Disruptors in Snow and Ice Services

'However, neither of those disruptors change the need to have professional companies and their workers plowing and clearing snow and ice for safe passage.'

By Martin Tirado
Recently Accuweather posted this article on the on-demand snow (and lawn) services that have suddenly popped up. Many market sectors are changing as a result of ‘disruptors’, mostly based on technology advances that are being developed at a rapid pace. So is this, or other new services to the snow management profession, truly disruptive to business as usual? On demand could certainly work in residential plowing, commercial and larger scale facilities will present a more difficult challenge for on-demand service.

How about how companies buy or rent compact to heavy equipment? There is at least one company doing this, Getable, and certainly others competing with them or on the way. Snow and ice management companies already rent or lease equipment they need during winter seasons, I can certainly see plows and spreaders being offered in an on-demand or seasonal nature as well. Manufacturers and suppliers have business savvy and evaluate short and long term trends, they will continue to find a business structure that serves the needs of the market. 

What other disruptors exist that can change the way snow and ice services are delivered? Possibly multi-location brokers, verification and validation technology are a couple that exist now. However, neither of those change the need to have professional companies and their workers plowing and clearing snow and ice for safe passage. Our main disruptor may always be the unpredictability and variability of winter weather and the danger is poses to companies that do not have a business plan to adjust.

Have any of these disruptors impacted your winter season?

El Niño Weather Brings Changes

By Martin Tirado
The strong El Niño pattern across North America has created snow and ice storms in unlikely places and unusually warm weather in normally cold areas. SIMA’s tips on how to deal with winter weather were first published by local media in Albuquerque, NM as a result of Winter Storm Goliath, as opposed to Buffalo, NY whose warm weather set records.   

Heavy rains are hitting drought ravaged California, little to no snow in the Northeast and Atlantic Coast, and arctic cold is on its way. So what’s next?

Most likely snow and ice storms will be coming in many places in the US and Canada. Snow plowers will be working and the public will need to take caution as to how serious conditions can get in these storms. Pass along these tips to your customers, business contacts and even friends and family who need to stay safe in winter storm conditions. The next Goliath type storm will come, be sure you are prepared for it.

TIP #1: Wear proper shoes. While fashion is great, the right shoes to navigate snow and ice place the entire foot on the surface of the ground and have visible, heavy treads and a flat bottom.

TIP #2: Be prepared. Have an ice scraper and brush in your car - not in the trunk, as snow may make it difficult to open the trunk. Have a full tank of gas; check the tire pressure, battery, and oil. Wear the proper clothing - boots, gloves, hats, scarves, etc., and take extra clothes. Charge your cell phone before leaving home and take a car charger. Carry a safe winter car kit containing items such as kitty litter, rock salt, a shovel, a blanket, flares, water, etc. 

TIP #3: No need for speed. Slow down. The time you need to stop, the possibility of sliding increases when it starts to snow or in freezing conditions. 

TIP #4: Check the weather reports. Listen to the news to hear about your local road conditions. Pay attention to what roads are impassable and plan another route if those routes affect you. If the roads are hazardous or closed, stay home.

Action Alert: Use this tame winter to train and improve

'SIMA has built a significant set of training materials, courses, and resources for members to utilize.'

Take action now on training: 

• Download the Best Practices Checklist for Snow & Ice Management here (free) and work on checking items off the list.
• Download the SIMA Safety Training Kit here (free to members).
• Each SIMA member company is eligible one time per year for 5 free vouchers for use in the SIMA training center. Email Ellen@sima.org to request these (verification required).
• Schedule a Team Training call here to start down the path of Advanced Snow Management.
• Review requirements and apply to become a Certified Snow Professional here, and add a serious credential to your qualifications.

In many areas, unfortunately low or no snow has been the norm this year. Many contractors have teams sitting and waiting. This might be the time for you to consider training and improving your key staff and systems. 

In this industry, it is challenging to prioritize time for staff to train, especially leading up to a snow season. SIMA has seen a significant increase in requests for training materials and investments in training over the past month, as many snow companies seek to keep their key players engaged and turn a slow winter into a training opportunity. Many have undergone a quick call with SIMA staff to discuss our Team Training program.

Team Training is designed to connect all of the online training resources available at the SIMA Training Center with key staff members. Each team member receives their own training classroom for focused individual learning like the Advanced Snow Management certificate courses, as well as the ability to download any documents, contracts and forms available to members of SIMA. Team Training companies can also have a single master training account where they can access the SIMA training videos and on-demand training webinars they choose.

SIMA has built a significant set of training materials, courses, and resources for members to utilize. We are here for you during this slow winter, and are interested in helping you in any way we can.

Action Alert: Become a content producer with SIMA in 2016

'We are always seeking new ideas, subject matter experts, and different perspectives for webinars, videos, interviews and articles.'

Take action now on content production:

• Email Brian@sima.org with ideas on webinars or short videos.
• Email chigley@grandviewmedia.com with article ideas or if you are interested in writing for SIMA in 2016.
• Review the content available at www.sima.org/resources and give us feedback on what you think is missing

By Brian Birch
Each year, SIMA creates industry webinars, articles and videos. Our goal is to be the most relevant and best quality content creator in snow and ice management.

