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00:00:01
S4-159: Snow Be Gone, Wanatah Indiana
0 Playsin 1 day
The guys welcome James Rice of Snow Be Gone to the show to hear about how he turned a family farming business into a growing snow management empire in Indiana!
Recommended
Transcript
00:00:03
RICK JAMES
Mr. Jones-Montagnes, I'm sorry.
Introduction and Episode Highlights
00:00:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
Let's get it, Snow Jobs Nation. Here we go, bringing you episode 159, 159 of the Snow Jobs Podcast, main show, powered by Top Gun Backblades. As always, I'm Steve.
00:00:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
You know who's with me?
00:00:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
The Chuck Norris of snow, Jeremy Lindstrom. What is up, Jay? How we doing?
00:01:04
RICK JAMES
Hey, Steve. Pretty good. How about you? We're
00:01:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
We're ahead of the game, baby. We're a week ahead of the game.
00:01:09
RICK JAMES
ahead of the game. Something's going to happen.
00:01:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
This is awesome.
00:01:12
RICK JAMES
ah
00:01:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
This is
00:01:13
RICK JAMES
then will be Then the following week we'll be recording on Sunday night.
00:01:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it.
00:01:16
RICK JAMES
so
00:01:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
We're still recording on a Sunday night, but it's a week in advance. This is awesome.
00:01:21
RICK JAMES
Yeah, that's crazy. Who knows what's going to happen this week?
00:01:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:01:24
RICK JAMES
so
00:01:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nobody knows. Nobody knows.
00:01:26
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:01:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
But yeah, we figured we'll get it done before I got to go out of town for a couple days.
00:01:27
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:01:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
So I'm hoping for no snow and we're we're going to get this episode recorded. So we're not under the gun when I get
Weather Forecasts and Winter Challenges
00:01:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
back. But how's how's your week been?
00:01:38
RICK JAMES
Yeah, it's been pretty good. I mean, they've been breaking up the storm. We're supposed to get this coming week, think Wednesday, Thursday, Friday for for almost a big storm out here.
00:01:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
Big storm.
00:01:51
RICK JAMES
So they've been breaking up, yeah, probably 2.5, but that's pretty much out of the forecast now.
00:01:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
2.5.
00:01:57
RICK JAMES
So it's there's just hardly shit in the forecast.
00:01:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's out. It's over. Oh,
00:02:01
RICK JAMES
I'm like, no shit. I'm like, like yeah, cool.
00:02:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
they've been hyping that for a week.
00:02:04
RICK JAMES
Yeah. I don't i know.
00:02:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
What happened to it?
00:02:08
RICK JAMES
it's I don't know. Ask Mark. Ask the doctor. Ask Nick.
00:02:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, man. Was it a lock or was it just a regular storm?
00:02:18
RICK JAMES
Everything you look at has been breaking this thing up. and It was always going to be like north of us to begin with. i mean It seemed like everything I saw looked like it was 50 miles north of us. so
00:02:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
all right
00:02:28
RICK JAMES
They're going to get like six inches or better. so so Whatever.
00:02:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
we're getting snow tonight we got the old 0.10 to one inch
00:02:32
RICK JAMES
is Yeah, you said that. That's a shocker. Oh, yeah. That's a standard operation around here. So it's been we we've been in the 40s for the last week here, I think.
00:02:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
s o p
00:02:48
RICK JAMES
So I'm kind of nice.
00:02:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
We just broke out. Yeah, we just broke out of the Arctic air. So it was like 38 and I had my windows down today. Like driving around town with the windows down like man, it's still cold out but it feels like feels like a beach day compared to the teens we've been having for the last month.
00:02:56
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah.
00:03:05
RICK JAMES
Yeah, oh shit. it's It's been nice here, but it's supposed to drop out, I think, again on Tuesday. So we'll see what happens.
00:03:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, I don't think we're in any more lockdown, though, for long periods of time. I think we're pretty a couple days of cold, a couple days of warm-up the rest of the time out.
00:03:21
RICK JAMES
Yeah, that's good.
00:03:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
So, yeah.
00:03:24
RICK JAMES
You guys aren't used to that cold. so
00:03:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, no, screw that. no I don't know how you guys do it.
00:03:28
RICK JAMES
You guys are retarded.
00:03:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
Live like Eskimos for three months. No, thank you.
00:03:33
RICK JAMES
Yeah. used to keep the riffraff out, but that doesn't happen anymore.
00:03:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, it's... ah
00:03:38
RICK JAMES
And they come in, even they even even that comes around here now. So yeah.
00:03:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good luck with that. North Dakota gives out too much free shit.
00:03:45
RICK JAMES
well Yeah. It's too many dipshits around. So 40, 45 days.
00:03:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, man. Yeah, no, we're not. We're not. I mean, we're used to cold. We're just we're not used to like 45 days of below freezing. That's that's unusual for at least in the recent past. That's unusual.
00:04:01
RICK JAMES
What do you got girl math now? 45 days below desert freezing.
00:04:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, it's yeah, no, it's it's ah that's unusual for us. This winter yeah this winter absolutely Absolutely 32 or below 45 days this winter
00:04:11
RICK JAMES
You have not been below freezing for 45 days.
00:04:17
RICK JAMES
Nothing over 32 in the last 45 days.
00:04:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, no 45 days total this winter Low below 32 which is which is weird because like the last Let's see last year was colder definitely the year before that I don't think we did many days under 32.
00:04:22
RICK JAMES
Oh, gotcha. how
00:04:33
RICK JAMES
You're warm.
00:04:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, yeah
00:04:35
RICK JAMES
You guys are warm. Yeah.
00:04:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah our pavement never even froze not once so i mean it was yeah it was crazy warm but we're still getting snow but yeah this year is you know more of the midwestern type a lot of a lot of below zero uh you know below freezing and a lot of uh very light fluffy snow which we're not used to i'll take it though it's been very easy pushes so far been good been good so that's it nothing new and exciting
00:04:58
RICK JAMES
me
00:05:04
RICK JAMES
No, no, nothing at
Guest Introduction: James Rice from Snow Be Gone
00:05:06
RICK JAMES
all.
00:05:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
right cool so what do we got today today we got a friend of jeremy's that uh we've been looking forward to getting on for a while we got james rice of snow be gone all right they're out in wanita indiana he does a lot of cool properties out there he's uh what's his instagram jay you know his instagram right That's probably what guys are familiar with.
00:05:27
RICK JAMES
Farm live. Yeah.
00:05:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
Farm to live. Yep. You see him all over our Instagram sometimes.
00:05:30
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:05:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
And so that's pretty cool. So we're looking forward to talking to James, hearing all about snow out there. They're interesting because they are kind of in a lake effect belt. So they got some ah they got some interesting stuff. You know, 10 inches here and a half mile away, nothing.
00:05:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
it's Something I could not do.
00:05:47
RICK JAMES
Yeah. He's got an interesting operation besides snow. He does some specialty farming crops and stuff. So yeah, he's he's got cool stuff. so
00:05:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
i Can't wait to hear all about it. That's cool. But you know what got to do? you know, that's what we're going to hear from James. But before we do that, we're going to hear from Team Top Gun. going to come back and do a quick week in review or maybe two weeks in review, and and we'll get off to the races. We'll be right back.
00:06:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, guys, we're back. So quick week in review. We're doing this a week in advance, so this should be interesting. So last week we had the the top dog episode, the top dog helpers, if you will, the guys that went out.
00:06:57
RICK JAMES
no team six snipers.
00:06:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, Snow Team 6. Ooh, it sounds really scary.
00:07:01
RICK JAMES
Snipers?
00:07:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Snipers, whatever you want to call them.
00:07:02
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:07:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:07:05
RICK JAMES
Oh, if you're just jealous you weren't there.
00:07:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
bunch of sad midwestern guys that ain't getting any snow so they have to steal it out east here but uh they went that was pretty cool though they got to go to dulles airport and and see a different kind of uh snow operation different kind of equipment you know the blue blades and all that stuff so jeremy got to break a multi uh multifunctional well
00:07:06
RICK JAMES
It's fine.
00:07:12
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Damn right.
00:07:22
RICK JAMES
Blue blades. Blue blade. Centered J-lines.
00:07:28
RICK JAMES
Yeah, but I heard he bought a couple new are couple more, so we're good.
00:07:31
RICK JAMES
so
00:07:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
he had to he had to have spares now and they're not used to
00:07:34
RICK JAMES
He's got to have spares if we come out there.
00:07:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah absolutely you guys are you know midwesterners are harder on equipment than the in the northeast you know what i say they those things just needed to get stretched out because they probably haven't been worked like that in a while yeah
00:07:36
RICK JAMES
Hold on.
00:07:41
RICK JAMES
Hey, it is what it is. i mean
00:07:47
RICK JAMES
ah They haven't been worked at all. yeah and okay I think they're Allison's transmissions. and Those don't usually break. Yeah.
00:07:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
well yeah i don't know if anything's really allison anymore You know, I don't know.
00:08:00
RICK JAMES
Probably not.
00:08:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like, even the even the Chevy Allisons are not really Allisons anymore here, so we'll see.
00:08:02
RICK JAMES
Probably not.
00:08:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
But, yep, so Jeremy broke a bunch of shit and then came then ken went home back to North Dakota.
00:08:07
RICK JAMES
a
00:08:13
RICK JAMES
I did not break a bunch of shit.
00:08:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
But that was cool. We had on a bunch of the guys. We had Putz, Steve Smythe, Tom Knack, a.k.a. Bruce. Yeah.
00:08:24
RICK JAMES
Bruce, anybody can find his account, let us know.
00:08:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:08:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep, and we had the we had the big dick himself, Todd Dickerson of Top Dog, and they the Yo Quiero Taco Bell.
00:08:34
RICK JAMES
You're going to call him the Chihuahua.
00:08:41
RICK JAMES
ah
00:08:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
not Not a chihuahua.
00:08:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
I was going to make a logo for them with AI using a Jack Russell.
00:08:47
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:08:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah That would be pretty good.
00:08:47
RICK JAMES
You still got time. Still got time.
00:08:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
That would be pretty good. ah But, yeah, they that's what they did. They went to Dulles, and they dominated it. they They took on Winter their Storm Fern, and and those five guys made the difference.
00:09:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
They got it all. They handled the whole airport by themselves.
00:09:02
RICK JAMES
Oh, they're in There were nine of us there. There were nine of us there.
00:09:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, nine. Those nine guys handled the entire international airport by themselves.
00:09:07
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:09:11
RICK JAMES
We never said that.
00:09:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:09:15
RICK JAMES
We did quite a bit.
00:09:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:09:16
RICK JAMES
It
00:09:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, but that's cool. That's cool. I'm glad you guys got to do that. Sounds like a lot of fun. I hope you got a lot of good footage for storm chasing.
00:09:22
RICK JAMES
was a blast. Yeah. Thousands or hundreds of hours, I think they said. So, yeah, it'd be cool.
00:09:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
Were all the cabs, did all the cabs have cameras that you were in?
00:09:29
RICK JAMES
So.
00:09:33
RICK JAMES
Oh, they were putting cameras in cabs, yeah. I know they put one in mine.
00:09:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right.
00:09:38
RICK JAMES
and But I was like, I had to go move somewhere else. So I was like, they put it in for like 30 seconds and I had to take it out. I'm like, oh, that didn't give a shit.
00:09:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, that's not cool. All right.
00:09:50
RICK JAMES
So, yeah.
00:09:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
So that was last week's episode.
00:09:51
RICK JAMES
Oh, well.
00:09:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Hope you guys all enjoyed that one. What do we got here? We did announce last week Storks Snow Alliance 2026.
Upcoming Events and Listener Engagement
00:10:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
We gave you the dates, all right? April 24th and 25th.
00:10:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
Tickets are going to go on sale the end of February on the Storks webpage. um For those interested, as we said last week, Storks going to be having a golf tournament on Friday.
00:10:10
RICK JAMES
Yes.
00:10:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
of the, uh, of the weekend there. And that's sponsored by Arctic. So if you, uh, if you're a golfer, you want to play golf, you can, uh, you can play golf on Friday and then they got some other stuff going on Friday afternoon. And then we have the welcome party Friday night sponsored by case construction equipment.
00:10:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
And then, uh, you know, the big event is the 25th and that'll be a much, I think they said much, the same lineup and format as years past. so which I can't believe.
00:10:42
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:10:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
They they tweak it every year and make it better. So I'm sure they'll sure they'll be doing that.
00:10:46
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah. It'll be good. doesn't, can be the same thing over and over. It's still good every time. It's just good people and good stuff.
00:10:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. Absolutely. Guys, we we highly recommend going to Snow Alliance. if you can If you're in the area, even if you're not in the area, that is definitely an event.
00:11:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
I know everybody's sick of the winter by that time, but it's a really, really cool opportunity to network, talk to guys just coming out of the winter. Everything's still fresh in our minds. You get a lot of good information out of there. You get a lot of good networking, and it's just a great weekend.
00:11:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
um It's a good time, and it's definitely – you will get more out of that than – God you'll get more out of that than any of the big events that's for sure I definitely do And the food is the food is awesome where we always talk about the food we get told we talk about the food too much so food's great food's awesome so So we will see you there right the way the tickets go on sale on the on the storks website the end of this month.
00:11:27
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah. It's really good. It's good time. Great, great people. Oh God.
