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Landscape and Turf Maintenance By Tammy Johnson, MBA, CAE The Snowfighters Institute is the first entity fully dedicated to educational pursuits as they pertain to the snow and ice management industry. The Future of the "White" Industry Examining advancements in snow removal W technology, techniques, education and training " the dis- hen landscape contractors start "talking snow, cussion often revolves around selecting the right equipment, pricing the service offering, liability from slip-and-fall incidents and how to protect the company when things go wrong. However, one could submit that with proper education and training a good majority of the discussion points become moot when the underpin- nings of any business are sound and solid. Today's snow and ice management con- tractors are no longer just a bunch of guys who plow snow. Today, these contractors are professionals who manage risk for those they serve. This is done through the effective and efficient use of advanced technology, enhanced techniques and modern equipment. These professionals re- alize they are being hired to keep sites safe for vehicular and pedestrian traffic. We all 12 Landscape and Irrigation October 2012 know just about anyone can plow snow (with the proper equipment), but it takes an educated professional to keep the sites safe and passable under often horrendous conditions at difficult hours. There are many avenues for landscape contractors to take with regard to gaining education on best practices, accounting procedures, human resources information and proper management techniques in their chosen green profession. Almost every state in the United States and most provinces in Canada have associations for those in the green industry. These organi- zations do an outstanding job bringing green industry issues to the forefront so their members can avail themselves of ed- ucational opportunities with regard to their chosen profession. However, until recently, formalized training of those who derive a large por- tion of their revenues (and profits) from the "white industry" had been lacking. State landscape organizations now put on full-day, snow-related gatherings so con- tractors can become more educated on the various aspects of running a snow and ice management profit center. There is a national snow symposium put on by the Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA) each year where snow contractors can gain more insight regarding how to plow snow and make a profit. The SIMA Symposium is also where manufacturers can introduce new products to the snow fighting industry. The recently formed Accredited Snow Contractors Association (ASCA) has em- barked on a mission to educate mature snow contracting firms about the intrica- cies of running a snow business, how na- tional issues affect their businesses, and how to better prepare for the business challenges ahead. Additionally, the ASCA focuses on addressing legislative and insur- ance issues that plague those who partici- pate in snow-related services. ASCA recently introduced the first-ever written industry standards for the snow contracting industry. And the ISO certification pro- grams introduced by the ASCA will allow progressive business owners involved in snow and ice management to become bet- ter at managing the inherent risks that come with "snow." The Snowfighters Institute was born to "forever pursue research and develop snow industry training." This is the first entity fully dedicated to educational pursuits as they pertain to the snow and ice manage- ment industry. Here, snow contractors of all sizes gather to discuss specific topics pertaining to all aspects of managing and running a snow contracting operation. The first (and, to date, the only) book dedicated to the snow industry ("Manag- ing Snow and Ice") arrived in 2002. A sec- ond edition of that book was published in 2011 because 50 percent of the informa- tion put forth in the original was out- dated. Surely, more books dedicated to the private contractors in the white industry will be forthcoming. These are all good signs for the white industry. However, even with all the ad- vancements in education among snow contractors, one tends to wonder where www.landscapeirrigation.com