New members’ training courses added

SIMA’s membership investment comes with many benefits, including on-demand snow training courses. 

Our commitment to our members is to continuously increase the value of tangible member benefits. That’s why we recently added a new set of five courses to our existing members-only training platform.

Our goal is simple: Help members plug in to a ready-made diverse set of training tools so you don’t have to build your snow-specific training from scratch. The SIMA Training Center at www.sima.org/resources is a SIMA member’s best friend. It not only houses the members-only training but also numerous best practices guides, production documents, and contracts and forms. We take our “Stronger with Support” statement to members seriously.

New courses include: 

Creating Standard Operating Procedures for Snow Operations 
• Using SOPs as training tools and teachable moments
• Documenting SOPs effectively
• Concrete examples of SOPs

Salt Purchasing and Inventory Management
• Tools to help manage salt and deicing material inventory more effectively

Injury Prevention for Snow Professionals
• Areas that may cause danger
• Walking on snow and ice/exiting vehicles in icy conditions
• Identifying site hazards that may lead to injury to an employee or patron
• Safe shoveling and snow blower use
• Tips and techniques to encourage an injury-free workplace

Disaster Response and Documentation Essentials
• Create an emergency response plan
• Protect your company from risk exposure when an accident or disaster occurs
• Documentation essentials
• Create a must-report culture and build transparency

Principles for Selling Snow as a Risk Management Service
• Defining risk management and learning to distinguish between risk avoidance, risk reduction, risk retention, risk transfer and risk sharing
• Attach greater meaning and value to risk management as a service and learn how to sell it as such

We are always interested in hearing how we can improve and strengthen our membership support. Please email Brian@sima.org any time with your ideas and suggestions.

Find allies and sounding boards through SIMA peer groups

By Phil Harwood, CSP
It’s been said there is strength in numbers. SIMA helps build that strength by harnessing the power of cooperation and engaged learning through its peer group program.

SIMA Member Peer Groups pair six to eight snow and ice management entrepreneurs to discuss snow industry best practices, labor trends, staffing/recruiting, competition, market dynamics, economic trends, technologies and more. All meetings are professionally facilitated.

Groups meet a minimum of four times per year and work together to help each other achieve business success and to learn from one another. Where one company may struggle, another may thrive. Participants come away with action items to help resolve issues affecting their business and report progress in future meetings.

Participants are ensured that their peers will be in non-competing markets and will have similar objectives, business lines, financial profiles and common interests. 

We are certain that peer groups deliver outstanding value to those who participate, but don’t just take our word for it. Following are testimonials from three current peer group participants:

Mike Kukol
Horizon Landscape Company // Wyckoff, NJ
Peer Group Member since 2015

Why a peer group? I wanted to grow my snow business and have been involved in other peer groups that I found to be a great source of information and support.

What have you learned? It is tough to think of all the little things I have learned along the way. Factory tours have been informational and inspirational. I also have learned that there are many different ways to skin the snow business. Everyone has the same issues to different degrees. Brine — what a great learning experience!

Jim Hornung Jr., CSP
Elbers Landscape // Buffalo, NY
Peer Group Member since 2014

Why a peer group? I have been a part of a number of peer groups outside of the industry over the last 10 years and have always found them to be very beneficial. When the opportunity came up for an industry-specific group, I jumped on it because it allowed me access to peers all over the country who were keyed in on the challenges of running snow businesses. 

What have you learned? The biggest takeaway that I have gotten from our group was about the structure of our operations team. The group guided me into a more productive structure to coincide with the rapid growth of our business. Being able to get feedback from people who had been there before has been very beneficial. It also is a fantastic sounding board for equipment and technology purchases.

Tom Marsan
Beverly Snow & Ice // Markham, IL
Peer Group Member since 2016

Why a peer group? I wanted to create a relationship with other professionals to find solutions to challenges we face and share what we do well to help others overcome their challenges.

What have you learned? Everyone in the group has their own twist on how they operate, whether it is management structure, equipment utilized or materials/products used. We all have the same goals, and we can each learn from each other to implement ideas and processes that can contribute to becoming more successful. Having peers that you can bounce ideas off of and reach out to when facing challenges is very beneficial.

Learn more about the SIMA Member Peer Groups, including how to join, at www.sima.org/education/sima-peer-groups. 

Phil Harwood, CSP, is the facilitator for the SIMA peer groups. Email him at phil@mypmcteam.com.

Legislative hot spots to watch

SIMA leads charge for impactful reform at the state level.

By Martin Tirado, CAE
Winter was frigid at times, but proposed and pending legislation impacting snow and ice companies has been heating up. Here’s a summary of current activities and the role SIMA is taking on them.

New York “call-in” pay
Since our February Snow Business report, the New York Department of Labor issued a regulatory ruling that will impact employee schedule planning for companies, including those performing snow and ice services. Essentially, if someone cancels a scheduled shift with less than 72 hours’ notice, an employer must pay the employee for 4 hours of work that day at minimum wage.