00:11:37
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Sure.
00:11:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
I think they said maybe the 26th. So ah Yeah, look for them and we'll see out there
00:11:45
RICK JAMES
think that's what it was. Something like that. So.
00:11:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
What else? Keep hitting the five-star reviews and the like and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The other platforms really don't matter to us much, but those are the two big ones.
00:12:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
So keep giving us the five-star reviews if you haven't already. And keep dropping the comments. All we love hearing from you guys. We love hearing what you need more of, what you want to hear more of. We'll bring it to you.
00:12:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
What else? Stores still stocked?
00:12:18
RICK JAMES
It is stocked and ready to go. got a bunch of stuff coming in, more stuff.
00:12:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
There all right cool snow jobs nation store.com get everything from snow jobs nation get everything you need in one place it will all be touched by jeremy lindstrom all right so uh all right what are we doing we doing like gucci are we doing you know eddie bauer all right cool uh
00:12:33
RICK JAMES
I told them to design us a new hat. We're getting low on hats. So I said, design me something different. i and We'll see what they come up with. So I don't know. No, we're going to the same, same, same style hat, just a different design. I told him to come up with something. I don't, I don't, I like, I like my Richardson 112s. Those are nice. So,
00:12:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, those are pretty much the go-to. You can't really go wrong with those.
00:12:58
RICK JAMES
no, no, I don't think so.
00:12:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
What else you got for the week review? Anything else?
00:13:02
RICK JAMES
I think we're good to go and we'll see what happens. So,
00:13:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool. All right, then let's hear from our partners real quick. Be right back, and we'll get into this.
James Rice's Business Journey
00:15:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
all right gang we are back we are back new boss commercial sounds good right i think we gotta to have all the companies redo their commercials because now i sound like an idiot
00:15:29
RICK JAMES
Yeah, that sounds really good. like it. I think we should. Yeah.
00:15:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:15:35
RICK JAMES
Let's get some AI.
00:15:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah absolutely have everybody do it that's cool all right well then let's uh let's bring james in uh we'll get off to the races with him welcome to the show james rice how are we
00:15:38
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:15:41
RICK JAMES
Yeah, why not? I like it.
00:15:52
James
Doing all right. you guys doing?
00:15:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
We're doing good, brother. Doing good.
00:15:55
James
Good.
00:15:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Hanging out Sunday night recording, but we're a week in advance, so this is cool.
00:15:56
James
Good.
00:15:56
RICK JAMES
Doing good.
00:16:00
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:16:00
James
Hey, ahead of schedule. I like it.
00:16:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
I love it. It's never happened.
00:16:04
RICK JAMES
That's not a thing.
00:16:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
That happened like once.
00:16:05
RICK JAMES
That's not a thing for us. We're snow guys.
00:16:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
but
00:16:07
James
It's not my thing either.
00:16:07
RICK JAMES
We're snow guys.
00:16:08
James
I work best under pressure.
00:16:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely.
00:16:11
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:16:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely. We always get it done, but yeah, we got to do this one in advance. It's only happened one other time.
00:16:17
RICK JAMES
yeah We're trying to pre-plan a little bit for a change and then and we'll see what happens. I'm sure this will go.
00:16:21
James
I don't even know what that means to pre-plan. Like that's that's a foreign idea.
00:16:24
RICK JAMES
This thing will probably get lost before next week.
00:16:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
uh yeah right uh he said well you know what's gonna happen some mega storm is gonna come out of nowhere in the next week and we're gonna be like a week behind talking about it now oh my god be great all right jay you want to take us away
00:16:28
RICK JAMES
So who else?
00:16:29
James
there you go.
00:16:30
RICK JAMES
computer a burn-up
00:16:38
RICK JAMES
lightning strike you have a lightning strike right yeah james don't you tell everybody about snow be gone when you guys got started what you're all about and i guess your other business too if you want
00:16:53
James
Yeah, Snow Be Gone was actually founded in 2009. But snow happened long before that for us. I plowed snow at 16 years old as a sub for a guy doing Walmart, making them measly 45 bucks an hour, 25, six years ago.
00:17:12
James
And it just kind of evolved after that over time. And I got married in 2009 and my wife's like, why are you working as a sub? And so we kind of founded a name.
00:17:24
James
Cause before that we were just operating with our last name, Rice's Snow Removal and founded Snow Be Gone and just kind of started from there. But to back up a minute, ah the whole snow game was kind of started as just a side business to keep us busy in the winter.
00:17:39
James
I'm a fifth generation farmer. We grow tomatoes for a company called Red Gold and seed corn and corn soybeans do all the farm stuff. So we have started having some employees, the farm started to grow.
00:17:51
James
So we were just looking for a way to like keep everybody busy in the winter and you know, fast forward to today and it's snowballed into big mega monster machine and just, it's been a crazy journey. And I mean, I'm sure we're going to get into it, but it's just, ah it's been an incredible journey. So, so yeah, that's kind of the background and where it even it started from or why, but I don't know how we really got to the point we're at today.
00:18:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Is it hard? Like farming, is without it goes without saying that that is a full-time, like 24-7 job. Does that get in the way of the snow planting and stuff? Or do you have to separate it?
00:18:28
James
Yeah. So when I was first starting this whole thing out, I, we didn't have too many employees. So like tomato season for us, um, it's super intense. It's a contract crop that, you know, we're dictated by what they want us to do each day as far as harvest goes.
00:18:44
James
But I think Jeremy's probably seen on some of my videos and stuff. It's intense. You're going to go when it's muddy and it's raining and it's crazy. And you know what time year that is September, August, that's snow bid season.
00:18:55
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:18:55
James
Right?
00:18:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good
00:18:56
James
So, I remember answering phone calls for prospective bidders like, hey, I got to go. Like I'm stuck right now on a tomato harvester and I'm going to have to call you back, you know.
00:19:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
for you.
00:19:06
James
So a lot of my snow bidding and stuff ended up being after hours at night and shooting emails and texts. And it got to be just so overwhelming to try to do them both.
00:19:17
James
So we we'll talk about that later. But yeah, it was it was intense to get it to where it's at today, but we're we're in a good spot now.
00:19:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
good for you
00:19:25
RICK JAMES
yes this
00:19:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
So what tell us about actual snow be gone. Like what, what size company is it now? As you alluded to.
00:19:33
James
Yeah. So snow be gone. We service five counties. So the top five counties in Indiana. Um, so we span a hundred and some miles. Uh, we have about 160 commercial customers, just all different sizes. I mean, we're doing 40 acre complexes down to some smaller stuff.
00:19:52
James
Um, HOAs and subdivision roads and just big box stores. I mean, you name it, we kind of do the whole entire gamut. Um, so,
00:20:04
James
it's it's probably 2.5x growth in the last just year alone. So it's it's it's been crazy and that it's been really hard to keep up with and wrap your mind and head around.
00:20:09
RICK JAMES
well.
00:20:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
wow
00:20:15
James
But yeah, we're just ah we're a full service snow contractor that does anything that is related to snow.
00:20:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
now have you had to separate like ah you're wearing both hats still or or do you have people to handle the bidding and stuff like that on the snow side
00:20:33
James
So up until just this past fall, I wore both hats and my dad actually retired from the farm side a year and a half ago. So between my wife and I, and my dad still works in our office and helps. And then my father-in-law is a retired CPA.
00:20:47
James
So he actually works in our office too. But between my wife and myself, we handled almost all of the books. I did all the bidding. i was the face of the company. um I was burned out.
00:21:00
James
i mean, I got to the point, i was like, I, I,
00:21:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
I bet. Hmm.
00:21:02
James
I can't do this anymore. Like I can't, I can't try to be good at both things. And so we actually brought someone on full time, late summer, early fall that has a great background, excuse me, has a great background in, cause building construction management, really no background in snow, but he has the right people skills and just communication skills, organizational skills to really take the company to the next level.
00:21:21
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:21:30
James
And, Just in this short amount of time, we're already seeing that pay off. And there's a lot, i mean, it's a big learning curve and it's actually more work for me at first. But I can already see it's going to pay off and pay some some big dividends. So then my hope is to more be the higher level CEO kind of of Snowbegon and then focus my time and attention a little better on the the egg side.
00:21:57
RICK JAMES
Nice.
00:21:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
awesome.
00:21:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very cool. Go ahead, Jay.
00:22:00
RICK JAMES
So if you, are so with growing so large, I'm guessing you've had to hire quite a few more employees for the winter than you have in the farm or do do they go back and forth between the two operations or how does that work?
00:22:13
James
Yeah. So we have seven full-time farm staff that all seven of them also work in the winter. And it's, you know, we call, ah we call our rice farms family business, like the mothership.
00:22:25
James
So everything operates out of the mothership here. We have a couple of shops here, our salt facilities here, of our maintenance is out of here. So it, there's a ton of blending back and forth.
00:22:35
James
I mean, farm farm guys will do farm things for half the day.
00:22:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:22:39
James
The next half the day, they'll be in snow work and, it's ah just a ton of communication and blending back and forth. But part-time guys, we were run a crew of about 95 in the winter.
00:22:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:22:51
James
um
00:22:51
RICK JAMES
That's
00:22:52
James
So yeah, all my full-time farm guys are pretty much like managers of routes and have quite a few responsibilities. Some of my full-time farm guys also have like a snow salary and they're responsible for certain aspects of the snow business. And some of them are hourly and just a lot of different little intricacies and and ways to do it, but it actually meshes fairly well, you know, just from a time perspective.
00:23:16
RICK JAMES
that's good
00:23:17
James
This year, not so much when we had snow November 9th, but most years it's pretty good.
00:23:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, I bet.
00:23:23
RICK JAMES
Great.
00:23:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Do your part-timers, are your part, you do you get a lot of part-timers? Because farming is a big community. Do you guys get a lot of part-timers from the farms?
00:23:31
James
We get a lot of part-timers when corn's $4.
00:23:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:23:35
James
We don't get a lot of part-timers when corn is $6.
00:23:36
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah, yup.
00:23:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Got it.
00:23:38
RICK JAMES
Yup.
00:23:38
James
If that makes sense.
00:23:38
RICK JAMES
Yup.
00:23:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:23:40
RICK JAMES
I hear you.
00:23:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep, got it.
00:23:41
James
So, so right now we got farm part-timers as much as we want.
00:23:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:23:42
RICK JAMES
yes
00:23:47
James
Commodities are cheap.
00:23:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
a
00:23:48
RICK JAMES
yep
00:23:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely.
00:23:49
RICK JAMES
yeah ah hear you
00:23:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's funny. Except for salt. Except for salt. That commodity is not cheap.
00:23:54
James
Well, no, that's yeah. If only we could use corn for salt, you know, it'd be great.
00:23:56
RICK JAMES
No.
00:23:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
Figure it out, man. You'll own the world. man.
00:24:01
James
I know it.
00:24:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. but
00:24:03
James
I know it but yeah, we've had a good crew of people. i mean, It's funny because as you get older, your crew kind of shrinks because, you know, those people that were ambitious at 25 are now 45.
00:24:14
James
And i don't know if I want to do this so much anymore, but we've luckily got a new crew of some younger guys in here.
00:24:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
you know
00:24:18
RICK JAMES
Right.
00:24:20
James
They brought new people. And so it's been good, but it's always a work in progress.
00:24:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool.
00:24:26
RICK JAMES
Always. What are you guys getting for snow around there? Cause I, you kind of operate, you said in a couple of different areas, right? in Indiana. Yeah.
00:24:34
James
Yeah. So we would go from like Bristol, Indiana, all the way to Lake County, which is like Merrillville area, which is the county right next to Illinois. um So the county is west of us.
00:24:45
James
They don't see as much lake effect, but like from where I live in LaPorte County and heading back to the east, they can just get pounded with lake effect. So like, for instance, this season, our service areas range from like 46 inches total for the year to 86 or 88.
00:25:02
RICK JAMES
Wow.
00:25:02
James
So it's it's a big, wide array.
00:25:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's a big jump.
00:25:04
James
And The majority of our snows this year have actually come from the lake.
00:25:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:25:09
RICK JAMES
okay
00:25:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, the lake's been busy.
00:25:09
James
We haven't got a ton of moisture.
00:25:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
Is it frozen over yet?
00:25:15
James
Lake Michigan's not.
00:25:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Has it slowed down?
00:25:17
James
it's got I mean, Lake Michigan is, I don't even know if it's ever frozen over so big and deep.
00:25:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
No.
00:25:22
James
um
00:25:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, but generally it has to freeze at least a little bit to slow it down to make it less active, if I understand that correctly.
00:25:28
James
I'm trying to go back and think. I think You know, it was probably 10 years ago. It froze pretty good, and it slowed the lake effect, but it didn't, you know, it wasn't done.
00:25:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha.
00:25:36
James
it It still was, you know, doing some, so.
00:25:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
So you guys, Ohio and ohio and Buffalo, like they've been getting pounded with Lake Effect all year. It's been very active for Lake Effect.
00:25:47
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:25:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah You've seen the same thing?
00:25:49
RICK JAMES
Michigan. yeah Michigan, too.
00:25:50
James
Yeah, I mean, we've had more lake effect this year than I can remember the last five combined.
00:25:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
Michigan too.
