SIMA takes steps to strengthen Certified Snow Professional program

By Ellen Kobach
At the beginning of 2013, SIMA and its volunteer Certification committee rolled out some key changes to the pre-requirements for taking the Certified Snow Professional exam. These changes were made to simplify the pre-requirements and to strengthen the program to ensure that CSP candidates are well-qualified in the snow industry. 

With the help of our volunteers (all whom are CSPs), we reviewed the objectives of the CSP program, which include goals to create leaders in the industry, educate others about the industry, ensure professional competence, and more. After a thorough review of these objectives, the new pre-requirements were drafted to bring them into better alignment with these big picture objectives. The new requirements focus on real snow & ice experience as well as snow-specific knowledge before taking the exam. A brief explanation of the 2 paths to becoming a CSP:

• Option 1: Direct snow management experience – In the last 5 years, applicant has 3 or more consecutive winter seasons of direct snow-specific experience in the industry as an owner, co-owner, or CEO OR 5 or more consecutive winter seasons of direct snow-specific experience as a supervisor/manager.
• Option 2: Snow-Specific Training, Experience, and Education – If an applicant does not fall under Option 1 requirements before testing for the exam, the applicant must have the following: 15 snow-specific education credits, at least 2 consecutive winter seasons as a supervisor/manager in any industry-affiliated organization, a post-secondary education degree, and a reference letter.

We want CSPs to be well-versed in all aspects of the industry, and to have the knowledge to back up and use the designation. These changes are just one more step towards the constant improvement of the CSP program as a whole.

For anyone interested in becoming a CSP in 2013, SIMA has created a study calendar that gives deadline guidelines and also includes a comprehensive study session during the Symposium in June. To learn more about this and the CSP program, visit www.sima.org/certification or email ellen@sima.org. 

Ramp up your PR efforts...

By Brian Birch
SIMA has been focusing a lot on advocacy and PR lately, and we will be sharing more information about those efforts soon. 

But right now, I want to share with you some information related to one item that came from the Impact of Snow campaign (our advocacy/PR project); our newly created and released Public Relations Toolkit for SIMA members.

Our industry is invisible in many ways, most people just don’t think about the value snow removal professionals provide. They just want the snow and ice to be gone, period. However, as we in the industry know, running a professional snow business is a strange mix of gambling on the unknown (aka will it snow?), coupled with a military-like need for tactical organization (operations), and  rounded out by an adrenaline rush for getting out there, when no one else will, to do the hard work.

So in general, all of you snow professionals out there are part of a diverse, professional industry that adds value to many lives each year. And each of you has a unique story to tell in your area of influence, whether you serve one town or manage snow across a larger geographic area.

Our tool kit is designed to help you, as a SIMA member, get more media attention through some quality tips and templates. I know that when the snow flies, the last thing you are thinking about is getting in a newspaper, but you would be surprised out how powerful good PR can be for your business. And the key to getting good PR is being proactive and having a plan, and making sure that your messages tie into things that are of interest to your community. We hope our SIMA Member PR Toolkit will help you get there. Visit here to download the plan today!

Special thanks to Sheri Singer of Singer Communications for putting this together, and as always, to Pro-Tech Manufacturing & Distribution for supporting our Impact of Snow campaign!

Think Spring with the Snow & Ice Symposium

By Heather Carew
Yep, you heard me! While you are out pushing that beautiful white stuff, I want you to take a second and think spring. Well, to be more exact, think June and 16th Annual Snow & Ice Symposium. It’s hard to believe, but in just over four months The Best Show in Snow & Ice Management will be making its way to Minneapolis, MN for four great days of education, trade show, networking, and fun!

We hope our 2013 show will be our best yet with new events and some returning favorites:

• Safety anyone? Start the conference off right by attending the Safety & Hands-On Equipment Demo Day, sponsored by Ziegler CAT. In this pre-conference workshop, attendees will spend the afternoon learning from a CAT Safety Instructor and demoing snow & ice equipment.  
• Why have one keynote when you can have two? Dave Horsager will open on Thursday morning with his thought-provoking session “The Trust Edge.” Attendees will learn how they can gain faster results, deeper relationships, and a stronger bottom line. Moving to Friday, marketing expert Judy Guido will help kick off the day with her keynote address “Building a Sales Strategy That Will Create a Sustainable Competitive Advantage.”
• Coming soon: The Trade Show. This is the show you don’t want to miss with 2 days of snow-specific equipment, products, and more from over 100 exhibitors. Stop by the SIMA booth each day for mini-educational sessions and don’t forget the free beer on Thursday and free lunch on Friday.  
• Did I mention we have educational sessions?  With 20 concurrent sessions, attendees will get the opportunity to hear from knowledgeable industry professionals in four main tracks: Sales & Marketing, CEO to CEO, Operations & Equipment, and Management & Leadership. Pay special attention to our Sales & Marketing Workshop “Stop Wasting Time and Improve Your Close Ratio” featuring Kirk Armstrong & Neal Glatt, CSP on Saturday morning.  
• It wouldn’t be a Symposium without snacks. Back by popular demand are the Snack & Chat roundtables. Select your seat and discuss some of the most important and relevant industry topics with other snow & ice management pros from around North America.  
• I’m on a boat! The 2013 closing event, sponsored by CAT, will take attendees to historic and scenic Excelsior, MN.  After some time to sight-see (or eat ice cream), guests will hop on the Queen of Excelsior to cruise down beautiful Lake Minnetonka and enjoy time with friends.  