SIMA submitted a letter based on feedback from member service providers highlighting the ways this regulation will hurt their business growth and hiring. Unfortunately, this regulatory change appears to be set to start this spring; although SIMA is supporting a green industry-led legislative coalition that has the support of some New York senators to exempt businesses with 500 or fewer employees from the regulation. The concern for those outside of New York is that this could be a catalyst for equivalent regulatory change in other states and provinces.

Partnerships for progress
SIMA joined several groups to sponsor the New York State Turfgrass association lobbying day in February.

SIMA is also collaborating with Landscape Ontario and the Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association to actively pursue legislation that models the New Hampshire legislation passed in 2013. This legislation provides for voluntary salt applicator training with the benefit that those who complete training and continuing education are provided liability protection for themselves and the properties they service. This is markedly different than “pass the baton” legislation where service providers and property owners are battling each other over who is liable for slip and fall injuries.

New Hampshire’s Green SnowPro training and certification has proven to be a successful method in lowering salt applied to paved surfaces while providing for liability protections that applicators and properties need. Additionally, the value of training is gaining momentum. Recently, the Planning Board of Windham, NH, implemented new construction plans that require winter maintenance to be performed by NH Green SnowPro-certified contractors.

SIMA’s leadership in salt application research is ongoing and led by industry expert Phill Sexton, CSP, of WIT Advisers in conjunction with the technology power of Viaesys. This research provides the essential foundation of knowledge in salt application that can lead to change.

Shaping the future
SIMA has remained actively engaged in supporting efforts beyond Ontario and Minnesota. Among others, Virginia, Vermont, Maine and local areas of New York are considering models similar to the New Hampshire Green SnowPro training and liability protection. That’s a triple win: Service providers enhance their training and are viewed as professionals with more knowledge; the relationship between service providers and properties is enhanced; and an immediate need is met to better protect the green infrastructure and clean water as a natural resource.

Legislative actions are gaining speed, and the most effective solutions will be those that protect service providers while challenging them to obtain the necessary education to be considered experts in snow and ice management. The industry will put itself at risk if it only seeks to regulate itself with standards or legislative activities. A more comprehensive model that engages the facilities management industry, along with all other stakeholders, is the way forward. We must seek shared liability, trust and reasonable expectations on all sides.

Martin Tirado, CAE, is chief executive officer of SIMA. Email him at martin@sima.org.

SIMA members have access to Library exclusives

The SIMA Library is home to hundreds of articles, including some reserved just for viewing by SIMA members. We recently added 10 articles focusing on operations, human resources and personal development:

• How to properly stake sites for winter operations
• A seven-part series on personal growth and development
• Best practices for managing spills
• How to get started in liquids without breaking the bank
• Ins and outs of insurance terms
• Best practices for corrosion prevention and maintenance
• Preseason sidewalk training
• Understanding salt brine
• How to build a bonus/incentive program
• Systems reviews for continuous improvement

These stories can be viewed by logging in at www.sima.org/library. Our goal is to start adding new content, including video, more consistently to help members obtain more from their membership. If there are articles on specific topics you’d like to see developed, please email Editorial Director Cheryl Higley at cheryl@sima.org.

Raising the bar in snow and ice

SIMA provides free industry best practices and standards

By Martin Tirado, CAE
In October 2017, SIMA mailed 30,000 readers of Snow Business magazine in North America our Purchasing Snow & Ice Management: Quality RFP Creation and Best Practices. It’s the newest publication in our reservoir of resources that will become industry standards. And it’s free (download here) for anyone interested in reading and implementing it into their business practices. 

The Purchasing Snow & Ice Management document is rich in detail and specificity on the essential components of what should be included in the final agreement that properties have with snow and ice service providers, such as level of service, how to build and define a scope of work, contractual terms and definitions and more. Similar to other SIMA best practice publications, this document was developed with input from a broad and diverse stakeholder group, not just service providers. Property owners and managers can use and adopt the contents to the same extent that service providers can. That’s a win-win business proposition that enables long-term trust and value.

As this best practice document is used by more professionals every year, it naturally becomes an industry standard. The same can be said of all of SIMA’s best practices, which are free for download at www.sima.org/bestpractices.

SIMA creates its best practices for free to serve the needs of the professional snow and ice industry. We will continue to do so and are committed to the following principles of best practices and standards:

Open Access. Guides are available to all industry stakeholders at no cost, regardless of whether they are members of SIMA.

Education. SIMA spearheads educational partnerships and communication programs to help all parties adopt best practices.

Comprehensive. Best practices documents are reviewed by a large group of industry stakeholders representing multiple areas of expertise.

Quality Control & Transparency. The best practices documents are living documents, and suggestions, recommendations or concerns can be submitted online at www.sima.org. 

The feedback SIMA has received on our best practices and standards has been positive in many ways. We will continue to lead with professionalism as we expand our inventory of industry best practices and standards. Our next step will be further developed at our 2018 Season Opener event, tentatively scheduled for September in Milwaukee, WI. An announcement on the exact date, hotel location and agenda is coming soon. For now, please download, read and share the snow and ice industry best practices and standards, the glossary of terms, and best practices checklists. More are on the way. 