00:25:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:25:55
James
you know, because sometimes our service, our main service areas like Valparaiso, Chesterton, Indiana, just Portage, Indiana, that way, they don't get near the lake effect is over east.
00:25:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
That would be active.
00:26:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:26:04
RICK JAMES
Okay.
00:26:05
James
So.
00:26:07
RICK JAMES
How big a service area is that that you cover? How many miles wider swath do you do?
00:26:11
James
Well, yeah, from this year, it's probably 125 miles from one site to the next, like the furthest site across.
00:26:16
RICK JAMES
Oh, wow.
00:26:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
well that's like sean no
00:26:19
RICK JAMES
I see covering some ground.
00:26:21
James
You don't really want to get called to go to the one that's really far out. Like we kind of have a set crew that's over there, but we have to put out some fires, you know, now and again.
00:26:28
RICK JAMES
Right.
00:26:31
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:26:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
she's seeing a couple hours oh man that's crazy so what would you say what what type of site is your bread and butter for snow be gone what do you guys want to specialize in
00:26:34
RICK JAMES
yeah Oh,
00:26:42
James
I mean, our bread and butter now is the type where we can set up a whole like compound right there and they don't leave, you know, like the 40 acre distribution hubs. data centers, manufacturing sites.
00:26:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
yep
00:26:55
James
That's what we like to do. We put up a 2C containers, cover over the top, 80 or so tons of salt, sidewalk machines go inside there. Loaders sit all there. fuel on site.
00:27:06
James
People just go there. They don't leave, have a rotating shift of people. like that that's That's what we see in the future for us. far as that That's where the growth is at and where we want to focus on.
00:27:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
00:27:18
RICK JAMES
Nice.
00:27:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very cool. What else you got for him, Jake?
00:27:21
RICK JAMES
So the, so when you, I just heard you say something about a rotating shift. Is that a thing in snow removal or what? No.
00:27:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh Here we go.
00:27:30
James
Well, yeah it's, it's not, it's, it's not, but well this one particular customer, which I think you have one just like it, like you might be there 60 hours straight.
00:27:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
Here we go. Oh.
00:27:32
RICK JAMES
What? is it Is it? I mean, was I love to have that.
00:27:45
James
And so you you gotta have, you gotta to have something or some way to find other people to go there.
00:27:45
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah.
00:27:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:27:51
James
So we've just kind of found a rotating shift of 12 hours at a time and, And because you're just doing so much just tedious T&M type work and all kinds of different things where the rest of our crews not doing anything.
00:28:05
James
It's actually not snowing, but they want us there to just do a crazy amount of stuff. So we've had to.
00:28:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
non-fargo though in fargo 60 hours is that's lunch okay we'll do lunch now there you go okay
00:28:10
James
We've had to. we've had to
00:28:17
RICK JAMES
Shut up. I think I remember last year last two years, didn't you have some pretty low snow years where you guys weren't getting anything? if I remember talking to you.
00:28:26
James
Yeah, so last year we had 24.6 inches here in our main service area. This year that same area has got 55.6.
00:28:35
RICK JAMES
Well,
00:28:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
little increase little bit yeah
00:28:36
James
So last year was just hard because you never got in a rhythm, you know, as you guys know. It's like when you're going out every couple of days, people are loving it to some extent. They're enjoying the money and they they answer their phone. They kind of get used to it. But then you get a two, three, four week break and you're like, where'd everybody go?
00:28:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
crickets yep oh man that's great jay you want to ah you want to hit him with the jeremy lindstrom equipment segment find out what he's running
00:28:54
James
Yeah, yeah.
00:29:05
RICK JAMES
Co- yeah you James Forrest, Norcal Co- All right, James what I love equipment so ah let's tell everybody what kind of equipment youre running from top to bottom side of machines salters loaders everything.
00:29:17
James
Yeah, for sure. It's funny because my son's like, dad, you got to get this right. Like, do you want me to help you? Do I need to come help you?
00:29:23
RICK JAMES
ah
00:29:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Should have brought him on.
00:29:26
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:29:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, wow.
00:29:26
James
Yeah, I know.
00:29:27
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:29:27
James
He was like, I'll write it down for you.
00:29:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
00:29:28
James
And but anyway, um i kind of had to go through my head and start to think. I believe we have 32 loaders running this year.
00:29:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh wow
00:29:36
James
um
00:29:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
nice
00:29:38
James
We own 12 and then we lease and slash rent the rest. So I'll start with the ones that we own. um I have a case 521G I bought from Doness last year.
00:29:50
James
um I got a 524L deer, 544K, two high lift deer, three 244Ps, and then a New Holland w eighty And then we got a track 331G skid loader.
00:30:09
James
And then we run three egg tractors with blades on them too.
00:30:13
James
so that's... that's Yeah, so that's my own fleet. And then I rent five Hondas and a Doosan and a cat and couple more deers.
00:30:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
She got a little everything.
00:30:24
James
think we have 10 more deers that we rent. And there's a whole bunch of different loaders and machines.
00:30:29
RICK JAMES
You get a you get good, yeah.
00:30:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
So you literally have every brand out there covered. You got everything in one shop. That's awesome.
00:30:34
James
We do, yeah.
00:30:34
RICK JAMES
hey if they if they they want to rent it, we'll rent it, right?
00:30:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
How have the Hyundai's been?
00:30:39
James
Hey, we're...
00:30:39
RICK JAMES
Give me a decent price.
00:30:41
James
So the Hondas have been great and they're actually the most affordable.
00:30:44
James
The worst part is they have a different coupler than all the rest of them.
00:30:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:30:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
Hey.
00:30:48
James
And so we they have the ISO, I think, or Volvo, whatever that is. And all my other machines have the JRBs.
00:30:53
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:30:55
James
So that makes a little bit of a hassle with pushers, but we just keep several different sets for everything we have. But they've been great and haven't let us down. Honestly, the most trouble that we've been having is with small deers.
00:31:08
James
The 244Ps and their speed sensors.
00:31:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:31:10
RICK JAMES
Speed sensors?
00:31:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Ah, I knew it.
00:31:11
RICK JAMES
I knew you were going to say that Speed sensors.
00:31:12
James
Oh, gosh.
00:31:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
I knew it. I don't even run them and I remember that.
00:31:15
James
So we actually, we just had to trade one.
00:31:15
RICK JAMES
Those are they suck.
00:31:18
James
It had 400 hours on it and it literally, the they call us said the part wouldn't be available till July. I'm like, it's it's January and this is the only reason I own this loader.
00:31:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, okay.
00:31:30
James
Like that's not okay, you know?
00:31:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, that's ridiculous.
00:31:34
RICK JAMES
Plus they only have one armrest.
00:31:35
James
So yeah, that's, yeah, no, that's true.
00:31:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
Well...
00:31:39
James
That's true. um So yeah, that's our, as far as like loaders go, that's what we're pretty much doing. Pusher wise, I mean, i' I'm a little bit mafia heavy, little metal plus mafia heavy.
00:31:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's all right.
00:31:53
James
But I do have a lot of, i have a lot of artics too.
00:31:53
RICK JAMES
We'll get you in something else.
00:31:56
James
If you could figure out a way to communicate to my people to not break blocks on a regular basis, I'd be okay with them. But we have just destroyed blocks this year.
00:32:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Hmm.
00:32:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Really?
00:32:09
James
Oh my gosh. I bet why I've spent 25,000 blocks.
00:32:12
RICK JAMES
my
00:32:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, my God.
00:32:14
RICK JAMES
my guys My guys would tell you it's sun rot. That's what they would tell me.
00:32:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
sonra
00:32:18
James
Oh, I got that. I got that.
00:32:20
James
Oh, these, these are dry rotted.
00:32:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:32:21
RICK JAMES
so
00:32:22
James
They, these are dry rotted.
00:32:23
RICK JAMES
ah
00:32:23
James
They weren't any good.
00:32:24
RICK JAMES
ah Yeah, sitting in the sun too long.
00:32:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
You know, there's a 20, there's a 20 year old, like two minute video on properly plowing with an Arctic that if you have, I have my guys watch it and we haven't broken a block.
00:32:37
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:32:37
James
Yeah, we've, we've had some areas that don't break blocks and other areas that it's like the people that we have and they show up.
00:32:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm hmm.
00:32:46
James
They're maybe not the best, but they do the job, they answer their phone, and sometimes beggars can't be choosers in the snow business. So so we ended up we ended up just fixing a lot of blocks.
00:32:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
hear you. I hear you.
00:32:58
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:32:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
Listen, it happens.
00:33:00
RICK JAMES
They're easy fix though.
00:33:00
James
So yeah, that's, ah oh my gosh, there's so much fun at two in the morning in the cold.
00:33:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
It happens.
00:33:01
RICK JAMES
They're easy to fix.
00:33:04
James
You know you don't either you don't need a you don't need a torch and five people to try to fix it or anything.
00:33:05
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah.
00:33:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
I bet you never blown a hydraulic line either at two in the morning, right? Yeah.
00:33:14
James
Oh, I mean, I've had a few of those.
00:33:16
RICK JAMES
it's That's what you need.
00:33:18
James
I've had a few of those.
00:33:19
RICK JAMES
either that
00:33:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
00:33:21
RICK JAMES
I'll get you hooked up with something different. Don't worry.
00:33:23
James
Yeah, yeah, we'll we'll see. But so yeah, we run we run a couple of metal plus wing plows on our tractors.
00:33:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool. Nice.
00:33:31
James
And then I have, we got one of those mega big ones like to go on a loader to go under van trailers and stuff.
00:33:37
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:33:37
James
So we got that. i have an HLA snow wing, which I'll happily sell if someone wants it.
00:33:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
nice
00:33:44
James
um It just doesn't work. um
00:33:49
RICK JAMES
Whoa, you're going shot.
00:33:50
James
and
00:33:50
RICK JAMES
You're going to be shot. No, you said that. The mafia will be after you.
00:33:53
James
Hey, the blades fine, and the wings are terrible. So it's all I'll say.
00:33:58
RICK JAMES
Right.
00:33:59
James
um So yeah, we have those for the pushers.
00:34:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:34:02
James
as far as sidewalk machines, we have, think, nine different like cab little tractors with blades on the front. And they all have like a Western or SnowX electric drop spreader.
00:34:14
James
We kind of have those all over the place. Some are routed, some are at job sites that stay there. And we have four Snow Raiders.
00:34:23
RICK JAMES
Okay.
00:34:23
James
and we're running. And then we have five sidewalk trucks that go out with covered trailers that kind of haul that stuff and, and go around to different sites and do their routing work.
00:34:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool.
00:34:34
James
And then from a salt perspective, salt trucks, we have international 4,300s with a seven yard fires, electric spreaders running five of those.
00:34:47
James
We still have two pickups with buyer spreaders in them. And then we have four double downs that running at some off sites and stuff.
00:34:55
RICK JAMES
Oh, you like the double downs.
00:34:57
James
This is our first year and we've actually really loved them. They've been great. The guys that run them love them.
00:35:01
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:35:03
James
They they spread a long way. They work great on a site you know that just that sits there and does its thing.
00:35:05
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:35:08
James
So I think in the future we'll probably own a lot more than the of those.
00:35:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool.
00:35:12
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:35:14
James
But yeah, that's...
00:35:14
RICK JAMES
You got the three yard or one yard?
00:35:15
James
ah
00:35:16
RICK JAMES
What do you have? Three or one yard?
00:35:18
James
So I have... Let's see, we have two three yards and two one yards.
00:35:22
RICK JAMES
Okay. And they both work. Either size, you they don't care. They like them all, so.
00:35:27
James
Yeah, I think that they kind of like the big one the best.
00:35:30
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:35:30
James
It throws a little better, but some of the tighter spots, it's nicer to have the one yard because it isn't quite as aggressive and you can kind of tailor it little better to go between the cars and not feel like you're going destroy them with salt.
00:35:35
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:35:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:35:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
Are you guys strictly granular or are you doing any liquids?
00:35:47
James
So we got into the liquid game a couple of years back, a couple of clients that kind of want us to put that in the, in the mix of the de-icing methods. And so we, we bought brine maker.
00:36:01
James
we have a SnowX brine maker. um We have 10,000 gallons of storage here at our facility. And then another international 4,300 with a 1,600 gallon brine sprayer. And then I got a pickup one, a legacy 305 BSI.
00:36:18
James
So we're not doing a ton of liquids, but we are doing it when we need to. And as a tool in the toolbox, it's not, it yeah, I do, from a logistics standpoint, it's just so difficult to switch everything over.
00:36:25
RICK JAMES
Do you like it
00:36:32
James
And I don't see it as a catch-all.
00:36:33
RICK JAMES
it? Mm-hmm.
00:36:34
James
Like I, you know, we get everything from super wet, dense, heavy snow, and it's 38 degrees to minus five and super powdery snow, which liquid works great for that, but.
00:36:46
James
these wet ones or ice storms, whatever.
00:36:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
00:36:48
James
i just It's super tough to put down an enough in a wide service area that we're encompassing. We'd have to have tankers and things all over the place to logistically deal with it.
00:36:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, your infrastructure would have to grow with it.
00:37:01
James
Yeah, so we've chosen to kind of be slow with that growth.
00:37:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:37:05
James
I mean, this year we're using it more and more because of salt issues, but um just when we can. So it's not it not our catch-all.
00:37:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Salt issues? What salt issues? Oh,
00:37:16
James
Oh, man.
