Industry questions, industry answers

'Through this program, all SIMA members have the option to make contact with available advisors for best practices and information sharing.'

By Heather Carew
Whether you have been involved in the snow & ice industry for two months or 20 years, everyone has questions. In an effort to answer these questions and to link industry professionals together based on specific areas of interest, SIMA and its Outreach Committee have created SIMA Advisors.

What is a SIMA Advisor?
A SIMA Advisor is and industry professional (and fellow SIMA member) who is available to answer questions and be a resource and conduit for information sharing.

How did this program come about?
SIMA Advisors is a spinoff of SIMA's Buddy Program, which had limitations related to who could participate and the length of the pairing. Over the past year, the Outreach Committee decided to change and expand the program. The Advisor Program is open to all members, and it is up to the member (advisee) to make contact with his or her advisor as needed.

Who can take advantage of this program?
If you're a SIMA member, you're in! Visit www.sima.org/advisor to submit an Advisor Request.

What are the program goals?
SIMA prides itself on being "the resource that raises awareness through networking and education." The programs main goal is to educate the member requesting assistance, but the long-term goal is that these two people can create a lasting relationship.

Heather Carew is SIMA's meetings and membership manager. Contact her at heather@sima.org. 

Professional estimating, simplified

'SIMA works to create useful, real-world resources for snow & ice management professionals.'

By Brian Birch, CAE
Over the past five years, SIMA has trained hundreds of snow professionals on better snow estimating and sales techniques through its popular Build a Bid program. SIMA engaged more than a dozen industry professionals during the program's development, which took more than a full year. This initiative included a team of five highly experienced professionals who created the in-person Build a Bid program. After achieving success with the program, SIMA wanted to make it more accessible to the industry. Late last fall, we launched the self-study version of Build a Bid online at SIMA's Resource 24/7 Training Center.

The Build a Bid Snow Estimating Package was produced by SIMA and Phil Harwood, CSP, of Pro-Motion Consulting, and is a streamlined version of the in-person training program. The online version teaches all of the major elements of a professional snow & ice management bid, including:

• Understanding the true costs of the work
• How to calculate production numbers
• Methods for creating multiple bid types
• Tips for sales and qualifying prospects

Each of these areas is supported by video tutorials and a comprehensive workbook that walks through a bid from start to finish.

The most powerful part of the online training program, and one not included in the original Build a Bid in-person events, is the inclusion of a customized Excel-formatted bidding tool. It provides a step-by-step path to calculating the square footage of a site, estimating equipment capacity, applying specific weather data, calculating overhead and other costs, inserting production numbers, and finalizing quotes in various formats. A video tutorial is also included for this comprehensive workbook. 

SIMA works to create useful, real-world resources for snow & ice management professionals. If you are seeking more and better ways to create professionals, fair quotes based on accurate numbers, visit www.sima.org/gobidsnow.

Build a Bid by the numbers

• 500+ Snow professionals have trained in SIMA's Build a Bid program
• 12 useful tabs in the Build a Bid online spreadsheet estimating tool
• 4 sections in the Build a Bid online program
• 6 exercises included in the Build a Bid online workbook to build skill and knowledge
• 24/7 access via SIMA's Resource 24/7 Training Center

Brian Birch, CAE is chief operating officer of SIMA. 

Snow Safety Week returns in 2013

'I have been a part of this association for 9 years, and I am excited that we are finally in a place where we can consistently deliver snow-specific safety training to the industry.'

By Brian K. Birch, CAE
In March of 2013 SIMA launched the first-ever Snow Safety Week for our industry...the goal was simple, to identify one formal week each year to talk safety and snow removal. But we liked it so much, we are going to again in 2013! Save the dates of October 28-31, 2013...

Why is SIMA doing two Snow Safety Weeks in one year? Because we can...

I have been a part of this association for 9 years this September, and I am so excited that we are finally in a place where we can consistently deliver quality, snow-specific safety training and information to the industry. Even 5 years ago we were not what I would consider a safety-focused association. As we've matured as an association, our focus on safety best practices has increased and we are hopeful it will have a long term, positive impact on the industry.

But we need your help...what safety-related topics and issues do you face in your business or operations? How can we use Snow Safety Week to help you highlight the importance of safety to your employees and to your customers? 

Please share thoughts in the comments below, or email Brian@sima.org. 

We look forward to working with you to create a more safety-focused industry in snow and ice. 

Brian Birch, CAE is the Chief Operating Officer for the Snow & Ice Management Association and can be reached at Brian@sima.org.

Safety matters

'When we decided to add a seventh issue this year, the editorial team decided that September would be a great time to really focus on a topic that is crucial in the snow & ice management industry—safety.'

By Cheryl Higley
In the next few weeks, subscribers to Snow Business magazine will be receiving their first September issue. When we decided to add a seventh issue this year, the editorial team decided that September would be a great time to really focus on a topic that is crucial in the snow & ice management industry—safety. 

As we began planning, the results from our annual State of the Industry survey reinforced the importance. A startling statistic from our survey was that 60% of the respondents don’t have a formal safety training program in their company. 

Our goal was to look at different aspects of safety and training to get a feel for the stories, insights and solutions we could give to our readers to help make their businesses—and the properties they service—safer for their employees and their clients.

As we started brainstorming, we quickly realized there are so many safety touch points for a snow company that we couldn’t possibly do all of them justice. So we decided to focus on key points from three aspects for this first-ever Safety Issue: employee safety, operations safety and selling safety. The topics we chose cover many aspects and still barely scratch the surface, but I’m certain that the stories we’re presenting will provide solutions and get snow & ice contractors thinking about safety. Special thanks go to our Editorial Advisory Committee and our outstanding peer contributors for helping us get our safety issue off the ground. 