The SIMA staff is working hard to make this show one for the record books. Register today and don’t miss out!  Visit www.sima.org/show for more or contact me at Heather@sima.org. See you in June!  

The hazards of winter walking

By Brian Birch
We hear about the dangers of driving in winter conditions all the time, and for good measure, as it can be very hazardous. But it’s amazing to me that we don’t hear more about walking safely during winter months. We need to change this...

For example, here are some quick stats, just from one risk management company report, Zurich Insurance:

• 35% of slips of slip and fall incidents occurred in the parking lot or parking garage
• Approximately 25% of payments for slip, trip, and fall claims were snow and ice related

Those stats apply to only one company, so you can start to imagine the scope of the problem. In fact, the impact from slips and falls on snow and ice are estimated in the billions across North America, literally billions of dollars!

When you start to research the statistics online, its hard to find good relevant data, but one thing is apparent; slips, trips, and falls are typically in the top 5 causes of injuries for the public, and for on-the-job injuries too. While there is a great deal of information about workplace safety related to tripping over a mop bucket, there is less about the hazards of walking in a parking lot that just got hit with freezing rain.

So for now, it’s up to all of us to share some basic best practices for walking safely in winter weather. These should be common sense, but we live in a culture that wants to do anything it wants, anytime it wants to do it! So here are some tips you can share with your friends and customers to spread awareness:

TIP #1: Wear proper footwear. Proper footwear should place the entire foot on the surface of the ground and have visible treads. Avoid a smooth sole and opt for a heavy treaded shoe with a flat bottom.

TIP #2: Accessorize to see and be seen. Wear sunglasses so that you can see in the reflective light of the snow. Also, wear a bright coat or scarf so that drivers can easily see you.

TIP #3: Plan ahead. While walking on snow or ice on sidewalks or in parking lots, walk consciously. Instead of looking down, look up and see where your feet will move next to anticipate ice or an uneven surface. Occasionally scan from left to right to ensure you are not in the way of vehicles or other hazards. 

TIP #4: Make sure you can hear. While seeing the environment is important, you also want to be sure you can hear approaching traffic and other noises. Avoid listening to music or engaging in conversation that may prevent you from hearing oncoming traffic or snow removal equipment.

TIP #5: Anticipate ice. Be wary of thin sheets of ice that may appear as wet pavement (black ice). Often ice will appear in the morning, in shady spots or where the sun shines during the day and melted snow refreezes at night. 

TIP #6: Walk steps slowly. When walking down steps, be sure to grip handrails firmly and plant your feet securely on each step.

TIP #7: Enter a building carefully. When you get to your destination such as school, work, shopping center, etc., be sure to look at the floor as you enter the building. The floor may be wet with melted snow and ice.

TIP #8: Be careful when you shift your weight. When stepping off a curb or getting into a car, be careful since shifting your weight may cause an imbalance and result in a fall.

TIP #9: Avoid taking shortcuts. Shortcuts are a good idea if you are in a hurry, but may be a bad idea if there is snow and ice on the ground. A shortcut path may be treacherous because it is likely to be located where snow and ice removal is not possible.

TIP #10: Look up. Be careful about what you walk under.  Injuries also can result from falling snow/ice as it blows, melts, or breaks away from awnings, buildings, etc.

We will share more information about what SIMA is doing to raise awareness through our Impact of Snow Initiative, stay tuned, and thanks to Pro-Tech Manufacturing & Distribution for supporting our awareness efforts!

Source: Managing slip, trip, and fall risks in snow and ice prone regions, Zurich Insurance

Why should you tell your story?

By Brian Birch
SIMA, in conjunction with Caterpillar, Inc., just launched the 2013 Greatest Story Never Told contest. This will be the third year we offer the contest to the industry, and anyone who runs or helps to manage a professional snow organization should consider submitting their story.

