Many snow professionals relying on deicing product were lulled into a sense of false security over the past few years. Low snowfall totals and warmer winter temperatures allowed complacency to enter contractor thinking when anticipating winter supplies needs. Just-in-time inventory for deicing supplies was working fine and many figured “Why stock up on salt when it can be delivered within a day or two when needed?”  

That line of thinking proved to be a hollow expectation with the plunge of cold and snow that covered 75% of the US in February. Many were caught short handed on supplies, and many regions that seldom experienced snow and ice had nothing to fight the storms when they arrived.

The situation in Texas was pretty hard to witness as so many parts of the state’s infrastructure collapsed under cold they hadn’t seen in decades - if ever before. The ice storms prevented emergency responders from reaching folks in need and the subfreezing temperatures that persisted for a week wreaked havoc on many levels. Roads and highways were impassible; massive traffic pileups on interstates dominated the news along with the record cold. We all saw it and most of us lived it.  

The snow contractors and end-users who were prepared for winter’s worst fared fine. However, those snow professionals who had no equipment and supplies for snow fighting not so much. So, this begs the question of “How do we avoid that happening to us again?”  

It is much easier than most realize to avoid a salt supply catastrophe and it involves a commitment to planning and some financial resources.  I’ve said for decades that the market must take more risk to avoid these problems going forward.  Snow-belt municipalities, pretty much universally, try to maintain between three-to-five winter storm events of deicer inventory at all times.  

Private contractors rarely have more than one storm of snow-fighting chemicals on the ground.  The reasons, I believe, are a lack of storage capability coupled with a reluctance to take the financial risk (there’s that risk word again) of buying inventory they may not use and then have to store indefinitely.  

Working closely with your snow and ice product suppliers over the coming summer to develop accurate predictions of what you think you will need for the winter and then signing a contract for that quantity will go a long way toward avoiding disappointment in supply.  This allows the supplier to balance their contract commitments from their customers along with their supply sourcing.  Just using what was taken the previous year can be too little, too much, or somewhere in the middle.  Accurate predictions of what is needed are crucial and will ensure on-going supply. Salt suppliers always try to build a little cushion into their inventories for the unexpected, but it is impossible to see demand increase five-to-eight fold and not expect some collapse.

If you were caught short this year, simply changing suppliers may accomplish nothing unless the new supplier has a proven track record and practices these measures of contracting with their market and the supplier taking their own risk to some degree.  With no contract, the entire risk is on the supplier and therein lies the trap of how supplies can run short or completely out.

For the snow-contractor, this should be a trickle-down event; going to your snow removal clients and enjoining them in this same contract process to reduce risk and ensure ongoing supply for them so that they are part of the solution and are not blaming the snow removal contractor for failure.  

When heavy demand taxes suppliers beyond their inventory, that’s when tons are allocated only to contract customers (municipal mostly) and why the spot buyers are the first ones excused from the party.

Contributing Editor Robert S. English is president of Chemical Solutions Inc., based out of Franklin, Mass. He writes often about issues pertaining to the salt and deicing industry including his regular State of Salt columns. You can reach him at rob@meltsnow.com

There are generally five reasons companies bring in consultants. They include:

• Needing expertise not available internally;
• Managing change on important projects;
• Gaining an objective outside perspective;
• Attaining additional resources for internal/existing projects; and
  
• Backing up management’s opinion.
  

The first three reasons tend to bring more value to the company. The last two--while sometimes may be effective--are generally indicators of other issues within the organization. Having been on both sides of the fence as a consultant and an owner, I have recognized that regardless of the reason you had to bring in some help, there are several key ideas management should jump on to get the most out of working with consultants.

Figure out what is bothering you
Before you sit down with a consultant, spend some time organizing your thoughts and creating an initial project brief. The brief should cover what you think the problem/issue is and how it is impacting your company. It should also outline the results or outcomes you are hoping to achieve and how you will measure the success of the project. It’s better to skip setting a completion deadline; just jot down the results you are looking for.

Find a consultant that makes sense for you
Finding the right consultant is like buying a pair of shoes: you need to get the right fit. So how do you do that? First, check with other business owners you know, look for recommendations and check references. And like most shoe shoppers who try on multiple pairs, it’s important to check out more than one or two consultants. If you find an interesting lead online, call a few of the businesses on their clients list to get their real review. It’s important these consulting candidates have experience with companies like yours and that they have a good track record. When first meeting with them, ask specific questions that probe to see if they understand your business. Ask if they have faced these types of issues before and how they were able to help the client. Also, watch to see if the consultant ask questions or are they doing all the talking?

Make sure to understand their approach – does it make sense to you? Do you have a good rapport with them? Are they interested in developing a relationship or is this just going to be a transaction to them?

Determine the scope
Work with the consultant to determine the final objectives and desired outcomes for your project, but don’t try to run the assignment by limiting their process or dictating their methods. Let them use their experience to determine the best path for success. Just as you would not want a client telling you how to plow a site, don’t micro mange the project. If you are not sure about what needs to be addressed first, or need to balance budget constraints, consider an initial project to help clarify the issues/problems, then develop a phased approach of smaller projects based on the findings to be completed over time.