This coming year will be one of great change for SIMA. The association will continue to build on successes in best practices, and will launch a new content management section at www.sima.org to replace www.GoPlow.com. The new section, called the SIMA Library, will launch later this month and will feature:

• A comprehensive set of categories and tags that can help you drill into content
• The ability for SIMA to set some content as members-only
• Quick access to great content from past issues of Snow Business magazine
• A widget to search for articles by our most popular authors
• Mobile-friendly design for easy reading or review on any mobile device

Not only will you see new and better content from SIMA in the next year, but we created a more formal taxonomy for organizing material online, and we are actively working to adopt this taxonomy within SIMA as much as possible. Along with that, we are working hard to align our content with the SIMA Standard Glossary of Terms, so that the content you see and hear from us is better organized and clearly understood.

We are always seeking new ideas, subject matter experts, and different perspectives for webinars, videos, interviews and articles. We encourage you to become a content producer in 2016!

Industry leaders give back

As we speak with snow professionals across North America, SIMA and Snow Business have always been inspired not only by their business acumen, but also the quality of their character. We believe that the true value of a snow & ice professional includes serving the communities in which he or she operates or volunteering for causes that are close to their heart. 

Every year, the magazine features a special section highlighting three snow & ice professionals who take community involvement and volunteering to the next level. SIMA and Snow Business are proud to share the 2015-16 Community Service Initiative participants – watch a video interview with each company below, and click each of the titles to read their full stories in the digital issue. 

Special thanks to BOSS Snowplow for their continued sponsorship of the Community Service Initiative!

B&B Group: A mission to serve

Precision Snow Removal: Giving back is a priority

W.L. French: 40 years and counting

Action Alert: Help SIMA continue best practices development

'The Think Tank brought up many great ideas about standards that are needed in the industry. We’d like to build on the energy from the event, and launch one of those ideas sooner rather than later.'

Take action now on best practices development:

• Fill out this form to become a stakeholder reviewer for Best Practices in Snow Procurement.
• Email Brian@sima.org any thoughts on industry standards and best practices.
• Sign up here to be one of the first to receive the final draft of the procurement guide.

By Brian Birch
On September 1-2, leading stakeholders in the snow and ice industry met in Washington, DC, for SIMA’s Think Tank strategy discussion. Snow and ice management professionals, property and facility managers, insurance representatives, and others worked together to discuss priority issues and proposed solutions for these issues. During this meeting, it became clear that SIMA and the snow and industry need to continue to lead the development of best practices and standards. 

SIMA is excited to have already launched the Best Practices Guidelines and the Snow & Ice Management Glossary of Terms, and the Think Tank brought up many great ideas about other standards that are needed in the industry. We’d like to build on the energy from the event, and launch one of those ideas sooner rather than later.

We are in the process of finalizing a rough draft visual timeline of procuring snow and ice services. This document is designed to provide a visual timeline of best practices for contractors and buyers of service, so that the procurement process works with the mobilization needs of the contractor to ensure buyers are getting the best providers submitting RFPs in a timely fashion.

To make this procurement guide as comprehensive as possible, we are looking for a body of stakeholders to review this document and give us any insight or feedback. We hope that as an industry professional, you will consider helping us keep the momentum flowing and agree to spend approximately 1 hour of your time reviewing the document and providing suggestions. 

From those reviews, we will create the first official Best Practices in Procuring Snow Services document, which we can build on over time.

Are you in? If so, please take a few minutes to review and fill out this online form and agree to the stakeholder requirements. You will then be contacted by SIMA with more information on the review process. 

Snow Safety Week 2015 Review

Last week, SIMA, Plowsite.com, and sponsors BOSS Snowplow and Progressive Insurance produced a third Snow Safety Week. With a webinar on field training in snow and ice, articles, videos and discussion topics, Snow Safety Week was successful in providing quality, helpful information on a variety of safety-related topics.

As we move into the winter season, safety information is timely and very important for all snow professionals to remember. View some of the highlights from Snow Safety Week below:

• OSHA Audits: 5 things you need to know – In some circumstances, instances of accidents can trigger an OSHA safety audit. Review tips on audits as well as how to be prepared in the event of one.
• Helping families of employees make it through the winter – The toll of winter services takes its toll not only on the contractors in the field but also on their families. Read tips on how to make the snow season easier for families.
• Recognizing the signs of a heart attack – Train your snow & ice team to know symptoms and warning signs of a heart attack and what to do if anyone experiences heart attack symptoms.
• CPR basic training for operations staff – Every snow and ice management company’s safety plan should include first aid and CPR training. View resources and ways to train your employees on CPR.
• Identifying onsite health risks – Snow and ice management professionals focus clearly on ensuring safe sites for their clients, but companies mustn’t neglect the safety of their employees working in tough conditions. Read to help keep your team safe onsite.
• Recognizing the signs of depression and anxiety – The stressful nature of work in snow and ice can lead to many health issues. Learn to recognize the signs of depression and anxiety and how to manage them.
• Creating a Safety Team for your snow company – Learn how to build a team of people who can champion safety and help other employees with reminders and incentives to follow your company’s safety training program.
• Video: performing a tool box talk/circle check – View a demonstration on how to perform a pre-trip safety inspection on a truck and plow, including checking the plow, lights, tires, signs of damage, and more.
• Safely dumping snow accumulation from the top of a parking deck – Dumping snow from parking structures requires a tight choreography of operations to ensure the safety not only of those dumping, but those on the ground and in other areas of the garages. View suggestions on how to accomplish this safely.

Visit here to see all the articles from last week, and thank you to everyone who participated and helped create another successful Snow Safety Week!