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.

Volunteers in action - Snow Ambassadors launches

SIMA Ambassadors is a training program to help members spread the word about SIMA to consumer groups, including facilities and property management professionals – through speaking, webinars and more...

This blog is part of our summer series 'Volunteers in Action' on how SIMA volunteers are taking action to improve the snow removal industry.

By Ellen Kobach
As anyone who was at the committee volunteer meeting at the Snow & Ice Symposium now knows, the SIMA staff is quite fond of the term “B-HAG.” For those of you who don’t know, B-HAG stands for “Big Hairy Audacious Goal.” SIMA’s Director of Education & Outreach Phill Sexton introduced this term to the SIMA office…and now we even have t-shirts! (See above photo).

SIMA’s Outreach Committee, led by Phill and chair Matt Race, has established a major B-HAG for the coming year, centering around the Best Practices Checklist and outreach initiatives to facility and property management groups. This goal will be the focus of the committee’s work this year, and a new program is being developed to help reach it: SIMA Ambassadors. 

SIMA Ambassadors is a training program to help members spread the word about SIMA to consumer groups, including facilities and property management professionals – through speaking, webinars and more. The initial goal is to recruit at least 12 qualified Ambassadors across different geographic areas (Canada & US), and hold an in-person program for them to be trained on presenting key information to targeted groups. Ambassadors will then take the skills learned there and go out to present to a variety of property/facility management groups and organizations.

The Outreach committee spent much of last year creating the Best Practices Checklist, and this is just one more step in helping spread the word about SIMA and industry standards. 

While “Big Hairy Audacious Goal” sounds a little funny, it is a good way to describe the ambition of the Outreach committee members. Based on the success of last year’s committee (including revamping the SIMA Buddy Program to SIMA Advisors, forming relationships with consumer, groups and creating/refining Best Practices), I think this group is already well on its way to accomplishing this year’s B-HAG.

If you are interested in SIMA Ambassadors or outreach efforts, please contact Phill@sima.org. 

Volunteers in Action - Building a national snow training program

'What if SIMA organized a group of professional snow companies to participate in an annual training program for Advanced Snow Management?'

This blog is part of our summer series 'Volunteers in Action' on how SIMA volunteers are taking action to improve the snow removal industry.

by Brian Birch
An interesting conversation has developed as SIMA prepares to launch our Advanced Snow Manager certificate training programs this fall. As described in a blog post earlier this summer, SIMA is producing four individual certificate training programs that will lead to a new designation, that of Advanced Snow Manager.

The focus of the Advanced Snow Manager designation is to create a set of focused, in-depth training experiences for operators and especially for operations/field managers in snow. But the more we dig into the concept of building training for those in the field, the more excited we get. This came out in full force during the recent SIMA Education Committee meeting that took place at the 16th Annual Snow & Ice Symposium in June.

During that meeting, a very simple idea was discussed; what if SIMA got a group of professional snow companies to participate in not only initial Advanced Snow Manager certificate programs, but in an annual training program for Advanced Snow Management, coordinated nationally by SIMA?

As we discussed at the committee, some things came to light pretty quickly. 

• There is a need for quality, ongoing safety, health, efficiency, and leadership training for operators and managers in the field.
• SIMA is in a unique position to help coordinate a national training program for companies and organizations interested in achieving best-in-class snow operations.
• This type of program can lend a lot of help to those who participate by utilizing SIMA, as the non-profit trade association,  to gain value via outreach to insurance providers and consumers as a whole.

The idea is still cooking, and feedback is needed...would your company participate in an annual training program with SIMA, focused on safer, more efficient operations? If so, what training would be the most beneficial?

Please share thoughts on the blog comments or email Brian@sima.org.