Transcript
snowjobspodcast: All right. Snow jobs nation. Here we go. Back again, bringing you episode. What are we 90 now? Jeremy, but you don't want them numbered.
RICK JAMES: I think so, yeah. ah I was one time because we were recording like four and i didn't we didn't know how they're going to go.
snowjobspodcast: How are we supposed to, that's it I know.
RICK JAMES: So you can you can say what you want.
snowjobspodcast: Well, I mean, it keeps track of them for me. I gotta, we're in, we're in 89, 89 episode 89 of the main show.
RICK JAMES: Oh, yeah. I mean, go for it. Don't wait and listen to me.
snowjobspodcast: We are powered as always by Top Gun Backblades. And as always, you know who I am. You know who he is.
snowjobspodcast: Steven, Jeremy back together again. What's up buddy?
RICK JAMES: Oh, just another great day in Fargo skin already.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah. You got a dusting this morning.
RICK JAMES: Yeah. We got a dusting of salt, ye dusting of salt.
snowjobspodcast: Oh Everything's good.
RICK JAMES: Oh, it was good. Yeah. We're, uh, kind of winding down in the old, uh, God's juice, unicorn juice, where we're going to call it nowadays.
snowjobspodcast: Unicorn juice.
RICK JAMES: That new term is called unicorn juice.
snowjobspodcast: Unicorn juice.
RICK JAMES: The guy came up with the yesterday. I kind of like that. So yeah, we're just kind of winding down, but I got a few jobs left, but yeah, we're,
snowjobspodcast: Love it.
snowjobspodcast: Love it. Somebody threw a new name out there. I'm thinking they're from the Massachusetts area. They said, Jeremy Lindstrom, the Tom Brady of snow. I said, okay.
RICK JAMES: tombred
snowjobspodcast: All right.
RICK JAMES: yeah
snowjobspodcast: I'm guessing they're from ah New England somewhere.
RICK JAMES: ah ah patrick salmon or what
snowjobspodcast: Uh, no, it wasn't Patty salmon. It wasn't Patty salmon, but yeah, that's, uh, that's the latest one. Got it.
RICK JAMES: You're kind of cutting the whole intro lately. You're not even introducing yourself or me and all my nickname. I mean, we earned that stuff, man.
snowjobspodcast: They know who we are.
RICK JAMES: You just can't.
snowjobspodcast: No. All right. I'm Steve.
RICK JAMES: ah
snowjobspodcast: He's Jeremy. There we go. Intro complete.
RICK JAMES: What time of meeting after this?
snowjobspodcast: oh Oh man. You getting ready, babe? This is a, come on. One month. What are you one month away from snow?
RICK JAMES: Probably. Yeah. Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: That's, I mean, I mean, I, we did it really last year and then what happened?
snowjobspodcast: Doing it, brother. You're going to be doing it early this year. I'm telling you.
snowjobspodcast: Well, that's not going to happen again.
RICK JAMES: Nothing. I think we had October snow last year and then we didn't get anything.
snowjobspodcast: That's not going to happen. Not going to happen an again.
RICK JAMES: So yeah.
snowjobspodcast: The snow gods are, they will not do that to you two years in a row.
RICK JAMES: Yeah. I don't know about that.
snowjobspodcast: You'd have Rick James on suicide watch. If you threw him two, no winters in a row.
RICK JAMES: Shit. I'm always on suicide watch.
snowjobspodcast: No, you got Nick saying Nick saying winner. Good winner for you.
RICK JAMES: Oh, the weather man.
snowjobspodcast: The weather man.
RICK JAMES: Oh shit, man. If they said it and it's guaranteed.
snowjobspodcast: Take it to the bank, lock it in, you know?
RICK JAMES: Yeah. I think we'll start sending invoices today.
snowjobspodcast: It's a guarantee, man. It's a guarantee.
RICK JAMES: Mm -hmm.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, jeez. Yeah, no, the yeah what what's the latest thing from the weather dudes? They're saying no El Nino, no La Nina.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Neutral.
RICK JAMES: That's what they're saying. Neutral.
snowjobspodcast: Neutral.
RICK JAMES: So anything goes, we need to wrap arounds.
snowjobspodcast: So now basically anything goes. They can, yeah, they don't know what's coming.
RICK JAMES: get side winders, wraparounds, freaking, uh, I don't know, muskox, whatever they're going to call it.
snowjobspodcast: ah Oh, my God. It's so funny. Yeah, we're neutral.
RICK JAMES: I don't know.
snowjobspodcast: I like the graph that the a couple of different weather guys put out, not just not just Nick, but a couple of them put it out that it says the lot the neutrals. Well, this many winters, it was great.
snowjobspodcast: and Then this many winters, it was nothing. They're like, all right, so you're covering all your bases again.
RICK JAMES: No, that doesn't sound like a weather man.
snowjobspodcast: yeah yeah You're hedging all your bets.
RICK JAMES: I don't know why they have to do that because they make them.
snowjobspodcast: could
RICK JAMES: They don't even, if they say something and it doesn't happen, they just go over that. They don't, they don't go back to the yesterday what they said. They just, there's a new day.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, no, we just move on. We just move on.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Moving ah moving ahead.
RICK JAMES: You know, wow. It's been a while since we, uh, got after the weather guys. So we got to get back on this train.
snowjobspodcast: ah So this winter could be huge, could be nothing. Shocking.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: It's shocking.
RICK JAMES: Going out on a limb.
snowjobspodcast: ah What a prediction. Oh, my Lord. What are we doing today, buddy? We are continuing our tour of Pennsylvania, guys. All right. We're stopping off in Fleetwood. We're going to talk to Jonathan Wise of Winterstone. They're another one of these Lehigh Valley companies that all seem to be growing just as rapidly as all the industrial and warehouse facilities are out there. And I don't think that's a coincidence. Jonathan's here with us today. We can't wait to hear about Winterstone and their snow operation. But as always, before we get into it with him,
snowjobspodcast: Let's hear from team Top Gun. Come back and do our week in review.
snowjobspodcast: I hate when a commercial ends and you're in mid -cough. We're back, all right? So we can review real quick. What did we do last week? We had Bob Marks from EMI on with us, all right?
snowjobspodcast: ah Bob was great. That was a great conversation. That was a good episode.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, Bob's a good guy.
snowjobspodcast: The listeners are loving it. You guys out there are loving it. You're crushing it with numbers on the ah first week there. So, uh, thank you to Bob. We had a great time talking to him. Uh, we're definitely going to have him back on in the future to do some stuff.
snowjobspodcast: You know, he'd be a good guy on those round tables and stuff, right?
RICK JAMES: Hmm.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, definitely.
snowjobspodcast: and The kick around episodes.
