics in Business

Jim Lindell, Thorsten Consulting

Ethical behavior continues to be a problem in the business and personal worlds. Many people have chosen hypocrisy, dishonesty and inappropriate self enrichment as a standard operating procedure. Our organizations must recognize the impact of "The ends justifies the means," and champion ethical behavior in all walks of life. Jim will challenge us as to what we accept as unethical behavior and encourage us to adopt, promote and encourage ethical behavior in all walks of life.

What is My Business Worth?

Alison Hoffman, The Harvester Group

What is your business worth? There is no one number that can be used to answer that question. Alison will detail the main types of business valuation methods and practical “rules of thumb” you can use to estimate your company’s worth. Using an actual Income Statement and Balance Sheet, we will step through the basics of a sample company’s information to calculate a range for that company’s worth. Learn when it’s safe to use a “rule of thumb” estimate and when not to use one.

Transition Planning: Leave with No Regrets

Ronald Edmonds, The Principium Group

As a business owner, you’re ready for almost anything. But recent data shows that even the most successful founders struggle with a common problem: the regret of how they handled leaving their company. Planning your exit involves preparing your business for sale, but it also involves making sure you are prepared to transition the ownership of your business. In this session, we will explore how to prepare personally, financially and emotionally with the goal of transitioning your business with no regrets.

Star Clusters Networking Reception: Close out the day by getting to know fellow owners with a networking reception and roundtable discussion.

Sponsored by Allin/Rose Consulting, Inc.

THURSDAY

How to Grow the Value of Your Snow Business

Alison Hoffman, The Harvester Group

Once you know what your company is worth, do you know how to increase its value? Learn about the financial, operational and strategic factors that will add value to your company. Running your company to achieve its highest value also results in a better, stronger, more valuable operation. Takeaways include a greater understanding of what buyers are looking for and a list of desired qualities of a snow business; questions to help you focus on profitable growth factors that go beyond financial measures; metrics to track your improvement; and suggestions for employee incentives designed to engage/empower and reward your team members as they achieve your goals.

Moving on: Lessons Learned from Selling My Company

Rick Kier, CSP, Forge Ahead Consulting & Software

After 40 years of battling upstate New York winters, SIMA founding member Rick Kier, CSP, sold his company in 2020. He’ll share his story and lessons learned from transitioning out of the business, from the initial offers to long after the deal closed. He’ll offer a lot to think about if you ever consider selling your company.

LIGHT-SPEED LESSONS

Snow professionals lay it all on the table with our Light-Speed Lesson series. Informal, conversational and heartfelt, four snow professionals will share stories about their life, leadership and lessons learned that have helped shape how they approach their work in the snow and ice management industry. Check www.sima.org/show for a final lineup closer to the show.

EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS

thursday, June 23

TECHNOLOGY

Weather Services: Why They’re Worth the Investment

Mark Allen, Glenhaven Group

If you haven’t invested in a professional weather service for your snow and ice management operations, you’re risking additional liability exposure, operational inefficiencies and likely unhappy customers. Using real-life examples, Mark will explore why a weather service is a good investment to reduce salt waste, improve client service and education, mitigate slip and fall liability, and more.

OPERATIONS

Training Novices Into Seasoned Pros

Kevin Shackleford, The Shackleford Group

BUSINESS

How to Avoid a Financial Heart Attack

Jim Lindell, Thorsten Consulting

Almost 50% of businesses that started five years ago are no longer in operation today. Business owners must recognize key indicators of financial business failure. Can you describe the financial health of your company? Of your industry? Can you identify the business cycle and key threats to your organization? Jim will highlight why businesses fail and, most importantly, what you should do to protect the business from a financial heart attack.

OPERATIONS

Automation in Snow & Ice Management

The need for quality snow fighters is at an all time high. One technique Shackleford Landscape Group has used to combat labor woes was implementing “Shackleford University” — a comprehensive training program that includes learning in the classroom, in small group settings and in simulated drills. Kevin has been able to transform inexperienced operators into seasonal professionals. Learn how to build your own university, what to include and why.

LEADERSHIP

Strengthen your Core: Lead from the Middle

Nichole Ashton, CSP, North Country Snow & Ice Management

Companies don’t function well when the owner gets bogged down in the minutiae. They have entrusted you with managing the day to day so they can focus on the big picture. Middle managers must be confident in their abilities to lead, understand the company’s deliverables, solve problems and identify when processes need changed, and positively and proactively communicate with the owner. Nichole has experienced the benefits of this approach and will share how middle management can help improve company culture and develop a first-rate team to support the owner’s vision.

Panelists: Joe Langton, Langton Group; Michael Mayberry, Level Green Landscaping; and Ryan Hebel, Green Ventures Landscape Care

Automation is beginning to catch hold in snow and ice management. Our panelists will discuss how automating processes and equipment can ease the burden on your team, improve service and foster less reliance on hard-to-find labor.

SALES & MARKETING

Brrrright Ideas to Maximize Your Marketing

Elizabeth Bonadonna, CSP, Busy Beaver Lawn & Garden

Are you providing a high quality customer and employee experience but still struggling to reach new people? Learn how to translate your company culture from in person to digital to maximize your marketing efforts. Leave this session with a toolbelt of new technologies, ideas and strategies to push your marketing to the next level.

OWNERSHIP TRACKS

How to Grow the Value of Your Snow Business

Alison Hoffman, The Harvester Group

Moving on: Lessons Learned from Selling My Company

Rick Kier, CSP, Forge Ahead Consulting & Software

See full descriptions on page 15

friday, June 24

TRENDS

Snow Industry Impact Report

Debora Katz & Martin Tirado

SIMA CEO Martin Tirado and SIMA Foundation Board Chair

Debora Katz will present findings from the 2022 industry impact report sponsored by The SIMA Foundation. The presentation will include market trends and details on the size, composition and economic impact of our industry.

OPERATIONS

Safety as a Way of Life, Not an Added Expense

Matthew Gerich, CSP, Brilar LLC

Safety should be top of mind at all times. Not just when it is convenient, but every day in every way. Matt will help you build a safety culture within your company or enhance the one you have started.

BUSINESS

Scale First, Grow Second

Scott Lesak, CSP, Kasel Rocks Landscaping

This personal growth-centric presentation will be career and life changing if you embrace the concepts within. Scott will share why personal growth comes first; how to scale your organization by identifying the right job functions and roles before you need them; and how to grow your organization at a breakneck pace, while still maintaining control.

OPERATIONS

Build a Profit Strategy around Liquids

John Langton, CSP, Langton Group

Interested in adding liquids to your ice management toolbox but not sure you want to take the financial risk? John Langton will share how his company blended them into their profit strategy, resulting in improved service, happier clients and reduced environmental impact.

SUPERNOVA KEYNOTE

Solve the People Puzzle with Kathleen Quinn Votaw Sponsored by Skyline Salt Solutions

Engaged employees are passionate, creative and entrepreneurial – exactly what you need to fuel growth. But you’ll never attract these superstars with outdated recruitment strategies or a workplace that stifles their imagination.

Kathleen Quinn Votaw dares you to step out of the conference room, engage with employees, and learn what really drives them. Here’s why:

• People need to know they matter, from your senior execs to your hourly workers.

• Employees quit bad cultures and toxic environments and only you can right that ship.

• Money won’t solve this problem. In fact, it’s rarely a top motivator for in-demand talent.

With dynamic changes in employment you simply cannot afford to sit this one out.

GET THE BOOK: Kathleen will be available to sign her book “Solve the People Puzzle” following her presentation.

Proceeds from the keynote book sales will benefit the SIMA Foundation’s Alan Steiman Scholarship Fund, which provides full complimentary registration, hotel and travel stipend to a first-time Symposium attendee.

KATHLEEN QUINN VOTAW

cosmic connections

During Symposium week, you’ll have many opportunities to forge professional relationships with peers and build friendships that will last a lifetime

Back to the Future Reception

TUESDAY, JUNE 21

SIMA After Hours

TUESDAY, JUNE 21 & WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22

Star Clusters

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22

Sponsored by Allin/Rose Consulting, Inc.

“Stellar assemblages held together by the mutual gravitational attraction of its members, which are physically related through common origin.” Come together at the close of the education sessions to network with snow professionals in similar roles. Whether you’re seeking advice or want to give back to the industry by sharing your knowledge and experience, these informal but always engaging get-togethers are a must-attend event.

Blast Off Welcome Reception

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22

Sponsored by WeatherWorks, Winter Equipment Company, Pro-Tech, Innovative Surface Solutions

The official kick off to the Best Show in Snow is always the welcome reception. This year, we’re hitting The Beer Garden in Milwaukee’s famous Deer District sports and entertainment neighborhood for fun, friendship, food trucks, Milwaukee’s best brews and more. This event is free and open to all attendees, exhibitors and sponsors! You won’t want to miss the chance to reconnect with old friends and expand your network with new ones. All Certified Snow Professionals and Advanced Snow Managers will receive an invitation for early access to the event.

Big Bang 25th Anniversary Celebration

THURSDAY, JUNE 23

SIMA and the snow and ice industry have come a long way since 75 people convened for the first Snow & Ice Symposium at the Airport Marriott in Pittsburgh, PA. Help us reminisce and celebrate 25 years of the Best Show in Snow during a private party at the MKE 9th Street Brewery. The trade show closes at 5 p.m. so you’ll have time for dinner with clients, your team, etc. before gathering for drinks, music and more from 8-10 p.m. The event is free and open to all show attendees, exhibitors and sponsors!

Snack & Chats

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22 & THURSDAY, JUNE 23

Sponsored by WeatherWorks (Wednesday) and Western Products (Thursday)

Want to learn more about a particular topic, connect with snow professionals who are in a similar position or have best practices to share? We have you covered with our popular topic-focused snack and chats. A complete list of topics will be posted in the Xtra show guide and outside the event room.

Closing Event: Summerfest!

FRIDAY, JUNE 24

Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to rock out at the opening weekend of Milwaukee’s famous Summerfest music festival at Henry Maier Festival Park! We’re closing out a memorable week on one of Summerfest’s private party decks. This event is open to all attendees, sponsors and exhibitors. Once our party ends you are welcome to invite your family to enjoy all the festivities at this beautiful venue on the shores of Lake Michigan. Visit www.summerfest.com for the musical acts, entertainment and activities you’ll be able to enjoy! Cost is $100 per person and includes shuttle transportation to the event, Summerfest ticket and food & beverages.

mission control

The Best Show in Snow is known for its outstanding trade show experience. Cutting edge equipment, technology and innovation will be on display June 23-24 with 8+ hours of dedicated exhibitor time. Plus, the popular Tech Talks are back (and so is the Ale Trail)!

