Nationwide, the COVID-19 threat has not subsided, however, most businesses – including those offering snow and ice management services – have moved forward the best they can in preparation for Winter 2020-21. What sort of impact has the pandemic had on contractors seeking ISO certification?

Probably the biggest impact to the snow and ice management industry would be the sense of caution and the fear of the unknown. We can’t gather face-to-face to talk or meet in groups. Most industry summits/conferences/seminars have been postponed, cancelled or held in a virtual setting. However, the ability to meet in person is so resourceful and needed.

Is this a good time to seek ISO certification and why?

Of course, it is a good time for snow professionals to earn their ISO certification. As the pandemic appeared to be weakening this past spring, by early June I started receiving calls from snow professionals with downtime asking questions about becoming certified and getting ready for the upcoming season.

For those contractors seeking ISO certification, how have you been able to assist them over the recent months? Please describe how the process works if you’re forced to do it remotely.

I didn’t approach it as being “forced,” per se. The first thing I did was call my friend and industry leader, Jim Anderson, and asked if I could offer to certify and audit remotely, knowing I had clients booked during the pandemic. As you know, Jim steered the ASCA team on writing the Industry Standards for the professional snow and ice management industry. He thought it was a great idea, I also checked with Smithers, who is the third-party registrar, and then with another business associate, Aaron Birdseye, who is an independent contractor in the IT and surveillance profession for his advise on which secure video conferencing that would be the most appropriate for this type professional meeting. The process runs very smoothly, just like I am sitting in a client’s conference room. I ask my questions, all documents are safely uploaded to me, and it saves the client money. And I have been offering a $500 COVID discount to all clients this year.

Has the pandemic added any additional challenges to those contractors pursuing ISO certification? For example, have protective, anti-coronavirus measures been added to the processes and procedures that need to be documented?

I have not encountered any new challenges. I haven’t met new contractors face to face and shook hands with them, but we talk on the phone and video conference. As far as adding anti-coronavirus measures or any new safety measures to processes and procedures, that is a plus for any client considering to sign with an ISO certified snow professional rather than one that is not certified. Being ISO certified assures the client they are getting exactly what was stated, written and then carried out by the contractor. Health and wellness are very important policies that contractors initiate and set guidelines for their snow employees.

You’ve been offering your service to the professional snow and ice management industry for some time now. During your tenure, as the ISO process and the value of certification has become better understood and realized, how has your role in assisting companies changed or evolved? For example, how has the focus or the topics of your consulting with contractors changed?

My role in the snow industry sure has become better understood with each new client. I speak at industry forums, write articles and have been invited on to speak about ISO on industry podcasts. The more contractors that understand the importance of certification and share the olive branch the better the industry becomes. Snow contractors don’t just push snow, they are first responders of safety to their communities. And they are a very tough breed who won’t stop or give up until the job is completed correctly.

I’m a contractor considering ISO certification, what are the minimum criteria about my operation that I need to meet or have a handle on before I reach out to a professional like yourself for assistance? Or, should reaching out to you be the first step? And if so, why?

One should have basic knowledge of Industry Standards. Industry certifications help, as well as work experience and having seasoned professionals to perform the work outlined in winter service contacts. The more experience and knowledge in any profession one holds will help you succeed when seeking ISO certification.

From your experience, what is the most misunderstood aspect about ISO certification and why?

This topic always comes up at industry forums and conversations. A contractor cannot lose their business or employees if they answer a question wrong. There are no wrong answers. When I conduct an audit, I ask questions based on how a contractor runs their business. I do not tell any contractor how to run their business. The contractor tells me what they do in keeping with industry guidelines and that is how I write their quality manual.

Snow and ice management companies that were some of the initial adopters of ISO certification have now begun or are going through the renewal process. Do you assist in the renew process? If so, how have their needs changed as they pursue renewal?

I assist in all aspects of ISO certification and renewal. This includes: review of documents, procedures, maps, training, incident reporting, inspections and updating the contractor on any changes.

Due to the challenges and obstacles presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Accredited Snow Contractors Association (ASCA) is taking its 2020 Executive Summit to the digital realm.

“We’ve established the annual Executive Summit as the leading educational and networking conference serving business leaders in the snow and ice management industry,” says ASCA Executive Director Kevin Gilbride. “The pandemic’s persistence created obstacles for snow contractors to attend and enjoy this year’s event. Therefore, we made the decision to continue to serve the industry by providing this high-end education, and the digital venue allows us to bring these great speakers and online networking event to a wider, more inclusive industry group of snow professionals.”