00:37:16
RICK JAMES
definite
00:37:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh my God.
00:37:19
James
Salt tissues. That's been a fun one this year.
00:37:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, yeah.
00:37:23
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:37:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, I've heard something about that. It might be a thing now.
00:37:27
RICK JAMES
It's a, might be a thing now. Yeah, I think we're, we're we've covered that.
00:37:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, geez.
00:37:33
RICK JAMES
That's going to be a thing for a while.
00:37:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. Yeah, that's the new normal, I have a feeling.
00:37:37
James
I'm a little afraid of what's to come, you know, this coming year, you know, or are we even going to be able to get it? And I don't know. It's going to tough.
00:37:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, I wish I knew. I really wish. I'll tell you, the things we're hearing, though, from people in the salt industry are not good. Like, they're basically saying the salt infrastructure, as we know it, is broken, and this is the new normal, which is not really painting a great picture for me.
00:37:57
James
Right.
00:38:04
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:38:07
James
Yeah, I don't I just don't understand these contracts like, oh, yeah, here, your contractor for this many tons.
00:38:07
RICK JAMES
All
00:38:12
James
And then they just cut you off like it's a it's not even worth the ink it's written on, you know, and from a planning perspective.
00:38:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. No, no. no
00:38:17
RICK JAMES
right.
00:38:19
James
And for us, it's like, well, we're we're trying to do all we can, but and we can only store so much. You know, and when the usage is heavy and hot, it's like, well, what are we supposed to do?
00:38:26
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:38:28
James
You know?
00:38:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, 100%. And and that's what that's the argument I made to to one of the salt guys. He's like, well, you know, you should really increase your storage. I'm like, I don't really want to put that kind of money into my infrastructure to to increase storage. when i don't I don't necessarily want to hold an entire season's worth of salt estimate.
00:38:49
RICK JAMES
Can you tell me how much we're going use in this season?
00:38:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
well exactly that that's it i mean i know i know approximately a five-year average of what we use but you look at this season this season is gangbusters we've used a lot more than we normally use just because we've had double the events so it's i don't want to be able to hold an entire winter's worth of salt but i mean that might be the new thing who knows
00:38:51
RICK JAMES
i mean, right. Right.
00:38:53
James
Yeah.
00:38:53
RICK JAMES
that's right
00:39:12
James
Yeah, i mean, we're actually, we're thinking about investing a mega big fa facility we could hold 3,000 plus tons just because it's like, let's get it in July, August, and then be done.
00:39:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:39:24
James
I mean, it's a lots of big expense, but so so is not having it, you know.
00:39:27
RICK JAMES
Yeah, you gotta to pay for the that all front yeah, yeah All
00:39:31
James
Yeah, just the customer doesn't care. they don't They don't really care if you say, hey, we have a salt shortage, we don't have it, you know.
00:39:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:39:36
James
they
00:39:37
RICK JAMES
right No
00:39:37
James
They're not really on board with that.
00:39:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nope. And, you know, damn well, nobody's going to leave us of ah of our liability. So its it's not really an option not to have it.
00:39:48
James
No, I mean that, yeah, that'll never happen.
00:39:48
RICK JAMES
right
00:39:51
James
There's too many hands in that pot.
00:39:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely. Absolutely. Oh, man.
00:39:56
RICK JAMES
oh you How are your contract structure, James? what What are you doing for that wise?
00:40:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:40:01
James
Oh man.
00:40:01
RICK JAMES
or Were you done with your equipment?
00:40:02
James
So I'm trying to think um there's not a whole lot else.
00:40:03
RICK JAMES
Or did he have something else? did he have something else
00:40:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Do you plow mainly with machines or or do you do any truck plowing?
00:40:11
James
Yeah, we do have some trucks. We don't really use them a whole lot. We have two guys with blades that kind of go out and do bank drive-throughs and little areas that need tucked in or tucked up.
00:40:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:40:22
James
But we do have seven Western wideouts. And then I have an Arctic Razorback that I'm actually trying to sell because we just don't use it. um But yeah, a lot of my truck plows really have never been hooked up this year or last.
00:40:37
James
They just kind of sit. um So yeah, we don't do a whole lot of truck plowing. They're just there kind of an in for an emergency, but we've actually...
00:40:45
RICK JAMES
Do
00:40:45
James
started kind of having equipment for emergencies and we over equip and a truck just doesn't do anything when you have 32 payloaders running.
00:40:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. No, 100%.
00:40:54
RICK JAMES
do you have do you have any subcontractors?
00:40:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
understand.
00:40:57
RICK JAMES
I'll ask them, or no.
00:40:59
James
Yeah. So we have ah just a handful. We have actually one area where the the subcontractor runs our loader and our box, our facilities all set up there with our salt.
00:41:11
James
And then he brings his truck and he has a skid loader. And then we have one other site that we sub out where a guy's got a small loader there. But for the most part, we don't do a whole ton of sub work.
00:41:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha.
00:41:21
RICK JAMES
Good.
00:41:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
10-4.
00:41:23
James
We try to do things in house. We do have a couple of situations where like I have a ah farmer friend that staffs an entire area, but it's, it's all of our stuff.
00:41:33
RICK JAMES
yes
00:41:35
James
So we put all the loaders and pushers and sidewalk machines and do all that. But then they actually provide all the staffing and, do most of the communication and all that stuff. So actually works pretty good.
00:41:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
and four That's cool. So you said you're very metal plus heavy. What ah what sizes are your go-to sizes for them?
00:41:55
James
So we have several 14s and several 16s, and then a couple, I guess we have six different 12 foot on like the smaller mini loader.
00:42:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:42:05
James
We like the 14 just because you can fit them down the road a little better and in some tighter areas that
00:42:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:42:11
James
you know have curbs and whatnot. But the 16s are great in the wide open spots too.
00:42:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha.
00:42:17
James
And we actually have a 17 HD and one big wide open spot that works really well as well.
00:42:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool.
00:42:22
James
So it'd be nice if we could do that. But you you guys know as well as I do, parking lots are not built for the snow guy.
00:42:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, no, no.
00:42:30
RICK JAMES
is
00:42:31
James
Something about green space and curbs, they just like.
00:42:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
They all live in Florida.
00:42:35
RICK JAMES
Right.
00:42:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
Everybody designing these places all live in Florida. I'm convinced.
00:42:40
RICK JAMES
Right.
00:42:40
James
Absolutely. Absolutely.
00:42:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
Do you guys use it? Oh, actually, Jeremy wants to, we want to hear about your your contract structure in the lake effect areas. What do you guys do to to mitigate that risk of not knowing if you're going to get 10 100?
00:42:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
ten or a hundred
00:42:55
James
You know, this has been an evolving way of doing things just because we've had to learn things the hard way. I had some years early on where it's like, oh, a seasonal price, like you're going to pay me a set fee.
00:43:07
James
And I'm not, you know, whether it snows or not, and you get a hundred inch winter and you just absolutely lose your shorts.
00:43:13
James
Like just cut your legs off. So any of our bigger sites, yeah worse than farming, I think in that aspect, but ah any of our bigger sites, we pretty much are on tiered seasonal system.
00:43:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
help
00:43:17
RICK JAMES
It's like farming. yeah
00:43:28
James
um Some of them will have like, okay, they have six payments, but you have five payments up to 30 inches. You trigger the sixth one between 30 45 inches and then you go per inch after 45 that's a structure we do a couple other ones are like a seasonal set fee per month and then over like five inches it triggers a per inch fee um we still have a few all-in seasonals on some smaller just you know half acre parking lots and stuff like that where you just can't really get as hurt you know you can kind of put your numbers where they need to be so you have to service it a couple other times but
00:43:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:43:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:44:00
RICK JAMES
OK.
00:44:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:44:07
James
Seasonal probably makes up 40% of our contract structure.
00:44:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:44:12
James
And then the rest of it would either be just a per time per application type of job. And then we do have some T&M type of stuff where every little thing is like an a la carte item where they're paying per ton.
00:44:26
James
They're paying for the guy to spread it. They're paying for the sidewalk guy, the tractor, the material, the whole nine yards. So we do have a couple like that as well.
00:44:33
RICK JAMES
Right.
00:44:34
James
So it's a nice mix.
00:44:35
RICK JAMES
Right.
00:44:35
James
I mean, like a year like last year, when we got 24 inches. It was a good mix because we got some guaranteed money. We still had some events. It kind of averaged out OK. And it's also a great mix in a year like this when some of these big jobs, it's like we have twice their 2.5x the snow that we've been getting, but we're still getting paid for it, you know, so.
00:44:57
RICK JAMES
right
00:44:58
James
I don't see any other way you can really do a big job. I know some guys will throw an all-in number on some big jobs, and it's just like, man, that is just like roulette.
00:45:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah is that tough i'm not in a lake effect area but i would imagine i'm trying to think from my own point of view when i start coming up with my numbers and for bids and stuff is it tough to to come up with with numbers in a lake effect area like to to actually put together with a bid
00:45:06
James
And, uh...
00:45:07
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:45:24
James
Jeff It's yeah it's incredibly tough, I mean it's almost not even possible, you know I I remember years it's been probably 10 years, but we had 36 inches of lake snow in one night.
00:45:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:45:33
James
Jeff Lerner, and that's a year we got 108 inches of snow when we average 40 you know, well how do you ever prepare and prep for that you know and if you're throwing all in numbers in based on averages, then you have a skew like that I mean you're just completely screwed.
00:45:39
RICK JAMES
of
00:45:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:45:42
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:45:49
RICK JAMES
That's why you have to have a cap on something like that.
00:45:50
James
so
00:45:52
RICK JAMES
I mean, for sure.
00:45:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
For the tears.
00:45:54
James
You do. And I mean, I've, I've even seen some guys this year where, you know, we lost some properties and they come in with some super low numbers, but now they're getting super low service, you know, at this point in the season.
00:46:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:46:05
James
So you get what you pay for. i mean, that's, that's kind of our model and we're not all things to all people. Like we can't, we can't be the catch all snow guy. It's like, that's just not what we do.
00:46:16
James
You know?
00:46:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
I hear you. We all say that.
00:46:19
RICK JAMES
You have your niche. They want to afford you, they'll afford you, right?
00:46:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely.
00:46:21
James
Yeah. And our niche has definitely changed. I mean, I started out like everybody else being the, you know, the cheap snow guy didn't know any better when I was 16 years old. And, you know, you learn by the school of hard knocks and you persevere and keep at it and ask around and you figure things out. But mean, now we just, we know where our numbers are. We know what we have to, where we have to be. And at the end of the day, it's not that fun to wake up at two in the morning.
00:46:48
James
Like that needs to pay.
00:46:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
nope
00:46:49
James
That's an emergency service and it needs to pay.
00:46:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
and hey hey man jeremy says it all the time we all do uh do you guys use uh contracted weather forecast service to predict all this lake effect
00:46:54
RICK JAMES
Right.
00:47:04
James
So i really don't. I mean, I have one small service I pay for, but it's more for like farming trends and, you know, to kind of, no that was old school.
00:47:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:47:13
RICK JAMES
DTM?
00:47:16
James
That's, that's from a while ago, but yeah, we used to have the whole DTN thing in the office and all that.
00:47:16
RICK JAMES
and so it's good Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
00:47:20
James
um No, I, I actually use BAM weather.
00:47:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:47:24
James
So um yeah, so they, they're all right for the farm thing and kind of longer term trends, but honestly, there's some really good local people that just love weather that,
00:47:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
You've heard of them.
00:47:25
RICK JAMES
Peace.
00:47:35
James
One's the Fox 32 guy in Chicago. He's awesome. He posts on his Facebook page every time, almost every day about weather and trends, and he gets it pretty spot on all the time.
00:47:46
James
And then there's another local guy, region weather, and then Dave's Weather Eye are the three that I kind of follow. And I don't see the need in really paying for something when these guys pretty much get it right.
00:47:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
I agree.
00:47:58
James
And also, I mean, we got cameras all over the place. We, people go out, even if there's, if it's a like a slight chance of a sniff of snow, our guys are out.
00:48:10
James
I mean, they're monitoring sites and checking things. And I mean, with Lake Effect, it literally doesn't show up on the radar and it'll be snowing.
00:48:19
RICK JAMES
Right.
00:48:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. yep
00:48:20
James
And so it's super hard to predict.
00:48:20
RICK JAMES
All
00:48:22
James
So we just end up looking at the cameras all the time and and you go and you see something. We do use like a certified snowfall totals for some contracts, but. I guess that's ah that's a paid thing, but that's the only thing we have.
00:48:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'll tell you, have ah if you have a weather guy, a local weather guy that understands the area and and and is good at what he does, you you really can't beat that. Like, we have that here.
00:48:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
The only downside to the guy here is he generally does not start putting darts in the dartboard until 24 hours out. And that's tough to come up with a plan. You know, if you're if you're four days out and you you're getting big snow, he doesn't find a like he doesn't even put anything on the radar until 24 hours out.
00:49:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
But once he does, it's pretty much a lock like, hey, this is what you're getting and this is what you're going to get. And he's very good. But yeah, the local guys are always the best if you have a good local guy in your area.
00:49:18
James
Yeah, these guys have been great. And I mean, they're they're giving you a heads up a week out. Like, hey, this is what it's saying. Nothing's written in stone, but this is what we're seeing. This is what my gut feeling is. And I mean, I would trust these guys over anybody else because they they do a heck of a job.