RICK JAMES: He's got a lot of knowledge, so yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, he does. I loved, uh, you know, a lot of guys have said like the people first, uh, you know, put their people first and it's family culture. Like I love how they said like, you know, you're family after a certain point.
snowjobspodcast: And you know, we take care of you like family, like they pay all the the full medical.
RICK JAMES: yeah
snowjobspodcast: Like after a certain point, I think that's, that's fantastic. It's a, it's a great thing that they're doing out there. And, you know, everything sounds great. They got a lot of systems and they, uh, you know, they work, they got a, what is a coordinator of sidewalk maintenance or what street sidewalk coordinator.
RICK JAMES: yeah Pedestrian. Yeah, pedestrian. Yeah. Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: That is going to be a t -shirt. That's definitely got to be a t -shirt, but yeah.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, we got to make some new ones. um I just got an email and our lady tell me we got to come up on new new sweatshirt or something for the fall here.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: So she said she's going to work on it. So.
snowjobspodcast: All right, design away.
RICK JAMES: She's like, what do you what do you want? I'm like, I don't know. I'm not designing. He figured out.
snowjobspodcast: There you go.
RICK JAMES: I just put her logo on it and whatever else you want to do.
snowjobspodcast: It doesn't have to be complicated. Snow guys are simple. Keep it simple.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: But yeah, so thank you, Bob. Appreciate it. All the best to EMI this winter. We look forward to hearing the updates about those Volvo electric loaders, if you can get them done. I want to see what the run time is on those.
snowjobspodcast: What were they saying? Four to six hours?
RICK JAMES: He said three, I thought he said three to four hours.
snowjobspodcast: So he was banking on three.
RICK JAMES: They were thinking, so they're going to have two of them. So two of them.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, I think, I think he said four to six hours. So that means in his mind, he's saying three. And you know what will be interesting is like loaders are not designed to basically push, right?
snowjobspodcast: If I'm not mistaken, it's mostly loading. Hence why they're called a loader.
RICK JAMES: Mm hmm.
snowjobspodcast: So if they're pushing a very heavy metal plus or something in front of it with all that wet, heavy snow, I'm interested to see what the runtime goes down to concrete.
RICK JAMES: Mm hmm.
RICK JAMES: especially if it's concrete smell
snowjobspodcast: It's always concrete, bro.
RICK JAMES: yeah
snowjobspodcast: Hey. ah but Yeah, keep us posted want to hear about those Volvo electrics and see how they do What else we got October 15th to the 18th? We talked about it last week is equip Expo All right, that's down in Louisville if you guys are going let us know All right, we want to know where if you're going that way we can hang out It's always great to meet guys hang out have some conversations network.
RICK JAMES: especially if it's concrete.
snowjobspodcast: So if you're going make sure you reach out Let us know ah we got some some events going on after hours. We'll ah get you invites to What else?
RICK JAMES: It's going to be fun.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, definitely be a good, it's always a good time. We dropped the first Arctic Army Roll Call episode of the Snow Jobs Podcast. right And that featured John Stark, who is a long time OG at Arctic. right John is a wealth of knowledge. I'm sure you guys out there were all able to take some useful stuff away from that episode. ah So thank you to John and the whole team at Arctic for their continued support of the of what we're doing with the show and ah for also for supporting ah you know the advancement of the boots on the ground snow guys that are actually doing the work. you know We appreciate Arctic standing behind the ah
snowjobspodcast: the guys that are actually out there doing it and trying to give back. All right. So thank you to Arctic and keep paying attention for those episodes. It'll be dropping once a month. What else? Hit the store.
snowjobspodcast: All right. Snow Jobs Nation store dot com. Visit Jeremy. Get some of the gear right in the comments section on your order.
RICK JAMES: and so
snowjobspodcast: If you wanted autograph by ah Rick James or not, he'll ah he'll take care of it for you.
RICK JAMES: Yeah. Yeah, let's get rid of this stuff. I've been... Office is getting full.
snowjobspodcast: Stop ordering it. You keep reordering.
RICK JAMES: I haven't ordered anything for a while. I want to get rid of this stuff. We're invited to have a sale on two Xs and three Xs. We got a lot of them.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, that's, that's probably my bad. Cause I remember talking about that stuff and you're like, how many do we get of sizes when we're doing reorders? And I'm like, well, you gotta go heavy on the two to four X. And those are the ones we didn't do any four X.
RICK JAMES: I don't think we have Forex. We just got, I don't think so.
snowjobspodcast: What's Sean wearing?
RICK JAMES: He's like a medium.
snowjobspodcast: It's a medium.
RICK JAMES: Yeah. No, we got lots of two and threes.
snowjobspodcast: ah
RICK JAMES: We gotta get, I might have to do a sale on them.
snowjobspodcast: I'm shocked. I am shocked that the three X's have not sold more.
RICK JAMES: Yeah. Well, let's get them out of here.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah. All right. So you heard it. He's going to, you know, if you need to fit two people into a sweatshirt, Jeremy will put them on sale, get some three Xs. You can be make them into a Snuggie Brandon. See, there you go.
snowjobspodcast: Brandon LADC sell them as a Snuggie.
RICK JAMES: Oh ah boy.
snowjobspodcast: No. All right. Whatever. But yeah, drop drop by the store. Say hi to Jeremy, get some stuff. The winter is coming. Those car hearts will be nice and warm. Uh, that's it.
snowjobspodcast: Right. You got anything else buddy?
RICK JAMES: Nope. Uh, just, yeah, I'm just looking forward to equipped since you talked about that. I don't care.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: Next week's episode will probably be a pre preseason show about that or pre show about that. Huh?
snowjobspodcast: We got to do something. We got to think about, we got to think about what we do for that. Cause it's not really snow show, is it? Like, I mean, yeah.
RICK JAMES: There's plenty of snow stuff there. Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: All right. I know Arctic's going to be there.
RICK JAMES: Yeah. There's Artix there, Metal Plus there.
snowjobspodcast: i
RICK JAMES: I mean, VSI is there, Boss is there. So, I mean, there's, there's snow stuff there. and Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Boss is definitely there. Boss is definitely there because they were mad at us about the fat heads last year.
RICK JAMES: Oh yeah. They were, weren't they?
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, what did the Jordan Smith fathead walking around the show with it.
RICK JAMES: hey Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: they were Yes.
RICK JAMES: Then I got in trouble for Metal Plus cause I was at their booth, right? Cause they don't like me.
snowjobspodcast: has You're not permitted at the metal plus booth.
RICK JAMES: I'm not, I'm not well liked.
snowjobspodcast: No, Rick James in the area of the metal plus booth.
RICK JAMES: Guess what, I'm gonna camp out there now.
snowjobspodcast: oh Uh, too funny, but yeah, no equip is a good time. We should talk about that. Yeah, we can talk about that just for guys that are going for the first time. Cause I went for the first time last year and that kind of blew me away.
snowjobspodcast: Like I was totally underprepared even with you telling me how big it was and stuff. I don't think I saw half the show, honestly.
