Becoming a CSP in 2014

'In the past year, we have been making improvements to both the marketing and the benefits for becoming a CSP, with a focus on supporting those who earn the designation.'

By Elly Kobach
SIMA’s new certificate program, Advanced Snow Management, has been getting a lot of attention lately as the latest educational offering in snow and ice. The program is almost complete with one course left to roll out, and it provides great training for equipment operators and snow event operations managers.

While the new ASM certificates have been front and center for the past few months, SIMA has not forgotten about the Certified Snow Professional program! As the recognized standard for professionalism and excellence in snow and ice management services, CSP is built for owners and executives, and focuses on the critical elements of running a snow business. As a certification rather than a certificate program, there are pre-requisites for applying and ongoing requirements once the certification is earned.

In the past year, we have been making improvements to both the marketing and the benefits for becoming a CSP, with a focus on supporting those who earn the designation, including:

• A redesign of the CSP logo.
• New advertising campaign, both print and digital (see image above).
• A new brochure with inserts specifically for CSPs to give customers (coming soon).
• A marketing kit that each new CSP will receive, including press releases, ideas on how to market the certification, and a personalized wallet card and framed certificate.

As we continue to make improvements to the program, SIMA will hold a free Certified Snow Professional informational webinar on March 25, 2014, for anyone who is interested in becoming certified. This is a great first step to take to get more information and ask questions about CSP, as the webinar will cover:

• Why certification is important for professionals in the industry.
• Pre-requisites and application process.
• Studying process, materials, and tips.
• Registering for your CSP exam and exam process.
• Maintaining your certification once you earn it.

Register for the webinar here to start on your path to becoming a CSP! For more information on the CSP program, visit www.sima.org/certification or email ellen@sima.org.