11th Annual Snow & Ice Symposium

Tuesday, June 17

8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Registration Open

8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Registration Open

8 a.m. – 12 p.m.

University of Buffalo Snow & Ice Management Facility Tour.Over 28 miles of sidewalk, 108 acres of parking lots and 27,000 students, in one of the heaviest and most frequent blizzard cities in the northeastern U.S.

12:30 – 2:30 p.m.

Conference, Communication & Education Committee Meetings

2:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Editorial Advisory Board, Certification & Membership Committee

6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

General Membership Meeting

7:30 – 9:30 p.m.

Opening Welcome Reception
Join SIMA and Pro-Tech Manufacturing & Distribution for the Welcome Bash. This event kickoff will include food, drinks, laughs and a special event!

8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Registration Open

8 – 9:30 a.m.

Opening Keynote Session: Building the Dream Workforce—How to Make Good Employees Great, and Great Employees Even Better!
Mark Mayberry will show you how to bring about this transformation and reshape your snow and ice removal team members into a “Dream Workforce!”

9:45 – 11:15 a.m.

Concurrent Sessions

• The Power of Positive Connection with Gary Plaag (Sales & Marketing)—This session identifies and explores major professional networking skills, including what to do before, during and after a networking event.

• Damage Repair: Prevention, Protection & Preserving the Customer Service Relationship, Panel Session (Operations)—In an interactive panel session, discussions will include information about how you can prepare your crew and your organization to prevent damage repair.

Sponsored by Rich Arlington & Associates

• Snow Accumulation & Managing the Event with Allen Chase (Management & Leadership)—Allen will discuss and provide visuals of the perils and pitfalls he has learned the hard way.

Sponsored by Pro-Tech Mfg., Inc.

• Evaluating/Breaking Down the Cost of Your Truck/Equipment with Marv Andree (Administration)—Marv will help you look at the cost of your truck, plows, maintenance, employees and other related operational costs.

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Snack & Chat Lunch

Snack and chats are one of the most popular events held at the SIMA Symposium. During several breakfasts and lunches, roundtables are held on various snow and ice topics. This is a great chance to add valuable networking time to your symposium experience.

12:30 – 6:30 p.m.

CSP Exam

A CSP is a business owner or manager who has taken the next step in managing and running a professional snow & ice management business. This individual has studied for and passed a rigorous six-hour exam covering business, legal, subcontractor, snow science, snow mechanics and human resources.

1 – 5 p.m.

Trade Show Open

7 – 10 p.m.

Awards Banquet

The Thursday Night awards banquet honors the best and brightest in the snow & ice management industry. Are you a snow warrior?

7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Registration Open

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

Snack & Chat Breakfast

8:30 – 9:30 a.m.

Keynote Session: Businesses Don’t Do Business, People Do Business with Christine Corelli

Based on the popular book “Wake Up and Smell the Competition,” this hard-hitting, “no-holds barred” presentation will identify how to handle the challenges we face in today’s challenging business environment.

9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Trade Show Open-Lunch will be available for attendees.

1:45 – 3:15 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions

• Bid Building Part 1: Know Your Numbers with Mike Mason (Sales & Marketing)—Mike will walk you through basic information you need to know about your company before you begin creating a price.

• Starting into Liquids for Small Contractors with Scott Zorno, CSP (Operations)—This session will explore the process of getting started in liquids for anti-icing and deicing as a profit center for snow & ice management.

• One Bad Apple Can Spoil the Bunch: Creating a Healthy Team Environment with Gary Plaag (Management & Leadership)—This session examines the impact that “bad apple” behavior can have on a team-based work group.

• Protecting Your Company from Liability with Darryl Beckman, Esq. (Administration)—Through an interactive learning experience, with discussion about real-life situations, participants will gain valuable insight into: mutually beneficial relationships with property managers; protecting your company through a fair, well-crafted contract; documentation of your services; defending a lawsuit; understanding insurance issues; and making informed decisions.

Sponsored by Crew Tracker Software

3:30 – 5 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions

• Bid Building Part 2: Production Numbers with Bob Smart, CSP (Sales & Marketing)—Bob will walk you through the process of developing production rates for your equipment.

• Pre and Postseason Equipment Maintenance, Panel Session (Operations)—This panel discussion will focus on the needed steps all companies should take to ensure their biggest investment—equipment—is properly cared for and ready for harsh winter weather.

Sponsored by International Truck & Engine

• Managing Your Three Greatest Assets: Customers, Equipment & Employees with Tony Bass (Management & Leadership)—Tony uses personal stories to teach attendees to take control and strategically manage customers, employees and equipment.

Sponsored by Ariens Company

• Making the Weather Profitable with Frank Lombardo (Administration)—Discussion will include: sources of weather data (online, broadcasts, consulting firms); weather instrumentation; and understanding weather observations.

Sponsored by Snow Dragon

5:15 – 6:15 p.m.

Predinner Reception

9 – 10:30 a.m.

Concurrent Sessions

• Managing the Marketing Function, Driving Organizational Growth with Phil Harwood, CSP (Sales & Marketing)—In this session, Phil will discuss organizational structures, accountability, what marketing is and isn’t, and how to manage the marketing area effectively, including goal setting and the use of metrics.

Sponsored by Ariens Company

• Bid Building 3: Event Specifics with Justin Gamester, CSP, and Scott Carson, CSP, CLT (Operations)—This session is designed to help you understand how important knowing an event really is. It will focus on three important elements: event type, event intensity and historical data.

• Key Skills for Growing Yourself and Your Small Business with Tony Bass (Management & Leadership)—Learn the business habits and the business skills necessary to control your schedule and your financial future.

Sponsored by Rich Arlington & Associates

• What the Market Will BARE with John Paul LaMarche (Administration—An estimating presentation with a proven mathematical system that shows contractors their break-even point per person, per job, per crew and per equipment.

Sponsored by MaxxForce Engines

10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Concurrent Sessions

• Using Your Web Site to Increase Snow Sales, Panel Session (Sales & Marketing)—Through a guided discussion, participants will learn the most important items for using a Web site to increase their potential to sell snow services.

Sponsored by Snow Dragon

• The Best of Buffalo Winters with Don Paul, meteorologist (Operations)—A look at the best of Buffalo winters, including forecasts, stories, pictures and video of winter in action, weather conditions unique to Buffalo and personal experiences.

• Using Technology to Manage Your Sites, Panel Session (Management & Leadership)—Join three experienced contractors in a candid discussion about the technologies they are using in their operations, how they have proved successful, challenges confronted and plans for future technology implementations.

Sponsored by CrewTracker Software

• Liability and Data Collection from a Contractor’s Standpoint with Rich Arlington, III, CSP, CLP (Administration)—The lawyers for all parties involved in a slip and fall case have their own questions for you, and Rich will let you in on the secrets of being able to defend your actions or inactions as the case may be.

Sponsored by Crew Tracker Software

12:30 – 2 p.m.

Snack & Chat Lunch

2:15 – 3:30 p.m.

Closing General Session: How the Customer Affects the Bid

4:15 – 7:30 p.m.

Closing Network Event: Moondance Cat Shoreline Cruise