Shameless Self Promotion

Posted on January 25, 2012 by John Allin

Education as well as preparation is key to success in any endeavor. The same holds true in the snow industry. Educating oneself and one’s employees can save considerable time and expense later on. Of course, one can (and should) learn from mistakes that are made along the way. However, wouldn’t it be nice to avoid all those landmines which seem to be strategically placed to do the most damage at the most inopportune times?

This is what I do in my consulting operation to snow contractors around North America.

I take an interest in my clients well being, assist in their avoiding those aforementioned landmines. Additionally, I become friends with my clients (an added bonus, if not the originally intended goal).

So I ask – and this is shameless self-promotion – that you consider utilizing my services if you seek to grow profitably, increase efficiencies and increase margins in your operation.

End of sales pitch.

Posted in General | Tagged | Leave a comment

Snowfighters University

Posted on January 20, 2012 by John Allin

Recently, I read a deposition where the deponent stated “it’s not like there is a college or university where we can go learn about snowplowing”. It was a true statement. Of course there are on-going educational opportunities for snow contractors, but those are ancillary adjunct programs put forth by various organizations. Do not misunderstand my point – those programs are very, very good. SIMA has some outstanding on-going programs. ASCA is developing educational programs too, as well as an overall certification program through the ISO folks.

I was instrumental in putting together many of the SIMA programs. I am involved with ASCA as it begins its growth initiatives. Various state and provincial non-profit organizations put on regular educational functions geared towards the snow industry. I have spoken at many of them. The municipal market has an annual snow trade show or two, geared towards equipment. There are two trade magazines dedicated to the snow contracting industry. Over the past 15 years there have been great strides made in the area of equipment advancement, business acumen and learning from each other as the industry matures at a good pace.

However, as made clear by the contractor in the deposition noted above – there is nothing geared strictly towards educating all facets of the snow industry (contractors, municipalities in snow regions of the country, streets departments, property managers, institutional facility managers, etc.) on how to do their jobs better as it relates to “snow”. In my opinion, this must change if the industry is going to continue to evolve as it needs to.

I have spent the last 12 months developing a plan for initial, on-going and continuing education of those involved in the snow and ice management industry throughout North America. Snowfighters University has been launched in Erie, PA. Yes – this is my idea, and I have been instrumental in getting this off the ground. I have had help from others – as is always the case when something new is tried.

We are in the final stages of construction of an educational facility geared solely towards educating those involved in “snow” issues across a wide range of competencies within the entire snow and ice management spectrum. Classroom and field instruction with a curriculum that will eventually allow those considering entering the snow management business (as a contractor, employee, sub-contractor, manager of snow operations in many areas of the snow business) to be educated on many, if not all, facets of the overall business.

Imagine facility managers becoming educated on how to deal with snow contractors professionally. Imagine those running large snow operations (private or municipal) actually understanding how salt “works”. Imagine the snow industry being given the same respect as building contractors, roofing contractors and landscapers. I imagine these things and dream of how we can get there.

It is not my intent to ‘compete’ with SIMA or ASCA. I have a slightly different dream than what those two fine organizations want to achieve in terms of educating ALL who are involved in the snow industry. However, we must start somewhere – and starting with the snow contracting business is where I’m most comfortable. We did an initial “boot camp” type event with a small sampling of potential students recently, so as to work the bugs out of what we want to accomplish initially.

GIE Media Group has handed over the reins of the Inner Circle event to Snowfighters University. Held multiple times in 2009 and 2010, the Inner Circle was a success inasmuch as the attendees were enthusiastically complimentary of the interaction between non-competing snow contractors bent on educating each other (with guidance from various facilitators) on various aspects of the snow contracting business.

The 2012 Inner Circle will be held April 23-26 in our newly constructed education facility in Erie, PA. Past attendees will be given first option to return for this enhanced, restyled and advanced event. The opportunity to attend will then be open to others in the industry. Attendance – as in the past – will be limited and we will not allow any “competitors” to be a part of the same group during the same Inner Circle event. In this way, there will be no reason for attendees to shy away from discussing their own operation for fear of giving out “company trade secrets” that can be used against them.

More formal announcements will be forthcoming through the national trade press, direct mail and on the Snowfighters University website – www.snowfightersuniversity.com .

Posted in General | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Something new for the industry……coming soon.

Posted on January 18, 2012 by John Allin

Big doings in the industry over the past few months.

The SIMA Symposium this June in Buffalo. ASCA’s formation and their efforts on behalf of an insurance program to benefit snow contractors. Even the weathermen’s totally fouled up “winter prediction” where everyone in Chicago was going to leave that city because of all the snow (now – that was bold). And, to a lesser extent – the 2nd Edition of Managing Snow and Ice being published.

