Work seems a lot less like work when you make your career doing what you enjoy. Michael Clark is one of the lucky ones who found his passion at a young age and has grown up within the industry he loves.
“It’s kind of like a baseball player getting paid to do something he loves to do,” Clark says. “That’s me.”
Clark, director of snow operations at Acres Group in Wauconda, Ill., may not have anything against summer, but it is winter when he shines.
“I grew up snowmobiling and playing in the snow since I was a child. Then, once I hit adulthood, I started working at Acres and I continued to enjoy being in the snow,” he says. “Working at Acres was made fun by the owner ... well I thought it was fun, anyways. And to this day, I still do.”
Clark, nicknamed “Frosty,” has been in the industry since he could drive. Now 40, he’s spent the last two-and-a-half decades feeding his passion.
While his beginning may not have been glamorous, it may have been a blessing in disguise. “I got started plowing in an old Jeep Cherokee at the age of 16,” he says. “This Jeep had a very loud exhaust, which was a bother to me. But as eight hours turned into 24 hours, I was rather happy for the loud exhaust as I was really tired, not staying up that long before ... well, for work anyway.”
Following a couple years in that noisy Jeep, Clark went to work for Acres Group. This gave him the opportunity to operate myriad snow equipment ranging from shovels, salt trucks and skidsteers, all the way up to operating front-end loaders.
Though he started out as a laborer, he was promoted to foreman within six months and then supervisor 10 years later. The role of senior manager followed a couple years later – a position he held for about seven years before being promoted to director of snow operations, subcontractor manager and ancillary service manager.
While Acres Group also provides landscape construction, lawn maintenance, irrigation and tree services, Clark works snow 12 months a year, among other duties. Winter responsibilities really become his main focus from July through April.
Jim Schwantz, Acres Group’s owner, doesn’t take long to assess what Clark has meant to the company. “Turning him into a full-time snow guy was one of the smartest things we ever did,” he says. “He’s a very hard-working guy who doesn’t say ‘no.’
“There’s no fishing pole under the seat of his truck,” he adds about Clark’s dedication and hard work. “He’s got it in high gear all the time.”
According to Sherman Fields, Acres Group’s vice president, Clark prepares an “Acres E-Mail Communication” prior to every snow and ice event. This communication, which explains the upcoming weather and Acres’ action plan, goes to all employees and more than 1,000 clients – including health care, retail, industrial, business center, apartments and 30,000-plus town homes. The information also is placed on Acres’ website, along with a storm recap.
“Frosty’s exemplary leadership is illustrated by the 75+ unsolicited client testimonials that Acres received from the 20-inch blizzard of 2011,” Fields says.
Preparation, no doubt, led to that sterling result.“We’re looking at a storm in advance and he’s got all the ‘what-ifs’ covered,” Schwantz says. “He loves to find answers ... Loves to be prepared ... Loves to be successful.”
Fields referred to Clark as “thought forward” with regard to equipment and deicing chemicals, including the utilization of winged and pusher box plows, Kubotas, ATVs, rotary brooms, Dingo’s, liquid pre-treatment applications, pre-wetting salt, and “smart” deicing application which saves chemicals and cost, and is eco-friendly, as well.
“He is one of the hardest workers in the industry, and a person who would never ask anyone to do something that he isn’t personally willing to do,” Fields says. “He has become an ‘icon’ in our industry.”
It’s no wonder why Clark was named one of the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association’s “Top 10 People with Impact” for 2011.
Fields points to other contributions, accomplishments and innovations that sets Clark apart, including snow seminars for employees and clients and managing the “Acres Certification Program” for all Acres and subcontractor operators. All operators must pass a written and operations test to perform snow work for Acres.
“Mike also has developed an approved subcontractor program to ensure all subs are legal, insured, experienced, competent, as well as inspects their equipment for safety and soundness,” Fields says. “He also oversees a 12-month maintenance program for Acres fleet of over 300 trucks, 225 skid-steer tractors, 500+ snow blowers, plows and salter units. This supports safety, preparedness and performance during all conditions.”
Acres Group’s portfolio consists roughly of 80 percent residential and 20 percent commercial, which is fine with Clark, but he hints that those numbers may be altered in the near future. “Residential is our preference, but don’t think you wont see more of Acres in the commercial market too,” he says.
With about 250 trucks available for snow removal, and somewhere between 800 and 1,000 people working during the snow-removal process, the Acres staff is much more than a group of individuals working toward many goals. They strive for the common good.
“We will win as a team or we will lose as a team. The key is being a team,” Clark says. “Not Democratic or Republican... just simply a team. We solve any problem or issue as a team.”
As for fostering teamwork, it can be summed up in one word: Communication. “That is the key in everything we do,” Clark stresses. “Personally and professionally, communication is the key to everything we do. If we do this, all goes very well. When it’s not done, things fall through the cracks, eventually creating craters.
“If we always talk about things, we can always fix things,” he adds. “A thing my boss has always says, ‘If there is a problem, let’s put it on the table and fix it.’ I take that as ‘Let’s communicate and we can fix anything,’ and we strive to do this daily.”
Clark’s job is not without it challenges. Weather aside, he works diligently at solidifying contracts to assure day-to-day operations are running smoothly during the season.
“One of the toughest challenges is getting customers, or potential customers, to commit to contracts earlier versus later during the fall,” he says. “The earlier the better, so we can schedule all equipment and personnel properly and efficiently. Last-minute commitments lead to failure if not managed correctly.”
As far as building the business and increasing Acres Group’s perception within the community, Clark’s efforts are never ending. “We are constantly teaching and training our customers and potential customers, 12 months a year,” he says. “We do meet and greets, ‘Acres Bar and Grill’ and ‘Acres Expert Training’ with our customers and potential customers… hoping to raise their standards of expectations from all their venders.”
They also are very active with programs within the community, such as: Arbor Days, Food Pantry, Breast Cancer Awareness, Acres Cares and Secret Santa. “We take a lot of these programs very personally, as they affect some us in our daily lives,” he says. “The more we can do, the better it feels to us at Acres and personally.”
The life of a snow professional can be very taxing on the family, but Clark says they’ve adapted very well. “I guess if you mention me getting up 50-60 times at different times of the evening during the winter over the last 24 years, I would say they have been very excepting.” he says. “Nowadays, the family doesn’t even move a muscle ... just another winter evening for dad/hubby. So I would say they are very supportive and excepting.”
Even during a “normal” snow season, it can’t be all work and no play, even for a dedicated professional like Clark. He likes to “kick ass and take names” at the bowling alley or take the snowmobile for a ride if the trails aren’t too beaten up.
“Acres has instilled in my train of thought that preparation is everything,” Clark says.
“If you are prepared, you won’t fail,” he says of the company’s management philosophy. “You may have a few hick ups, tweaks and/or turns you may need to make, but you won’t fail. You will get out of it what you put into it. Snow is about being proactive. If you are reacting, you are already behind and problems are soon to follow.”
Rob Thomas is a Cleveland-based freelance writer and frequent Snow Magazine contributor.
Explore the September 2012 Issue
Check out more from this issue and find you next story to read.
Latest from Snow Magazine
- NOTEBOOK: Go With The Flow
- NOTEBOOK: Winter Equipment Offers the RoadMAXX System
- NOTEBOOK: Yanmar Unveils Compact Loader Lineup
- NOTEBOOK: Schill Expands in Southwest Ohio
- October Cover Story: Achieving Wet Pavement
- August 2022 Cover Story: Beat The Odds
- May 2022 Cover Story: Bullish on Snow & Ice
- 2022 Top 100