For the latest updates visit go.sima.org/tradeshow.

Download the SIMA Show App

Download and use the SIMA Show app to receive updates and timely information during the event. Here is why it’s important (even if you’re not super tech savvy):

UPDATES: SIMA will use push notifications as the primary means of communication during the show. If there is an issue, room change, etc., you’ll get instant notice.

PLAN: Use the Agenda widget to verify session times/locations, access documents, take notes and rate the sessions.

CONNECT: Share your contact information with attendees and exhibitors.

EXPLORE: Use the app to view our 2022 Award winners, win prizes and more!

Tech Talks

During trade show hours, stop in for mini-sessions from these companies: Include Software

Fisher Engineering

Western Products

Occidental Chemical Corp.

SnowEx Products

SRM - Kodiak America

Ice B Gone Magic

Innovative Surface Solutions

Session descriptions will be in the Symposium Xtra show guide and the SIMA Show app.

Exhibitor LINEUP

Plan your time on the trade show floor! Scan the QR code or visit www.sima.org/show to check out the exhibitors who will be on hand to showcase their products and answer questions!

2022 symposium sponsors

* As of March 14, 2022

MILWAUKEE, WI

Event Dates:

June 21-24, 2022

Trade Show Dates: June 23-24, 2022

Dedicated Show Hours: Thursday, June 23: 11:45 am - 5 pm Friday, June 24: 9:45 am - 12:45 pm

The majority of the Symposium events will take place at the Wisconsin Center. The Hilton and Hyatt are the host hotels. Once you complete your event registration, SIMA will send you a dedicated link to book your hotel rooms.

NOTE: Purchasing outside of the official room block is done at your own risk. BEWARE OF RESERVATION POACHERS!

Wisconsin Center

400 W Wisconsin Avenue

Hilton Milwaukee City Center

509 W Wisconsin Avenue

Rate: $189/night

Conference & hotel locations registration pricing

Hyatt Regency Milwaukee

333 West Kilbourn Avenue

Rate: $191/night

Includes access to event keynotes and education, trade show, snack & chats, Welcome Reception, 25th Anniversary party, SIMA After Hours and Star Clusters networking.

Day Pass (Wednesday - Friday)

Includes access to education, special events and trade show for the selected day. See event schedule for more on each day’s lineup.

boost close rates

Five tips for sales success without selling only on price

BY MIKE CARRON

BY JACK JOSTES

Many contractors will say that snow services are all based on price … and so they will try to sell on price. When you try to sell on price, it becomes a rat race to the bottom, because someone will always charge less than you. The key to charging what you’re worth is to differentiate yourself in the sales process and help serve your customer while they’re buying from you. These five sales tips can help.

Perform an evaluation

1 Do a site visit with the customer to walk their property and see what they actually need. Often, they’re searching for a new company because they’re not happy with their current one.

Help clients write a proper RFP

2 Jim Turcan, CSP, ASM, president of Cornerstone Horticultural Partners Services in Elgin, IL, helps his clients

session details: Jack Jostes will facilitate a sales strategic planning lab and a workshop focused on attracting and selling to your “Hell Yes! Customers” on Wednesday, June 22. Learn more at www.sima.org/show/education

COMPASS NETWORK SALES JAM:

Jack is the featured speaker for Compass Network’s second-annual Sales Jam on May 19. Learn more and register at go.sima.org/compass-network.

write an RFP and understand all of the terminology in it. Many people glaze over important details that can impact pricing. Turk helps his customers avoid getting ripped off by competitors who don’t create detailed proposals.

Present proposals face to face

3 Presenting your proposal to your client will give you the opportunity to ask questions, remove line items that they don’t want, and ask questions that will create seeds of doubt about your competition, which is likely lowballing the initial bid.

If this isn’t possible, such as if you are selling to an HOA board where you simply can’t meet with everyone, send a follow-up video with your proposal, using software like Soapbox or Vidyard. Using video can help people see and hear you, which will make them feel like they have a better sense of rapport with you.

Stop trying to sell to everyone

4 If you are interviewing a potential client and they tell you they’re shopping around for their 11th bid or otherwise indicate that they are going to be buying entirely on price, simply back out of the proposal process. Don’t waste your time.

One client was closing 1 out of 20 sales because he was trying to sell every lead without qualifying them. Each sale took at least 12 hours from the initial phone calls, site evaluations, virtual property measurement and proposal creation. Since he started qualifying harder on the front end of

the sale, he now weeds out the price shoppers and bad fits. His close rate went from 1-in-20 to 1-in-5.

Differentiate your brand

5 Whether they’re looking you up online after you’ve been referred to them or discovering you through an internet search because they’ve run out of quality referrals, property managers, HOA board members and commercial clients are going to Google you. Does what they find make the sale or break it?

If you have less than a 4-star average rating on your Google listing, you’re probably eliminated from the running. If you have solid reviews, they’ll continue on to your website. Do they read the same thing that they read on every company’s website … that you’re a “family-owned business for 25 years?” Or do they read your Unique Sales Position (USP), which speaks to their pains, fears and concerns, and then watch professional video interviews with your clients backing up your claims? Make your digital presence your most trained salesperson who assists in closing every deal.

With these five tips, you’ll stop selling on price, start selling on value and increase your close rate and profits.

Jack Jostes is CEO of Ramblin Jackson, a green industry digital marketing and branding agency that helps landscaping companies throughout the country attract more qualified customers with professional branding, digital marketing, sales consulting, website design and search engine optimization. Learn more at www.ramblinjackson.com.

be happier at work

Lead and build respect with dignity and purpose

BY JOE KIEDINGER

intertwined, it’s important to find the balance we need — both at work and at home — and learn how to de-stress no matter where we may be.

Did you know that most of us spend about half of our waking hours at work? Shouldn’t those hours be happy ones? I believe most Americans in the workplace would be happier (and, thus, more effective) if they 1) contributed to their company’s purpose 2) felt engaged and 3) felt dignified. So, let’s make this the Year of Organizational Health with these healthy habits:

Contribute toward purpose

1 Do you feel your role in the workplace contributes to your organization’s overall purpose? What

about your employees? Leaders, this is a great question to ask in one-onones. When it comes down to it, we all want to know we’re making a difference and moving our company toward larger goals. If you’re not currently contributing to company goals, brainstorm some ways you can, and then bring them to your leader. Proactivity is a gift!

Build engagement

2 “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” right? So, toss in that silly joke, take three minutes to ask about your associates’ weekends and start each meeting with a round of “Good News.”

Spread dignity

3 We all want to feel respected, heard and liked. At Prophit Co. we contribute to this goal by sharing “Dignifies” in our morning huddle, thanking our coworkers and associates for the small, everyday moments when they have gone above and beyond. Take time to honor the people who contribute to even small wins. Give me a score of small wins over a big one any day.

SESSION DETAILS: Joe Kiedinger will facilitate a labor/workforce development strategic planning lab and a workshop on organizational health on Wednesday, June 22. Learn more at www.sima.org/show/education.

While it seems counterproductive to take up work time to socialize, it actually has quite the opposite effect. It motivates employees to do their very best work for an organization where they feel they matter. Have some meaningful conversations and work to understand your associates’ dreams, goals and aspirations. Employees who feel engaged are much more likely to be effective workers.

In addition, we schedule weekly Dignify® Check-Ins so we are reminded of each of our associate’s personal motivations and how we can best communicate with them. We also give our associates ample time in oneon-ones to discuss what’s going well and what challenges they face, and to listen so they feel heard.

Joe Kiedinger is the CEO and founder of Prophit Co., a communication company focused on organizational health. He has over 20 years of experience as an executive leadership coach and keynote speaker. Contact him at joek@prophit.com or visit https://www.prophit.com.

ISSUE #1: FOCUS ON FINANCIALS

You have to spend money to make money; but there are several miscues and/or decisions small business owners can make that can compromise the profitability – and even the viability – of their companies. This issue of StartUp focuses on key areas to consider: financing, credit, purchasing and business structure.

Be prudent when financing

Regardless of how profitable your business is on paper, without cash your business will starve if you can’t meet payroll and vendor obligations. Most businesses fail because they are undercapitalized. Financing provides access to cash to manage long- or shortterm business objectives. While you don’t want to over-leverage your company, financing can be beneficial in the growth of your company.

Establish good relationships with a banker who understands the seasonality and intricacies of running a snow business. Have frequent conversations about your business and your needs so if you need to secure financing the door will already have been opened.

Buying with cash is a conservative way to make sure you don’t spend more than you have, but it may not always be practical. Prudent use of credit can help a business manage the ebb and flow of cash throughout certain business cycles. Borrowing on credit to pay overhead expenses, though, is no different than personally living beyond your means.

TIP: DON’T GET TOO PERSONAL

Personal lines of credit, credit cards and loans: Be very careful of putting your personal financial security at stake. Using personal credit puts you on the hook for your business’s liability.

FINANCING OPTIONS

Short-term financing: Business credit cards and vendor accounts may offer shorter terms that allow you to buy today while saving your cash, and paying when the term is up.

Traditional bank loans: When borrowing, a bank will evaluate your request for funding differently depending on what you are requesting and what your financials look like. Asset-based loans to buy equipment or property are typically considered long-term loans; but cash-based loans for working capital, payroll and other direct expenses are usually short-term loans.

Lines of credit: You can use lines of credit similar to a credit card, only paying when you borrow money. They may be secured or unsecured. Understand the difference and the pros and cons of each.

Small business loans: It may not be easy to get a business off the ground without startup financing; explore possibilities through the small business lending market.

Leasing options: Especially with equipment, it may be more beneficial to avoid associated ownership costs. You don’t want to pay on a loan if the equipment is sitting idle when it’s not snowing. Leasing or renting may be more financially prudent. (See Page A4)

business structures

There are different types of business structures that new owners should understand, particularly as a company grows. The most common for smaller businesses are sole proprietorships and limited liability corporations. There are pros and cons to each. Whatever your structure, make sure to comply with applicable sales and use tax laws.

The most basic business type is a sole proprietorship, which is a person doing business as him or herself either under their own name or registered under an assumed name (also known as a d/b/a).

Little or no setup or maintenance work required.