00:49:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:49:34
James
And the one fellow, he just does it as a side gig because he likes it so much. But he's been doing it 50 years and just absolutely loves weather. And so he's he's posting all the time.
00:49:42
RICK JAMES
Hmm.
00:49:44
James
Even I saw something yesterday. like Well, it's boring. and There's nothing happening. I don't know what to post about, you know, so anyway, but yeah, those those guys are great. And that's, that's pretty much who we follow and everybody here.
00:49:55
James
i mean, there's a couple of us that just watch every single night, you know, and what's going on and text each other, stupid, you know, pictures of the models being dumb and like, what do you think?
00:50:04
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah.
00:50:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:50:06
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:50:06
James
Is it going to happen? But yeah, that's what we use.
00:50:09
RICK JAMES
Been there.
00:50:10
James
Yeah, for sure.
00:50:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool. Is there a lot of competition in your area for snow the way you do it?
00:50:16
James
so In our immediate area, not as much. and There is some Chicago bleed a little bit, if I could say without like naming any names.
00:50:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:50:26
James
But they're we've had a little bit of outside people come into like the Valparaiso area, for instance.
00:50:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:50:34
James
And most of the time, we've kind of, I don't want to push them out, but we've basically taken over the jobs and they're gone. um We don't do everything in town.
00:50:44
RICK JAMES
Okay.
00:50:45
James
There's some good guys in town. Um, and we're not for everybody. Um, but we kind of go after the higher end stuff that really wants great service. And, and that's, that's kind of the name of our game is, so we haven't really had a problem, a whole lot of competition. i mean we did have one decent customer went with someone else the beginning of the year and we took them back over December 30th, I think.
00:51:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's quick.
00:51:11
James
Um, cause it, it just didn't go very well.
00:51:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:51:14
James
And so,
00:51:14
RICK JAMES
Nice. said
00:51:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Well, you started early this year, right? You had early snow.
00:51:18
James
Yeah, so our we had like 11 inches the 9th of November. we We literally were still harvesting corn, had to park everything, scramble and get semis out the door with equipment and mobilize as fast as we possibly could.
00:51:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Wow.
00:51:34
James
We plowed that storm, it melted off like two or three days later, then we finished harvest that weekend.
00:51:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
i was going to say, what does snow do to the harvest?
00:51:40
James
And so...
00:51:40
RICK JAMES
thanks
00:51:44
James
Nothing really there. It wasn't too bad. It just, it was such a mad dash. I mean, we're still trying to recover from, i mean, some of our equipment from the farm season is like just getting clean. And so it's, that's what it makes the whole blending with the two businesses really, really tough when you don't get like a fall where, you know, cause we had, i forget, we had 27 inches of snow at some sites in November.
00:51:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Hmm.
00:51:55
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:51:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
I bet.
00:52:02
RICK JAMES
All
00:52:07
RICK JAMES
right.
00:52:08
James
And so that's big for us.
00:52:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
And. And fall is go time for the farm.
00:52:10
RICK JAMES
Wow.
00:52:12
James
fall is super go time. And we just came off of, you know, an intense tomato harvest because our tomato harvest is seven days a week, 55-ish days in a row.
00:52:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:52:22
James
And so you come off of that and we're still doing grain harvest and then everything else. And then you go straight into snow. To say my guys are a little burned out and angry at this point would probably be an understatement.
00:52:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah ah
00:52:35
James
And now we're already staring at like March is coming and April and it'll be full bore again, you know?
00:52:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
I bet.
00:52:36
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:52:41
James
And so that that aspect of the business has gotten to be pretty tough, the blend back and forth and guys working 3,000 hours a year and that kind of stuff is, that can burn a guy out. And so we're trying to kind of figure that out and balance that out.
00:53:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Man, that's got to be crazy. How many acres of tomatoes you guys do?
00:53:03
James
So we grow 380 acres of tomatoes, which is about 18,000 tons.
00:53:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Wow. That's a lot of tomatoes.
00:53:12
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:53:13
James
Yeah, we farm about 5,000. So we're plenty big enough on the farm side.
00:53:19
RICK JAMES
It takes, sorry, it takes that long, it takes that long to harvest, it takes that long to harvest 380 acres tomatoes, 55 days.
00:53:19
James
and
00:53:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
is that qualified Does that qualify, Jeremy?
00:53:22
James
No, that's all good.
00:53:27
RICK JAMES
know. Come on.
00:53:29
James
Yeah, you you do you do five feet at a time.
00:53:30
RICK JAMES
fifty five days
00:53:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
It
00:53:32
RICK JAMES
i know i
00:53:34
James
and
00:53:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
and the
00:53:34
RICK JAMES
well
00:53:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
won't take Jeremy that long to do that. Jeremy, what that's what he's getting at.
00:53:37
James
yeah
00:53:38
RICK JAMES
um've watched I've watched his videos.
00:53:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's what he's getting at.
00:53:40
RICK JAMES
we No, no.
00:53:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like, what?
00:53:41
RICK JAMES
um we've We've chatted during harvest and stuff.
00:53:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
Come on, I'll cut that time in half.
00:53:44
RICK JAMES
ah but yeah he's It's not his control.
00:53:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha. Gotcha.
00:53:46
James
Well, we're all, it's,
00:53:48
RICK JAMES
It's not his control. It has to do what they tell him to
00:53:51
James
we're designed to where we harvest 2% a day of our contract. And so if we're over contract, that just extends days past 50.
00:53:55
RICK JAMES
do.
00:54:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
gotcha
00:54:00
James
So that that's why, and it pretty much is eight to nine hours a day, roughly.
00:54:08
RICK JAMES
That's just crazy for that many.
00:54:08
James
Yeah.
00:54:10
RICK JAMES
i thought you I thought it was way more than that. That's just.
00:54:13
James
No, it's just it's such a you know, there's so many um tons per acre that you just, I mean, that's like eight, that's 800 plus semi loads of tomatoes.
00:54:19
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:54:24
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:54:25
James
So there's quite a bit to it.
00:54:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Wow.
00:54:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's crazy.
00:54:28
RICK JAMES
it' like That's like 10 hours of hauling for us in a night. So.
00:54:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, i was I knew it was coming.
00:54:32
James
Yeah.
00:54:33
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:54:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
I knew it was coming.
00:54:34
RICK JAMES
ah
00:54:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh ah
00:54:36
RICK JAMES
I can't disappoint. I can't disappoint.
00:54:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
What do you got? You got a couple acres of tomatoes. We'll handle that.
00:54:40
James
Oh, no big deal. No big, that's easy.
00:54:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, no no big deal. Come on.
00:54:43
RICK JAMES
ah
00:54:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's a Friday in Fargo.
00:54:44
James
Hey, next time this coming fall, Jeremy, when it's going to rain three inches, I'll be like, Hey, come on down. See what this is all about.
00:54:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, harvest chasing.
00:54:52
RICK JAMES
oh I'll do it. I'll do that. I'll do that.
00:54:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
We'll have another new show, harvest chasing.
00:54:56
RICK JAMES
i' i' Hey, I've laid in the mud plenty for sugar beet harvest and all the other shit I do around here, so it's not a big deal.
00:54:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah I bet that'd be pretty popular, actually.
00:55:06
RICK JAMES
oh
00:55:06
James
I do have a couple YouTube videos about it.
00:55:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's... It's
00:55:09
James
I do have a channel I haven't posted for years, but there's some YouTube videos of the tomato harvester running. It's pretty cool.
00:55:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
pretty cool stuff.
00:55:16
RICK JAMES
yeah you like harvest at what 0.2 miles an hour I think it is 0.3 yeah that's yeah I've lifted beats that slow no I've lifted beats that slow before in a pouring rain and it sucks so but whatever
00:55:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
Pretty cool stuff.
00:55:20
James
Yeah, it's like 1.2, 1.4. It's pretty slow.
00:55:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
What do you harvest at, Jeremy? Jeremy?
00:55:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh man thought you're gonna be like i i harvested 14 miles an hour
00:55:36
RICK JAMES
we do
00:55:42
RICK JAMES
It wouldn't be a good harvest, can guarantee you that.
00:55:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh man no listen so i'm from new york i know nothing about harvesting i'm just breaking his balls
00:55:45
James
You could try.
00:55:46
RICK JAMES
No.
00:55:46
James
It's not going to go well, but you could try.
00:55:48
RICK JAMES
No. No.
00:55:55
RICK JAMES
Weird. Yeah, weird.
00:55:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh man that's pretty cool though yeah that's got to be 3 000 hours a year like do you give these guys any time off in the spring like after they come out of the winter before they got to get back to the farming
00:56:07
RICK JAMES
No, spring's when they got a plant.
00:56:08
James
I mean, you know, that's the other beauty, though, with being a smaller family business. i mean, we can be flexible. Like, you know, you need to go coach your kid's sport thing or that kind of stuff.
00:56:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
mm-hmm
00:56:20
James
And I mean, they all they all get, you know, four weeks of vacation and company trucks and all that kind of stuff, too.
00:56:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha.
00:56:28
James
So there are a lot of perks.
00:56:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool.
00:56:30
James
But yes, it's demanding as well.
00:56:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
I bet.
00:56:33
RICK JAMES
Right.
00:56:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
It sounds crazy. That's awesome. Good for you guys. I mean, kudos to you. how How long have you had the family farm?
00:56:39
James
So I'm generation five.
00:56:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
So good for you guys. That's awesome.
00:56:43
James
Yeah. Yeah.
00:56:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
Keep it going.
00:56:45
James
So hopefully my sons are number six.
00:56:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
And what, do they like it? Are they into it?
00:56:50
James
So am my, well, it's funny. My oldest is actually all into snow, like loves everything about snow.
00:56:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
No.
00:56:56
James
The first, the first storm back in November, we were kind of short people. And so I actually ran a snow Raider for 12 hours straight. And my 13 year old son shoveled with me for 12 hours straight.
00:57:09
James
loved every minute.
00:57:09
RICK JAMES
Nice.
00:57:09
James
He's like, dad, are we going out tomorrow too?
00:57:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's great.
00:57:12
James
You know, so that he's all in and loves everything about it. He's got a little cab gator.
00:57:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
He's like, he's like, fuck the tomatoes. Fuck the tomatoes.
00:57:19
James
Yeah.
00:57:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Give me the snow, dad. That's awesome good for him.
00:57:21
James
Yeah. yeah, he's got a cab gator with a little, uh, Western impact V on it.
00:57:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:57:27
James
And so he, he plows like our driveway, the neighbor's driveway.
00:57:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's great.
00:57:32
James
He'll plow most of the farm driveway while everybody's gone. And so he loves it.
00:57:35
RICK JAMES
nice
00:57:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
Does he like, does he like doing the farming too?
00:57:37
James
And,
00:57:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Or or is he more just give me the snow?
00:57:42
James
Well, he likes the farming, but he loves the snow.
00:57:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
good all right cool gotta keep it going gotta keep it going
00:57:45
RICK JAMES
Yeah. That's cool.
00:57:47
James
So well we'll see. We'll see. I mean, that's that's our that's our ah goal. but we'll um I mean, my younger one, my younger son's probably more on the farm side. He's nine, though, so we got a long way to go.
00:57:59
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:58:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
they'll be fine they'll be fine they'll be into it that's awesome fifth generation congratulations on that man that's getting getting harder and harder to do in this country so good for you guys hope uh hope you can double that that's uh fantastic stuff man that's really cool jay you want to hit some commercials and hit them with the five and five when we come back all right we'll hit some commercials real quick we'll be right back
00:58:05
James
Thank you. Yeah.
00:58:06
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:58:10
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah.
00:58:15
James
Yeah, we sure hope so. That's for sure.
00:58:19
RICK JAMES
Yeah, you bet.
00:59:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, gang, we're back. So you want to take them to five and five, Jake?
00:59:34
RICK JAMES
Yeah, sure can. All right, James, where would you like to see your, your, don't know, your farm, your company, everything going in next five years, are you looking forward to?
00:59:43
James
Man, that's an interesting question. you know, if you asked me this question a year or two ago, have probably said I would like to be out of snow in five years.
00:59:51
RICK JAMES
I thought you were talking about that.
00:59:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Interesting.
00:59:54
James
Yeah, I mean, we've talked over the years, like, what do I do with this thing? and ah But it just it kept kind of continually growing to a point. It's like, well, I can't get rid of it anymore. i get It's too integral in my life.
01:00:07
James
It's too integral in the financial security of the whole entire operation that it's like, well,
01:00:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
01:00:13
James
what's What's next? But i can't I can't keep doing what I was doing. So we did we made the decision, I think I said earlier, about bringing somebody on and really incentivizing that person to really grow, um to take the company to the next level.
01:00:16
RICK JAMES
Thank you.
01:00:28
James
And we're already in year one seeing like, okay, we can two exit really quick, you know, and we could maybe four, or five, six, 10 exit,
01:00:41
James
in the matter of five years.
01:00:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
01:00:42
James
So I'd probably say that our goal at this point is that the sky's a limit. You know, we're going to keep going after the sites that we want. We aren't going to be cheap. We're not going to do things halfway.
01:00:55
James
um But if the opportunity arises to grow, and I think it will in our area just because of some of the industrial things going in all across the region, we're going to focus on that and we're going to run with it and we're going to do whatever it takes to be a regional powerhouse.