RICK JAMES: No, no. No, it'll be fun.
snowjobspodcast: So.
RICK JAMES: Just to see all the guys and all the YouTubers are all there and stuff, so it'll be fun.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, we'll put our feelers out this year, or this week rather, coming up.
RICK JAMES: so
snowjobspodcast: We'll ah talk to some manufacturers, see who see who is dropping what you know new stuff to look forward to to check out. And maybe we'll we'll do something like that for you this next week. But yeah, that's all I got.
snowjobspodcast: You got anything else, bub? All right, let's roll here. So let's hear from our partners, and we'll be right back to get into it with Jonathan.
snowjobspodcast: All right, guys, we're back. So let's get into this. Let's welcome Jonathan Wise of Winterstone to the Snow Jobs. Jonathan, how are you, bud?
Jonathan Wise: good thanks for having me guys well it's warm it's nice out so out messing around with some brine equipment this morning if we would maintain it better probably wouldn't have as many problems yeah it's easy it's it's flawless
snowjobspodcast: No problem.
RICK JAMES: Hey, John.
snowjobspodcast: Anytime. How's things out there?
RICK JAMES: How's it going out there?
RICK JAMES: There's no problem.
snowjobspodcast: ah
RICK JAMES: No problems in Brian, is there?
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: I thought that was made really easy.
snowjobspodcast: It's flawless. I love that.
Jonathan Wise: something
snowjobspodcast: That's great. ah Oh, man.
RICK JAMES: Oh.
Jonathan Wise: ah
snowjobspodcast: Jeremy, you want to take us away, bud?
RICK JAMES: Yeah, let's get into it. Hey John, why don't you tell everybody about winter stone, where you, what you guys are all about when you started and where are you going?
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, sure. So um we started business in 2020, so relatively new. I've been in the snow industry, I think for a while. I'm not sure sure how long, 15 years maybe. It's been pretty awesome, but basically we serviced Northern Berks County with industrial snow removal. So that's our main deal.
snowjobspodcast: Very cool. And that's, uh, you guys four years. So your four years and this'll be what your fifth winter.
Jonathan Wise: Yep, you got it.
snowjobspodcast: How has your growth been so far? Cause you guys have done pretty well from what I hear.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, we kind of, we have, so the first, our first year of snow, we did five and a half million square feet. And right now we're pushing about seven and a half.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: So we wanted to grow a little bit, but we had a couple, um, accounts that we really didn't want to work for.
snowjobspodcast: Wow.
RICK JAMES: No?
Jonathan Wise: Um, so we gained some, but we lost some at the same same time. So pretty good.
snowjobspodcast: It's all good. It's all about the right accounts, right?
Jonathan Wise: Oh yeah, for sure. Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: And now you guys are in that Lehigh Valley, uh, that Lehigh Valley triangle there.
Jonathan Wise: So we're like a little bit, we're down 78 a little bit. um So yeah, but yeah, we're really well.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
snowjobspodcast: They consider you guys. They definitely, when they talk about you, they can, they lump you in there with all the Lehigh Valley guys.
Jonathan Wise: Well, I counted that, I count that as an honor then for sure.
snowjobspodcast: So there you go.
Jonathan Wise: I mean, all those guys over there, I'm good.
snowjobspodcast: That's what I'm saying.
RICK JAMES: There's some big players out there, that's for sure.
snowjobspodcast: Absolutely.
Jonathan Wise: Oh yeah, for sure. Yeah, they're awesome.
snowjobspodcast: That's awesome.
Jonathan Wise: we We have a pretty unique, pretty unique area, I would say.
snowjobspodcast: That's awesome.
snowjobspodcast: Well, yeah, I mean, it it used to be all farmland and now it's all Jesus.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Every time you you turn your head, there's a million square feet of industrial and warehouse going up.
RICK JAMES: Industrial.
Jonathan Wise: Oh, yeah, for sure. It's kind of wild.
snowjobspodcast: That's great.
Jonathan Wise: I think Bob talked about that last week. i It's like every week, there's like another warehouse popping up.
RICK JAMES: Mm hmm.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, he said he came out of the office and there was a new building going up behind him again. He was like, what? what I was only in there for eight hours.
RICK JAMES: ah Nice.
snowjobspodcast: Oh man. So you guys do primarily snow. That's your bread and butter. Just doing snow.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, so we do some excavating like slit mowing and brush hog work during the summer months.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: But we don't really talk about it too much.
snowjobspodcast: and Gotcha.
Jonathan Wise: We just kind of do a little bit to keep ah keep us not burning as much cash.
snowjobspodcast: I hear you.
Jonathan Wise: So that's pretty much what we do.
snowjobspodcast: All right, sounds good. Go ahead, Jack.
RICK JAMES: So what do you guys mainly do for Snowy? Industrial? Commercial? what whats What's your bread and butter?
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, just industrial. hill That's all we service, like printing distribution centers. And I would say it's like, I don't know how to phrase it, but if you call it like critical, like they, um it's 24 seven all the time.
Jonathan Wise: Like I don't think we have any customers that aren't 24 seven.
snowjobspodcast: Well, yeah, that's the way to go.
Jonathan Wise: So, and they're, Very little tolerance. Yeah, for sure.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, definitely.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, that's how we're set up.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah. Cause again, Bob talked about that last week. I think he, he let go of a customer that was going to shut down overnight because then, you know, it's, it's harder to make the investment that you guys have to make out there with equipment.
snowjobspodcast: If they're cutting their service requirements and you know, that means cutting their budget for snow. So yeah, 24 seven is definitely, it definitely helps.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: That's for sure.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, there's too much investment in equipment.
snowjobspodcast: Oh Jesus.
Jonathan Wise: Like to not to not be done 24 seven on those kinds of things.
snowjobspodcast: I know. I know. I hear you.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: So out there, your Fleetwood. So that's where you guys are based out of. What is your range that you go outside of there? Like what what for areas you cover?
Jonathan Wise: Um, so from our shop, we don't really go much more than 45 minutes.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: Um, but so what we do at every site that we set up satellite sites, so we have like, um,
snowjobspodcast: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: brine tank, granular salt bin, and then ah extra equipment, and then maybe even a plow truck might just sit there with like a salter on it or whatnot. But that's pretty much how we do it. And then those guys in that location will go back to that site. If there's like issues, there's tools there, there's stuff in the container such as like Snow Raiders and whatnot, but that's kind of how we set up. but It's not perfect, but I think it's pretty close.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, very cool. I like that. I definitely like that.