An entity that exists separately from its owners. It will have its own assets, debts, bank accounts, finances and contracts.

Owners will generally not be personally liable for company debts.

Ease of transferring ownership.

Profits/losses can get passed through to personal income without corporate taxes.

Owner is personally responsible for the business’s debts.

Cannot be easily sold or transferred.

Banks may be more reluctant to lend.

Must report all business income or losses on your personal income tax return and pay self-employment tax contributions toward Medicare and Social Security.

More setup expenses and efforts required.

Members of an LLC are considered selfemployed and must pay self-employment tax contributions toward Medicare and Social Security.

* This is a general overview. To determine the best structure for you, speak with an attorney and accountant.

TIP: ENGAGE AN ACCOUNTANT

Accountants play a vital role in planning for any fiscal event (e.g., purchasing equipment, real estate, securing credit, company valuation, guiding your company through tax preparation, business strategy and audits, etc.). As a startup, if hiring an accountant is cost prohibitive initially (it’s a necessary expense as you grow), it’s important that you learn about payroll, taxes, compensation and bookkeeping to ensure you are in legal compliance with all government requirements, filings and regulations.

Personal protection: Keep your accounts separate

It isn’t unusual for owners to use their personal finances when starting a business. But for legal and financial reasons, it is essential that you establish a plan to separate your business and personal accounts as soon as possible.

FINANCIAL BENEFITS

• Easier to identify taxable expenses for the business.

• Easier to monitor how the business is doing. Blending of information can hide success – or weaknesses – of the business.

• It will be easier to obtain loans from a bank or any type of credit.

• It will be easier to prepare your tax returns.

• Should you consider selling the business, it will be easier to support its revenues and expenses.

LEGAL BENEFITS

• Protect your personal assets from debts or liability incurred by the business.

• Combining personal and business assets (commingling funds) can make you lose limited liability protection afforded by your company.

• Commingling funds can lead to legal actions to “pierce the corporate veil,” which essentially asks a court to invalidate the business entity because the business is a fraud. Should a court pierce the corporate veil, owners are subject to collection against their personal assets.

Multiple service lines? Keep those separate, too

In addition to keeping your business and commercial accounts separate, if you perform other services besides snow, you should keep those profit center financials separate, too. Why?

• It allows you to understand the profitability of specific services. When information is blended, the actual profitability may be hidden. One service may be unintentionally supporting another service.

• You may not recognize all of the costs related to one service.

• It allows for comparisons between different periods (monthly, quarterly, annually).

As you grow, you may find that trying to be everything to everyone isn’t in your company’s best interest. If you keep your service lines separate, you’ll be able to analyze the true value of those services to your overall success. A healthy profit center has balance between the customers and good margins that allow for a consistent profit

return, and a sustainable customer base that continues to do business with you year after year.

Scrutinize your profit centers:

• Analyze your profit and loss (P&L) statement. What does each return to you in dollars and percentage of business?

• Review your customer base for number of customers, average revenue per customer and retention rate. This could help you identify your risk and the value of each profit center.

• Measure your returns on investment (ROI) and time (ROT) for each service offering. You have to know how much time and resources you and your key people are devoting to winning and servicing the work in each of your profit centers. If you don’t know these numbers, start tracking your job costs and direct overhead costs associated with performing the work.

Building your fleet for maximum ROI

As you expand your business, you will need to add equipment to ensure you have the capacity to effectively service your clients. Whether that be renting, leasing or owning, the deciding factor usually comes down to whether you can put the equipment to use all season long or only need it part-time.

RENT : If you only need equipment for part-time use, renting might be the solution. The flexibility of renting a skid steer or wheel loader can be convenient when just starting out or midseason if you need to haul snow off-site. You can easily expand or shrink your winter service fleet based on annual contracts that require special equipment you don’t already own. Plus, you can eliminate costs of ownership like unscheduled maintenance and offseason storage.

LEASE: This is a great way to test the equipment before making an ownership commitment. At the end of the leasing term, you can decide if it makes sense to proceed with the long-term investment or continue to rent or lease as needed. Warranties are usually in play for the life of the lease, minimizing out-of-pocket maintenance and repair costs.

OWN: Sophisticated business operators understand that equipment is a tool to make money. But buying equipment just because you can afford it doesn’t mean you should. Take a scientific approach to get the greatest return on their investment. If you plan to use a piece of equipment year-round, it may make sense to purchase it. The total cost of ownership is lower if used regularly; and many pieces of equipment hold their value, allowing you to sell and upgrade your fleet in the future. This business investment allows you to plan long term and expand in ways you wouldn’t be able to otherwise.

KEEP YOUR CREDIT IN CHECK

Although most start-up businesses rely on personal credit for initial financing and use personal assets like homes for collateral, owners should establish a business credit profile as quickly as possible to limit personal exposure. You should also take care of your credit since bad credit scores can kill a business. A few best practices:

1 Lenders often evaluate applicants based on three factors: time in business, revenues and credit (personal and/or business scores).

2 Business credit scores range from 0 to 100. Most small business lending companies require a minimum business credit score of 75. Payment history on accounts that report to the credit bureaus is the most important factor in calculating business credit scores.

3 Business credit payment history may include accounts paid even a day late. Paying early can result in a higher score.

4 Review your credit scores at least quarterly.

SnowEx LED headlights focus the light exactly where it’s needed, delivering up to twice the light output of halogen bulbs. The patented EdgeView™ technology uses unique side lamps to provide a full 180 degrees of light to maximize visibility from one edge of the plow to the other.

THE “IT” FACTOR

Win in business with great culture, teamwork and preparation

ABY MIKE cCARRON

BY MARTY GRUNDER

lthough Super Bowl LVI has come and gone, I’m still in awe that my Cincinnati Bengals played for the NFL title for the first time in more than three decades. I’m the definition of a long-suffering Bengals fan, watching the games every Sunday, even when we only won two games in 2019. This year was different, folks; and it’s remarkable to say the Bengals went from the worst team in the NFL to a championship contender in just two seasons.

Even though they didn’t come out on top, I think there’s a lot to learn from their run that we can apply to our businesses.

Believe in yourself and your team

1 Quarterback Joe Burrow expressed frustration that his team was branded as the underdog going into the game against the Los Angeles Rams. The locker room and the fans back home knew something others didn’t know yet: The Bengals had something special. Tuning out the naysayers and being confident in their abilities were big parts of the team’s success.

It’s amazing what’s possible with just a bit of self-confidence. Listen to your trusted advisers, believe in yourself, put your faith in your team and execute your plans.

Train in real-world conditions

2 Before the Bengals went to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs in the AFC Championship, Cincinnati practiced outside in low temperatures and with the speakers at Paul Brown Stadium blaring crowd noise so loud that security was apologizing to the neighbors.

To the best of their ability, the team simulated what it would be like to play in the actual game, so they’d be ready when they arrived at Arrowhead Stadium.

move on quickly when there’s a mistake or a bad play.

Burrow was sacked nine times against the Tennessee Titans, and we didn’t see him yelling at his teammates for it afterward. We saw him get up, dust himself off and move on to the next play. The team doesn’t bad mouth one another, the organization, or the referees. They focus on what they can control — themselves!

Your company culture is that “it” factor. Having a constructive way to manage challenges separates good companies from great companies. Focus on finding solutions and moving forward over dwelling on who is to blame.

SESSION DETAILS:

Marty Grunder will facilitate an operations and technology strategic planning lab and a workshop focused on recruiting and retaining a quality team on Wednesday, June 22. Learn more atwww.sima.org/show/education.

Does your training reflect realworld applications? Are you helping your team prepare for the conditions and situations they’ll come across on job sites and in their roles? While some theoretical training is helpful, hands-on training in the field is the most effective.

The “it” factor

3 What really propelled this Bengals team to the top of the league was its chemistry. The players are supportive, they cheer on one another and they

Despite the loss to the Rams, the Bengals came home to a fanbase that’s excited because we can see what makes them special. They’ve invested in building their team by adding players and by creating a supportive work environment, and we know they’ll keep doing that in the offseason. There will be many more lessons we’ll learn from this team in the years to come. Who Dey!

Marty Grunder is president of Grunder Landscaping Company in Dayton, OH and The Grow Group. Learn more at www.grunderlandscaping.com and www.growgroupinc.com.

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the right mindset

Transform your approach to spread a culture of growth

MBY MIKE McCARRON

BY SCOTT LESAK, CSP

indset. Quite the buzzword these days. Many talk about positivity and having the right mindset around what we are doing on a regular basis. Oxford defines mindset as the established set of attitudes held by someone. In other words, mindset is how we think and act. Mindset can be grown and also reduced. We are either moving forward or backward.

How does this relate to leadership? As leaders, we must recognize two key mindsets that have been extensively researched and publicized by Dr. Carol Dweck: the fixed mindset and the growth mindset. It is our duty to spread a culture of growth and thinking outside of the box. We must grow ourselves to grow our people. Performance, retention, recruitment, morale and overall organizational happiness depend on our mindsets and the influence we place on our organizations.

Fixed mindsets limit growth

ANNUAL

he or she was born that way, missing the complete reality that he or she plays the instrument 10 hours a day and it is the dedication that creates talent. The fixed mindset sees an entrepreneur’s high level of success and says “must be nice” instead of recognizing the years of blood, sweat, tears and failures it took to reach that level of success. The fixed mindset degrades our organizations and keeps the doors for new and innovative opportunities closed.

Unlock potential growth

In a fixed mindset, people believe they were born with their attitudes, skills and traits and cannot change. This is a very dangerous and limiting belief, especially as a leadership trait. A fixed mindset carries the idea that the musician on stage is amazing because

Conversely, people with a growth mindset recognize that their potentials are limited only by the amount of time they put forth to bettering their skillsets and abilities. When confronting a challenge, a leader with a growth mindset does not say “I can’t do that” but rather asks “How can I do that?” The shift in thought is paramount. Instead of a subconscious surrender, “How can I?” opens our subconscious mind to want to answer the question. Growth and innovation have been stimulated and our mind will see to it that we answer that question.

Always be better

session Details: Scott Lesak, CSP, is presenting “Scale First, Grow Second” on Friday, June 24, at 8:30 a.m. Learn more at www.sima.org/show/ education.

When we adopt a growth mindset, we unlock the superpower of innovation! We can practice this, get better every day, and pass it to our organizations.