01:01:12
James
um
01:01:13
RICK JAMES
Nice.
01:01:13
James
I mean, i mean maybe maybe we'll end up being a snow systems, Arctic type of business.
01:01:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good for you guys.
01:01:18
James
I don't know. you know I wouldn't have never guessed that a couple of years ago, but um where things are headed and just the quality of people that I have, I really feel like it's possible.
01:01:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome. Good for you, man. I mean, you probably just already answered the second part of this, but what would you say your your best decision that you've made in the last five years to get you to this point was?
01:01:44
James
I mean, the best decision as of late was just getting the right people, right people you know, and and realizing that i I can't do it all.
01:01:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
01:01:52
James
And to grow, I need to hire people better than me, you know, and bring people on that are better at certain areas than I am. um I'm not the best at, you know, being the front person of the business. I have been out of design.
01:02:07
James
um' I'm not a cold calling type of person. I'm just kind of, I'm kind of shy that way. So getting somebody that's willing to just make all the calls. and And a lot of it was just time.
01:02:18
James
I didn't have the time, but to find somebody and bring somebody in that has the time that just devoted a hundred percent to snow is probably one of the biggest things.
01:02:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
01:02:28
James
I mean, the other thing too, is just finding efficiencies. You know, when we, when we switch from like pickups with Salters, the big trucks with Salters and, you know, taking one man and a pickup to getting in a loader, like those are the kinds of things that can catapult your growth.
01:02:45
James
you know, really fast. and And those are some of the decisions that we've made over the past, you know, eight, five, eight years or so that have really catapulted us and gotten us to that next level.
01:02:55
James
So, so yeah, I think, it I think it's, this is people business. You guys know, I mean, it's, uh, you got to have the right people without the right people.
01:03:00
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
01:03:03
James
You can have all the contracts you want in the world, but if you don't perform and do the things that you said you were going to do, like you're going to fail bad.
01:03:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Game over Yep Absolutely brother
01:03:12
James
And so, So i think I think calculated growth too is important. I mean, we we put all our chips in the table this fall and like I was really nervous, but somehow, some way we pulled it off in ah in a great way and knocked some socks off of some new customers that I think is going to pay some big dividends.
01:03:31
James
But it was tough.
01:03:33
RICK JAMES
right
01:03:33
James
It was tough from a capital perspective. It was tough from a people perspective. And there was a lot of sleepless nights, you know, trying to pull some of that off.
01:03:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
I bet. Probably November 9th. right note
01:03:44
James
Yes, yes.
01:03:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah You push all the chips to the middle this winter and you get like literally early snow.
01:03:52
RICK JAMES
This shit flat.
01:03:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's freaking crazy.
01:03:54
RICK JAMES
You got more snow in November. We have all your...
01:03:57
James
Well, that's usually not the case. I mean, that the last time we had a snow in November, i know it's been a long time. And then to get like a record November, I mean, we had we had two double-digit snowfalls in November.
01:04:05
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:04:08
James
It's like that's unheard of.
01:04:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's been a wild winter. Definitely been a wild winter.
01:04:12
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:04:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's not going away. I mean, we still got a little rodent just said six more weeks, right? So it's not going.
01:04:20
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:04:21
James
I mean, it was 60 degrees here today, so it it felt pretty nice with that big ball of fire that's usually elusive all winter.
01:04:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:04:28
James
was nice to look at it.
01:04:29
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:04:29
James
Like, man, what is that thing?
01:04:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:04:32
RICK JAMES
It's definitely got power now.
01:04:32
James
What's going on up there?
01:04:33
RICK JAMES
It's definitely got more power now.
01:04:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
01:04:34
James
Yeah.
01:04:35
RICK JAMES
So...
01:04:35
James
Yeah. Yeah.
01:04:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
So out there in Indiana, where in your area, what what are the biggest issues facing snow management, the industry that you see?
01:04:48
James
Man, I think it's like all you guys talk about week after week and you know it's litigation is is bad and tough um you know pinning all of us with the liability is something we have really no control over um is a big issue and that just drives up our costs it drives up our insurance um availability of people is tough i mean there's a lot of people that say like oh hey i want to plow snow and then you know you call them at two three in the morning and it's amazing or they come out once like yeah this isn't for me
01:05:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
01:05:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
Bye.
01:05:20
James
and you know, so yeah, finding the people to do the job. i mean, equipment you can always kind of figure out and find. I think some of it too is communicating to customers like guys, this is what this costs.
01:05:33
James
And this is, this is emergency service while you guys are at home sleeping and nice and warm. Like we're taking care of all this and we don't know when we're going to do it again.
01:05:44
James
And so somebody has to pay for us to be ready to clear your property.
01:05:44
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:05:49
James
So, I mean, I think that's one of the issues to this stuff is like just getting that communicated to customers and just the reality of like this isn't a get rich scheme, but we need to make good money at it.
01:06:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely.
01:06:02
James
um
01:06:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
Challenges in Snow Management Industry
01:06:04
James
You know, I think salt usage is a problem going forward and the over usage. And is and I mean, we're guilty, too. ah We just our company model before us is basically pour it on.
01:06:17
James
Like we're going to buy it. It's cheap. We got, you know, we store 1,500 tons at a time here, like just pour it on. And ah we actually kind of readjusted that, you know, halfway through the season. we found really our results aren't much different.
01:06:33
James
But getting that communicated, even to the state level, you know you watch these state trucks and how many times you drive down like a city street and you see a pile that's three feet high.
01:06:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, geez.
01:06:38
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah.
01:06:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. Any state.
01:06:42
James
you're just like, guys, guys.
01:06:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
Any state. Yep.
01:06:46
James
So I just think from a environmental standpoint, there's got to be, you know, just some technology that comes out or something. Someone needs to look at some better alternatives from that. And, but I mean, those are, those are the main things and issues that I can think of.
01:07:01
James
i mean, insurance is really an issue too. I mean, I'm sure you guys experience it, but our premiums just skyrocket all the time.
01:07:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, yeah.
01:07:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:07:09
James
You never want to turn anything in. You feel like you end up self-insuring whole bunch of stuff anyway. It's like, well, what do I even have all this for? You know,
01:07:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
01:07:19
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:07:20
James
and And that's all back to the litigation thing. It's like, guys, you're driving all these costs up that all have to get passed on to our customers. And just educating everybody that process would really help.
01:07:32
James
And I i mean, I don't think we're going to be able to do a thing about it just because of all the lobby and the money that gets socked into it.
01:07:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes, sir.
01:07:39
James
But just keep in telling our stories like this you know get this. Get this podcast out there more. mean, you guys are doing an incredible job just educating people in the industry of best practices and you the best ways of moving forward.
01:07:52
James
So I, yeah, I would say those probably are some of the biggest issues that I see.
01:07:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
I think you nailed them all. I think i mean, those are the big ones.
01:07:58
RICK JAMES
Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.
01:07:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
Those are definitely the big ones. We're all feeling it.
01:08:01
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:08:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, and and for the reasons you mentioned, I mean, like, that you're 100% right. It's all at the lobby level. And, you know, you look at Wisconsin. Wisconsin's going back to try and get that bill passed for like basically limited liability for salt-wise contractors. And the first one they said died on the, ah I think the governor vetoed it ah because of the personal injury attorney lobby.
01:08:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
You know, i said, no no no no, no, no, no. Don't limit any liability.
01:08:28
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
01:08:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like, no, we we need this. So they're going to give it a second try.
01:08:33
James
Well, and think of yeah, think about the slip and falls that y'all have been a part of. I'm sure you have, but they don't, they don't ever go to court.
01:08:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, it's just a money grab.
01:08:41
James
They ask, they ask us for documentation.
01:08:43
RICK JAMES
yes
01:08:44
James
They talk to us on the phone once. so We never hear another thing about it. And someone got some money.
01:08:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep, and then our premium goes up.
01:08:50
James
Most, most every single time, you know, and
01:08:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
and then your premium goes up if you don't get dropped.
01:08:53
RICK JAMES
And then your premium goes up. You get a, you get not, you get nicked.
01:08:56
James
and then you, you, Right.
01:08:59
RICK JAMES
So.
01:08:59
James
And then you look at what we're all trying to do and taking before and after pictures and then having geo fencing and tracking everything. and it's like, well, are we really doing this for something? Does it even matter?
01:09:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. Oh, well, I mean who where were we, Jeremy, when we had that conversation with the insurance guy?
01:09:11
RICK JAMES
All
01:09:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
And I kind of lost my freaking crackers on him because I said, well, he's like, it doesn't matter what you document or what photos you take or anything, because we're not even going to look at them.
01:09:19
RICK JAMES
right. sm s SMS, SMS.
01:09:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
We're just going to settle them because it's cheaper than going to court. I'm like, then what the hell am I doing all this documentation for hours upon hours, photos, thousands of photos every winter?
01:09:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
If you're not even going to look at them and fight this. Like, you're just going to settle it.
01:09:38
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:09:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Why the fuck are we doing all this documentation?
01:09:42
RICK JAMES
Yeah, exactly. i think it was SNS when we were talking.
01:09:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
And he he had no answer. He's like, well, yeah, they're just there.
01:09:46
RICK JAMES
All right.
01:09:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's cheaper to settle it. They're not even going to waste the time to try and go to court and fight it. Like, that that's that's just that's enabling people and encouraging people to do it again if you're not going to fight them.
01:09:57
RICK JAMES
Oh, you can, like you said, you can look online and say, how do you, how do you do a slip and fall or whatever?
01:10:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, 100%. Yeah. yes
01:10:03
RICK JAMES
And it tells you, tells you right on Google how to do it.
01:10:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
How do you make a quick 20 grand?
01:10:05
RICK JAMES
So, yeah.
01:10:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
It'll list the three stores to fall down in.
01:10:10
James
Yeah, and I mean, we weret we were involved in one.
01:10:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's fucking ridiculous.
01:10:10
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:10:13
James
It was 40 degrees, no precipitation, but they claimed that there was ice on top of a curb. And I'm like, well, we aren't clearing the top of the curb. Well, where does it say that in your contract that you're not clearing the top of the curb?
01:10:25
James
You're providing snow removal.
01:10:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh my God.
01:10:27
James
And I'm like, yeah, I mean, so that going back to issues, it's like, yeah, contract language has to be so tight, so tight.
01:10:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
Huge. Yep.
01:10:35
James
But yet you present some of these customers with those contracts like, I'm not signing that. That's ridiculous. you know and
01:10:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
okay And honestly, it doesn't matter what your contract language is, because like like what you just said, most of the stuff is not worth the paper it's written on anymore.
01:10:42
James
So, yeah.
01:10:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
They'll find a way to go get around it or find a way where there's a loophole.
01:10:51
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:10:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
And it's just it's really a broken system now.
01:10:59
James
It is. and we use We use Yeti snow tracking or snow so whatever it's called.
01:11:00
RICK JAMES
I
01:11:03
RICK JAMES
i was just going to ask you that.
01:11:04
James
And, ah you know, we like it. And obviously it's essential for our size. Like we have to do something. um But I'm not sure that it from a liability perspective, it's helping a lot. I think it did help us get out of one of them over the past five, six, eight years whatever. But it's it's not a catch all. It's not going to do as much as we'd like it to or think that it will.
01:11:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
h
01:11:27
RICK JAMES
Yeah. I remember Brandon Raleigh talking about, what does he got? Like 8,000 pictures in his phone, you know, from all these sites.
01:11:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh yeah the only pictures you have in your phone that are going to be useful at the end of a season are the
01:11:34
RICK JAMES
I'm like, he's like, why, why, am i why am i keeping all this shit for nothing? You know, it's just, just doesn't, uh, doesn't pay. i mean,
01:11:48
RICK JAMES
oh boy, careful, careful, Steve.
01:11:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
what the only yeah the only the only pictures you have in your phone of snow sites uh that are going to be useful at the end of the season are going to be your pre-season photos that show damage that you can say when and when everybody tries to blame the snow guy for everything you can say hey look back in september when we took these photos that shit was already there like that that's pretty much it
01:11:51
RICK JAMES
I don't know what you're gonna say.
01:12:02
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:12:13
James
Oh, this this the snow guy gets the rap for absolutely everything.
01:12:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
everything
01:12:17
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah.
01:12:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
We had, ah I told you about the guardrail, right?
01:12:20
RICK JAMES
Oh
01:12:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
That one.
01:12:23
RICK JAMES
yeah oh yeah. Yeah.
01:12:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, we had, it we had a woman call, um, call a property manager, like four or five days after a push and say, the plow guys hit my car.
01:12:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
So, of course, you know, got the call, go up, look at the, ah you know, try and find the ah the vehicle in question, find the vehicle in question, took pictures. And I'm like, there is no way this was us. My guys would never have not let me know about this. The whole side of the car was like from bumper to bumper. And I'm like, how is this even possible? Took photos.
01:13:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
And I told the guys, hey, all the photos you took on site of cars that did not move, ah of the pre you know pre-plowing photos with with the snow, I need them.
01:13:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
And they dumped their phones. Sure enough, by the grace of God, we got pictures of that vehicle with the damage already there before the snow. even came that last storm and apparent and i showed him to a friend of mine who was a cop he's like that dude that's a guardrail that's a 100 a guardrail that she went down the side of a guardrail but again try to blame the snow guy trying you know it's crazy
01:13:35
RICK JAMES
Uh-huh. Try it in. Yep.