RICK JAMES: when you set us So when you set a site up, it's you like drop a storage unit or container there and then you just fill that up with parts and whatever you need for the site.
snowjobspodcast: Go ahead, Jack.
RICK JAMES: And is that kind of how you do your sites? or
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, we put like our sidewalk material inside inside the container, the serrators, extra shovels, PPE.
Jonathan Wise: I think usually there's def in there, extra def.
Jonathan Wise: You try to think of the thing that's like the easiest thing in the world that you know you're actually never going to need, but you know one time you're going to need it.
RICK JAMES: Mm hmm.
snowjobspodcast: Oh yeah, absolutely.
Jonathan Wise: So the list keeps getting longer and longer.
RICK JAMES: Oh yeah.
snowjobspodcast: A couple of cases of water, some granola bars, you know, stuff like that.
Jonathan Wise: any
snowjobspodcast: Absolutely. Oh man.
Jonathan Wise: yeah Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: And usually we have to have a restaurant near there too, because we usually like open up a tab there and let the guys go and get stuff or they'll bring stuff over.
snowjobspodcast: We've all.
Jonathan Wise: Just try to keep everyone happy because.
snowjobspodcast: Absolutely. ah You got to keep the boys happy. Keep them happy. Keep them pushing. and Oh man. What is your market like as far as your annual snow, your types of storms? Are you any different than the rest of Lehigh Valley? I know there's a lot of microclimates out there.
Jonathan Wise: We're pretty close to that. We have some northern sites that get a little bit more, but I mean, we're usually at that like 29 to 31 inch. I'm sure we we could ask Marc Satterberg, he could tell us, but I think we're right around there.
snowjobspodcast: They all could tell us, but they couldn't tell us what's going to happen tomorrow, but they can.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: no Give him the zip code.
snowjobspodcast: Just kidding, Mark. Give him the zip codes.
RICK JAMES: and was
Jonathan Wise: You know, the one time one time I asked Marc, I was like, hey, I was like, I'm not trying to bust your balls, but like, Can you show me a little bit? Man, all these little lines that run across the map for weather, I'm like, this is absolutely ridiculous.
snowjobspodcast: Yup. Absolutely.
Jonathan Wise: No wonder you can't ever tell. You have to make the best educated guess, and that's it. And then I look at it and be like, yeah, it's going to snow somewhere.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah. Absolutely.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, that's pretty much what they do.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: It's going to snow somewhere. We have no idea where it's coming.
RICK JAMES: Gotta bring the weather rock back.
snowjobspodcast: ah The weather rock is never wrong.
RICK JAMES: Gotta bring it back.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Oh man, that's great. So how many, how many sites do you guys, you said what you actually service, how many sites are you currently servicing?
Jonathan Wise: We are servicing not to count them um Probably 15 13 15 somewhere around there.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, ballpark.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah Yeah, most of them too are like grouped in one area so it's usually we don't have like an outlier we actually I'm lying we have two but usually they're all really close to each other so that same service area so like if one machine would go down at a site and
snowjobspodcast: So they're all big boys.
Jonathan Wise: Um, it wouldn't really be a problem because you could pull someone else over and usually get a pretty quick fix, you know, relatively quick.
snowjobspodcast: Yep.
snowjobspodcast: Absolutely.
Jonathan Wise: So that's what we try to do.
snowjobspodcast: That's what we like to absolutely love it.
RICK JAMES: You know, in all your equipments to dedicate it to site, i I would assume like everybody else out there seems like.
Jonathan Wise: Yes. you Yeah. Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Absolutely.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Jay, you got anything else before you take them into your favorite part of the show?
RICK JAMES: I love this part.
snowjobspodcast: All right, well, then we got to say, ah you could, you definitely could.
RICK JAMES: I could talk to a whole show about equipment.
snowjobspodcast: And that, that would be your dream, right? Just run an hour, just talk, which is easy to do.
RICK JAMES: Yeah. Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: We could do it, but you know, for now, this Jeremy Lindstrom equipment segment is powered by Dinesse leasing guys. All right. No matter what you guys need for snow removal equipment, Dinesse has got it.
snowjobspodcast: All right. They got you covered. You know, you're talking top tier equipment, flexible rental options there that they have it for purchase. It's one stop shopping for snow guys. So get ahold of them and take advantage of it.
snowjobspodcast: Go ahead, Jay, take it away, bud.
RICK JAMES: Hi, Jonathan. I'd like to hear about equipment. Tell me about all your equipment you got from pushers to loaders to Psyduck machines to salters. Let her rip.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, so we um so I have a mentor, his name's Dave, Dave Roland, and um he calls it yellow iron fever. He says every farmer and every construction guy has the same problem.
snowjobspodcast: ah Like that.
snowjobspodcast: It's true.
RICK JAMES: Yup.
snowjobspodcast: It's very true.
Jonathan Wise: oh but So I love Caterpillar. they're They're probably my favorite, but we run all Hitachi loaders.
snowjobspodcast: yeah
Jonathan Wise: We really like them and the and the compact loaders. 180s, 160s. We use these little things called 80s. They're like a 12 ,000 pound machine.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah. Yep.
RICK JAMES: I haven't seen him.
Jonathan Wise: They're okay. I know Tony Donovan out in New York has a bunch of them too.
snowjobspodcast: They're like a 221 case, like a 906, right?
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: Oh, really?
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: I've never seen the ah compact Hitachi.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: I've only seen the bigger ones.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah. They got the babies.
RICK JAMES: Oh.
Jonathan Wise: They're kind of silly looking, to be honest with you. I'm kind of like, when I first got one, I'm like, actually, I feel like
snowjobspodcast: They are. yeah I was just going to say that.
Jonathan Wise: Hitachi in general, like who paints a machine orange? Like, I don't know.
snowjobspodcast: Them.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Them and Doosan, right?
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, I did
Jonathan Wise: And I'm like, man. But yeah, so we really like, um they they have, come they are Cummings motors. I think they have Perkins in the smaller machines, I think is, um but yeah, we, I mean, not gonna worry, we haven't had any problems.
snowjobspodcast: Mm hmm.
Jonathan Wise: They've been really great. They just updated the dash sevens, which we got one end of those already. Um, like definitely more, like we were talking earlier, we'll have a lot more competition now, I think with some of the big guys.
Jonathan Wise: Um, and then for our small like skid loaders, um, we're running all cat 262s and cat 246s. I really honestly, I don't think anyone offers a better skid loader than cat.
Jonathan Wise: I mean, we can all have a fight about that, I guess, but I feel like they, ah they really offer a great machine and everything's the same.
snowjobspodcast: Sure.
snowjobspodcast: You definitely can't knock at, you definitely can't knock at, even if you don't run them and don't like, if that's not your number one choice, you can't knock them. They make a fantastic machine.