Part of the continuing education of a leadership mindset is constant learning. We should be striving daily to be better than we were the day before, all while never becoming the best. Why? “The

best” is very fixed. Once we are the best, our subconscious mind strokes our ego, closing off our ability to see the next person or organization that is becoming better until it is too late and we are no longer the best. Better every day; never the best!

As we grow and focus on our growth mindset, the next step is to mentor, coach and teach these same practices to our teams. As leaders, we must always be thinking about the next step. A true leader is entrepreneurial in his or her approach to leading others, constantly questioning and striving for improvement. Passing this through our entire organization creates a culture of growth, innovation and growth mindset-oriented leadership.

How do we do this? It all starts with you! Start learning and growing. Read books, find a coach or simply network with other like-minded individuals. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn. I am happy to share some of the practices I have used within my personal growth and how I have carried that into my organizations.

Keep growing, teaching and constantly asking yourself: “If it’s not broke, how can I make it better?”

Scott Lesak is the co-founder and CEO of Kasel Rocks Landscape Company in Allentown, PA, and founder and chief visionary for InspirYou, LLC, a company dedicated to coaching and consulting individuals toward personal growth and carrying that personal growth into organizations. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

HLA’s EdgeFlex takes a ground up approach to clearing snow. The segmented cutting edge provides the necessary adaptability to maintain consistent contact over uneven surfaces, common with aging infrastructure.

With maximum contact the mouldboard transfers its weight evenly across the cutting edge. The even distribution of force protects the surface from the potential damage of conventional blades when they scrape over high spots.

Plowing with an EdgeFlex is easy; just lay the blade down and run. While you worry about blade placement and controlling the direction of the flowing snow, HLA’s EdgeFlex technology works its way across the surface, adapting to the contours for cleaner results.

This winter RIDE THE EDGE with HLA Snow.

Go ALL In

Make the most of the show with clear goals, advanced prep

BBY MIKE McCARRON

en Franklin once said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” Each year we prepare to trek off to SIMA’s Snow & Ice Symposium, where we will learn enough in a few days to sustain us until the next Symposium. The anticipation of meeting new friends and sharing our victories and challenges of the past year with old friends is always an endearing component of the show. To make the best of your time away, consider the following:

Do your homework

Check out the program weeks before you arrive to identify which events and sessions will be the best for you and your team to attend. Ask team members who are attending with you to identify which topics interest them. Of course, you should make suggestions, too.

The sessions are set up to encourage and allow sharing of ideas. You

quickly learn that others are having the challenges, frustrations and struggles that you are experiencing in your dayto-day life at work.

One key result from these sessions is that everyone learns from everyone else…regardless of location or company size. When you sit at a table, your table mates are likely not from your geographic area and so are not competitors. This makes them more likely to share secrets and tips. I once sat between a company representative with five employees and another with 400 employees! What made this such an amazing learning experience was to see how both companies handled similar issues.

Since ideas and questions surface quickly and regularly, be ready to participate and offer your thoughts and suggestions. Get involved. (Remember what Ben Franklin said!) Questions will come up for which you may be able to offer valid solutions. One trick for capturing all the great ideas you will hear is to use 3x5 note cards labeled with the seminar name to list your 5 to 10 takeaways. This makes it easy to ask clarifying questions during networking events, and to share your takeaways with your team when you return home. Remember to bring plenty of business cards. Not having enough business cards

shows you’re not ready to network and make strong business connections. The majority of attendees will help you when you ask. If you get involved and engage with other attendees, you’ll likely make some very good friends and connections who you can trust when you need ideas or help. These relationships are invaluable and will likely be reciprocal.

Trade show

The exhibit area is an amazing place filled with opportunities to meet vendors and ask about the functionality and capabilities of products and equipment that might be a good fit for your organization. What a bonanza! They are all in one room at the same time and eager to meet you.

A highly likely bonus is to find a technical manager or operator guru who can often provide solutions to nearly any technical equipment problem you might have.

While talking to product development people about suggestions for improvements, I was amazed to hear things like: “Wow! We never even thought about that!” Often, the folks using the product every day know best about how it could work better with a simple alteration or fix. Use this easy access to vendor representatives and tech specialists to share your ideas for

change. They crave feedback about how to make their products even better.

If your operation is close to a manufacturer’s headquarters, consider asking for an onsite demonstration. You might also ask to meet with your local rep to demo a particular piece of equipment and then offer suggestions for product enhancements.

Build and renew relationships

Mealtimes and after-hours gatherings are some of the best times for renewing friendships from past Symposiums and building relationships with new acquaintances. One of my business coaches always reminds me that the key to business success isn’t what or who you know, but who knows you. These gatherings are where people really get to know each other; this is where the magic of the Symposium, beyond classroom learning, happens.

To take full advantage of these

opportunities, take the time before you travel to review local restaurants and identify a few good locations for dinner or after-hours gatherings. Usually, attendees from different companies and locations get together and tell amazing stories about problems they’ve had and solutions they’ve used. (Have your index cards ready!) Mark my words: a friend made at the Symposium will be a friend for years.

So, there you have it. Three suggestions to make the best of the upcoming Symposium. You will be flooded with tons of information for

four days.

Grab as many ideas as you can while you’re there and plan to implement as many as possible when you get home. The more involved you are, the more rewarding the experience; so go “all in” at this year’s Symposium. Milwaukee, here we come!

Mike McCarron is president and founder of Image Works Landscape Management, a commercial landscape maintenance and snow removal firm in the Northern Virginia market. He has 20+ years of industry experience. Email him at mike@imageworkslandscaping.com.

Don’t Let Winter Roads Slow You Down

GVM’s Direct Application Systems (DAS) are designed to spray anti-icing liquids directly onto road surfaces. They are available in a wide range of sizes, to fit any fleet or budget. In a pinch, DAS units can also be used for dust control on unpaved surfaces.

FFICIENT

The road surface is never “lost” and bare pavement conditions are quickly returned, reducing the quantity of material & efforts required in de-icing.

COST EFFECTIVE

Salt residue remains on the road, ready to work when precipitation begins, so even if a storm is delayed, your products are effective. Uses less salt, therefore minimizes environmental concerns & the cost of operation.

SAFETY FACTOR

Safer road conditions decrease accidents & traffic delays.

25 years of the Best Show in Snow! We’re bringing a little whimsy to the celebration with a one-of-a-kind Seek & Find. Look closely for hidden memories and test your knowledge. Answer all 5 questions correctly and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a free full Symposium registration (not including special events) or $25 OFF a show registration.

SCAN THE QR CODE OR CLICK THE LINK TO PLAY!

https://bit.ly/SEEKSIMA

a journey to snow

BY PATRICK WHITE

Photos by Wendy Schreier

Photography

TEAM GREENFIELD: Ahmed Kaabachi is focusing on a snow-only future with his Greenfield Landscaping team, including (from left) Hector Cruz; Kaabachi’s son, Rached; and Troy Vaillancourt.

When he was growing up in northern Africa, where temperatures routinely hit 120°F, Ahmed Kaabachi dreamed of one day seeing snow. It happened only once, when he was 12. “It was 1987, I think. It snowed in my town, and we were so happy,” Kaabachi recalls. That young boy could not have known that life would eventually bring him to the northern climates of the United States, where he would actually make his living in the snow. Yet that’s the journey Kaabachi has taken.

After 25 years in the United States, he still loves snow and says his blood has adjusted to the colder temperatures; but it seems it’s an entrepreneurial spirit that actually runs through his veins. In addition to starting and growing Greenfield Landscaping in Milwaukee, WI, he’s built several

other companies, all of which he runs with a hands-on approach.

Kaabachi says his decision to leave home and come to the United States alone at age 19 was not about a desire to make a lot of money, but just “for the opportunity to build something on my own.”

He landed first in New York City.

BORN FOR BUSINESS: Ahmed Kaabachi may have dressed the part of an entrepreneur even as child. Today, that spirit is alive in several businesses in the Milwaukee, WI area.

“I was very scared; I didn’t know a single person,” he says. Finding The Big Apple too big, Kaabachi was drawn toward the familiarity of the strong Lebanese and Middle Eastern community in Michigan, where people spoke his language and he felt they might be willing to help him. But after a few years he realized that

“For the first three years, I would work all summer and then save the money to live off in the winter.”

— AHMED KAABACHI

he wanted something different than what he had known his whole life: “I figured that I came to America, not to Lebanon.” A friend suggested Minnesota or Wisconsin.“I liked the name Wisconsin, so I moved here,” Kaabachi says with a laugh.

Starting in an S-10

After arriving in the Badger State in 2002, Kaabachi worked as a pizzamaker at an Italian restaurant and met a young woman named Carrie.

“I had only known her for three months. She owned a couple of duplexes. One day, I had the day off, and she said she was going to cut the grass there. I didn’t know anything about landscaping, but I said, ‘I’ll go do it for you.’ And when I came back, I said, ‘You know what, I’m going to start my own business.’ She said, ‘What?!’”

Carrie, whom he would later marry, worked in insurance for Northwestern Mutual (and still does), but she helped him get Greenfield Landscaping off the ground. “This is when the internet was still pretty new, so we went downtown to the library and did some research, made some fliers and put them in mailboxes in the nice neighborhood of Greenfield,” Kaabachi says. The couple used Carrie’s small Chevrolet S-10 and started doing residential lawn and basic installation work.

“For the first three years, I would work all summer and then save the money to live off in the winter.”

But when the couple had their son, Rached, he quickly realized a yearround income was needed. (The couple later welcomed two girls, Aisha and Nuriah.) “I thought, ‘I have to start doing something right now. This is gonna cost me a lot of money!’”

Adding a snow portfolio

Greenfield Landscaping entered the snow and ice business in 2005. While the company had started in residential summer work (it is now 100% commercial), Kabaachi jumped exclusively into commercial snow from the first winter. “I had thought about also doing residential, but

everyone wanted to pay just $40 or $50. I found that commercial snow was easier to manage and that there was definitely more money in it,” he says.

In the early years, business—both landscaping and snow—grew quickly.

Continued on page 40

Continued from page 39

“From 2002-2008 I was buying another (used) truck or two almost every year; and we had many, many employees,” he says. “After the economy collapsed in 2008, we went way back, particularly with mowing and lawn maintenance.”

Ever the businessman, Kaabachi looked for opportunity in the midst of the difficult economy. He recalled a painful lesson he learned in his first year in business: “I bought a truck for $250 and then spent almost $3,000 to make it work and it never worked. I never got to use it even one time.” That experience led him to sell the company’s entire fleet of 10 trucks, putting the money into a smaller fleet of brand new trucks so the company would be well equipped when the economy recovered.