We’re going to follow up the September issue with a Snow Safety Week Oct. 28-31 with additional stories on GoPlow.com, videos and webinars. 

I am very excited for everyone to read the September issue and, as always, would love your feedback. As winter begins to creep in on us, my virtual door is always open and I welcome comments and story suggestions—on safety or any other topic in snow & ice management. 

Cheryl Higley is editorial director for Snow Business magazine. Contact her at chigley@mooserivermedia.com.

Why your snow removal company shouldn't ignore this trend

'If we as an industry want to be responsive to demands from the facilities management marketplace, we have to improve and be more open minded about this trend.'

By Brian K. Birch
The 2013 Snow Strategies Forum was a great experience. First, it was fun. Second, it was full of useful information. And third, there were some really smart people there.  One smart guy in the room on day 2 was attorney Stuart Kaplow. Pretty much no one in the snow removal industry knew Kaplow before this event. But Kaplow, an expert on LEED for Green Buildings, gave one of the best presentations we’ve seen in a while.

Kaplow presented critical information that we simply cannot ignore in the snow removal industry. Here are some stats provided by Kaplow about the growth of LEED in North America:

• 44% of new non-residential construction was green in 2012 (7 years ago less than 2% was green)
• 1.5 million square feet certifies to LEED per day
• Today there are 53,000+ LEED certified commercial projects either certified or in the process of being certified

These numbers are pretty impressive, but the important idea here is that most snow professionals aren't very informed about green building and LEED in general. If we as an industry want to be responsive to demands from the facilities management marketplace, we have to improve and be more open minded about this trend.

Kaplow did offer some help to those in attendance. He provided insightful information about LEED EB (for Existing Buildings), the part of LEED that can directly impact snow removal. He also furnished attendees with a template plan that can help position them as a proactive resource in helping achieve LEED-certified status for a property. 

SIMA is focusing on this issue as well.  We are committed to positioning SIMA as a key resource where snow contractors can be connected with quality information about LEED and a trend that we all can't ignore. 

Brian Birch, CAE is the Chief Operating Officer for the Snow & Ice Management Association and can be reached at Brian@sima.org.

SIMA team meets on Capitol Hill

'I get a feeling of excitement, even reverence for the rich history of our country, and certainly some dose of frustration. We can, and will, continue to tell our story.'

By Martin Tirado, CAE
SIMA members had a productive and educational experience with our meetings on Capitol Hill as part of our Day on the Hill event in partnership with PLANET on July 23, 2013. All told, we represented the snow and ice industry well with over 20 appointments with members of Congress in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

Of the issues affecting our industry, we came prepared to discuss two priority issues in our meetings:

Insurance rates and liability reform – The increasing costs to obtain necessary coverage for snow and ice liability work has become an overbearing burden on contractors. In some states, insurance providers have left the market en masse, leaving contractors with only a small group of providers even willing to consider providing coverage. When there are few options, costs rise. In states where insurance providers are still plentiful, the costs of rates have increased as underwriters are evaluating our industry as high risk, based on the amount of claims filed for slip and fall cases. Hold harmless clauses in contracts with consumers of our services pass the majority of liability onto contractors, sometimes even in cases not related to snow and ice services. Change is needed. 

Seasonal workers in the H-2B program as a part of immigration reform – The Senate has already approved immigration reform legislation that preserves the components of the H-2B program, which would be called “W” visas. However, the current cap on eligible employees is too low. Also, the Department of Labor has issued notices raising the wages of H-2B employees based on prevailing wages. We are encouraging the House to set a firm wage calculation based on the current Senate bill. The House is now discussing this legislation and it doesn’t look promising that an agreement will be reached prior to the August Congressional break.

In the upcoming issue of Snow Business magazine, we will lay out our plans to the industry for tackling these tough issues. In the realm of government relations, the process is a marathon not a sprint. After SIMA staff met with members of Congress in the spring of 2013 and again in July, it’s clear that this is the first time any member or staff in Congress has heard the issues related to our industry. It also will not be the last, as we will continue to pursue legislation favorable to us at the local, state, provincial and federal levels. Each time I have visited Congress over the years, I get a feeling of excitement, reverence for the rich history of our country, pride in educating myself and certainly some dose of frustration. I also leave with a sense of faith in my friends, colleagues and government. We can, and will, continue to tell our story. 

Volunteers in action - Creating a useful snow safety resource

The goal is simple: to create a tangible, useful safety resource for snow removal professionals.

By Brian Birch

My favorite thing about my work at SIMA is the diversity of the job and the great people I work with. And one of my favorite roles is serving as the associate publisher for Snow Business magazine, our official publication. Each year we work with the Snow Business staff and a team of volunteers to create what we hope is a relevant, impactful publication for snow professionals.

This year brings a new challenge for us as we add a seventh issue to the publication calendar. We are even more excited that this issue will focus exclusively on safety in the snow industry. The goal is simple: to create a tangible, useful safety resource for snow removal professionals.

I know what you are thinking...safety can be a snoozer. That's why we are broadening the concept to focus on multiple areas of safety, including operations, security of property, selling safety as a differentiator and more.

This initiative has been years in the making, and we owe a great debt of gratitude to many volunteers at SIMA who are our safety champions. Over the next month, SIMA's Editorial Advisory Committee will brainstorm the stories, insights and solutions tied to safety that will be presented in the magazine. They'll share their own experiences to help us understand what critical safety challenges exist for snow professionals, and then help us create content that we hope has a positive impact on your snow business or operation.

If you have any thoughts or ideas tied to safety content for the September issue , please email our editorial director, Cheryl Higley.