There is more in the offing. Expect another announcement coming very soon about the formation of something to benefit the entire snow industry (contracting, municipal, facility managers, and more).

Posted in General | Leave a comment

Mothers…….

Posted on January 15, 2012 by John Allin

It’s been a very hard few days. My mother passed away last Friday. She had a very difficult couple of years, and the past 6 weeks were especially difficult for her, well as for my father, sister and my wife. Ever the strong woman, Mom fought hard to stick around – and while the spirit may have been willing, her body failed her. At 86 she lived a long life, however I suspect those in their eighties don’t think it long enough. I know I don’t consider having lead a long life even as I approach my 60’s. I believe I have much, much more to accomplish prior to my own inevitable departure.

A couple days prior to her passing, my good friend Frank Dedon from Abraxus Snow in Parma, Ohio sent me an email that stated, in part, “I have often said – only one thing in this life that is for sure, is who your mother is. Everything else can possibly have a “maybe” attached to it. That’s why mom’s are the special one, and if you get a chance – tell her this guy you know, Frank said she did a pretty damn good job in showing the world what she is about with the person her son has become. I also know that dad was the other 49% of who you are…. someone I and many others call a friend.”

Truer words were never spoken. I never got to tell Mom what Frank said because by the time I got that message from Frank, she was in a state where she was being made comfortable and was not coherent enough to have any conversation. I surely do hope she understood and realized she was loved. She had her faults, as we all do – but Frank is spot on inasmuch it was hard to see her leave us. I’m secure in the knowledge she is no longer suffering, and Lord knows she went through much more in the past year than anyone should have to endure.

My father was her care-giver these past few years, never once complaining about it. He was there every step of the way, including sitting with her for 8, 10, 12 hours during her many and lengthy stays in various hospitals over the years, and in the skilled nursing facility the last week of her life. I do have one issue with Frank’s missive. While Dad’s are our closest friends at times – I also think he is a saint. If it should happen to me that Peggy must go first, I can only hope I can be half as good to her as my father was to my mother.

Posted in General | 1 Comment

Snow – finally ?

Posted on January 11, 2012 by John Allin

Just how pitiful has winter been this year? Amtrak passengers from New York City — a notoriously blasé bunch — were positively delighted to see snow flurries falling at Union Station yesterday (Jan. 9). And barely any snow fell. Washington’s Dulles International Airport saw 0.5 inches (1.27 centimeters) yesterday, pushing its total since the summer to just over 1 inch.

Things are uncharacteristically balmy in Chicago too, where people are walking around in flip-flops, according to one news report.
People across the country are wondering: Where is winter? As OurAmazingPlanet previously reported, the nation has been snow poor this winter. Last year at this time, the Deep South was still a-buzz after an unusually big snowfall, and the Northeast was still reeling from the big post-Christmas blizzard. But this year, climate patterns have conspired to make winter a snow strikeout for much of the nation.

Today (Jan. 10), just 14.4 percent of the United States is covered by snow. On this day in 2011, 61.7 percent of the country had snow on the ground, according to the U.S. National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center in Minnesota. Hardly anyone got the gift of a White Christmas, and on New Year’s Day just 19.8 percent of the country had snow on the ground. The paucity of snow hasn’t been for a lack of storms, as a series of them have rolled across the country — the air has simply not been cold enough to turn precipitation to snow.

Parts of the West and — oddly — Texas are among the few places that have seen snow this winter.

Year to year

Typically snowy cities in the Midwest and Northeast aren’t snowy this year because they aren’t cold. A January heat wave set at least 1,500 daily record high temperatures from January 2-8, reported Climate Central. On Jan. 5, Rapid City, S.D., had a high of 73 degrees Fahrenheit (23 degrees Celsius). That was warmer than Miami, which hit 69 F (20.5 C) on the same day. Mitchell, S.D., hit 68 F (20 C), a record high for the month of January.

Temperatures this time of year in the East Coast are partially driven by a climate pattern of opposing atmospheric pressures in the middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, called the Arctic Oscillation, Jake Crouch, a climatologist at the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C., told OurAmazingPlanet. The past two winters, the Arctic Oscillation, or AO, was mostly in a record-strength negative phase. This year, the AO has been in a positive phase.

“When the AO is positive, the Eastern Seaboard, Midwest and Southeast tend to have warmer-than-average temperatures,” Crouch said.