“That proved to be a very wise decision, and we were able to save a lot of money that we had been

spending maintaining the old trucks,” he notes.

Building the business

When the economy bounced back, so did Greenfield Landscaping. Growth has been steady, and today the

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company earns about $1.5 million in annual revenue (of that about 65% is snow and 35% is landscaping) and has about 35 employees in the winter. One of those is Rached (18), who puts in long days at Greenfield Landscaping during busy times.

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finding opportunity in salt sales

When Ahmed Kaabachi purchased a 3-acre property near the Milwaukee airport, it was primarily to serve as home base for Greenfield Landscaping. But he realized the size and location of the property held more potential. In 2018 he opened Gateway Landscape Supply, which sells wholesale bulk materials like soil and mulch to landscapers in the summer and salt to smaller snow contractors (and facilities maintenance departments, schools, etc.) in the winter.

In addition to providing an additional revenue stream from the property, Kaabachi says that Gateway has proven to be complementary to his snow business. He’s buying in larger quantities, so his price for salt has gone down; and he has a steady stream of

“He particularly likes running the Bobcats,” Kaabachi says. Those skid steers make up the bulk of the company’s snow fleet; it operates 11 Bobcats (5 owned, 6 rented each winter) and one wheel loader, in addition to its trucks.

CONSTANT SUPPLY: Being open 24 hours a day for bulk salt allows Gateway Supply to meet local demand, and this side business lets Kaabachi connect with a pool of potential subs.

potential subcontractors coming to see him.

“I’m a people person,” says Kaabachi. “And now I have all of these smaller contractors coming daily to see me and buy salt from me. I’m able to build relationships with them. And if people like you, they will want to work for you. Plus, it lets me see my current subcontractors every day!”

The loading yard is open 24 hours a day; and with no other place in the area to purchase bulk salt, Kaabachi says business has been good. The salt can be purchased in bags or bulk, and he sells about 1,500 to 2,000 tons per year.

He says he enjoys talking with all of the contractors who purchase salt. “I was much smaller once, too, so I like being able to talk with them and help them out.”

Greenfield Landscaping’s clients are mostly large retailers and corporate office complexes. Kaabachi prefers to keep his own crews operating as close as possible geographically to the company’s headquarters to make it easier and faster to repair

equipment or swap out machines when circumstances warrant. The company is able to service properties farther away with its nearly 40 subcontractors.

Like many in the industry, Continued on page 42

The LiveBoxx pusher can be installed on a skid steer, compact loader, backhoe or wheel loader.

Continued from page 41

Kaabachi says finding enough employees is tough: “When I first started, I would get to the office in the morning and find 5 or 6 guys every day looking for work. Now we need to do advertisements; we have a sign in front of our office. Nothing. It can take three or four months to maybe find one guy who will really want to work.”

Fortunately, he says, he retains many good employees by offering year-round work, and has a number of contractors from summer trades who return each winter.

Diversifying outside of snow

One of Greenfield’s best clients is Kabaachi himself. The serial entrepreneur says he has loved business since he was a young boy, and he is always on the lookout for opportunities. In addition to Greenfield Landscaping and

Gateway Supply (see sidebar, page 41), several years ago he turned his attention to real estate investments. Currently, he owns about 10 apartment buildings totaling 46 units. Greenfield Landscaping provides summer and winter services for all of these properties.

“I went into real estate because I always like to get into new adventures,” he explains. “I’ve kept buying and buying until I got where I am today. I’m very happy with it. Real estate is a lot of fun.”

A snow-only future?

Kaabachi has been giving a lot a thought to the future of the small business that he’s built. One key decision he’s weighing is whether to get out of the lawn/landscape business and focus exclusively on snow. At the moment he is leaning toward doing just that in a few years.

—

KAABACHI

“Anybody can do landscaping, but commercial snow requires the right equipment, the right trucks, the right people. All that costs a lot more, but at the same time you make a lot more than you do in landscaping. And I think I can grow a lot more in snow. I know I leave a lot of business on the table every year, because I don’t want to overbook myself,” he explains.

Currently, Greenfield Landscaping is doing just under $1 million annually in snow work; he feels that by going snow-only he could grow it

to about $5 million a year, within the same geographic service area.

Growing as an owner

As part of his desire to specialize in snow, Kaabachi has begun crafting a detailed business plan, not just for the finances of such an undertaking, but also the practicalities. “I want to know how many people we will need; what equipment we will need,” he says.

The more challenging part, he acknowledges, will be coming to terms with the fact that to grow that much he will no longer be able to oversee every aspect of the business personally.

“I’m very much the main guy. I do the sales. I do the bids. I schedule the crews,” he explains, while also crediting office manager Rola Bassar for keeping the entire operation running smoothly. About the only thing Kaabachi doesn’t do is operate the equipment, though he will jump in a machine if needed.

As the company has grown, Kaabachi has tried a few times to hire a general manager or sales manager to take on some of these responsibilities, but it’s been unsuccessful. “It’s been hard for people to see the vision I have,” he explains.

For the first time and as part of his transition to a snow-only company, Kaabachi is putting his vision into writing, which he hopes will better guide how the company will operate. “It’s in my head, but I need to put it on paper. Some people have to go more by the book,” he’s learned. “I have to really let go and let other people manage the business.”

By putting policies in place, he hopes that the formula he’s used to successfully build Greenfield Landscaping can be employed on a larger scale as the company grows.

A culture of service

One area that Kabaachi won’t sacrifice as the company expands is customer service. “It is the number one priority. I focus on taking care of issues right away for customers,” he emphasizes. “We don’t wait like five, six hours to take care of it or anything. We try to get it done within an hour.”

Kaabachi is a very hands-on owner who is always available personally on his phone; and Greenfield Landscaping’s trucks are all branded with a green color, so it’s easy for clients to find an employee on the property if something needs to be taken care of.

“I’m not going to say we’re perfect, but customer service and immediate response is something we really try to always do. It’s what makes us different,” he says. “And the other thing I make sure we do is to be honest –honesty is very, very important to the customer.”

Patrick White has covered the landscape and snow and ice management industries for a variety of magazines for 25 years. He is based in Vermont. Contact him at pwhite@meadowridgemedia.com.

BUSINESS // STRATEGY

offseason tune-up

Review contract mix and capacity for maximum profitability

By MIKE RORIE

The snow season has ended … now what? Selling snow contracts shouldn’t be a seasonal thought for your company. The offseason provides a valuable opportunity to measure your past performance in order to improve your selling process and plan for growth. Here are some key tips to help your snow business grow.

Choose a lane and stay in it

Many snow contractors try to be all things to all types of customers. This often leads to reduced profits and weaker sales. Deviating from your niche often leads to a lot of challenges that could have been avoided by staying in your lane.

The marketplace is large, so establishing geographic boundaries and customer type is essential to leveraging your equipment, manpower and supervision to their fullest capacities.

Staying in your lane and knowing your niche is the smart way to operate and the best way to sell. Focusing on your target customer allows your sales

team to align on their specific needs, which leads to higher quality sales and happier customers that you can retain.

Optimize your contracts

Your region will often determine the most common types of contracts with the customer. I’ll discuss three common ones, as well as a recommended mix for growth.

Seasonal agreements add predictability. Taking a portion of your total mix with seasonal agreements can be beneficial. These agreements can be important for stabilizing cash flow and reducing annual risk. However, you must make sure you structure them correctly.

Seasonal agreements need to include measurable boundaries, such as snowfall caps. In other words, the contract should define a snowfall limit; and once that limit is hit, the customer will incur additional charges.

Another key consideration for seasonal contracts is blizzard or severe storm clauses. These clauses protect both the contractor and the customer’s property. Contractors shouldn’t put themselves or their customers into a situation where failure is imminent, or a win-loss scenario occurs.

To start, consider dedicating 20% to 30% of your portfolio to seasonal

contracts. You can always increase this if you and your customers deem it a good value.

Per-occurrence rewards crew efficiency. Per-occurrence agreements make up the bulk of most contractors’ portfolios. This gives everyone a price per service per occurrence and allows the contractor to be rewarded for efficiency.

In a low-slow season with few clearing opportunities, this type of contract does not provide the same income as a seasonal contract. However, in high-snow seasons, you will enjoy high revenue and profitability.

Being able to service your customers in larger storms over longer periods creates good income opportunities but also requires knowing your capacity limits. For example, booking more than about 6-8 hours per round can become difficult with a large portfolio.

Zero-tolerance customers will want you to remain on call or on site in large storms; and your business may not have the capacity to fulfill such requests.

The lion’s share of your contracts will likely fall into this category – about 60% or more of your portfolio mix.

T&M protects your profits. Time and Material (T&M) agreements

season 4 kicks off with new host, focus

Grow with the subcontractor model

Many landscape contractors want to add a snow business alongside their core business. However, they may not have the winter services know-how or resources to do so.

If you find yourself in this position, aligning yourself with a large commercial snow contractor can make

for a great relationship. You avoid the need to sell and manage direct customers since as a subcontractor your customer is the primary contractor.

Putting your capacity to work is the best opportunity, no matter how large or small. This significantly reduces the stress and demand on your core business.

If you are a large contractor with far more customer demand than you could ever fulfill, using subcontractors can add unlimited capacity by adding partners to your business. In my experience, we were able to grow by partnering and building relationships with smaller contractors.

Working as contractor-subcontractor partners keeps both companies working at capacity and profitable throughout the snow season, so a win-win becomes the measure of sustainability.

Track the changes

Measuring snow business performance for growth requires a couple of metrics beyond your P&L and sales report. Without question, the financial aspect is the ultimate metric that contractors

measure; however, achieving the financials you want requires additional tracking of:

Portfolio profitability. Studying your agreements and the outcomes they produced is important. Knowing which contracts are providing the best year-over-year results is the key to optimizing your mix for maximum profitability in the future.

Size matters. Knowing how many square feet or acres of parking lots and sidewalks are in your portfolio requires accurate measurements. This is how you know the exact area under management. When the area grows, you can quantify the added equipment, manpower, materials and supervision needed to deliver the service sold to the customer.

Identify your niche, optimize your portfolio mix and build profitable relationships so you can optimize growth regardless of your company size or status.

Mike Rorie has been a participant in the snow and ice industry for nearly four decades. He'll also be a featured speaker at this summer's Leadership Forum in Austin, TX. Learn more at www.sima.org/ leadership.

