the industry will be 10 years from now. In the second edition of his book
"Managing Snow and Ice," author John Allin was asked to dream about what might happen in the future of snow and ice management. Number 1 on Allin's list involved the potential for software to allow for plowers in the truck to report back to the office, instantaneously, what was done, and automatically invoice for the snow- plow service provider's time and charges while at the same time generating cus- tomer invoices — all within minutes of completing the task. This is now a reality. Number 3 on Allin's list was computer- ized deicing applications that automatically distribute the proper amount of product depending upon conditions, and then au- tomatically report to the office what has been accomplished. This reality is less than a year away.
Number 4 was the publication of writ- ten industry standards. This too is now a reality.
The Accredited Snow Contractors Association (ASCA) has embarked on a mission to educate mature snow contracting firms about the intricacies of running a snow business, how national issues affect their businesses, and how to better pre- pare for the business challenges ahead. — Photos provided by The Snowfighters Institute
Number 5 is the development of an en- tity dedicated to educating the full spec- trum of those involved in all aspects of managing snow and ice. This too is very near reality, and should be fully imple- mented in the next year. How long before the other, remaining
"dreams" put forth in that book become re- ality? Time will certainly tell. However, with the acceleration of visibility within the white industry, the influence of forward-
thinking individuals and the rapid advance- ments in technology overall, the future might just be around the next corner.
Formerly the executive director of the Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA) from 1996-2006, Tammy Johnson, MBA, CAE, is the executive director of the Snowfighters Insti- tute located in Erie, Pa. She can be reached at 814-455-1991 or via e-mail at Tammy@snowfightersinstitute.com.
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