Jonathan Wise: yeah Yeah, I mean, i think they're I think they're the best skid loader out there, but that's that's me.
RICK JAMES: Mm hmm.
Jonathan Wise: But yeah, no, we really like those. we um
Jonathan Wise: I'm trying to think, well yeah, so that's basically like our equipment that we run. The sidewalk, we run Snow Raiders pretty much at all our sites for sidewalks, just regular.
snowjobspodcast: Regular or Magnum?
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: I'm not trying to kill, I'm not trying to jump on balls here a little bit, but
snowjobspodcast: Go ahead.
Jonathan Wise: My my ah brother -in -law bought two of them, the Raider Maxis or the Maxis mags, and he had nothing but problems.
snowjobspodcast: The mags. Yep.
Jonathan Wise: and They were the first generation ones, so if you're going to buy them first, like like you're going to have to kind of expect some kind of issue. But I think he just kept having issues, and i you know I'm not really sure what to extent it all got resolved.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: but They said they fix a lot of the bugs, so but we just the raiders are simple. We use the brine tanks a lot and everything has a granular spreader here on the East Coast.
snowjobspodcast: Yup.
Jonathan Wise: We really like them. They're, in my opinion, they're a game changer for our guys.
snowjobspodcast: Yup.
Jonathan Wise: so I hope they don't change that much.
snowjobspodcast: You have the you have the exact path spreader on those snow Raiders.
Jonathan Wise: yeah
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: yep
snowjobspodcast: how How awesome are those?
Jonathan Wise: we have They're awesome. We had a couple, um we sold a couple of LT riches.
snowjobspodcast: Yup.
Jonathan Wise: And notice how broadcast spread is on. So we'll use those at like employee parking lots.
snowjobspodcast: Mm hmm.
Jonathan Wise: they They seem to work pretty good with that. So we've had to replace some motors and different things like that, but all like things, I mean, they're getting pretty old.
snowjobspodcast: sure
Jonathan Wise: So I mean, I think it's kind of cool to have a piece of the original Snow Raider.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, they were the spark, right?
RICK JAMES: Do they are the originals the ones that just have a blade or can they can you switch attachments?
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: They were...
Jonathan Wise: yeah
snowjobspodcast: No, they just have a blade. Yeah, they just have the blade.
RICK JAMES: Okay Yeah, we don't
Jonathan Wise: Well, so the ones we have have a brine tank on them and a like just like the Snow Raider right now and a broadcast spreader on them. so
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, but as far as your pushing options, the original, the LT Riches, they just had the blade.
Jonathan Wise: Correct.
snowjobspodcast: That's what I think he was asking, yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah. Yeah. yeah Sorry.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, I didn't, I, I don't, we don't see any of those around here, honestly.
snowjobspodcast: No, it's all good.
RICK JAMES: So I mean, they I've seen plenty, it's too cold, I think, but yeah, I've seen plenty of guys while you talk more all the time.
snowjobspodcast: No, too cold.
RICK JAMES: They're all great there. So yeah.
snowjobspodcast: There, I mean, listen, that, that, like I've said it, the snow Raiders were great for us. We loved them. The only issue we had was that we couldn't change out the attachment. You know, we liked having the ability to go to broom or on a nor 'easter, possibly having to go to a blower, but those things were beasts. You know, the snow Raiders were great. We didn't have any problems with them. The originals, not the mags, the originals had no problems with them. The exact path was probably the most simplistic yet.
snowjobspodcast: perfectly designed drop spreader. That thing worked beautifully. It metered out snow by the grain. It seemed like, you know, it was great. It it rivals, I would say, if it's not equal to Ventrac's drop spreader, it's gotta be damn close. That thing was great. The shoots were designed to go out, so no salt landed on the frame of the machine underneath it. It it actually channeled it away from the frame, which was cool. And we never had any issues. We loved, the only thing we had to do was we had to switch out the nozzles for the ah for the brine.
Jonathan Wise: Oh yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Um, we put bigger, uh, bigger, uh, pencil nozzles on them because the ones that came stock were not big enough. You weren't able to put out enough product, but, um, we didn't add any jets.
Jonathan Wise: Did you had guys add any jets to the bottom? I think they're 20 gallons.
snowjobspodcast: We just changed out the nozzles that existed. We would put bigger, uh, bigger diameter openings on them so we could get more, more liquid down. Um, but yeah, no, they were.
RICK JAMES: How big a brine tank is on them? Sorry, ah big ah how big is the tank on there?
snowjobspodcast: What's that?
snowjobspodcast: Was it 20, 20 gallon, I think.
RICK JAMES: 20.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, pretty certain, yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah. Yeah, but they're built into the machine as a opposed like that's the one thing I loved about the Snow Raider versus the Ventrac. The Ventrac, you have this giant tank sitting on the front of your machine that blocks your vision of your attachment. The Snow Raider had the tank in in the basically underneath your control panel. So it was in enclosed. The machine was actually built around the tank. So it was ah I thought it was a great design. We had We had great luck with them, and they were based off the LT Rich, which was the spark for all sidewalk machines, right?
snowjobspodcast: I mean, did anybody ever have a sidewalk machine in that class before those LT Riches? That was the first one I ever saw.
Jonathan Wise: No, because the mammoth came out just like two years ago. I guess that's not being received so well. I don't know. Do you guys know anything about those?
snowjobspodcast: ah
RICK JAMES: I haven't heard.
Jonathan Wise: Oh, no.
RICK JAMES: ah
snowjobspodcast: ah
RICK JAMES: Wait, let's go to Robert.
snowjobspodcast: will
RICK JAMES: Let's go to Robert here.
snowjobspodcast: well
RICK JAMES: go
snowjobspodcast: We got a friend that we, we've dedicated many an episode to talking about the mammoth, but, uh, yeah, no, they, uh, you know, every, I think everybody has problems.
RICK JAMES: ah
Jonathan Wise: I just want to joke around about it.
RICK JAMES: ah
snowjobspodcast: It's at the end of the day. It's how you stand behind it. Did you make it right with the guys that were affected? And in that case they didn't. So, uh, you know, the mammoth got a thumbs down from us.
RICK JAMES: yeah
RICK JAMES: But then we had another guy say, Hey, you love it.
snowjobspodcast: Um, he did, uh, Rick, right?
RICK JAMES: So, I mean, but yeah, Rick had them, but like you say, it just comes down to service after the sale and how you're going to do it.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: So.
snowjobspodcast: And yeah, I mean, you never know. It could have been, he could have gotten a machine that was built on a Tuesday rather than a Friday afternoon. You don't, you know, I mean, you don't know what the variables are with these things.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: They're all machines that can all be broken. You got to have service to back it up, make it right for guys.
RICK JAMES: yeah
snowjobspodcast: But, uh, but yeah, the snow Raiders are great. Um, have you had, have you had any, any issues with them at all? Because I didn't, I haven't heard too many people do.