Snow should finally show up this week. An inch of snow is expected across the Midwest, and heavy lake-effect snow could hit some cities as a blast of cold air moves east, the Weather Channel has forecast. That same cold air could create wintry conditions in New England by the week’s end. A light snow is also expected across the Rocky Mountains, and Glacier National Park in Montana is under a winter storm warning, with up to 7 inches (17.8 cm) of snow forecast.

Snowy surprises

Even though much of the nation is missing snow, the 2011 winter has given a few fleeting surprises. A surprisingly early snowstorm smacked the East Coast on Halloween, knocking out power to thousands in Connecticut. New York’s Central Park recorded 2.9 inches of snow (7.6 cm), the first time since record-keeping began in 1869 that an inch or more of snow has been recorded there during the month of October, according to the National Weather Service.

A week before, that same weather system created wild weather in Denver. The Colorado capital saw temperatures of 80 degrees F (27 degrees C) Oct. 24, a record for the day in Denver. Snow and freezing temperatures came in with the winter system the next day. It wasn’t much, but Nov. 28, Alabama saw a November snowfall for the first time in 35 years. The southern snow was caused by a “cold bubble” that settled over the region.

Perhaps the biggest surprise this winter has been Midland, Tex. The west Texas town saw its biggest snowfall ever yesterday with 10.5 inches (26.7 cm). Midland could surpass its snowiest season on record, the winter of 1946-47, which saw 13.9 inches (35 cm) of snow. Alaska hasn’t wanted for snow either. From Dec. 17 to Jan. 6, 14.5 feet (4.4 meters) of snow has fallen in Cordova, Alaska. Cordova could see another 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 cm) of snow over the next 36 hours.

The above is from livescience.com…….

Posted in General | Tagged | Leave a comment

More Lake Effect coming – maybe….

Posted on January 10, 2012 by John Allin

Lake Effect arrives in the north east – and not a moment too soon. Has winter finally arrived? Let’s hope so.

Contractors are now wondering about whether or not this season is a bust. Not to fear – there are still three months left of potentially hefty snowfalls. With the arctic air finally breaking away and headed south – the next few weeks might be one of those “be careful what you wish for” times.

I’ve seen this before…..and, sort of glad it waited until after the holidays.

Posted in General | Leave a comment

Winter is not over – just a bit late in arriving

Posted on January 6, 2012 by John Allin

Rather than just a west to east jet stream across North America with little disturbances in it like we had during much of December, we now have much larger southward dips and northward bulges. (Think of that high school physics experiment you did with a jump rope.)

These longer wave lengths may soon help spin up larger storms and bigger extremes in temperature for a longer duration. While there is more to defining the weather than just the presence of a La Nina or El Nino, during most of the fall through December a weak La Nina was present.
According to AccuWeather Expert Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity, “Indications are the Southern Oscillation is now going neutral and the shift is fairly dramatic.” The El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) measures fluctuations in southern Pacific sea surface temperatures. Fluctuations in sea surface temperatures have been studied rather intensely over the past several decades.

A warm anomaly is an El Nino, while a cold anomaly is a La Nina.

Strong anomalies can have a profound effect on the jet stream over the northern Pacific, which in turn can greatly impact the jet stream and weather patterns in North America and throughout the globe. “A neutral ENSO or even a weak El Nino signature if it develops could result in more of an average storm pattern across the U.S and southern Canada,” Margusity said.

“Even a normal second half of the winter in terms of storms could seem quite dramatic compared to the lame first part of the winter,” Margusity added.
According to Chief AccuWeather Meteorologist Elliot Abrams, who keeps an eye on temperatures high in the atmosphere for potential changes down the road, “There is another round of warming going on in the stratosphere the over western Canada.” Warming in this area tends to be a signature for colder weather in the Eastern states 10 to 14 days later. There was some warming prior to the cold shot that recently invaded the East.

“This could be a signature for another cold wave from the Upper Midwest to the Eastern states later next week,” Abrams said.

Meanwhile, the lack of the Greenland Block has kept cold air at bay near the North Pole. The Greenland Block is a northward bulge in the jet stream that develops near Greenland and creates a subsequent dip in the jet stream over eastern Canada and the northeastern U.S. This dip drives cold air into eastern North America and can provide necessary energy for major nor’easters.

Current meteorological skill only provides insight into changes in this parameter about two weeks in advance. And, there is no sign of this changing over the next couple of weeks. According to Long Range AccuWeather Expert Paul Pastelok, “Another parameter, the Arctic Oscillation (AO) seems to be switching away from where it was during most of the fall and in December.”

The AO roughly measures the magnitude of cold air in the Arctic region. When this is value is positive, the cold air is locked up in the region and mid-latitudes tend to have near- to above-average temperatures. “When it goes negative like we are seeing now, the cold air is soon released from the Arctic and drives southward into parts of the U.S.,” Pastelok said.

