Why do stories matter in the snow and ice industry?

'We want to hear your stories about challenges or triumphs – and we want to share these stories with the industry, as we all have much to gain by hearing from our peers.'

By Brian Birch
I have been a small part of this great industry for almost 10 years now. And though my life and my role at SIMA has changed over those years, I am still amazed and excited about the stories I hear our members tell each year. This industry is tough, and the people who create consistent businesses in snow are the most resourceful entrepreneurs I have ever met.

Over the years I’ve heard members speak about medical emergencies, fires, accidents, and theft. I’ve listened as they shared their tales of charity, innovation, and success. I never tire of hearing true snow professionals talk about their work and the companies they have built through years of struggle and hard work. This is why each year SIMA and Snow Business offer the Greatest Story Never Told. We want to hear your stories about challenges or triumphs – and we want to share these stories with others in the industry, as we all have much to gain by hearing from our peers.

Take a moment to think back on where you have come since you started in this industry. What were the major moments that created success? What have you overcome that others could learn about? What is unique about your company that could help the next professional who is just starting out? 

Now take 10 minutes to collect your thoughts and submit your story for the Greatest Story Never Told at www.sima.org/mysnowstory. Here is what you can gain if you win:

• The cover story and feature in the in May/June issue of Snow Business.
• A professional video shot to share with clients, colleagues, and friends.
• $500, a free registration to the 17th Annual Snow & Ice Symposium, and recognition at the Snow & Ice Industry Awards night.

Special thanks to Caterpillar, Inc., a company who shares our passion for good stories and good people.

Advanced Snow Management - Sidewalk Operations is here!

'Managing snow safely and effectively on sidewalks helps to ensure public safety, handicap access, and reduces the chance of slip and fall legal claims for our industry.'

The Advanced Snow Management program continues to roll out, and SIMA has just released the third course in the program: Advanced Snow Management - Sidewalk Operations. 

Sidewalks represent one of the most important aspects of professional snow management. Managing snow safely and effectively on sidewalks helps to ensure public safety, handicap access, and reduces the chance of slip and fall legal claims for our industry. SIMA approached the certificate with best practices in mind, and this training certificate course includes outcomes related to:

• Recognizing how moisture and temperature affect sidewalk clearing strategies.
• Understanding the interdependence between snow plowing, sidewalk clearing, and ice management.
• Identifying all pedestrian areas which need to be cleared of snow.
• Identifying equipment used in sidewalk clearing and know how to prepare equipment.
• Be able to apply efficient and safe sidewalk clearing techniques.
• Interpret a site engineering plan as it relates to sidewalk clearing.

This course, like all of the other ASM courses, is available online through SIMA’s Resource 24/7 training center at www.sima.org/resources. All of the courses are self-paced and end with a quiz to verify knowledge learned. Once the quiz is successfully completed an official certificate is awarded and sent by SIMA. Once the final course in the program, Advanced Snow Management - Ice Management, is out this spring, any individual who earns all four certificates will be awarded SIMA’s Advanced Snow Manager (ASM) designation.

Gearing up for the Best Show in Snow

'Though the committee’s roster evolves as volunteers come and go, the goal each year stays the same: to make the show a success for attendees, exhibitors, and the snow & ice industry.'

By Heather Carew
Buffalo, Louisville, Providence, Schaumburg, Minneapolis…what do all of these cities have in common? They’ve all had below-average temperatures and their fair share of snow this year, but what makes them stand out?  

In my mind, they are significant because in my six years at SIMA these wonderful cities have hosted the Best Show in Snow & Ice Management - SIMA’s Annual Snow & Ice Symposium. And I’m happy to say that I’ve been to (and helped plan) each one.

It’s a team approach
Planning a large-scale event like the Symposium is no easy task, and it’s a year-round process. Once one ends, preparation for the next begins.