01:13:38
James
Yeah, I mean, we don't have enough we don't even have enough time to talk about all the snow guy blame game stuff.
01:13:38
RICK JAMES
you know
01:13:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
no i know it's incredible though
01:13:44
James
the wild The one, Steve, that was actually pretty similar. is I had a guy. It was New Year's Day, and it's at this actually large retirement.
01:13:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
That was ours. New Year's Day.
01:13:53
James
Yeah.
01:13:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
That was it.
01:13:56
James
It's actually at this retirement community where we do like all the roads, driveways, houses, the whole nine yards. Well, when I pulled in that morning, I could see the slide marks where he went right into the curb.
01:14:08
James
with his car. Like I could see it. But the only thing it did was pop his tire. There was no damage to the rim, no damage to the bumper, anything. Anyway, he says, well, your plow hit my car in my driveway.
01:14:20
James
I was like, buddy, we would opened that thing like ah like a tin can, man. Like there's not a possible way that we just hit your tire and nothing else.
01:14:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:14:24
RICK JAMES
Uh-huh.
01:14:31
RICK JAMES
Hey.
01:14:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
You scratched my anchor. Yes. Oh, my God.
01:14:34
RICK JAMES
That's the thing.
01:14:34
James
Yeah.
01:14:34
RICK JAMES
You know, if if something something we hit, it's going to cause a lot of, like, a damage with the equivalent we have.
01:14:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
yes
01:14:40
James
Oh man. Yeah.
Business Advice for Snow Management
01:14:42
RICK JAMES
We had a, I had a, I'll send a child a quick story.
01:14:42
James
yeah
01:14:45
RICK JAMES
Well, even one of our guys, he, he sends me pictures these two big mailboxes in this complex. Both, both are down in this complex. And he's like, uh, one of our subs hit it. He's a, well, what's his name? Must've hit him. And I'm like, I'm like, this is one of our guys saying, I'm like, no, you can see, you can directly see the semi tracks. The semi cut the corner, ran over the mailbox, ran over the other mailbox. And now you're trying to blame it on our own guy. I'm like, well,
01:15:12
RICK JAMES
You're an idiot. How do you... And they go, oh, yeah, we got video. yeah was It was a semi. No shit. You didn't to inspector to figure that one out, dumbass. God, you know, just...
01:15:23
James
I hate to say it, but I almost instantly get defensive when anyone blames me anymore because I've been through so many instances where it's like, it was not us.
01:15:23
RICK JAMES
Same. Same.
01:15:25
RICK JAMES
ah
01:15:30
James
I promise you.
01:15:32
RICK JAMES
james
01:15:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:15:32
James
There's no possible way.
01:15:32
RICK JAMES
man
01:15:34
James
So I'm the wrong guy to actually deal with that stuff anymore because I instantly am just like, no, not a chance. Not a chance it was us.
01:15:39
RICK JAMES
correct
01:15:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
and i always And I always tell them, like, i have no problem. If it was us, listen, that stuff's going to happen. It's slippery out there. You know, we're doing work like that. We're trying to get as close as possible things.
01:15:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's going to happen from time to time. Guys get tired. They make mistakes. I'll be the first one to tell you if we did it, and we'll fix it. No problem. But the amount of times that they try and pin stuff on you and those preseason photos of, say, we had a rearview mirror.
01:16:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
on a driver's side of a car and january though the person calls and says you guys took my mirror off oh okay what parking spot are you registered to okay let me look sure enough september pre-season photos that car is already missing its rearview mirror on the driver's side like come on really like this is three months later you're thinking about let me wait till the winter and the snow dudes are here so we can get a free mirror out of them it just drives me crazy man
01:16:34
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:16:34
James
Yeah, it's every day. I feel like every day someone's blaming.
01:16:38
RICK JAMES
But they get little... Somebody, but a lot of lot them get pinned on us no matter what.
01:16:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's ridiculous.
01:16:44
RICK JAMES
That's, you know, all you can do is...
01:16:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
I miss the days when I used to do lawns, like, and they blame you for everything. Oh, your mower broke my window.
01:16:49
RICK JAMES
oh yeah. Yeah.
01:16:51
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
01:16:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Come on.
01:16:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, So what, what lessons you've been doing this a while, what lessons have you learned, you know, in the early stages of the business ah that you think guys would should know about out there that you want to pass on?
01:17:07
James
Yeah. I mean, that's a good question. I actually took some notes on this one because I was just going through my head and thinking, number one to me is patience. And we don't live in a society where anyone's real patient anymore.
01:17:21
James
They want instant gratification, but this is a, this is a long game.
01:17:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, yeah. Mm-hmm.
01:17:24
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:17:25
James
Like this is not, you are not going to become a big snow plow contractor overnight.
01:17:26
RICK JAMES
Long game.
01:17:32
James
Um, and so with that patience, uh, my number two is understand costs and overhead, you know, overhead in these businesses just tear you up. And it's one of those hidden costs that you don't think about, but who pays the cell phone, who pays the shop electric, you know, who, who pays for paper in the printer and all of that stuff that, Oh, well that I can do this job for that.
01:17:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:17:55
James
Well, no, you actually can't because you got all this stuff.
01:17:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
You're real overhead. Yep.
01:18:00
James
Like someone has to pay for all that. And when you don't realize that you end up under bidding and, just doing us all a disservice.
01:18:05
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
01:18:08
James
You know, it's one of the other things too, the same thing that so many of the big guys have said, it's like, do what you say you're going to do when you say you're going to do it. And I go back and look at like through the years of all the jobs that I got and some of super hard. And it's like, no matter what, have the tenacity tenacity to get it done at whatever it takes, whether that means your truck broke and you got to borrow a friend's or, i mean, I remember jumping in a,
01:18:33
James
egg tractor with a bucket to finish something because it's like, I don't, my truck broke and my plows broke and, but this job's got to get done. Don't just give up, you know, and communicate, you know, call, call the people and say, Hey, listen, this happened.
01:18:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah never spen
01:18:47
James
I'm making every effort to get there and get that done and doing whatever it takes. So many people just want to like give up and, you know, you're going to get hit with some of these hard years where you get a hundred inches and you're just dead tired.
01:18:54
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:19:00
James
Everything's broke. like, you got to stay tenacious and keep going after it every single day because somebody else will and they'll swallow you alive.
01:19:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
um never sent
01:19:09
James
um Yeah, I think, you know, another thing for me, find a good mentor and ask a lot of good questions, whether that's an older person or someone that's bigger and better. And, you know, whether you find them on Instagram or, you know, I'm always happy to answer questions.
01:19:24
James
And even I asked Jeremy for somebody that could answer some questions for us, you know, as we grow and take some of these bigger sites on. So don't Don't ever think you know everything and that you got it figured out because we're always all learning every single day.
01:19:37
James
And like I've learned so much just from you guys' as show, having some of these guys on and just picking up things and you know bouncing ideas.
01:19:39
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
01:19:44
James
So I think you know those those to me are the big pillars um to success and to tell us some guys to stay at it, know your numbers, bid responsibly, ask questions, but just have some patience.
01:19:59
James
You know, this has been a 25 year grind for me to get to this point. And I just now this past year hired a full time snow guy, you know, so it was hard.
01:20:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Dude, I think you nailed that.
01:20:10
James
It was freaking hard. You know, that's the thing. It was hard and not fun.
01:20:12
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:20:14
James
And you can ask my, it's hard to let go.
01:20:14
RICK JAMES
Let's Yep. Oh. Right.
01:20:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
There's no shortcuts. There's no shortcuts either.
01:20:18
James
No, no.
01:20:18
RICK JAMES
yep
01:20:21
James
So, yeah, i mean, those would be my pillars to tell the younger generation if someone wants to get into this and, Like, just do those things. Do what you say you're going to do when you say you're going to do it. And the rest will kind of fill in.
01:20:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
That is probably... If we did a poll and people answered honestly, in the last five years since COVID, that whole thing where the industry changed over from a lot of the old guard that got out about that time to now it's a lot younger industry, which is great, but...
01:20:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
It also, I think like what you just said, the need for instant gratification, guys are so like, oh, you know what? I want to get 30 properties this year. Well, you only had two last year.
01:21:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
You know, like maybe how about we go to five or six, you know, that you can handle adequately instead of just trying to underbid everybody else to get 30 properties and grow so fast.
01:21:08
RICK JAMES
All right.
01:21:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
And then, like you said, it all catches up to you. your Your lack of knowledge about what your true overhead is, all this stuff. And you couple that with a bad winner of events that you didn't plan for or bid on.
01:21:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
And it's a recipe for freaking disaster. it's unsustainable. So I, ah but I think you've nailed that, that there's a lot of guys out there that want the immediate, like, Oh, I'm going to be, I just started two years ago, but I want to be glacier snow management by next year.
01:21:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's like, that doesn't happen overnight.
01:21:50
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:21:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's a 30 year process.
01:21:51
RICK JAMES
We, I have the same thing with all our vendor partners. Some young guys come in and you know, they had, we had, if we had a good, like three years ago, we had a really good year. couple of guys first year push them.
01:22:02
RICK JAMES
They were like, Oh, we made a lot of money. We're going to do this this next year. i'm like, said, no, go slow. This isn't how it is every year.
01:22:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Doesn't happen every year.
01:22:08
RICK JAMES
And then what happened the next, what, three years now we've been low on snow and, And these guys, um that's why I told you, you got to play. it if you're going to be in a snowy, like James said, you got to play the long game.
01:22:18
RICK JAMES
The long game is the snow game.
01:22:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:22:20
RICK JAMES
I mean, you're not going to, you're going to good years.
01:22:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's not a sprint. It's a marathon.
01:22:23
RICK JAMES
going to have bad years. You know, just like you said, if you had two counts, go for five and make, make money on those five instead of getting 20 that you're going to go backwards on, make money on those extra five.
01:22:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:22:34
RICK JAMES
And, you know, just, you know, it's, it's not simple. You just have to know, know your overhead.
01:22:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
And here's the deal. If you do that and you go, if you go with five instead of 25, go jump, make the jump from two to five. If you're with the right customers and when I say the right customers, if you're with customers that don't mind paying for good work, they don't mind paying what you should be making.
01:22:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
and they have other properties under their control, it's an audition.
01:22:58
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:23:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
If you fuck up by overextending, you don't, this is not lawns.
01:23:01
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
01:23:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like, you can't show, oh, we didn't get to it Tuesday, we'll get to it Wednesday.
01:23:06
RICK JAMES
No.
01:23:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
You know, this is, you got one shot.
01:23:10
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:23:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
If you fuck that up, that that that well is dry for you forever. You might as well do what a lot of guys have done and fold up one business name and reorganize it under another with a different creditor.
01:23:22
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:23:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:23:23
James
I think Steve, you hit one thing too. This is not lawns and you know that we are not a landscaper.
01:23:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
No. Oh,
01:23:28
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:23:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh
01:23:31
James
You know, we are not doing landscape services. This is a professional snow outfit and that's what we're good at. And you know, don't, don't compare us to the lawn guy that's super cheap, you know, cause that's not what we're going to do.
01:23:44
James
And one other thing too, just like for the younger people is, you know, I started out with absolute, not garbage equipment, but used stuff that I welded on, put together. Like my first snow plow was 1500 bucks and I put it together. It was a a Western plow, a frame that I found was a cable style. And I found a unit amount, a light bracket with a pump. And I welded an angle iron on the bottom, made it all work, bought a used mount for my F two 50. And that's how I started plowing snow.
01:24:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
ye
01:24:15
James
You know, I didn't borrow any money. I didn't go buy Western whiteout or an Arctic razorback or, or whatever, you know, learn how to get by with stuff and fix it and figure out your way path forward and make some money and be so be financially smart and sound.
01:24:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:24:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
The younger generation is okay with massive debt.
01:24:34
RICK JAMES
That doesn't look cool on Instagram, though. That doesn't look cool on Instagram, James. Come on now.
01:24:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
Well, that's, um and but that's a problem.
01:24:39
James
And I,
01:24:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
The younger generation is okay with having a business in massive debt as long as they look cool doing it.
01:24:42
RICK JAMES
I know.
01:24:47
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:24:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's, and that's a problem.
01:24:48
James
It's just such a recipe for disaster. I mean, you know, that that can I mean, obviously, we all probably have some but it it can just cripple a person.
01:24:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:24:56
James
And it can actually ham hamper you from proper growth, you know, just, just because you want 50 accounts doesn't mean 50 accounts gonna make you money.
01:24:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:25:00
RICK JAMES
Distress.
01:25:04
James
You might make a lot more money with the 10 right ones, you know, that really fits your model.
01:25:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
01:25:04
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:25:07
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:25:08
James
Like what Steve does, you know?
01:25:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
this guy this guy hobby pushers this guy i but i tell guys that all the time like i would rather have 15 accounts that i make max money than have 30 accounts that i'm struggling to service properly to make the same amount of money like yeah no it doesn't make any sense to me i don't understand that but some guys are so hungry but they're hungry for the wrong thing
01:25:09
RICK JAMES
Right on.
01:25:10
James
Yeah.
01:25:12
RICK JAMES
obviously Just all that extra stress.