2020 Executive Summit Virtual takes place online Sept. 17 & 18 and features educational seminars presented by thought leaders from the professional management and snow and ice industries. This year’s keynote lineup includes:

Jim Canfield

President, CEO Tools by Aprio

Jim Canfield is President of CEO Tools by Aprio. CEO Tools provides winning strategies and business performance tools that empower CEOs to drive profitable growth. Jim brings a unique blend of past experience, including extensive learning in leadership theory and practice as well as “been there, done that” practical experience running several companies.

Tom Gimbel

Founder/CEO, LaSalle Network

Tom Gimbel is the founder and CEO of LaSalle Network, a staffing, recruiting and culture firm headquartered in Chicago. LaSalle has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies for 12 years, Fortune’s “Best Companies to Work for in Chicago” and “Best Medium Workplaces,” Forbes’ “Best Professional Recruiting Firms’” and to Inc. Magazine’s “Best Workplaces” list.

John Ward

Business Coach, Business Traction Center

For more than 20 years John Ward has been helping entrepreneurs get more of what they want from their business. After a 10-year corporate career, John joined the leadership team of a family owned business and helped to grow that company from a $20 million regional company to a $150 million state-wide distributor. Recruited to assume the helm as President of a struggling retail chain, John successfully engineered a turnaround that brought the company back to profitability within a year and then oversaw double digit growth for the next four years. Following that assignment, John formed his own consulting, training and development company and with a partner grew that into a national organization helping companies across the country to dramatically improve performance through better management, focus and accountability. Today John focuses all his energy on helping entrepreneurs to clarify, simplify and achieve their vision by implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System®.

The virtual conference will also have presentations from industry friends, including Josh Ferguson, Employment Law and the Pandemic; Joe Kujawa, Better Numbers Through Benchmarking; Ron Eckman, Brine and Liquid Deicing Best Practices; and Michael Moncoda, State of Insurance.

Lastly, conference attendees have the opportunity to earn continuing education credit that can be applied toward the renewal of their ASCA-C certification.

In addition to the educational program, the ASCA is planning a unique networking event to connect attendees with one another and encourage new professional connections with colleagues from throughout the industry.

“Networking is a hallmark of Executive Summit,” Gilbride says. “The digital environment allows us to continue this tradition through our Birds of a Feather networking session, which gives attendees the opportunity to meet over a variety of industry-related topics in an online environment.”

The global pandemic has impacted every business operation, and as such, business leaders have had to find new ways to work around and through these challenges, Gilbride says. Finding a way to bring the 2020 Executive Summit experience to the professional snow and ice management community is one of those challenges the ASCA has had to troubleshoot.

“Is this the most ideal scenario? Certainly not,” Gilbride says. “We would all like to be together, face-to-face, at a resort destination, like we have for more than a decade. However, the pandemic has taught us all that we need to not only be quick on our feet to adapt to new challenges, but also that we can’t give up or relent in the face of opposition. We’re pursuing Executive Summit – even in a digital format – as a way to defy the pandemic and to retain some semblance of normalcy. We can do many things online that we’ve done in year’s past in person to make the very best out of a valuable and professionally enriching two-day opportunity.”

For more information and to register, go to ascaexecutivesummit.com

One of the things I am going to miss most about not having Executive Summit as an in-person event this year is missing out on our annual Top 100 and Leadership Awards banquette. This event has become one of the highlights of not only the annual event, but of our entire year.

On Executive Summit’s second night, attendees gather together for an evening of networking over drinks and a nice meal. Scanning the banquet room, I always witness old friends gather and invite new attendees to their tables to learn about their businesses and families. This always intrigues me as I see these relationships grow into true friendships from year to year. I often hear on the back-end about how these conversations don’t cease when the summit concludes, but rather grow and prosper. And it’s not unusual to hear accounts of contractors jumping on planes to visits each other to learn firsthand more about each other’s operations. Executive Summit has evolved into a launching pad for not only new friendships, but to broaden horizons and learn from each others success and mistakes.

The highlight of the night, without a doubt, is always the awards ceremony, which includes presenting plaques to the year’s Top 100 companies in attendance and then honoring a group of our industry leaders. These leaders are defined as people who exemplify “leadership” in their businesses, in the snow and ice management industry, and in the communities they call their homes. In addition, we not only get an opportunity to hear their stories, but we experience through their acceptance speeches touching moments that define the person and often the struggles they have endured to get to where they are today. I always walk away from this evening inspired.

In today’s environment, I can assure you, those leaders aren’t hanging their heads about the potential struggles their businesses face due to unforeseen circumstances. Instead, they’ve circled their wagons, put together a plan, and are leading their teams through the storm. Most will engage their own approaches based on their unique business strengths. Without a doubt, though, these leaders are talking to each other throughout the industry, bouncing different ideas and challenges off of each other. But rest assured, they are out their leading.