Jonathan Wise: No, I think on the LT riches, like just cause they're older, we had to replace a hydraulic pump, I think once or twice.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: um And then I think we also had, I think my guys just beat him up to be honest with you. I was at one site and they still, this is what's crazy.
RICK JAMES: No, no, no, no.
snowjobspodcast: No!
Jonathan Wise: I was at this one site and the safety coordinator or whatever manager we're pretty good with, like they're they're pretty awesome with their communication.
snowjobspodcast: but
Jonathan Wise: And he sent me this video and he's, I wish I had it up, but he's like, Hey, I just want to let you know, I think your guys are being a little rough on your stuff. And I'm like, what? And so I watched a video here, they're riding it like a freaking Bronco.
RICK JAMES: Oh, gosh.
Jonathan Wise: And I'm like, I called the guys out and then they wondered, and that's like the next day we go to like, my guys go around.
snowjobspodcast: ah oh
Jonathan Wise: He's like, Hey, they'll like to check on the equipment, just like through fuel and everything like that. And just check on stuff. And here that they couldn't figure out why the hydraulic was leaking, like why it was leaking all over the place.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, I don't know we didn't hit nothing we didn't touch anything.
Jonathan Wise: It's like,
RICK JAMES: No.
snowjobspodcast: I don't know why it's why it's leaking Oh Jesus
RICK JAMES: yeah Workman parked.
Jonathan Wise: yeah
RICK JAMES: Workman parked.
Jonathan Wise: I was like, how about this video? And I said the video to him. He's like, oh yeah, we were doing that.
RICK JAMES: At least they even, at least they admitted it even when the guy got guys at home.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: We didn't do it. I'm like, Oh, so who's that?
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, most snow guys double down.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Nope. That's not me.
RICK JAMES: Nope. Not me.
snowjobspodcast: That's not me.
RICK JAMES: That's somebody else.
Jonathan Wise: That's another guy.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah. That's another guy.
RICK JAMES: It's a different guy on our lot.
Jonathan Wise: come
snowjobspodcast: but Jesus.
Jonathan Wise: ah
snowjobspodcast: Oh man. All right. So we're using the snow Raiders of sidewalk machines. What else you got in the fleet there, Jonathan?
Jonathan Wise: Yes, so we were, I hate to say it, but no, actually I don't. I'm proud of us.
snowjobspodcast: All good.
Jonathan Wise: We use a lot of metal plus.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: The fan wings are awesome to get underneath kingpins. I actually, I remember that our first year in business, it was a great snow year, man, 52 inches of snow. And I was meeting with Dave, my mentor there. And we go to this like little like hoedink restaurant in the middle of nowhere. And I was like, yeah, I'm just trying to figure out something. He said, hey, um You keep talking about those metal pluses.
Jonathan Wise: Why don't you get one? And I was like, so excited. I'm like running out of the store, like, or out of the restaurant. I'm calling like Jordan. I'm like, dude, get me a fair wing.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, man.
Jonathan Wise: And he's like, wow, you're a little excited. I'm like, yeah, this is awesome. But we didn't have any live, we didn't have any live edge.
snowjobspodcast: Got told to get one.
Jonathan Wise: We just had like steel trip edge, which it did okay, but nothing compared to that.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: I should, maybe I should say constant contact because you have live edge, trace edge.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: You have any of that. Um, like we didn't have any.
snowjobspodcast: Everybody's got their different name for it.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah. I mean, um, so we're excited. I mean, yeah, we love our metal pluses. We're going to try a couple, um, of the Western pile drivers this year, the wing plows.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: I want to see how they work. Um, price point wise.
snowjobspodcast: Keep us posted.
RICK JAMES: yeah
Jonathan Wise: Yeah. I mean, they, um, they're definitely a cost savings for sure.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, sure.
Jonathan Wise: Um, and I, but the, the problem with them is they only come in three foot wings.
RICK JAMES: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: So like, if you get a 12 foot mobile board, I mean, you only get, you're only getting a 19 foot box.
RICK JAMES: Oh.
snowjobspodcast: Uh, yep.
Jonathan Wise: So it's like, so I think what it's going to do is there.
RICK JAMES: That's straight out.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah. I think those are going to service like a wing plow. Like usually we have like a, like a live box or something that would, you know, service a wing plows as when rowing. And I think we're going to try this out and see how it works.
snowjobspodcast: Sure. Cool.
RICK JAMES: How big of metal pluses do you have then?
Jonathan Wise: Uh, we go up to 28 foot.
RICK JAMES: Nice.
Jonathan Wise: So and then the box is we don't go anything larger than I know we have a 16 footer. We don't go anything usually larger than a 14 foot box.
RICK JAMES: Okay. What do you have those on? What what size hotachis are you running those?
Jonathan Wise: um So we have a 915 and 916 metal plus on the 100s to attach you 100s. That's like a 16 or 18 ,000 pound machine.
RICK JAMES: Mm -hmm.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: I think. And then the 180s would get like the 16 foot box or the van the van wings, which we have a 10, I'm going to get this wrong, a 1026 and a 1228.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: So we put those, those will go on there.
snowjobspodcast: Cool.
Jonathan Wise: So, but we're we we're putting ah snow tires on this 160 that we have that we just got in.
snowjobspodcast: and how Yeah. Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: And I'm really interested to see how a the is going to do on that. Cause I say you can do less with more or More with less. Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: If you put snow tires on, you'll be able to like basically put that machine up a class with what it can push.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah. Yeah. So we're, we're going to use those galaxies.
snowjobspodcast: Jeremy says that all the time and it's absolutely true.
RICK JAMES: Yeah. Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Oh yeah. Well, I'm hoping it, I'm hoping it holds out because it would save money for sure. Cause I feel like the one eighties we don't always need, like it's just, I dunno, I guess it was, I dunno.
snowjobspodcast: Sure.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah. but
snowjobspodcast: How have the plus has been for you? Everything good?
Jonathan Wise: Yeah. we I mean, knock on wood. We haven't had any problems.
snowjobspodcast: Good.
Jonathan Wise: The biggest thing is, um, the guys messing up the harnesses, you know, like, I don't know how it happens.
snowjobspodcast: Sweet.
Jonathan Wise: Like I install them and I put them in there and I'm like, Oh yeah, we got plenty of room. And then all of my stuff pulled out. I'm like, what are you talking about?
RICK JAMES: Oh God, so you gonna go with the star vision?
Jonathan Wise: I had 30 extra feet. Um, I don't i think I think we probably should try at least one.
snowjobspodcast: oh
RICK JAMES: I think you should.