Martin Tirado, CAE, is chief executive officer of SIMA. Email him at martin@sima.org. 

Symposium shakeup

Education offers more networking, in-depth workshops and roundtables

More networking. More peer-to-peer engagement. More in-depth workshops. More team building. Each of these represents a recurring suggestion of what attendees expect from the Best Show in Snow. SIMA is delivering with a revamped educational lineup for the 21st Annual Snow and Ice Symposium.

This year’s planning committee is shaking things up with new offerings that we believe will make this year’s show the best yet.

Our goal was to expand the education tracks to appeal to a broader audience so that more people will benefit from attending the Symposium. From people with boots on the ground to in the boardroom, our hope is that the changes we’ve implemented will deliver additional value for your investment.

All of the details can be found at www.sima.org/show, but following are a few of the program’s new highlights:

Best Practices Skills Competition. In lieu of a traditional pre-conference event on Tuesday, June 26, we’re encouraging companies to bring their team to take part in a head-to-head competition with other companies. The team-building event will see how well your teams understand industry best practices in safety, operations, calibration and site management.

Workshop Wednesday. Traditionally, the Symposium features one or two deepdive workshops on a targeted topic. This year, we’re dedicating most of Wednesday to eight 2-hour sessions focused on a wider variety of topics. Attendees will be able to choose from two of the eight sessions. Even better? The workshops will be included in your registration fee. This year’s topics:

• Snow Operations Audits
• Equipment and Maintenance Management
• Managing Risk and Liability
• Recruiting, Hiring and Retaining Talent
• Job Costing and Estimating
• Applying Enterprise Risk Management Theory
• Time Management and Productivity

Role-based Roundtables. Following the Wednesday workshops, we’re taking a page from our Season Opener playbook and creating in-depth roundtables focused on specific roles in a snow and ice management company. Attendees will engage with others in similar roles to discuss a variety of topics and trends important to them:

• CEO to CEO
• Operations Management and Techniques
• Billing, Administration and Service Verification
• Sales and Negotiations

Pro Talks - Life and Leadership in the Snow Industry. Once you achieve a certain level of success in snow and ice, many of the traditional educational sessions may be less pertinent, leaving some attendees to wonder: "What’s in it for me?" Patterned after the popular TED talks, we’ve asked six speakers to share insights and captivating stories that will resonate with attendees at every stage of their career, but especially those CEOs, business owners and upper-level managers who are looking for self-improvement and fresh perspectives.

Tech Talks & New Products Pavilion. One of the biggest draws of the Symposium is our trade show. This year, attendees will be exposed to 140,000 square feet of the newest products and services, all focused on snow and ice management. To complement the trade show, we’re adding a new products pavilion that will allow attendees to see the newest products on the market. In addition, we’re bringing education back to the floor with 12 Tech Talks, presented by a supplier with subject matter expertise (non-product specific):

• Sidewalk Management Optimization
• Route Management Technology
• Weather Forecasting and Documentation
• Plow Technology that Optimizes Production and Salt Use
• Spreader Technology that Optimizes Production and Salt Use
• Salt Use Optimization: Implementing Brine & Liquids
• Chloride Alternatives: Solutions to Reduce Reliance on Salt
• Service Verification
• Equipment Maintenance and Repairs
• Small Company Solutions
• Site Engineering Solutions
• Safety & PPE

That’s a lot of change for one year, but don’t worry! Our most popular Symposium events remain: Snack & Chats, networking receptions, the closing event and sessions focused on all areas of operations are returning. I encourage you to take a look at the Symposium brochure and start plotting your path to Cleveland. It’s going to be a great show. We can’t wait to see you!

Visit www.sima.org/show for registration, a schedule of events and more.

Best Practices course delivers free equipment, operations training

'This growing body of resources currently includes 15 documents available exclusively to SIMA members as part of our commitment to deliver outstanding value.'

Even during the season, it doesn’t hurt to review best practices to keep your minds fresh for the next event. SIMA’s Operational Equipment & Safety Best Practices course can help members keep training and safety front and center.

This growing body of resources currently includes 15 documents available exclusively to SIMA members as part of our commitment to deliver outstanding value.

These checklists and quick reference cards can be downloaded, printed and used as part of a comprehensive training program.

Looking toward 2018, our goal is to continue to add resources to this course, allowing our member companies access to free training and topics that will help ensure safer, more efficient operations. 

Current resources available for download:

• Checklists
• Pre-trip plow and spreader safety inspections
• Snow site engineering planning
• Snow vehicle hazards
• Pre-storm equipment review
• Preseason risk assessment
• Snow kit contents
• Quick Cards
• Fuel storage for cold weather
• Safe operations of heavy equipment in cold weather
• PPE for snow and ice management
• Snow shoveling safety
• Snow blower hazards
• Equipment maintenance
• Resources
• Salt brine equipment basics
• Incident report template (English and Spanish)
• Safety best practices
• Snow plow pump troubleshooting

If you have a topic for consideration, email Brian Birch at brian@sima.org. The course is available for download here.