Break the Blue Collar Stigma to Attract Next Gen Talent

🔵🟣 | All

Mikayel Ter-Grigoryan, Just for Snow

Many say Gen Z is the hardest generation to work with, citing lack of motivation, productivity, and drive. I would say they are the most different generation to work with, requiring a completely reimagined culture to attract, retain, motivate and drive them forward. They are most certainly the NEXT generation of talent that will build the companies of tomorrow. I'll share the strategy behind creating one of the fastest-growing companies in snow & ice management with a team primarily made up of Gen Z talent. 

CapX, Labor & ROI of Liquids

🔵🟠 | Novice, Intermediate

Jordan Smith, Storm Equipment

Jordan will explore capex, labor, and the return on investment of using liquids in your commercial snow and ice operation. He’ll lay out the liquids equipment that may be needed to support certain business sizes in unique markets and how much it may cost to set up and maintain. He’ll explore the expected ROI based on market conditions, material and labor costs, and average weather events in those markets.

Death & Destruction - Are You Ready for It?

🔵🟠🟣 | All

Amanda Pruss, SIMA; Doug Freer, CSP, Blue Moose Snow; William Akehurst, Akehurst Landscape Service

The snow industry is not for the faint of heart. You are strong, but are you prepared? How resilient are you? Is your team adequately prepared to handle a worst-case scenario? Amanda, Doug and Bill will  discuss how their team handled death, fire, cyberattacks, theft and more and the lessons they learned.

Negotiate Your Way to Success

🔵🟢🟠 | All

Michael Sloopka, Selling Solutions

Refine your negotiation prowess with Michael E. Sloopka, an expert Negotiation Coach attuned to our industry’s unique challenges. Elevate your success in various aspects of life, from negotiations with suppliers, customers, and employees to navigating relationships with family and business partners. Join this dynamic session to unlock the secrets to negotiating your way to success in today’s competitive marketplace. You’ll learn exclusive insights, proven strategies, and powerful tips and questioning techniques. 

Team Productivity & Performance Management

🔵🟠 | Novice, Intermediate

Rick Kier, CSP, Forge Ahead Consulting

If you have ever wondered how to send 100 trucks in 100 directions and still have the team thinking and performing with the same goals in mind, this session is for you. Learn how to set reasonable goals for your team, keeping them focused on getting the work done in a timely fashion while maintaining safety and quality as their top priorities. Create a culture where everyone thinks about the enterprise core values as they perform their tasks. Make the work exciting and enjoyable by keeping score. We’ll cover the techniques and tools you need for successful performance management.

Accounting for Inflation in Your Snow & Ice Business

🔵 | Novice, Intermediate

Sydney Smyers Conway, Know Your Worth Pittsburgh

Everything today costs more, which can negatively influence your profitability if you don’t have guardrails in place. Sydney will share how you can account for inflation and adjust your snow business for the changing economy to protect your bottom line.

Mergers & Acquisitions in the Snow Industry

🔵 | Intermediate, Advanced

Don Mahoney, CSP, Mahoney & Associates; Roger Zino, Socratic Dialog & David Hare, Kian Capital

M&A activity in the snow and ice / landscape industry has been particularly strong in recent years. Don sold his company after nearly 25 years in business. He, Roger and David now work in tandem to take Mahoney & Associates to the next level. Hear from them on the process, benefits and considerations that need to take place before you decide to buy or sell. 

Staff Accountability Secrets for Rapid Growth

🔵🟢 | Novice, Intermediate

Danny Kerr, Breakthrough Academy

When your company grows and you aren’t in the field all the time, problems can creep in. Deadlines get missed. Your staff lacks focus. Quality starts to dip, leaving you to deal with mistakes that shouldn’t have happened. Petty finger-pointing becomes an issue. And you start to bleed profits because of all the inefficiency. The solution is to rethink your system for holding your team accountable. Danny will share four signs your company has an accountability problem and how to regain control; how highly effective leaders get staff to understand expectations; and a weekly management ritual to beat targets while strengthening relationships.

Strive for a Win-Win with Property Managers

🔵🟢🟠| All

Panelists TBA

Snow professionals and property managers that have relationships built on trust can result in a win-win situation. Hear from both sides on how they approach the procurement process, pain points that can affect the relationship and more.  

Leadership Lab: Get Unstuck!

🔵🟢🟠🟣 | All

Christy Uffelman, CEO & Founder, EDGE Leadership Solutions

What has you stuck or feeling like you aren't living to your potential, professionally or personally? Leadership development coach Christy Uffelman, MHCS, BCC, will facilitate a dynamic group coaching experience where the participants guide the interactive experience. Don't solve your challenges alone! Own your career and ignite the leaders around you by sharing best practices — as peers — together. 

Christy's book, "The PEER Revolution: Group Coaching that Ignites the Power of People", will be available for purchase. All proceeds benefit the SIMA Foundation's Alan Steiman Scholarship Fund.

Tame the Chaos: SOPs for Overwhelmed Owners

🔵🟢🟠🟣 | Novice, Intermediate

Danny Kerr, Breakthrough Academy

Some companies scale fast and ride that wave of breakneck growth; others, not so much. The solution for scaling contractors is to stop charging through your growth like a bull in a china shop. Instead, you need to add structure by intentionally using standard operating procedures (SOPs) and overcoming your biggest headaches. Danny shows you a practical walkthrough of how to build SOPs, hand over more responsibility to your team and drive fatter net profits. BONUS: You’ll get ready-built templates to make implementation easier!