Above is compiled from AccuWeather.com

Posted in General | Tagged | Leave a comment

Lifes Lessons……

Posted on December 30, 2011 by John Allin

Happy New Year to all.

As we approach yet another mid-season holiday, I find that repeating my post from last year is appropriate…..

As we come to the end of 2011, and begin yet a new year again – I think it is time to reflect on the joys of life. Regardless of your thoughts and feelings about any one person, thing, or event of the past year – I believe some truths tie us all together. To that end, below are some of “Life’s Lessons”. These are not original thoughts of my own, but from someone else – however, that does not make the list any less significant to any human being.

Life’s Lessons…….

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come…
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.”

Lifes’ Lessons, Originally written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, from Cleveland, Ohio .

Boy…… ain’t all of them the truth…….

Posted in General | Tagged | Leave a comment

Holiday time…….

Posted on December 20, 2011 by John Allin

At this time, each year – most folks, and families, thoughts turn to the holiday season. Mine do too – however, “Christmas” for me (over the years) has not had the same allure as it does for most folks. I never got depressed about the holiday but also never really got excited about it either. In Erie, PA where it snows (A LOT), we were always looking to the weather report to see if we could enjoy Christmas or wonder if we could find enough drivers to satisfy the needs of our customers.

Two vivid memories of Christmas Day stick out.

One Christmas morning we got up to find well over a foot of snow. This was back in the 80’s when I only had 8 or 10 trucks plowing and 50% of our customer base was residential. Most of our commercial accounts were closed Christmas morning, so that was not a cause for concern. We let our drivers stay home for the morning so they could be with family. I went out to do the residential accounts. At one home I plowed the driveway knowing full well the residents couldn’t really go anywhere because the streets had yet to be plowed. The homeowner waved me into the house and gave me a bottle of wine to take with me as a Christmas present for coming out on such a nasty morning. They thanked me over and over because they ‘had to go to church’. I tried to explain God would understand given the conditions, if they missed church this morning. I asked them not to try it. Off I went to plow some more driveways. An hour or so later – I passed back by their house and saw the car stuck at the entrance to the driveway (abandoned), half on the road and half in the driveway. I drove on amazed at the abject stupidity of some who really, actually believe they “need to go somewhere” when the conditions are like that.

The other Christmas I remember is my two children (late teens by that time) coming to my home for Christmas morning. They were at our home for about an hour and it started to snow – hard. Without any provocation, they finished up what we were doing and they proceeded to leave to return to their home and their mother. They knew Peggy and I would be leaving shortly for the office to begin the process of servicing others instead of spending Christmas with our family. When they left I found myself watching it snow and cursing my chosen profession. It still makes me sad to think back on that day, and how my children knew and understood what Dad did for a living – and accepted it without argument.

Going back over the years, it is apparent (to us) that we “missed” Christmas about 70% of the time.

Christmas is not a happy time for me – but, it’s getting better as we get further and further removed from the actual acts of plowing snow.

IF you are in a market where you know it is not going to snow on Christmas Day – thank your lucky stars, hug your family and rejoice in the time together.

It is likely I shall not post again until after the Holidays – so, Happy Hanukah – Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year to all.

Posted in General | Comments Off

Do you still need a mailbox ?

Posted on December 16, 2011 by John Allin

The postal service effort to reduce costs can help snow contractors lower their costs too – AND speed up the “turn” in cash flow.

The USPS will no longer deliver first class mail in an expeditious manner in a short while. So, any invoicing you mail out will take longer to get into customer hands. Thus, the countdown to “net 30 days” will begin 3 or 4 or 5 days later than in the past. Hard pill to swallow when you are being slammed with storm after storm after storm, and employees or subs want to be paid timely…..not to mention the fuel bill or insurance payments coming due at the same time without regard to the USPS problems.

Ah…. So – maybe there is a solution. Now is the time to “go green”. Stop using paper for invoices. Save the trees. Email invoices. It’s not a hard thing to do. I have clients who have turned to the internet to get invoices into customer hands faster, easier and cheaper. Simply inquire (of existing customers) who the person is in charge of Accounts Payable – then call and request you be allowed to email them your invoices directly. In today’s technology driven age – it is hard to fathom someone saying “no” to this reasonable request. Then, the invoices get into the proper person’s hands immediately and not 4 or 5 days hence.

For any new customers – make it part of your proposal that your pricing is figured on being supplied with the email address of the A/P person, and your “policy” is to email invoices – so as to “go green” of course. Because your company is environmentally friendly, for sure (and you get your money 5 days quicker, which is an added bonus).

Posted in General | Comments Off