Insurance and Advanced Snow Management

'In the snow business, anything a professional can do to differentiate in a positive way is a win for that company.'

By Shay Leon
Several years ago I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know Phill Sexton, who had just taken on the new role of Director of Education & Outreach with SIMA. At the time, Phill was just starting to build a new certificate training program for the industry. I was impressed with his passion and the desire of SIMA members to build verifiable training standards for snow & ice management. 

I know first-hand how challenging it can be to operate a safe snow & ice management business. I've seen the challenges our snow clients face when it comes to insurance, liability, and service documentation. I have worked with our clients to make sure their voice is heard regarding insurance-related matters, but there is always more work to be done. These experiences led me to volunteer to serve on the Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) that helped SIMA build and launch the Advanced Snow Management program.

I firmly believe that the Advanced Snow Management certificates can help professionals in the industry increase skills and knowledge. I also know that these types of programs, built by a nonprofit trade association, managed well with a long-term vision and tied to industry best practices, are attractive to insurance providers. In the snow business, anything a professional can do to differentiate in a positive way is a win for that company.

There are only so many ways we can evaluate snow & ice companies from a risk management and insurance perspective. I am excited that SIMA has provided a quality certificate program that allows an insurance agency like Gallagher Bollinger to further evaluate a company that manages snow & ice. 

I wanted to take the time to thank the entire SAG committee for their efforts. Advanced Snow Management certificate courses are available online here. 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.

Shay Leon is Area Vice President of commercial lines for Gallagher Bollinger.