I am also aware there is a new group of up-an-coming leaders out there who are beginning to make names for themselves in the professional snow and ice management industry. While we may not be gathering in person this year, I look forward to hearing all of the stories next year of how you’re leading your teams through the storm.

For months, our nation has grappled with the coronavirus pandemic. The necessary precautions to fight off the health crisis has unfortunately contributed to an economic crisis, as many businesses have had to close their doors. Much work related to heavy equipment has been deemed essential and been allowed to continue operations, while other businesses are gearing up to reopen as many states loosen restrictions. Yet it remains to be seen if Covid-19 will resurge and lead to a return to stay-at-home orders.

With so much economic uncertainty, the benefits of renting heavy equipment will make rentals a preferred choice for many professional snow and ice management contractors, landscaping companies, and many other trade professionals. To help consumers make the best decisions when renting, here are 11 tips to guide you when you rent equipment for this snow season.

1 Understand the job.

What project do you want to complete? If you lack a specific piece of equipment, could any of your other machinery (safely) get the job done? If your current inventory doesn’t cut it, what equipment could complete the task? Does the rental dealer have suggestions for which machine could work for the project?

2 Know the time.

Typically, equipment should be in use 60-70% of the time to be worth the purchase price. How often do you plan to use a piece of equipment? If it’s more, you may want to buy. If it’s less, renting could be the right choice. Knowing the exact amount of time you need a machine can also help you determine how long you should rent a piece of equipment, so you can avoid any late fees.

3 Study the economy.

You may think you’ll use a piece of equipment a lot, based on the current projects you’ve been contracted for, but if the economy is in a bad spot (like it is today during Covid-19), there’s a greater likelihood that the jobs may dry up. Renting during economic uncertainty saves you from sinking money into an expensive machine that may end up sitting on the lot more than you first expected.

4 Map out availability.

What rental businesses are available to you? There are online marketplaces like Equipment Trader that connect you with dealers across the country, and smaller local dealerships that you may contact directly. You’ll need to know which outlets are available to you, and what specific equipment those dealers offer. If finding and acquiring a niche rental machine proves to be a continued hassle, buying may be worth the headache it would save.

5 Ensure quality: Inspect the machine.

We’ve published an entire blog-post on inspecting used equipment, which you can read here. Be sure to examine the machine at every level, including mechanical, hydraulic, structural, in-cab, fluids, exhaust, and tire/track components.

6 Ensure quality: Learn the history.

You’ll also want to understand how the equipment has been used and cared for in the past. Ask for the equipment’s maintenance schedule and possibly repair records, to ensure that you’re getting a machine that is well cared-for. Telematics can now also be provided for most equipment. Finally, make sure the machine has been properly certified for use. Uncertified equipment may not only be of poor quality, it may also be unsafe and even illegal to use!!

7 Ensure quality: Research the dealer.

Knowing a rental dealer has a good reputation can give you greater confidence in renting equipment from the dealership, so take steps to research the dealer. Ask around, look them up online, conduct a business background check, and confirm their ownership of the equipment. Being able to rely on the dealer is an important consideration when renting equipment.

8 Study the contract.

What is the full cost to rent? Does that include insurance for damages or theft, transportation fees, or fuel surcharges? How long do you get the machine for? How do you acquire and return the equipment? Are there late fees? Who is responsible for maintenance and repairs? What are the billing policies? Who is permitted to use the rented equipment? Having answers to each of the contractual questions helps you fully understand the costs and risks you incur when renting the machine.

9 Look at long-term.

See if long-term rentals provide any discount, since you are guaranteeing the dealer business for a prolonged amount of time. Long-term rentals can be good for you too, because they ensure you’ll have the equipment when you need it, while still helping you avoid the full cost of purchase and ownership.

10 Get the training.

Be sure you know how to properly use a piece of machinery. Misusing equipment can be very unsafe and non-contractual use can make you liable for damages. Research how to use a machine and ask the dealer if they provide any use and safety training.

11 Obtain contact information.

If there is a problem with a rental machine, who do you contact? What back-up options will the dealer provide? What are their hours of operation, and what is their response time? Is there a customer service or helpline to call? Do you call the dealer directly? Knowing how to get in touch with the dealer, especially if there’s an emergency situation with the rental, can keep you from falling behind on projects and potentially losing business and profits.

Contributor Ethan Smith is a content curator for Trader Interactive, serving the commercial brands Commercial Truck Trader, Commercial Web Services, and Equipment Trader.