Jonathan Wise: Um, I think that. I think that's pretty awesome. I think that's pretty cool what they're doing over there. Um, especially with that. Cause basically of you doing two wire harnesses, that's a cost of one of those.
Jonathan Wise: And I think last year, last year we did it like three times to one and I'm like, this is out of control.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, exactly.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: Like what's going on?
RICK JAMES: okay And every storm vision I saw, I got to kick back.
Jonathan Wise: Oh, nice.
RICK JAMES: So I'm just going to keep.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, yeah. Do you?
Jonathan Wise: You've done it.
snowjobspodcast: but
RICK JAMES: I'm just kidding.
snowjobspodcast: but
Jonathan Wise: I got a call.
RICK JAMES: Maybe I'm not.
Jonathan Wise: I got to call Jordan or talk to Christian about that. Where's this kickback stuff coming from?
snowjobspodcast: It's. ah Yeah, right.
RICK JAMES: ah I should probably talk to him about that too.
snowjobspodcast: Oh. You should.
Jonathan Wise: Oh, you should probably talk to Phil.
snowjobspodcast: You should. You he did love.
Jonathan Wise: You should probably talk to Phil.
RICK JAMES: Oh yeah, Phil.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Jeremy was all over that storm vision when he saw it for the first time. He was like, holy crap. You got to see this.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, I love it.
snowjobspodcast: This is amazing.
Jonathan Wise: it's pretty cool I think the biggest thing on it is is having the um like having your blade set straight.
snowjobspodcast: It's really cool.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: Mm hmm.
Jonathan Wise: you know i think that I think that really wears stuff down, and then also it's putting more pressure on the ground, I think, too. so
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: I don't know. I think that having been able to see that, I think that would be pretty awesome.
RICK JAMES: What?
snowjobspodcast: 100 % accurate. How many videos do you see posted on? ah Well, you don't have Instagram, right Jonathan? But I mean, we, we see, we see it all the time.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, I need to work on that.
snowjobspodcast: People post an Instagram videos running a metal plus but in front of a loader where the blade is tilted back 10 degrees or, you know, or tilted forward 10 degrees. And it's just like, boy, you are really messing up your edges right now.
RICK JAMES: but then Isn't that what Metal Plus is kind of, the they burn the shoes.
snowjobspodcast: So on the live boxes,
RICK JAMES: um It's not a shot, I'm just saying. and I've heard that quite a bit that the shoes burn down pretty hard on them. That's just on the boxes.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: i think I think so.
Jonathan Wise: So and we we only had to, out of all the metal pluses we've had, we only had to get shoes once for one.
snowjobspodcast: I don't know. I didn't burn mine on the wings.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: So I don't know if the guys are, I mean, I want to say, I think our guys are pretty awesome operators.
snowjobspodcast: Doing a good job.
Jonathan Wise: I do, I do believe they are doing a great job. Um, but yeah, yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Most of, I mean, the premature wear is usually operator error. Um, but we have heard on the live boxes, which I believe I'm 99 .9 % positive metal.
snowjobspodcast: Plus has gone to a different shoe on the live boxes this year. So that problem won't happen again. So I did hear that. That was one of the things.
RICK JAMES: What are you using on those smaller loaders, the compacts? Did I miss that?
Jonathan Wise: No, so we're we're using live boxes and then we have those like smaller wing plows, um but on like the skid loaders, yeah, so OE3013s.
RICK JAMES: Like the 13s.
snowjobspodcast: Mm hmm.
Jonathan Wise: But man, my guys love the the the Western Prodigy for a skid loader. They request those all the time because i it scrapes really great.
snowjobspodcast: OK.
Jonathan Wise: um I don't know, they just, they asked for them. That's crazy. Cause they're like a third of the price of an OA 30 13. So it's like, we'll buy those all day long.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: We get, we get deserve red storks.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, it's basically an automatically yeah automatic turning white out, right?
Jonathan Wise: And, um,
snowjobspodcast: Basically automatic. it You put it to the right and the wings
Jonathan Wise: one of the, so that the wings just dump on each side. So this isn't like a wide out. It just like, um, like it has wings, but they're really short. Like, I don't know.
snowjobspodcast: OK, I got you.
Jonathan Wise: or something like that. And then when you if you like dump it to the right, that right one dumps automatically.
snowjobspodcast: I got you.
Jonathan Wise: But you can also you can also like put it back.
snowjobspodcast: OK.
Jonathan Wise: and they They give you pins with it, and you can put a pin down, and then you go to the other side, and then it can just be like a straight blade.
snowjobspodcast: I got you.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: So you could whimmer with it or clean out loading docks or something. But yeah, the guys request those and all the time.
snowjobspodcast: Cool.
Jonathan Wise: And I'm starting to learn. Maybe I should shut up, and I should pay attention to what they say.
snowjobspodcast: Is it you think because it's simpler to run than a plus?
Jonathan Wise: ah yeah
Jonathan Wise: Uh, it might, I, yes.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, I could see that. I could definitely see that.
Jonathan Wise: Um, but now I know eight 30, 13 in a skid loader, everything's on the controller. So like it's super smooth.
snowjobspodcast: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: Um, but yeah, they just really like it. I'm not knocking metal plus on that.
snowjobspodcast: No.
Jonathan Wise: It's just, I, you know, a lot of guys ask what, you know, what are you using? I'm like, this, you know, I think you can get a blade for 5 ,200 bucks or something.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, yeah, it's a huge savings.
Jonathan Wise: Like ready to go. So, I mean, it's, those are in my opinion, probably one of the best, one of the best things out there.
snowjobspodcast: Sweet.
Jonathan Wise: Although I am drinking the Kool -Aid on Western.
RICK JAMES: Good.
Jonathan Wise: So I have to give that, give that out there.
snowjobspodcast: Western West.
Jonathan Wise: I mean, we, yeah, we run MVP threes.
snowjobspodcast: I hear you. Western's been good for me.
Jonathan Wise: We got our first wide out this year. Um, so I'm interested to see the wide out, um, the guys over at a Vantage. I don't know if you guys ever ran into them, Nate and Eric Detweiler.
snowjobspodcast: No.
Jonathan Wise: They were really saying that they're another awesome local snow guy down our way.
snowjobspodcast: Cool.
Jonathan Wise: They were saying, you're going to love the whiteout. Like, but I just always been an MVP three guy. Like I've never, I've always had what the MVP threes.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, me too. How have they been for you? The MVP threes.
Jonathan Wise: Oh, I never had a problem.
snowjobspodcast: Exactly. Neither have I. That's the, they're bulletproof.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah. Yeah. They're just, I love them. Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Great plows. Yep. Absolutely great plows.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Have you used, have you put a set of the winter edges on the MVP threes yet?
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: So we have one with a set of winter, and then we have another set with another company because it was in like 20 or 21 when you couldn't get anything.
snowjobspodcast: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: I forget the name of it now. We got them at StorX Pliles. Oh my gosh.
