Learning from an elite basketball coach

A few leadership lessons that came to mind were passion, commitment, dedication.

By Martin Tirado, CAE
In early January, I had a surprising inspirational and learning experience. Where did this happen? At a local 1st grade basketball practice of course. I’m watching my son at his first basketball practice this past winter, he’s on 1 of 8 teams practicing in a large field house. Another team practicing on half the court in front of me makes me take notice. The coach of this group of 1st graders is Buzz Williams, head coach of the Marquette University men’s basketball team. This is elite level, he just took Marquette to the Elite 8 in last year’s NCAA tournament, they were nationally ranked during most of the past season, and here he is in a local high school field house filled with kids who are playing organized basketball for the first time in their lives. Wow.

I’m clearly focusing on him now, as are several other parents. How will he coach a team of 1st graders compared to how I see him coaching on the sidelines during games? Now here’s the inspirational stuff. He brought the same passion, enthusiasm and positive attitude he brings as a college coach to these kids, yet without the harsh criticisms he must at times have with his college players. He was loud, he was encouraging, he was sweating, and most importantly, he didn’t seem to care where he was or who was paying attention. He had 100% of his attention and focus devoted to the 10 kids fortunate enough to have him as a coach. 

A few leadership lessons that came to mind were passion, commitment, dedication. At the end of practice, he even taught his team how to properly encourage each other from the sidelines and that player substitutions require giving your teammate a ‘high-five’ when entering or exiting a game. Teamwork. Despite his stature in the community, he’s taking time every Sunday afternoon this winter to coach these young kids, including his own, in the basics of basketball. Humility.

What’s to be learned here? To me, a lot, and I’m glad I was there to see it.

SIMA’s CEO of the Year award was created to recognize leaders with many of these leadership traits, and how they reflect on the values and culture of professional snow and ice management companies. If you work with or know of someone who would be a great candidate to receive the CEO of the Year Award in 2013, please nominate them at www.sima.org/ceo. 

True insurance value in snow removal

Anytime a snow-specific insurance prospect calls our office, the first question I ask them is if they are a SIMA member. If the answer is yes, I have a greater degree of confidence that this is a professional contractor serious about snow.

For the last five years SIMA has coordinated with some vetted, qualified insurance providers to help connect members with potential insurers in the US and Canada. This provides a great opportunity for current members to find insurance when they need it. We sat down with Sam Rolph, an Agent of American Family Insurance recently to ask how his insurance agency in the Chicago region helps SIMA members see more value in their snow insurance programs.

What is the first thing that happens when a SIMA member contacts you?
Anytime a snow-specific insurance prospect calls our office, the first question I ask them is if they are a SIMA member. If the answer is yes, I have a greater degree of confidence that this is a professional contractor serious about snow. I then offer any insurance advice and answer any questions at no charge to the member.

Can SIMA membership have an impact on their individual policy?
Since I’ve worked with SIMA and its members for so long, I have been able to show that SIMA members are good investments for our company. I’m proud that American Family Insurance nationally recognizes SIMA as a professional body which aids in the control of losses, due to the exposure to professional training and template contracts. This does help aid in the final value offered to the contractor seeking insurance.

What about Certified Snow Professionals?
A well-managed, established certification program is attractive to insurance providers. Certified Snow Professionals are a highly qualified set of individuals that we are interested in insuring. Depending on the company history, I would estimate that CSP’s insured by us receive underwriting credits that can lead to between 2%-15% reductions in price based on loss history and annual premiums. This includes our general and liability insurance, as well as our vehicle and fleet insurance products.

What other value do you see as a result of the relationship?
I think that SIMA membership is a great icebreaker, and it provides the prospect and I an opportunity to connect and begin building trust. This allows for a more specific discussion about their business and its current state, as well as their future goals. I can then help them see that a good insurance partner is more than just a quote, we are a risk management resource to them that can aid in contract language, liability management, and overall cost management. 

Awards...why should you apply?

The snow & ice awards program continues to promote leadership in our industry. 

By Heather Carew
With the 2012-2013 winter season coming to a close, it’s time to sit back and evaluate the work that was done. Were you successful in managing all your properties? Did you pick up new sites throughout the season? Have you received compliments from your customers? Did one particular employee stand out in terms of service and commitment?

Thinking through all of these things, I would encourage you to also think about one more: recognizing your company or top employee by submitting an application for the annual Snow & Ice Industry Awards. This year, apply for the Excellence in Business Award and Safety Awards to recognize your company and their accomplishments or the Employee of the Year Award to show your top employee how much his or her work means.  