Documentation: It's in the Details

🔵🟢🟠🟣 | Novice, Intermediate

Jenny Girard, ASM, RM Landscape

Get ready to slay your documentation game! We’ll unravel the mysteries of snow documentation with a sprinkle of fun. From turning organizational headaches into a winter wonderland, we're here to show you that documentation isn't just cool—it's your secret weapon for a snow-tastic business. Say goodbye to the frosty pitfalls and hello to a flurry of returning clients and team high-fives. Let's make snow documentation the coolest thing since snow cones!

Improve Hiring with Tech & Flexibility

🔵🟣 | All

Laura Means, Brian-Kyles Landscapes; Carlos del Pozo, Team Engine

Taking the same old approach to hiring could be limiting your prospects. Laura and Carlos will share how a flexible approach and the use of technology can improve the hiring, onboarding and retention process. From changing shift schedules and payment timing, wage transparency and offering different benefits, to snow-specific training, the keyword is flexibility. 

Is Your Company Ready for a Business Management System?

🔵 | Novice

Stephanie Leveling and Tina Shaw, The Integra Group

A business management system can streamline processes and create workflows that can eliminate manual tracking, increase efficiency, reduce manual labor and more. Stephanie will guide you through the steps you need to make for a successful purchase and integration into your business.

From Team Member to Team Leader

🟠 | Novice, Intermediate

Angel Campos-Chavez, Imageworks Landscaping; Jake Howard, ASM, Outdoor Pride Snow & Ice Management

Operations team members seeking advancement opportunities will hear advice from team leaders on what it takes to grow from team member into leadership positions. 

Marketing Your Business to the Next Level

🔵🟢 | All

Darci Knowles, Darci Creative

Marketing is a complex machine with many moving parts. This session will touch on a variety of tools and tactics you can use to elevate your brand and reach for the No. 1 position in your market. We'll begin with the power of Branding: What is it and why is it important? Then we'll talk about Strategy: What are the absolute necessities for any marketing strategy, and how can you get the most from your marketing budget? And then, we'll talk about Execution: How can you consistently communicate your brand promise to the right people for the best results? And finally, we'll walk you through a case study that demonstrates everything we've talked about!

Reduce Salt without Reducing Service

🟠| Novice, Intermediate

Michael Wagner, CSP, ASM, Designscapes Colorado

Monitoring and reducing your salt usage doesn't have to negatively impact your operations. Don't just consider how much you use on-site as the only way to reduce your salt usage. Think about product storage solutions, equipment calibration, timing of use and training. This session gives you tools for planning, analyzing, and making decisions for salt usage while maintaining a service level that keeps you competitive in your market.

10:45 am

• Conduct an effective meeting 🟠🔵🟢🟣
• Melt more in less time 🟠
• Develop an onboarding program 🔵🟠🟣
• Use social media effectively 🔵🟢

11:10 am

• Conduct a job hazard analysis 🟠
• Sell liquids to my property managers 🟢🟠
• Reduce the risk of an insurance claim 🔵🟢🟠🟣
• Conduct a client lunch and learn 🔵🟢🟠

The Power of Women in Snow

🔵🟢🟠🟣 | All

Amanda Ochoa, Tricon Group; Jillian Burns, CSP, Burns Landscaping; & Katelin Pufnock, ASM, emi landscape

The snow and ice industry has been dominated primarily by men. But more and more women enter the field each year. The panelists will share the importance of women in leadership roles, how to navigate bias, adopting a growth mindset and more. This isn’t a women-only session—all are welcome! 

Emerging Climate Trends Impacting the Industry

🔵🟠 | All

Frank Lombardo & Rob Reale, WeatherWorks

The snow industry is under increasing pressure due to challenges posed by severe winter storms, shifting climate patterns, and a rise in mixed events. Meanwhile, property owners are seeking innovative technologies and strategies to reduce costs while ensuring their properties’ safety. Frank and Rob will identify emerging climate trends; distinguish between winter weather variability and climate change; and discuss how these factors are impacting the industry as well as how property managers are responding and adapting.

SIMA Foundation Research: Snow & Ice Workplace Survey

🔵🟣 | All

Steve Wolf, WolfWorks Consulting

Steve will introduce findings from the SIMA Foundation's first ever study on the nature of snow providers' labor dynamics. Based on a survey of 129 firms, findings include workforce composition, average salaries, use of subcontractors, recruiting methods, employee tenure, and benefits offered among small, medium and large S&I operators. The study also focuses on best practices and pitfalls behind strong workplace cultures.

Build a Seasonal Staffing Plan

🔵🟢🟠🟣 | Novice, Intermediate

John Mocharko, Acacia Facility Services & Evan Tachoir, Consultant

This session will help you build a seasonal staffing plan with perspectives from field operations and HR/office staff.  You will learn why you need both to successfully hire and train a snow team, what functions should fall under each area, and practical communication tips for effective collaboration.  We will cover building and executing a staffing plan for the upcoming snow season, including practical tips on recruiting and training. In addition, you'll learn how to develop a recruiting and training plan to allow people to develop careers with your company and build your workforce for the future.

Practical Approach to Using AI & Tech for Growth, Efficiency & Execution

🔵🟢 | All

Patrick Baglien, Vue Robotics; Todd Reinhart, Reinhart Landscape & Snow;  Isaac Howell, Acacia Facility Services; and Eric Faulkner, Vaisala  xWeather

Learn how your SIMA peers use AI, camera, and sensor technology to expand their business, find operational and cost efficiencies, and use it to execute in the middle of winter events.