The GSNT contest will award one winner a chance to be featured on the cover of Snow Business magazine. This in itself is a tremendous accomplishment, as it allows you to tell your story to your peers. It is intimidating, but if you are confident and proud of the organization you have built and the people you work with, then putting your story out there is a solid way to gain recognition in the industry and inspire others.

The reason we started this contest a few years ago was simple; we got many requests from folks to be on the cover, and we wanted to show all of you that in order to be featured, there must be a solid, tangible story behind you. We don’t just feature companies on the cover so they can use it as a marketing tool (although that is a nice bonus), we use it to give insight into how other people and companies have made it work in a challenging industry. Snow and ice management is full of great people doing good work, and we’d like to shout that to the rooftops.

If you have been challenged and grown from it as an individual, take a moment to share that insight. If you had a major crisis or event that put your team to the test, then share that story with us. If you have created a unique or innovative approach to managing snow and ice, then tell us how you did it. From there, your peers on the Editorial Committee will help determine the winner of the 2013 Greatest Story Never Told. 

Before March 15, 2013, take a few moments to write your story down and fill out the entry form at www.sima.org/mysnowstory. We hope to hear your story soon!

Brian Birch, CAE is the Assistant Executive Director for the Snow & Ice Management Association and can be reached at Brian@sima.org.

Why do Big Shots matter?

By Elly Kobach

This will be the third year in a row SIMA and Snow Business magazine have run the Big Shots competition. In a nutshell, anyone who receives Snow Business magazine can take a fun, creative, or goofy shot of themselves or someone from their organization, with an issue of the magazine visible in the photo. From there, they simply submit their photo to the contest at http://www.GoPlow.com/bigshots-contest, and then the rest is up to the GoPlow.com community and the Snow Business task force to decide who this year’s Big Shot will be.

But why do we do this in the first place? There are several reasons actually.

First, we believe that the people who receive Snow Business are in general dedicated, hard-working, fun loving people. SIMA and the magazine do a lot to illustrate how professional and business-driven our industry can be, but we don’t want to forget that this is an industry that is down-to-earth and likes to have fun as well.

Second, the Big Shots contest provides us another opportunity to help someone from the industry attend the annual Snow & Ice Symposium. The winner receives free registration, $500 cash, transportation from the airport, and a free upgrade to a suite during the show. The 2^nd and 3^rd place winners also receive cash which can help them get to the show if they desire.

Third, we want the professionals in our industry to have an opportunity to compete and engage with each other throughout the year, and have something fun and interesting to do leading up to the show. This type of tradition is important, and highlights the diversity and creativity of the people who make up this industry.

So what are you waiting for? Get out your phones or cameras, grab an issue of Snow Business, and get creative! Submit your photo by April 1^st, 2013 for a chance to win.

Special thanks to Chrysler for sponsoring the 2013 Big Shots competition, and for offering a great discount to SIMA members, see more here.

Elly Kobach is the Certification & Communications Coordinator for the Snow & Ice Management Association and can be reached at Ellen@sima.org. 

New Year, New Goals for SIMA

By Mike Mason, CSP
I am so grateful for the opportunity to serve you all as the Board Chair for 2013 here at SIMA. As we move into another year, I wanted to take a moment to thank you and share my thoughts for what 2013 will bring for all of us related through the organization and our industry:

1. New training and new opportunities: From the new Advanced Snow Manager designation currently in development to our Resource 24/7 Training Center online, SIMA is really expanding the training options in our industry in 2013.
2. Community outreach and public advocacy: Stay tuned for more information, because 2013 will see even more resources and effort dedicated to educating consumers, property/facility managers, and the public about the work we all do each season.
3. Working smarter not harder: Just like any business, SIMA is an organization that has people and processes that must be managed each year. In 2013, SIMA will continue its efforts to streamline its business processes, Board governance, and technology with the goal of becoming more nimble and responsive to the industry as a whole. Look for changes in 2013 as we move the association into an exciting new phase in its development and growth.

This is my New Year’s list for SIMA…it may be short, but these three items represent a great deal of time, energy, and commitment. If we can plant a flag in 2013 and get these three items moving forward strongly and cohesively, we’ll all benefit together in this industry that we love. 

As always, the SIMA Board is open to hearing new ideas, and we encourage all of you to get more involved in your industry and its non-profit trade association. Please send any thoughts or questions to Martin@sima.org, and he can help facilitate discussions. Looking forward to a strong and snowy 2013, hope you are as well!

Mike Mason, CSP, is VP of The Lawn Pro in Louisville, KY, and is the current SIMA Board Chair.