Why should you apply?
Everyone has their own reason to apply for an award, but taking this first step can give you some great things:

• Recognition at the Annual Snow & Ice Industry Awards and Recognition Night held during the 16th Annual Snow & ice Symposium in Minneapolis, MN (Applicants for Excellence in Business and Employee of the Year will receive one (1) complimentary Awards Night ticket)
• Award winners will receive a special Awards Night trophy or Plaque to display in their office
• Award winners will be recognized in Print via a special section in Snow Business Magazine
• Award winners will be recognized Online via social media, webpages, and email communications
• Award winners will receive a specialized Press Release to share with clients and media contacts regarding the win 

The snow & ice awards program continues to promote leadership in our industry. SIMA is accepting applications for this year’s Snow & Ice Industry through April 13, 2013 (May 1st for Safety Awards). Visit www.sima.org/awards for more information and to apply. Thank you to Awards Night sponsors CrewTracker Software, Morton Salt, and International Salt Co.

Symposium Scholarship opens doors

SIMA is proud to continue to offer the Alan Steiman Symposium Scholarship to deserving snow and ice contractors each year, allowing people to attend the Symposium who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.

By Elly Kobach
SIMA’s Annual Snow & Ice Symposium is a great way to meet new people and talk snow and ice with contractors from all over the US and Canada. Many have said that the knowledge they gain at the Symposium is invaluable, not just from the formal education, but from all the networking that goes on behind the scenes. While many agree that it is a great experience, it is reality that some people aren’t able to attend because of cost reasons, whether they are just starting their business or didn’t have a profitable winter. 

SIMA is proud to continue to offer the Alan Steiman Symposium Scholarship to deserving snow and ice contractors each year, allowing people to attend the Symposium who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. The scholarship, created in 2010 in memory of longtime SIMA member, mentor, and friend Alan Steiman, awards the winner full Symposium registration, access to all ticketed events, and a $1000 travel stipend. SIMA has awarded four scholarships to date, to some great contractors with great stories. A few quotes from their applications show the meaning behind this scholarship:

• “The fact that so many members are so willing to help each other out; sharing advice, efficiencies, and lessons learned…the SIMA Symposium would be awesome to attend. I think I could learn so many things from the seasoned professionals to help build my business, both as a challenge to myself and to benefit my community by offering them the best possible services and practices in the industry.” – Steve Koep of Fargo Snow, 2011 recipient
• “I love learning, and going to the snow and ice symposium is full of learning opportunity. The amount of education and information sharing that goes on seems unlikely to occur anywhere else. Being young, I am trying to take every opportunity I have to further my knowledge, and be on the leading edge in snow and ice management services.” – Shawn Rine, CSP of Rine Landscape Group, 2012 recipient

The scholarship program continues to help individuals in snow and ice learn and grow, and is a fitting tribute to Alan, who was a great industry mentor and educator to many. 

SIMA is accepting applications for this year’s Alan Steiman Scholarship through April 12, 2013. Applicants must be current SIMA members and have never attended a Symposium in the past. Visit www.sima.org/awards for more information and to apply.

Snow Safety Week is coming...

'We should do a Snow Safety Week!' I said to my 2 year old son. He wasn't too excited with the brilliance of this statement, but I persevered.

By Brian Birch, CAE
It was just over a year ago when my boss, SIMA CEO Martin Tirado, threw me an idea he'd been tossing around. It was Discovery Channel's 'Shark Week' at the time, and he said simply; 'we should do something like that for the snow industry.' It was a relatively nonchalant statement, but I was intrigued.

Fast forward many months. Like all good ideas, this one was something that just kept popping back into my head from time to time. As SIMA has shifted to a more specific focus on safety in the industry, the 'Shark Week' concept hit me full blast - 'We should do a Snow Safety Week!' I said to my 2 year old son. He wasn't too excited with the brilliance of this statement, but I persevered.

I went back to Martin and Phill Sexton, our Director of Education and Outreach, and pitched the concept to them...they were intrigued, and we began planning what we hope will be a tradition for all of us in the industry - using one formal week each year to talk safety and snow removal.

We are very excited at the opportunity to work with our publishing partner, Moose River Media, to deliver Snow Safety Week to the industry, March 25th - 28th, 2013. We have planned a diverse program that includes a free webinar, Conducting a Post-Season Safety Review, for anyone in the industry, almost a dozen topical articles on safety issues, multiple facilitated discussions at Plowsite.com, and more. We are also excited to thank Progressive Insurance as a 2013 Snow Safety Week sponsor!

Please take a moment to add Snow Safety Week to your organization's calendar, and share the concept with your employees, subs, and operators. It may seem strange to focus on safety at the end of the season, but we feel this is an opportune time to reflect on the past season while it's fresh, talk safety, make changes, and continue to create a safer working environment for employees and customers. 