MARKET TO MARKET: Your market will likely dictate the types of contracts you offer; but don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. Diversifying your portfolio and contract mix ensures you don’t put your company’s profitability at unnecessary risk.

BUSINESS // TEAM BUILDING

effectiveness study buddies

Book club can bring teams together, improve

By GRANT HARRISON

One of the most effective ways to get your staff to “buy in” to the growth and culture of your company is to work through a book together.

So how does a company book club work?

1 Meet regularly; weekly or biweekly is recommended. That way the content stays fresh in everyone’s mind.

2 Assign a chapter or section for each meeting. We recommend attendees come to the meeting having already read the chapter/ section for that meeting.

3 Ask each person to talk about 2-3 points from the chapter that impacted them.

4 Look for consensus on one idea that could be implemented to improve the business. Keep a running list of company improvements and review these on a regular basis as a reminder of changes you want to make.

Some will say that they have no time for a book study. I would argue that doing a book study will bring the team together, making them much more cohesive and, consequently, much more effective. You will also realize who in your leadership team is an “A” player who’s looking to improve the company.

I would love to know if you already make a practice of reading through a book with your team. If so, what books have been the most helpful?

Grant Harrison is president of Nextra Consulting, based in Ingersoll, Ontario. Contact him at (519) 868-6398 or www.nextraconsulting.ca.

consider these business reads

There are so many great business books that it’s hard to narrow it down to a few, but here are my favorite business books that would be great for group study:

“Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t”

Jim Collins

“Good to Great” describes how companies transition from being good companies to great companies, and how most companies fail to make the transition. Using tough benchmarks, Collins and his research team identified a set of elite companies that made the leap to great results and sustained those results for at least 15 years. Collins finds that the main reason certain companies become great is they narrowly focus the company’s resources on their field of key competence.

“The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything”

Stephen M.R. Covey

Written by Stephen R. Covey’s eldest son, “Speed of Trust” guides business leaders and their organizations toward unprecedented productivity and satisfaction. Covey shows you how to inspire immediate trust in everyone you encounter – colleagues, constituents, the marketplace – allowing you to forego the timekilling and energy-draining check and balance bureaucracies that are so often relied upon in lieu of actual trust.

“The

“Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business”

Gino Wickman

“Traction” is a business strategy book that guides leaders of entrepreneurial organizations on how to gain control of their business through the Entrepreneurial Operating System.

Great Game of Business: The Only Sensible Way to Run a Company”

Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham

“The Great Game of Business” teaches employees to think and act like owners, using open book management techniques developed by Jack Stack.

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missing the spark

Snow has got me down; here's hoping a focus on efficiencies reignites my passion

By TYLER JABAAY

You know, I’m not so sure that I absolutely love snow right now. We haven’t had tons of snowfall this season. The money is pretty darn good when it snows; and if it doesn’t, we have some nice seasonal contracts to handle most of the costs. I want to be more enthusiastic about snow, but I need to make some big changes to feel that way. Are you in the same boat?

Finding efficiencies

Bigger equipment. I made some changes from last winter to this one, using more skids and loaders and fewer trucks plowing routes. As of right now, I am the biggest fan of cutting my truck routes in half and adding another 10 skids and loaders. We’re not a huge snow company, but we do alright for a company that does mostly landscape maintenance and enhancements and performs snow services (slightly grudgingly) to keep the dollars rolling in.

Tracking downtime. I am looking at spreadsheets that show me my details to focus on. Dollars generated per unit is a big one. We also track downtime; and I’m seeing a trend of more downtime and lost time per truck, which accounts for more repair costs than are worth it to me. Per man hour, we are generating significantly more income with a 33,000 GVW truck with a salt spreader than with a plow truck. The small plow trucks are a thing of the past for me. I’m not saying there isn’t any money in it; but from a pragmatic standpoint, it’s not worth it to me anymore.

Learn from the bigger companies

The big snow companies around me in the Chicagoland/Northwest Indiana area are way ahead of me. They don’t plow snow with trucks. Why would they? Some of my competitors have 300-400 machines plowing snow; they don’t have time to mess with trucks.

It’s the same with us smaller companies, just on a smaller scale. We should watch what the big companies are doing and try to understand why. Why would we reinvent the wheel? That takes money and time, which are two very hot commodities right now. We don’t have time to take the hardest path. It’s hard enough as it is! Watch what the big players are doing and learn.

BIGGER IS BETTER: Right-sizing your fleet can lead to the use of more equipment that can get the job done more quickly and increase your cycle time.

We need to focus on profits instead of dollars generated. I know of a lot of companies that are larger than us that consistently have issues paying their bills. Where is the gratification of recycling dollars? We need to focus on profit; the entire industry is better when companies are professional and profitable.

Identify

your pain points

All problems are fixable. The fix may not be fun, and it may be risky; but I feel that there is more risk in continuing to do things the same way. Focus on controllable areas that make money. Fewer accounts can equal more profit. Make bold changes that make it easier for your team, equipment, customers, peace of mind – and your bottom line. Here are some things I’m looking at to make some positive changes.

1 Reducing my reliance on small plow trucks in favor of skids and loaders. It seems to be easier to find qualified skid and loader operators than plow truck drivers; and we can get more done in a shorter amount of time.

2 Shifting to larger trucks with heavy-duty salt spreaders to minimize downtime and increase my return on investment.

3 Tracking and looking at the numbers. I’m removing feelings from the equation and using the data to make better, bolder decisions.

4 Embracing reality. What is sustainable to me and my operation?

I believe that with some of these big changes and a natural inclination to drift toward the operating model

of a large-scale snow company, I will find the enthusiasm I’m looking for. If you’re in the same boat, I hope you do, too.

Tyler Jabaay is president of Priority Landscape and Maintenance. Based out of the south side of Chicago, Priority Landscape has locations in Grand Rapids MI, South Bend IN, and Chicago. Email him at Tyler.Jabaay@priorityLandscape.net.

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cast a wide net(work)

You, your company and the industry all benefit from peer connections

By MICHAEL WAGNER, CSP

Growing and retaining your professional network is vital to your success in the snow and ice management industry. No matter your role in your organization, you should seize the opportunity to expand your knowledge, capabilities and partnerships to provide a competitive and progressive service to your clients and the community.

Attend industry events

One of the most important things

you can do to grow your network is to attend industry events like the annual SIMA Symposium, webinars and live web discussions, and local training events and conferences. Many times, local construction, landscaping and public works events cover topics relevant to the snow and ice management industry. Many public and private organizations perform winter maintenance operations where you can learn about new equipment, liquid and granular salt use, regulatory and compliance measures and what the industry is doing to tackle labor and operator shortages.

Get out there, be visible, ask questions, and learn what’s helping

others overcome challenges. Lastly, there’s also the opportunity for you to share your knowledge and expertise with others.

Complete industry certifications

Another great way to grow your network is to complete industry certifications such as the Advanced Snow Manager (ASM) certificate program and the Certified Snow Professional (CSP) certification. Being recognized for your dedication in completing these programs will certainly help your visibility to other ASM and CSP professionals, or those seeking to complete the program may look to

you for advice or feedback. Depending on your situation and who you’re exposed to inside and outside of your current network, you may have the opportunity to mentor a snow and ice professional that’s looking for guidance and someone to bounce ideas around with.

Speaking of your external network, being credentialed can sometimes lead to new connections in areas such as property management, risk and safety management, and being a subject matter expert. Not only does this help support the hard work you’ve committed to, but it can grow the opportunities for the organization since having a certified employee on staff means you’re more likely to provide a knowledgeable and quality service to the client.

Grow your strategic partnerships

As we’ve been navigating our way through the Covid pandemic, it’s

important to recall how important our partnerships are with people and organizations across the industry. A few key components of building successful partnerships are trust, industry knowledge, patience and communication:

• A strong and secure partnership can only be built on the trust of each participant to follow through with their responsibilities and directives.

• Being aware of what’s happening in the industry environment will give you insight into your own situation.

• Although having patience can be extremely difficult at times, it’s important to understand the constraints and capabilities of others.

• Communication works most effectively when you know the proper time, place, people and details to coordinate on with others. It’s important to agree on the desired channel of communication (e.g., email, in-person, chat apps, etc.).

Grow the industry

While you’re diligently growing yourself and your organization, make sure to stay involved in industry associations and peer groups to further the knowledge and expertise of others. This industry takes great pride in having passionate and intelligent professionals teaching others what they’ve learned, or reflecting on negative and positive experiences to help others grow.

As you grow make sure that you help others grow as well, and be there to support the progression of the industry. Share your knowledge with others to help align people and organizations that may benefit from partnering with someone in your network.

Michael Wagner is fleet and safety manager at Designscapes Colorado Inc. Contact him at 303-328-5554 or mwagner@designscapes.org.

AI is on the job

Hiring automations streamline recruiting, can surface more qualified candidates

BY JOE DYSART

While the wonders of artificial intelligence and automation are often hyped beyond reality, AI-powered recruitment software is actually offering real advantages to snow businesses.

Companies now have the ability to use AI to automatically crawl the Web for the specific kind of job seekers they need, auto-interview those people on the spot via text chat or video, and then auto-schedule the most promising job candidates for follow-up interviews. Other AI solutions can search for and engage passive candidates (people who exhibit valuable skills and experience but are currently not in the job market). And other apps enable snow businesses to automatically rifle through resumes submitted on their company website for candidates who have the precise qualifications they’re seeking.

Streamlined process

Xtreme Snow Pros President Chris Marino, ASM, has automated a great

deal of his hiring process by inviting job seekers to simply text a number on the NJ-based company’s website to instantly receive an application.

“It’s eliminated a lot of the work” of keeping fully staffed — especially during peak staffing needs, Marino says.

Based on an applicant’s responses to the e-application, including experience and pertinent skills, Xtreme Snow Pros automatically sends a job offer with a pay quote. Generally, unless the position is supervisory, no face-to-face interview is needed.

Instead, the desired candidates are invited to attend Xtreme University, a 2- to 6-hour class that Marino pays for, where they take a test on what they’ve learned and then get the final OK from a staff member.

Marino says his automated approach has given him “the ability to hire better team members that may not want to take the time to apply with the traditional methods,” but will when provided an easy and simple way to apply.

And while Marino is unsure if the new system brings him more candidates, he knows that applying to Xtreme for a job is virtually effortless.