The many hours, minds and moving parts it takes to coordinate the show can be daunting. To plan each session, the trade show and menu takes time, but it also takes the dedication of a few good people. For the past six years, members of the Symposium Advisory Committee have been a guiding force to me and the SIMA staff as we determine show specifics.

Did you enjoy a certain educational session, have a great networking experience at one of our Snack & Chats, or play enough Ping-Pong to last you a year? If so, thank a committee member! All aspects of the show are reviewed, discussed and implemented during monthly conference calls and follow-up email communications throughout the year.

This planning committee is dedicated and strong. Though the committee’s roster evolves as volunteers come and go, the goal each year stays the same: to make the show a success for attendees, exhibitors, and the snow & ice industry.

Gratitude must be given
While the Symposium Advisory Committee members should get their fair share of credit for the show’s success, we can’t forget the many volunteers who step up to help make the show run smoothly. We ask Symposium volunteers to work the SIMA booth, collect tickets, or moderate a Snack & Chat discussion, and every year they step up to the task.

Our show volunteers work as knowledge sources and friends to first-time attendees and new industry professionals. Everyone is family at SIMA — we all share the same successes and challenges — and SIMA’s volunteers help make that known.

Columbus, here we come
This June, the Snow & Ice Symposium is headed to Columbus, OH. Our team is working hard to finalize plans, but here is a sneak peek of some of the new and exciting things we have planned:

• Best Practices Pavilion. Stop by the Pavilion on Thursday, June 19, and learn more about personal protective equipment, calibration and site maps. We’ll even have a course with fully functioning remote-control plow trucks to play with.
• Plow Simulator. Get the full plowing experience without going outside. Join CrossRoads on Friday, June 20, for this new type of plowing experience.
• Keynote Addresses. It was too hard to decide, so we’re having two! Join John DiJulius on Thursday, June 19, as he gives his take on creating a World-Class Customer Experience and Marc Wayshak on Friday, June 20, to learn about Game Plan Selling.

Much more awaits this year’s attendees...don’t miss out! Take a look at all of the show information and registration at www.sima.org/show. I look forward to seeing you this June in Ohio.

Interview with Travis Graham-Wilkes, first to achieve ASM Core Principles certificate

'I believe strongly in continuing education - this industry is ever changing and to be the best you must be constantly changing with it.' 

SIMA recently caught up with Travis Graham-Wilkes of Graham Landscape Limited in Innisfil, ON to ask about his experiences with the Advanced Snow Management program. Travis was the first person to officially earn the Core Principles certificate in Advanced Snow Management, and he is on his way to becoming a full Advanced Snow Manager.

How long have you been in snow management?
I have been in the landscape/snow industry since I was 13 years old. I got my first job working weekends, after school and holidays. I bought my first plow truck in the fall of the year I received my G2 license and have been moving snow ever since (approximately 10 years).

What is your favorite thing about the snow industry?
It's almost like an adrenaline rush: tracking an upcoming storm, watching it move closer and closer, calling in all appropriate operators and staff to work, and the feeling of accomplishment when it's all over.

What was interesting to you about the Advanced Snow Management program?
I believe strongly in continuing education - this industry is ever changing and to be the best you must be constantly changing with it. There are no better skills than the ones we learn in the field in a hands-on setting, but to reassure those skills and improve them through training is all the difference between being a " plow guy " and being a snow and ice management professional.

Have you found the training certificate courses valuable so far?
I have found the courses extremely valuable. There is so much we tend to do in the industry on the fly because we know it works, but not necessarily why it works. This course defines all those reasons and keeps trainees working at their fullest potential.

Why do you plan on achieving full Advanced Snow Manager status with SIMA?
Every day there is a new snow and ice company popping up. This market is so over-saturated that in order to stand out and make customers feel comfortable with you as their service provider, it is important to participate in any additional training available...putting ASM and or CSP next to your name is extremely important!

The ASM program is available 24/7 at www.sima.org/resources. 