Hope to hear from all of you if you have any thoughts on this concept, and how we can improve it!

Membership visits = membership value

Chris Marino

After visiting a friend’s facility in Canada, 
we decided to implement a new residential snow management strategy to supplement our traditional commercial work.  

Many SIMA members, through their affiliation with the association, meet and build long-term friendships. These relationships are a key way professionals can grow through sharing best practices and ideas with their peers. Over time, many friendships result in members visiting each other’s sites to see how they manage a snow operation. We caught up with Chris Marino, CSP, of Xtreme Snow Pros of Mahwah, NJ. Chris recently visited a member in Quebec after getting to know him through SIMA. What he learned led him to launch a new segment of his snow management business in 2012.

How many SIMA members have 
you visited so far? 
Since joining in 2011, I have visited four snow contractors that I have met through SIMA.

How did SIMA help you in building those relationships?
SIMA has helped by putting me in contact with other people who have similar businesses as mine. We are able to share ideas with each other since we have so much in common. It has been very beneficial for me to meet snow contractors in Canada because they have a completely different way of operating, and the culture is different. Using this insight as a way to contrast our business, I have been able to incorporate some of their techniques into my company. This has been a huge plus, since I am offering services that have never been offered in my location.

What is the most exciting thing about visiting a contractor’s facility?
I love to visit other facilities because we all have similar businesses, but we run them differently. It’s nice to compare how their businesses are both different from yet similar to mine. I usually take some new ideas back to my office to better my company and hopefully share some ideas with the folks I’m visiting at the same time. It opens your mind to other ways things can be done, and it truly is a huge learning experience on both sides.

What is the most important thing you learned from a site visit?
After visiting a friend’s facility in Canada, we decided to implement a residential snow management strategy to supplement our traditional commercial work. We have opened a new company and have outfitted it with a tractor and snowblower, and we were able to take several of the ideas I learned through the site visit to jump-start our new venture. 

Eight Tips for Safe Snow Shoveling

A 2011 study published in the Clinical Research in Cardiology revealed that shoveling snow actually does increase the risk of a having a heart attack. The study looked at 500 people and found that 7% started experiencing symptoms of heart problems while shoveling snow. The cardiologists conducting the Canadian study felt that while 7% is significant, there could be as many as double that number given the fact that the patients may not have connected their heart problems with snow shoveling. 

"While heart attacks may be the most serious consequence of shoveling snow, there are other even more common health risks including dehydration, back injuries, pulled muscles, broken bones and frostbite. But the good news is there are ways to safely shovel snow," said Martin B. Tirado, CAE, Executive Director, SIMA. 

Here are SIMA's safe snow shoveling tips:

TIP #1: Stay on top of the snow. No we aren't suggesting that you make snow angels but when there's a heavy snow, the best advice is to stay ahead of the storm. SIMA recommends that to prevent snow and ice from adhering to the sidewalk or street, clear the snow every few inches instead of waiting for the snow to stop falling before you head outdoors. 

TIP #2: Wear breathable layers. Layering is typical cold winter weather advice. We suggest wearing layers of loose clothing so you can peal a layer off if you get hot. Avoid wearing heavy wools, manmade materials or other materials that don’t allow perspiration to evaporate. Better choices are cotton and silk.

TIP #3: Watch your feet. No you aren't on Dancing with the Stars, but nonetheless, you need to pay attention to what's on your feet when heading outdoors to shovel snow. SIMA suggests wearing quality outdoor winter wear such as waterproof boots with good traction. Good traction is critical to ensuring that you don't slip and fall.

TIP #4: Take a few minutes to stretch. Shoveling snow is a workout so you need to stretch to warm up your muscles particularly because you are shoveling snow in the cold weather. Stretching before you start shoveling will help prevent injury and fatigue. 

TIP #5: Push don't lift. Sounds like something a high school wrestling coach may say but if you push the snow to the side rather than trying to lift the snow to remove it, you exert less energy thereby placing less stress on your body.

TIP #6: Drink up! Water that is. SIMA recommends taking frequent breaks and staying hydrated. You should drink water as if you were enduring a tough workout at the gym or running five miles. 

TIP #7: Don't play in traffic. Sometimes people get so focused on the task at hand they don't pay attention to their surroundings. When shoveling snow near streets, pay attention to the traffic since vehicles may not have good traction in the snow and ice. 

TIP #8: Call and text. We're not suggesting that you make calls and text while shoveling snow, but it is important to have your cell phone on you so you can make a call in event of an emergency.