“We provide a way for someone to apply 24/7 and explain to the candidate that it will only take them 10 minutes to complete the process. This takes away that person who was delaying in applying, since there is nothing holding them back.”

Cost savings realized

Marino says the move to automated hiring saves him money, dollar-fordollar. “It is bringing a better return on investment, since once we have it

VIRTUAL ACCESS: Xtreme

Snow Pros in New Jersey has made it easier for candidates to apply for open positions by using automations to streamline the HR process. A visit to the website and a text jumpstarts the application process.

built, the cost is done with; and the software we use to run it is already software we have and use for other functions in our business, so there is no additional cost there.”

In fact, Marino says he has been able to eliminate an HR position since moving to automated recruiting.

“We took money we would have spent on the salary (for that HR position) and were able to put it into more advertising dollars to get a larger audience.”

Continued on page 54

AI AND AUTOMATED HIRING TOOLS

The job recruiting space is brimming with leading edge AI recruiting solutions that your business can use to help automate much of the process of recruiting employees — especially if you’re going after younger, entry-level candidates who tend to “live” online and on social media. Here’s a representative sampling:

TEXTIO is an AI editor that ensures the wording of your job ads and job descriptions is thoroughly inclusive and encourages diversity. textio.com

TALVISTA uses AI to help ensure your ads and job descriptions steer clear of disenfranchising applicants due to race, ethnicity or disability. www.talvista.com

PARADOX makes a conversational AI text chatbot, which interviews job candidates on your website or other digital property and then schedules the hottest prospects for a follow-up, human interview. The bot, dubbed “Olivia,” is designed to anticipate the questions job applicants typically ask for your specific business.

www.paradox.ai

VCV AI can screen hundreds of thousands of resumes to find the kind of workers you’re looking for, then reach out to those candidates, offering either an online chat or phone call as an interview format. It uses voice recognition technology to “talk” with job candidates and fill them in on details about your job opening. Once interviews are complete, “Robot Vera” sends videos of what it considers to be the most promising candidates onto your HR department for final processing. www.vcv.ai/

CLOVERS, an AI-powered video interviewing platform, is designed to integrate seamlessly into commonly used video meeting software, including Zoom, Google Meet and Webex. https://clovers.ai

HIREVUE uses AI to evaluate applicants during the interview process. HireVue’s Builder tool enables HR to easily create structured interviews designed to mine for the key skills your business is looking for with any given job description. www.hirevue.com

ENTELO is an AI-driven web crawler that scans the web — including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter — to find candidates that match the kind of people your business needs. Entelo automatically sorts, analyzes and ranks a candidate’s eligibility for an open position based on several attributes, including job title, work history, skills, likeliness to leave, their current role and more. Promising candidates are directly contacted by Entelo, and its follow-up messaging helps ensure HR stays in contact with the most promising prospects. www.entelo.com

ZIPRECRUITER can be used to surface the most promising candidates on its board. The feature works by studying how employers in specific industries rate the people applying for work in that industry on ZipRecruiter. Those insights are used to surface the traits, skills and other characteristics exhibited by highly rated candidates — and then looks for those same characteristics in new candidates applying for jobs at your business. www.ziprecruiter.com

ARYA studies the successful traits, skills and characteristics of your current employees and crawls the web for job candidates who exhibit similar profiles. goarya.com

TOOLS // TRENDS

Continued from page 53

Best of both worlds

Meanwhile, Ohio-based Enviroscapes President Todd Pugh says he takes more of a hybrid approach — a mix of automation and the human touch.

Each of Enviroscape’s five locations has a QR code on the building that job candidates can scan to get a job application sent to their smartphone.

If Enviroscape’s recruiter sees an application she likes, she quickly calls that candidate to schedule an interview. All candidates, from field laborers to management level, still need to go through a traditional face-to-face interview to be hired.

Currently, about 50% of Enviroscape’s job applications arrive through the internet and another 50% are traditional hires (people who stop by in person). Ultimately, about 40% of new hires originate electronically.

Pugh notes that electronic hires

“are a lot more work” for HR, since it continually needs to post job ads online and screen torrents of applications for the people who look like a good fit for the company.

Upper hand shifts to job seekers

Fortunately, AI solutions come in the nick of time in a market where job seekers have the upper hand and are seeking smart, time-saving and fair ways to find their ideal job.

“The job market is very much tilted in the worker’s favor,” says Evan Sohn, CEO of Recruiter.com, an AI-driven recruiting service. Businesses looking to attract top talent “must change their recruiting efforts,” to include the advantages offered by AI, he adds.

HireVue is an interviewing solution that uses AI to assess job applicants. CEO Kevin Parker says businesses should still see the current job market as a plus.

FASTER APPLICATIONS: Enviroscapes

installed a video doorbell and QR code on the front door of each of their locations to allow job seekers to apply immediately for open positions. Photo courtesy of Enviroscapes

“The pandemic has created a unique opportunity for employers to redesign their hiring processes – leveraging technology that complements the capability of employees at a speed and scale not otherwise possible,” he says. “As the economy rebounds, our data shows recruiters increasingly looking to virtual hiring to widen access to candidates they may not have had access to in the past.”

“I called Winter to get more information on their cutting edge for my plow, and I found the staff very friendly and knowledgeable. I was burning though a cutting edge every year as thick and heavy-duty as these are, I doubt I’ll need another cutting edge for 3 or 4 years. They are definitely worth the money!“

Phil

Hicks, Phil Hicks Sweeping & Snowplowing

Personal touch

While the emergence of AI-powered hiring solutions promises to save snow businesses time and money, the tools come with a couple of caveats.

The first: While AI may be great for initial candidate searches and preliminary pre-screening of job candidates, you’ll most likely find the human factor still is critical to a quality hire.

Pugh says: “We realize that not every applicant wants to scan a QR code or apply by smartphone. A lot of our applicants are also intimidated by the idea of writing a resume.”

To open up application opportunities, Enviroscapes installed a video doorbell at each of its locations so an applicant can simply press the button to get an interview on the spot.

“We realize that a lot of these candidates want to see who they’re going to be working for — and see what our operation is like,” Pugh says.

Beware of bias

While these AI-reliant solutions can open doors to more candidates, some advocates of equal opportunity in employment argue that some of the algorithms powering these AI solutions could result in biased hiring.

Their reasoning: Algorithms are written by humans. And sometimes human biases — which may exist consciously, subconsciously or unconsciously in the minds of computer programmers — have a way of creeping into the code they write.

“It’s obvious that the pandemic has shifted the ways we do business,” says Doug Leonard, CEO of Clovers, which markets an AI-powered interviewing service. “Work is increasingly virtual. Transparency is vital. And a spotlight has been placed on efforts toward diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Among the federal governmental agencies taking this risk of bias very seriously is the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The takeaway: You’ll want your attorney to stay current on the EEOC’s moves when it comes to AI and hiring and ensure that any AI or

automation tools you use comply with employment laws.

Says EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows: “Artificial intelligence and algorithmic decision-making tools have great potential to improve our lives — including in the area of employment. At the same time, the EEOC is keenly aware that these

tools may mask and perpetuate bias or create new discriminatory barriers to jobs. We must work to ensure that these new technologies do not become a high-tech pathway to discrimination.”

LUBRA-SEAL

Spreader Encapsulant

Apply once this spring to protect your spreaders during summer storage!

Blocks the rusting process – keeps moisture, oxygen and salt away from your spreader.

Environmentally responsible – will not wash off and contaminate the soil like used motor oil.

Easy, one-step application process – one simple application this spring completely eliminates seized drag chains next fall.

NEUTRO-WASH

Salt & Chloride Neutralizer

Easily remove the corrosive salt contamination from your entire ﬂeet.

Works where soaps fail – because soaps chemically cannot break the carbonic bond that salt and liquid deicers have when attached to your ﬂeet.

Prevents rust and corrosion damage to your ﬂeet – by removing the salt contamination from your frames, wiring harnesses, radiators, paint jobs and more.

Extremely economical protection – dilutes 1 to 8 with cold water and only takes a few gallons of diluted product to treat a tandem axel truck.

No added workload for your staff – it just take 2 to 3 minutes to neutralize the salt so you can rinse it away.

Joe Dysart is an internet speaker and business consultant based in Manhattan.

APRIL 21

Planning for Course Corrections

Rick Kier, CSP, Forge Ahead Consulting

AUGUST 18

MAY 19

Sales Jam

Jack Jostes, Ramblin Jackson

Empower Your Team with Effective Leadership Skills

Laurie Brown, Laurie Brown Communications

JULY 21

Business Process Efficiencies

Steve Steele, Bruce Wilson & Company

SEPTEMBER 15

Grow Confidently using the Rockefeller Habits

Joe Kiedinger, Prophit Inc.

A company pass oﬀers unlimited access to your team – bring 5, bring 50 – for one aﬀordable price. Use code COMP22PROMO to save $100 by 4/20/22.

SPOTLIGHT ON TRUCKS TOOLS

Chevrolet

The Chevy Silverado HD comes standard with a 6.6-liter V-8 gas engine with direct injection and a 6-speed automatic transmission, delivering 401 hp and 464 lb.-ft torque. The front end is designed for easier mounting of plow hardware and eliminates the need to drill additional holes in the front bumper. When the plow blade is removed, the Silverado HD returns to form by maintaining a smooth, integrated appearance without visible hardware. www.chevrolet.com

Ram

The Ram 1500 features up to 12,750 pounds of towing capability and 2,300 pounds of payload. The eTorque mild hybrid system delivers improved fuel efficiency in V-6 (standard) and V-8 configurations. The Ram 1500 is America’s most powerful halfton diesel pickup and most capable light-duty diesel, with towing capability up to 12,560 pounds. The Snowplow Prep option includes a 220-amp alternator, truck-side plow wiring harness and a rear power-sliding window with defroster. www.ramtrucks.com

Everblades

Roll up your windows and turn your defroster on low, it’s time to let Everblades do the work. Our premium heated wipers feature a heated 230° silicone blade that melts ice and snow on contact, instantly increasing your visibility and efficiency. Everblades are proudly made in the USA! www.everblades.com

Ford

The 2021 F-Series Super Duty is Built Ford Tough and ready to be put to work. With its available snowplow prep package, the series features best-in-class maximum 1,400-pound snowplow rating (accounting for mounting hardware) for gasoline-powered trucks and a maximum 1,290-pound plow rating for diesels. Other features include a windshield wiper deicer, heated steering wheel and heated seats. www.ford.com