Be Flexible
Consulting projects have many unknowns and often uncover issues not originally considered. It is often better to adjust the scope or the objectives of the project to address these previously unknown issues. Sticking with what was originally discussed despite the introduction of new facts, generally does not lead to the best solution. Good consultants and good clients are flexible and responsive. Consultants build their business through recommendations and their reputation. They are unlikely to take shortcuts or make changes to the scope that will endanger that or hinder the success of the project.

Prepare for Success
Working with your consultant at the start of the project determine what information they will need. In addition, it is helpful to have the best internal resources for the consultant to work with on the project. Also, ask whether it make sense to interview various staff members or if surveys will be more appropriate. It’s important to identify an internal project champion and project lead; this person must have the pull to free up resources and make decisions as needed. Lastly, determine how much buy-in is necessary from your team. The more things change from the current methods, the more buy-in will be needed and buy-in requires time and involvement.

Be Honest
You are working with a consultant because you determined a need – you had a pain point that needed to be addressed. Just like when visiting your doctor, the more forthcoming, open and honest you are, the more you can be helped.  Working with a consultant is not the time to put on airs or pretend things aren’t as bad as you know they are.

Talk to your team
Permanent staff may not understand the need for the consultant or what they are trying to accomplish. Your team may understand their part of the process, but not how the whole company is impacted.  I have experienced staff becoming resentful that an “outsider” was brought in to fix a problem they couldn’t (or one they didn’t even believe existed). Tension can build as people worry about losing their jobs or having to learn a new way of doing things. It is critical for employers to communicate to their teams that bringing in a consultant does not reflect a failure on anyone’s part. Be honest and open about what you hope to achieve and how this can help everyone involved.

Talk to your consultant
Let them understand your point of view; share your unfiltered experience. Provide feedback to your consultant as you would your own team members. Just like your staff, consultants work better with timely feedback on what they are doing – good and bad. Share with them what you are hearing from your team so they can better understand the team dynamics present.

Don’t take it personally
It is important for the owner to recognize the consultant’s findings as constructive criticism on the business, not the owner. A consultant brings their own perspective and experiences to bear on the problem. Often owners may be too close to the problem or have a blind spot when it comes to their own actions which can be an obstacle to positive change. Both parties have valuable input and should be working toward finding the best solution together.

Snow Magazine contributing editor Joe Kujawa is a senior facilitator and dedicated practice leader for Bruce Wilson & Co. Joe is a 2016 Leadership Award recipient.

  

Congrats goes out to ASCA legal counsel Joshua Ferguson for being recognized as a 2021 Distinguished Advocate for Children by the Support Center for Child Advocates.

The Support Center for Child Advocates is the nation’s oldest and largest program dedicated exclusively to providing pro bono legal services for children in crisis. It teams volunteer attorneys with staff social workers and consulting lawyers to coordinate legal and social service advocacy for child victims of abuse and neglect in Philadelphia. The goal is to secure a permanent and  nurturing environment for every child.

Josh is a Partner and Co-chair of the Philadelphia office of Freeman, Mathis and Gary. He is a highly experienced attorney with an array of experience in high exposure tort, employment and professional liability cases.

His tort and catastrophic loss practice includes defense of premises liability, transportation, product liability, toxic and mass tort claims.

Josh serves as general counsel for a wide variety of businesses, including those in the construction, snow and ice management, power sweeping, landscaping, and property management industries. He regularly advises clients on pending legislation at the Federal and State levels. Josh has drafted legislation on behalf of various industries including the ASCA, and has been asked to speak in Washington, D.C. and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania before House Committees.

Kudos on the accolade, Josh, and keep up the good work.

For decades, rock salt has been the main tool snow fighters employ to manage and mitigate ice buildup on pavement surfaces. It’s ideal because rock salt is relatively cheap and – with a little heat and moisture – it’s highly effective.

However, rock salt has been generating headlines lately for its negative impact on the environment. Most notably, rock salt has been linked to rising salinity levels in freshwater bodies, which poses a risk to aquatic inhabitants. As a result, the race is on to find more a next-generation deicer that is environmentally conscious, yet cost-effective. In addition to integrating brine to reduce salt use in ice mitigation practices, researchers and industry innovators have sought more unique alternatives, such as beet juice, fermentation castoffs, and exotic compounds.

However, scientists now are taking cues from the animal world. Researchers have known insects and spiders native to Alaska create antifreeze proteins that lower the freezing point of water by a few degrees and allows them to survive frigid temps. Similarly, some fish create antifreeze proteins that prohibits their blood from freezing in extreme climates.

Unfortunately, outside the body these antifreeze proteins break down quickly, making them ineffective and impractical for snow and ice management.  

However, researchers at the University of Denver recently reported they’re working on a synthetic version of these antifreeze proteins known as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). According to the researchers, PVA is a simple, inexpensive compound that is nontoxic to humans and aquatic life. In fact, it’s found in everyday personal care products. It also doesn’t degrade quickly, which makes it more practical as a spray-on ice mitigation tool or as a coating to other deicing substance.

To make it applicable for snow and ice management, though, research must first engineer PVA to be more like the antifreeze proteins utilized in the animals that endure in extremely cold habitats. No timetable was given for when this next generation ice mitigation product will be ready for testing or available to the commercial snow and ice industry.

CLICK HERE to read the original article and to learn more about the science behind this ice mitigation concept.