01:25:21
James
Absolutely.
01:25:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
They just got they gotta to zone in on on what's going to make them the most money with as little expenditure as possible.
01:25:35
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:25:38
RICK JAMES
Perfect.
01:25:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
And I've had this conversation now so many times. probably I've had three really good conversations with property owners and property managers in the last two weeks since we got that megastorm because that really – We had so many. I know the guys were on and they were all talking about how many failures in this area we had. But I had this conversation with the property manager the other day. They wanted us to look at a property way outside our area.
01:26:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
I wouldn't even consider it. But I said, I will I will help you any way I can if they're willing to pay. But here's the deal. You need to pony up. You're telling me that your yearly snow budget for that place is $49,000.
01:26:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
I hate to break it to you, but I'm looking at these photos. You got $49,000 worth of work there. that's You got what you paid for because that's $125,000 all day
01:26:25
RICK JAMES
But
01:26:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
you know, all day long. And I said, Chin, go cheap on anything else. Go cheap on your sprinkler technician. go Go cheap on lawns. Go cheap on anything else. Do not go cheap on electricity, plumbing, or snow.
01:26:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's pretty much it.
01:26:43
James
Yeah.
01:26:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
like Those are the three things don't fuck around with. Everything else, it go with the lower bidder. You'll probably be okay. But those three things, don't don't mess around with it. Go with the reputation.
01:26:54
RICK JAMES
The problem they agree with you on that day, but then they forget about it the next month because, yeah, snow season's over.
01:26:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
I don't know, man. This winner's got a lot of people like though the one.
01:27:02
RICK JAMES
Yeah, they'll forget. They always do.
01:27:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Listen, we've already been told the one the one place wants us so bad they're basically like blank check. Like, just let us know what it's going to cost next next year. like Well, I don't think we're even going to consider it, but it's nice to know that they're opening the checkbook.
01:27:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
I don't think they're going to like the number.
01:27:22
James
Yeah, I mean, I, right. I do think this year is going to be a reset. I mean, it it ist but it is in my region.
01:27:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
It is.
01:27:30
James
I mean, like, I think we talked earlier, like we already took over two decent sized places, one really, really big place because someone else failed.
Industry Trends and Changes
01:27:39
James
And there's a lot of failures and people do remember that. And especially, you know, we got a salt shortage. Well, some guys weren't willing to stick their neck out and truck salt from Kansas City.
01:27:50
James
and other places and spend three X on a whole boatload of salt, you know, and you can see it, you go to these lots, there's nothing salted.
01:27:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
yep
01:27:57
James
i mean, even some of the big box stores in our region, it's like nothing was touched the last several events. And so i do I do feel like we're at a reset and I'm kind of glad that we're hopefully getting that.
01:28:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
we definitely are the only downside to the reset is a lot of guys are going to get out but a lot of guys are going to get in too because we've had such a good winter so many places that oh we can make a shit ton of money doing snow let's get a plow
01:28:09
RICK JAMES
I hope it is. I i hope so.
01:28:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
And then here comes a new crop of low bidders.
01:28:23
James
Yeah, I mean, I see that some, I see that some too, but it just, there isn't the same amount of willing people to do this job that there once was.
01:28:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
And those guys can't touch what you're doing.
01:28:33
James
And so I think that changes.
01:28:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
You know, the the type of sites you're going after, a guy with a truck and a plow can't do that. So, yeah.
01:28:41
James
Yeah, no, not, not even close.
01:28:41
RICK JAMES
Perfect.
01:28:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
So that i mean so you the the bigger the bigger institutions and the bigger sites are going to be safe, but it's the little stuff, like you said, the half-acre banks, the stuff like that that guys have priced right, they're going to be underbid next year going in by a whole new crop of low-ball guys that don't know any better.
01:29:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
So you know we'll have to give them a show and start educating a whole new generation because that's what always happens after banger winters. is you get a whole new crop of dudes. It's like, ah, it goes to their local fucking truck upfitter. It says, ah, give me a plow on this thing. going to make some money. 100%.
01:29:19
James
Yep, and they'll pay 15% interest on loan for a, yeah, yeah, forget that.
01:29:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
but
01:29:19
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
01:29:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
hundred percent But to to go back, I wanted to say one thing. You were talking about what you started with old equipment wise. Like us here, we can we can we all know the big secret that nobody else out there seems to know um that wants to spend a shit ton of money. well We have to buy new. We have to buy new equipment.
01:29:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
Let me tell you, we all know this already. There are every new machine, it doesn't matter what the fucking brand. Ask anybody that's got new machines in the last two years, they all have fucking problems.
01:29:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
They all get shut down. So why spend so much more money? If you're going to have a problem no matter what brand you buy, buy what fits your budget.
01:30:02
RICK JAMES
Maintenance.
01:30:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
You know, buy what fits your budget.
01:30:04
RICK JAMES
Maintenance.
01:30:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Don't buy what's going to look cool because they all have fucking issues. All right, James just said he had to he had to get rid of a machine because ah of a problem that we've heard, what, Jay, 20 times? Speed sensor on the 200 series and 300 series deers.
01:30:19
RICK JAMES
Yeah, we have two 304s,
01:30:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. So, I mean, look at that.
01:30:24
RICK JAMES
three forty volumes
01:30:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
that's ah That's a problem. I was talking to a guy last week that's got four brand new loaders from a certain brand, and they were all down. All of them. Like, how does that, you know, so don't break your bank because you think you got to buy new for it to work. Chances are it might not work.
01:30:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
it's just It's unbelievable. I like that. get Get used to what can get you by. you know that the That's it.
01:30:49
RICK JAMES
Yeah, you can work you you just work your way up to what you want, you obviously.
01:30:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it. You got to start somewhere.
01:30:53
RICK JAMES
it now goes and It all goes back to getting the right accounts, making real money, and then you can you know spend that money.
01:30:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Don't be afraid.
01:30:59
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:30:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like I said, if you got the the most important decision you're going to make is not on the machine that's pushing it.
01:31:00
James
Yep, absolutely.
01:31:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's the one it's a thing in front of it. The pusher in front of it will will determine how well it goes. so
01:31:12
James
Yeah, I mean, you need reliability.
01:31:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
you know
01:31:13
James
That's really the name of the game. We're we're out here in the worst elements.
01:31:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah 100
01:31:16
James
We want the dang thing to run. That's it. I don't care anything else.
01:31:18
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:31:19
James
Just run. Do the job. That's all we need.
01:31:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
you can you put a tier one plow on the front of a 25 year old loader your lot's still gonna look pristine but if you go out and buy a fucking rigid you know steel home depot built box with a rubber edge uh that's not gonna look as good so you know spend the money wisely and where it should be You know, put the cart before the horse in this sense because you you you need a better cart.
01:31:42
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
01:31:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's where the money should be spent.
01:31:52
James
absolutely.
01:31:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Anything else, boys? What else we got?
01:31:59
James
I can't think of a whole lot unless you guys got any more questions, but I don't have a whole lot left.
01:32:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'm good.
01:32:02
RICK JAMES
I think we covered it.
01:32:04
James
So, yeah.
01:32:04
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:32:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
think we're good.
01:32:05
RICK JAMES
It was a good show James.
01:32:05
James
Really appreciate you guys having us having me on.
01:32:06
RICK JAMES
Glad to have you.
01:32:08
James
And I love what you guys are doing for the industry. I mean, it's such a great educational piece. I mean, so the the guy that werere that we brought on this year, it's like he's he's soaking you guys up like a sponge, you know, because he didn't know snow.
01:32:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
nice that's great right here
01:32:20
James
So he's actually learned a ton from you guys, and which is awesome. So i hat hats off to you guys and what you're doing.
01:32:26
RICK JAMES
It's great.
01:32:28
James
And it's great for the industry. I'm sure it's a pain in the butt to record every week and find time for this. But, man, it does mean a lot to the rest of us.
01:32:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
we're uh we're ahead of the game now we're we're not looking back ah we're week ahead we're we're on yeah we're playing with house money now james we're good
01:32:36
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah. oh yeah where We can work way
01:32:47
James
Okay. All right. All right. i like it.
01:32:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah We appreciate it, though.
01:32:48
James
like it.
01:32:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome, man. we We appreciate all you guys listening. it's ah It's still kind of awesome to hear that so many guys are getting something out of this. And and it's not us. It's just, you know, we just push record.
01:33:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
it so It's all you guys that come on the show that are giving such great information out there.
01:33:02
RICK JAMES
Oh, you guys. Oh.
01:33:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
And, you know, it's a collaborative thing. it's It's great because I know you've been in a long time. When you first started, Wasn't it way more secretive? Like nobody wanted to help anybody else. Nobody wanted to give anybody tips on how to do shit.
01:33:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like it was for me.
01:33:20
James
Yeah, it was it was like farming.
01:33:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
and I had nobody to talk to.
01:33:22
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
01:33:22
James
Nobody talks in the farming world. like They just are really quiet.
01:33:25
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:33:26
James
You want to talk about secrecy, geez, obpez go ask your neighbor what his yield was or how he got there.
01:33:27
RICK JAMES
is Yeah.
01:33:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
01:33:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
Why do you want to know? True.
01:33:33
James
Yeah, yeah. But no, you're right, Steve.
01:33:34
RICK JAMES
Wow.
01:33:35
James
I mean, nobody really wanted to talk. Well, there weren't even the mechanisms and the channels that we have now to communicate.
01:33:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
True. true
01:33:41
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:33:41
James
And so we didn't even know where to start. I had no idea. I was just like, well, I think I can do this and just kept at it.
01:33:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
But like hit I have lunch. I have lunch like once every month or two with a couple local contractor guys that that do snow the right way. they want to They want to talk about what's going on our area. Like how do we do certain things? And we all share like, hey, this is what we're doing. This is what we're we're looking at for this.
01:34:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
that That wouldn't have happened 30 years ago, 25 years ago when I was younger in this. It just wouldn't have happened. Nobody talked.
01:34:11
James
No, I agree. And I mean, we've been the same way here. I mean, I don't have a ton of like close guys right here in my region because we just are kind of different than most.
01:34:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
you
01:34:23
James
um But like talking to you guys and you know other people on Instagram, whatever else, there's been a lot of communication that way. And that's that's been great for me just to kind of pick up on some other people outside the region.
01:34:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
hundred percent
01:34:34
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
01:34:35
James
So it's been great.
01:34:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, its it it definitely, the technology has definitely helped. it's it's It's really cool that, like, you look at, like, our our web meeting platform, like, somebody's got a question and we don't have the answers, we can literally put a a text out to a group and get 25 guys on four hours later that night to answer this guy's question in a roundtable.
01:34:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like, I mean, you couldn't do that years and years ago. So being able to help people immediately like that with 25 different opinions, that's That's pretty awesome. So the tech definitely helps.
01:35:07
RICK JAMES
good
01:35:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool. Anything else, boys? All
01:35:14
James
Nope, I'm i'm good.
01:35:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
right, cool. Well, James, thanks for coming on, man.
01:35:16
RICK JAMES
Good.
01:35:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
We appreciate it That was awesome.
01:35:19
RICK JAMES
Thanks a lot.
01:35:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Loved hearing about it.
01:35:20
James
Yeah, thanks for having me. And if something comes up in the future, want to talk farming or snow, just shoot me a text.
01:35:28
RICK JAMES
Yeah, definitely get you on some round tables.
01:35:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
where You know, we might have to have a new new show, Harvest harvest Chasing.
01:35:30
James
Yeah, roundtables would be good.
01:35:33
RICK JAMES
Yeah, yeah.
01:35:33
James
yeah I mean, we might as well, you know.
01:35:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
uh that'd be great i know you will we'll keep you busy year-round jay we'll just keep sending you around from harvest to snow that's awesome that's awesome cool well best of luck to uh
01:35:37
RICK JAMES
I'll go. Tomato chasing.
01:35:39
James
I love it.
01:35:40
RICK JAMES
Yeah, that's fine of me. That's that's fine of me. yep
01:35:48
RICK JAMES
You know me, that farming's in my background. so
01:35:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, best of luck to the Rice Family Farms, man.
01:35:52
James
Yeah, out for sure.
01:35:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
Hopefully sixth and future generations. Keep that going. That's ah that's a thing that's it's getting less and less every day. So you I love hearing that. Keep it going as long as you can.
01:36:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome.
01:36:07
James
Yeah, that's our real hope.
01:36:08
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:36:08
James
I mean, get get this going to the next generation, be smart with our decisions, and hopefully grow the snow company. I have a son that wants to run it someday, and, you know, same with the farm. So we'll just, we'll keep We'll keep pushing and keep farming.
01:36:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go. one One can do snow.
01:36:22
James
That's right.
01:36:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Amen. you One can do the snow. One can handle the tomatoes. There you go. It's perfect.
01:36:26
James
That's right.
01:36:26
RICK JAMES
so
01:36:26
James
That's right. that's right
01:36:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, buddy. Well, thank you very much, man. We appreciate your time. And we'll wrap it there, guys. So that's going to do it. Episode 159, Snow Jobs Podcast. Main show is in the books.
01:36:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Complete. Everybody, have a great week out there. all right, be safe. If you're getting snow, keep making that money. We got a couple weeks left, a winner, and then it'll be over, and we'll see all its storks in April.
01:36:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
So everybody be safe out there. Keep pushing.