Switch-N-Go

For two decades, Switch-N-Go has been providing solutions to businesses that want a work truck that can do more. The proven design of the company’s new Stainless Steel Dump Body is constructed to last. The stainless steel build protects the unit from harsh environments and corrosive materials to provide a long working life. www.switchngo.com

TOOLS // PLOWS

Arctic Equipment

Manufacturing Corporation

Arctic’s redesigned SD2-90 Poly plow gives halfton pickup truck owners everything they want, including good looks, improved ground clearance, taller moldboards and reliability. Combined with Arctic’s galvanized steel, these products boast the lowest cost of ownership over time. Curved deflector, blade guides and reflective logos are standard; lights come optional. www.arcticsnowplows.com

Buyers Products

The new SnowDogg XPII Expanding Wing Plow features a 304 stainless steel blade that extends from 8 to 10 feet wide while maintaining scoop position. This design provides superior snow control and clearing. The flared wings can also be operated independently for optimal windrowing and maneuverability. www.buyersproducts.com

BOSS Snowplow

The BOSS DRAG PRO 180Z is the most versatile rear-mounted snowplow available today. With a patented two-point attachment system, the ability to plow forward and in reverse, down pressure, no-shear-pin design, and easy-to-use controls, the 180Z is a whole new level of rear-mounted plowing performance for 3/4- and 1-ton trucks. www.bossplow.com

Fisher Engineering

The FISHER XLS — the only expandable plow with independent wing control and trip-edge protection — delivers a new level of versatility, efficiency and performance. The XLS comes equipped with flared wings, and is available in two blade sizes ranging from 8’0” retracted to 10’ expanded and 8’6” retracted to 11’ expanded. Both blade sizes come in stainless steel and STORM GUARD powder-coated steel. www.fisherplows.com

Daniels Plows

Daniels’ DRAGON Plow is a truck-mounted back-plow with hydraulic wings, providing a full plow width up to 16’. The DRAGON plow’s down pressure, 180° wing rotation, independent control of each wing, and full use of the vehicle tailgate optimizes its versatility. www.danielsplows.com

Evolution Edges

The Built Blades Sabre V Blade Kit is designed for simple bolt-on replacement and is built for municipal and heavy-commercial plowing applications. Tungsten-carbide inserts provide extended wear life up to 10:1 over OEM steel. Impact-sensitive carbide inserts are protected by the lightweight, fully welded HARDOX cover plate. The Sabre blade system does not interlock, allowing for independent trip action.

www.builtblades.com

longer life with polyurethane paddles for select walk behind snow throwers.

Hiniker Company

Hiniker’s High Capacity V-plow breaks up hard-packed snow and ice and stacks snow higher than ever before. The tall center and 10’ width allow for larger carrying capacity in the scoop position. Air deflectors direct cooling air to the truck radiator to prevent overheating. LED Blaze Bar headlights with SmartHeat technology automatically deice the surface of the lens.

www.hiniker.com

Metal Pless

The TruckMaxx plow is designed for 10- or 12-wheel trucks, for use on city streets and highways. This industrial plow is built to last from the highest quality materials. The TruckMaxx can be equipped with our patented “Live Edge” technology, which cleans surfaces more precisely and efficiently.

www.metalpless.com

ADVANTEDGE™

Clean better and reduce damage to substrate with the ADVANTEDGE™! Heavy duty springs allow for automatic cutting edge adjustment over contours in the pavement.

BUILDING IT BETTER

Ever thought,”There has to be a better way?!” Our main objective at KAGE is to deliver a “better way” of doing your work through innovative products and industry-leading education.

2 in 1 Plow & Pusher

KAGE KLAWZ™

Spin, More Drive with Radial Snow Tires.

Monroe Truck Equipment

Monroe Truck Equipment’s MD plow bridges the gap between light- and heavy-duty trucks with its design focused on Class 5 and Class 6 chassis. The rugged build helps accomplish a variety of tasks that keep communities safe, clean and well maintained, without the need for a CDL driver.

www.monroetruck.com

SnowEx Products

SnowEx HDV heavy-duty V-plows are available in durable powder-coated mild steel or rust-resistant stainless steel with 8’6” or 9’6” blade widths. They boast 16-gauge flared moldboards and are reinforced by two robust angled power ribs. Tall flared wings, double-acting angle cylinders, trip-edge protection, adjustable center cutting edges and responsive direct lift round out the many advantages of the HDV V-plows.

www.snowexproducts.com

Sno-Way International, Inc.

The 26V Series is 8’ wide with a flared wing design. It is specifically made to provide half-ton trucks superior snow-moving capability. The unique Ground Hugger blade design keeps the blade on the ground and the patented MaxADJUST leveling system enhances cleaning. These units come standard with integrated curb guard.

www.snoway.com

• Measure and estimate faster with high-resolution, leaf-off aerial imagery, precision measuring tools, and snow removal job templates.

• Create visual snow plans that sell with color-coded measuring groups that give you the time, materials, and equipment associated with your services.

• Differentiate your company and impress prospects by sending them interactive sitemaps with the all new

Western Products

The WESTERN ENFORCER V-plow with trip-edge design is constructed of highstrength, low-alloy steel that is both stronger and lighter than conventional steel, and the ideal weight for half-ton trucks. The ENFORCER V-plow is engineered with the features and performance of full-size WESTERN V-plows, brought down into a lightweight design for today’s contractors and homeowners. www.westernplows.com

Meyer Products

KAGE Innovation

The WINGLINE is a laser that provides a highly visible line, giving operators confidence that they will not cause damage to cars, mailboxes, guardrails and other large objects that cost millions each year in insurance claims. The WINGLINE kit is easy to install in under an hour and can be hardwired or run on 12v accessory plug power.

www.kageinnovation.com

Elevate your game with the allnew Meyer Super-V3 Plow and its industry-leading ground clearance so you never have to worry about bottoming out. The wings can be controlled independently, giving you ultimate configuration control, while Meyer’s exclusive Nite Saber LED lights offer safer nighttime plowing with less draw on your electrical system.

www.meyerproducts.com

TOOLS // PLOW ACCESSORIES

Blizzard Dynamics LLC

LED blade guides help identify the width of a plow in snow conditions, keeping oncoming traffic in their lane. This reduces accidents and is widely endorsed by the departments of transportation in several states. Blizzard offers the most rugged and durable LED guides sold worldwide.

www.blizzarddynamics.com

Winter Equipment

Central Parts Warehouse

These universal LED snowplow lights can be retrofitted to any plow with electrical splicing, and feature 45-watt high beams, 25-watt low beams, 20-watt auto heating function and 3-watt turn signal. Additional features include heated and tempered glass lenses to prevent snow and ice buildup and powder-coated die-cast aluminum construction. Fit is universal to most plow setups.

www.centralparts.com

PlowFlowmaster LLC

PlowFlowmaster manufactures fully adjustable universal mount airfoils for all makes of snowplows to alleviate overheating issues with engines/transmissions that occur with plows. Our products also assist with related issues, A/C engaging while plowing and more. These products are made in the USA, and with over 15 years of success we can help you, too.

www.plowflowmaster.com

Versatile Universal Xtendor plow guards can prevent uneven wear, which normally forces you to replace your cutting edges prematurely. Your leading edge will wear faster, so simply install a pair of these on each end and get 2-3 times more life out of your cutting edge.

www.winterequipment.com

Mill Supply Inc.

Light up the road with Hamsar LED Snowplow Headlights. These units are built for tough conditions and shine brighter than incandescent bulbs; they also eliminate snow and ice buildup with an integrated heat grid that activates automatically when the temperature drops. The result is improved road safety with a visible park/turn signal light. www.millsupply.com

ADVERTISING // INDEX

Lawson Products

Lawson Products’ Drummond Sluff

Snowplow Treatment contains unique chemical ingredients that coat snowplow blades with an anti-friction surface. Sluff reduces sticking and buildup of snow, slush and ice on snow removal equipment. It keeps plow blades, blower chutes and augers clean and running efficiently, and acts as an excellent rust and corrosion inhibitor. www.lawsonproducts.com

GET MORE PRODUCT NEWS! Visit the Snow Business Tools Online page at go.sima.org/tools for more in-depth product information. Check out videos of the latest products and services in the industry. Research products and services by category. Save on purchases with SIMA Deals and search the SIMA Supplier Directory for manufacturers and dealer information. Suppliers can submit free product spotlights, too. COMING IN JUNE: Spotlight on Symposium exhibitors and sponsors

SIMA // MEET A MEMBER

Russell LeBlanc, CSP, ASM

Project Contract Coordinator // Ocean Contractors Ltd.

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Years in the industry: 20

Why did you join SIMA?: To have all of the tools to be successful within our industry.

Best thing about snow: Keeping our employees employed year-round.

Tell us about your family: I have a loving wife, 2 beautiful daughters, 1 grandson, a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever and a Tuxedo cat.

Tell us about your team: We have over 60 employees who are extremely dedicated to the success of our contracts.

Craziest snow story: Plowing Hwy 401 in Toronto with 25 trucks in an echelon with 6 blocker trucks to control traffic. This is so well-choreographed.

One piece of equipment you can’t live without: Our salt loader.

Best SIMA resource you’ve used since joining: The certificate courses, as it shows how credible and dedicated we are to our customers.

Who is your mentor?: The management team at Ocean Contractors Ltd. for allowing us as a team to make all of the necessary decisions that are required to get the job done effectively and efficiently.

Joseph Swanekamp

Founder & CEO // Swan Company Flemington, NJ

Years in the industry: 12

Why did you join SIMA?: Training, education, resources and networking.

Best thing about snow: There’s nothing else like it! If you know, you know.

Tell us about your family: My wife Kim and I have been married for three years. She’s been an incredible asset to the company, and we love adventuring together. On weekends or when we have time off, you’ll catch us riding our BMW adventure bikes or out on the water.

Tell us about your team: Our team thrives as we support each other’s personal achievements and find that delicate work-life balance together. Team Swan Co. feels like you’re part of something bigger; and we look out for each other!

Best SIMA resource you’ve used since joining: Snow Business magazine has helped me implement some great ideas from other successful snow professionals. We also really enjoyed attending the Symposium in August. The seminars were fantastic, and we made great connections.

Who is your mentor?: My Pops. He’s the reason behind my drive and never-quit attitude. He taught me the value of hard work from such a young age; and now, he’s one of my best friends. He always knows the perfect thing to say to help me find balance again.