Advanced Snow Management Continues with Plowing Operations

'The Plowing Operations certificate can be useful to train team members who are new to plowing operations, and reinforce learning for those who have some years of experience and can benefit from advanced learning.'

By Phill Sexton

As snow & ice professionals, we all start somewhere. For me, it started as a young teen with a shovel and an entrepreneurial dream which evolved into many years of plowing lake effect snow in Upstate New York. I was fortunate with opportunities to expand my experience and knowledge to other parts of the country and learn from many of the best mentors the industry has to offer. 

Many of us share the same beginning with a first experience in a plow and then figuring it out as we gain experience over time. Today’s world with higher than ever expectations and liability exposure doesn’t allow for the same ground up, learn as you go, hands-on experience many of us in the profession benefitted from. Today’s faster-paced world demands more rapid learning, experience and knowledge than ever before. To meet this growing demand, SIMA has released the first ever self-guided online training for Plowing Operations. This is the second online training certificate to be released in a series of four included as part of the Advanced Snow Management (ASM) training program.

The Plowing Operations certificate can be useful to train team members who are new to plowing operations, and reinforce learning for those who have some years of experience and can benefit from additional advanced learning including the interrelated science, techniques and efficiencies. While the stakeholder advisory group (SAG) and I worked together for several months, we were humbled by how much learning we were acquiring or reinforcing while developing the curriculum. I am confident there is something to be learned in this certificate for even the most experienced professionals.

Some of what you can expect from the Plowing Operations certificate is focused training for safe and efficient plowing, blowing and removal of snow including:

• The effects of moisture and temperature on snow plowing strategy.  
• Preparation and maintenance of snow plow equipment.
• Safety practices for attaching, detaching, and adjusting various plows and blowers.
• Instruction on best practices for snow plowing techniques, including pictures and video.
• Cycle time and Capacity Demand.
• Proper on- and off-site snow hauling.
• Snow site engineering for plowing operations.
• What documentation to include for plowing operations.

The Plowing Operations training, like all of the other ASM courses, is available online through SIMA’s Resource 24/7 training center at www.sima.org/resources. All of the courses are self-paced and end with a quiz to verify knowledge learned. Once the quiz is successfully completed an official certificate is awarded and sent by SIMA. Any individual who earns all four certificates will be awarded SIMA’s Advanced Snow Manager (ASM) designation. 

Should you or anyone on your team have questions, please always feel comfortable to call the SIMA office at 414-375-1940 or email me directly phill@sima.org.

Have fun in snow!

5 Tips for walking safely on snow and ice

Falls account for more than one million injuries in the U.S. annually. There are four types of walking accidents with the most common being the slip and fall. That's the type of fall that happens when you fall due a surface not cleared of snow or ice.

"Every winter the hazards of driving in snow and icy conditions are noted, but rarely is walking on snow and ice addressed," said Martin B. Tirado, CAE, Executive Director of the Snow & Ice Management Association. "Slipping and falling while walking accounts for a large number of winter-related injuries and can have an impact on the quality of life for the injured person."

SIMA, the national nonprofit organization representing the snow removal industry, has some tips on safe winter walking. 

• Wear proper footwear. Proper footwear should place the entire foot on the surface of the ground and have visible treads. Avoid a smooth sole and opt for a heavy treaded shoe with a flat bottom, and use your toes to 'grip'.
• Accessorize to see and be seen. Wear sunglasses so that you can see in the reflective light of the snow. Also, wear a bright coat or scarf so that drivers can easily see you.
• Plan ahead. While walking on snow or ice on sidewalks or in parking lots, walk consciously. Instead of lonly looking down, occasionally pause and scan from left to right to ensure you are not in the way of vehicles or other hazards. 
• Don't jump or slide. Always focus on keeping your feet on the ground as much as possible while walking slowly. Sliding sounds like fun but can result in serious injury.
•  Be careful when you shift your weight. When stepping off a curb or getting into a car, be careful since shifting your weight may cause an imbalance and result in a fall.

Stay safe out there!