RICK JAMES: Sabre.
snowjobspodcast: Sabre.
Jonathan Wise: Savory? Yeah, that's at Savory.
snowjobspodcast: Sabre.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Yup.
Jonathan Wise: And they both have been no problem. like
snowjobspodcast: Not there.
RICK JAMES: Mm hmm.
snowjobspodcast: It's, it's definitely like, yeah again, not knocking Western, but you know, it's, you're, you're taking a stock edge off and you're putting a winter or a Sabre on and it it's night and day, right?
RICK JAMES: Mm hmm.
Jonathan Wise: Oh yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah. It's like, I couldn't believe it. I really couldn't believe I'm like, how good can these things be? Jeremy was always talking about them. I took the shot. I put one set on and I was like, it was night and day.
snowjobspodcast: So yeah.
RICK JAMES: Someday somebody will listen to me.
snowjobspodcast: there Yeah. Right. I listened to you all the time.
RICK JAMES: but Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: I got, I had to spend five grand on snow tires for a loader. Cause you said so. I got winter equipment edges on the one plow. Cause you said I had to, you know, you got to try them. I, I don't, I don't say no.
RICK JAMES: um no problem I have no problem spending other people's money.
snowjobspodcast: Exactly. I don't say no to you when you tell me to get something. I'll, I'll, I'll bow to the experience. you know You use them a lot more, right?
RICK JAMES: Yeah. Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: You're doing and doing more pushes.
RICK JAMES: yeah
snowjobspodcast: You did more pushes, let not last year. because You did no pushes, but the year before that, you did more pushes in that year than I think we did in three years.
RICK JAMES: Yeah. Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: So you got to, you know, it's all time under plow.
RICK JAMES: Blades on the ground, man. That's what we do around here. So we still, we probably pushed more needed last year.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: Still, I think we had 12 or 13 pushes.
snowjobspodcast: You did not.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, we did.
snowjobspodcast: No, you did not.
RICK JAMES: He sure did.
snowjobspodcast: You got, didn't you get like 17 inches of snow?
RICK JAMES: Yeah. But we pushed at a quarter inch.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, well, all right.
RICK JAMES: but We, we got to take advantage of man.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah. That is true. You're below zero. Yeah.
RICK JAMES: Dude, I got a count. It was 12 or 13. I thought, yeah, it was not saying it was not saying it was big pushes, but we did her.
snowjobspodcast: ah ah Then yes, you, then yes, you did. You had, you had a couple of pushes on us.
RICK JAMES: Yeah. Yeah. Got to keep the guys happy.
snowjobspodcast: Quarter inch. I wouldn't get out of bed for a quarter inch bro.
RICK JAMES: Oh, you're a hobby pusher. So, uh,
snowjobspodcast: I'm a hobby pusher.
Jonathan Wise: Oh, wow.
snowjobspodcast: Exactly. I'm a hobby pusher.
RICK JAMES: the
snowjobspodcast: It's fucking funny. Uh, in the Northeast here, we get like feet, not inches.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, inches pay the bill.
snowjobspodcast: No, that is true. If you're, if you do your contract, right? So to feet though, but, uh, yeah.
RICK JAMES: True. How about Salters? What do you got?
snowjobspodcast: Yeah. What are you running? Salters, Jonathan.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, so we use um Western strikers. And, um, but our favorite are the, um, the snow X with the helix core.
snowjobspodcast: Okay. We've heard that a couple of times from guys.
Jonathan Wise: We were like, we always did the, we used to always get the tornadoes and then they were kind of getting too small and then we'd make them bigger. But man, getting into the, uh, the helix core is awesome.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Like, I just, I don't know. I just can't, you can't shake them. They're just, they're great. I mean, it's so crazy. So my son was loading up one of these spreaders. And he didn't look in the box.
Jonathan Wise: He thought everybody watched everything out and he was taking it out and there was salt left in it and freaking bent the thing like this.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, the four pockets.
RICK JAMES: o
Jonathan Wise: And he was like, so upset. And I mean, we took it down to, I mean, storks and they fixed it right up. Like they, I mean, it took like a day or two or, you know, maybe it only took him 10 minutes, but like they literally just welded some new stuff in there, put a new helix in there.
Jonathan Wise: And we were off and running again. I mean, it was. I love those, those, those Helix, I mean, it's a shame that they stopped offering those, uh, fork.
RICK JAMES: Oh.
Jonathan Wise: They used to have like, uh, yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Yep.
RICK JAMES: Hmm.
Jonathan Wise: And they don't, they don't have that anymore. That's like, they're, I'm like, why didn't you talk to any of these like industry snow pros out here? Cause they would have like, don't do that. Like that's the one thing you can do anything else you want. Just don't touch that.
RICK JAMES: Cause they know better or they think they know better.
snowjobspodcast: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Well, yeah.
Jonathan Wise: yeah
snowjobspodcast: Yeah. We've heard that a couple of times though, about the, uh, the Snowex, the Helix. Um, I think a bunch of guys have said that. I think Brandon Riley said that too, that he likes those too.
RICK JAMES: Yeah. Yeah. I think Mitchell runs them too.
Jonathan Wise: Like if you can find old, if you can find old stock buy it, like, cause you can find the parts where it's, that's not the issue, but yeah, I just, I think they're awesome.
snowjobspodcast: Mitchell. Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: Yeah. What else? Two to three yarders or what?
Jonathan Wise: Yeah. So we have, now you're questioning me. I think one of ours is, um, a six yard.
RICK JAMES: okay
Jonathan Wise: And then we have four and a half yards on the, all the other ones.
RICK JAMES: okay
snowjobspodcast: Cool. What are you putting those on truck wise?
Jonathan Wise: Um, so, uh, we're smoking the dope of Ford, everything I have is Ford. Um, so we, the, the, uh, larger, um, spreader biz on a seven 50, which I think we're going to try putting on a F 600 this year.
snowjobspodcast: It's all good.
RICK JAMES: Okay.
snowjobspodcast: OK.
Jonathan Wise: Um, and then, um, five fifties, three fifties.
RICK JAMES: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: Um, but mainly, yeah. And then we have an international 4400 that has like a. I think that's an eight yard spreader on that one, but that's mainly just a slight truck.
snowjobspodcast: Very cool.
Jonathan Wise: But yeah, I know we like her.
RICK JAMES: So all these shelters, do they just stay at the site, son?
Jonathan Wise: No, we we we make everyone bring them, everything comes back and we wash out and then sold away it.
RICK JAMES: they
Jonathan Wise: And then it'll lay it'll stay hooked up here at the shop. And then like that will come here and grab that truck to go out there or Depending on how quick the storm is coming or something, we might take it out and have it there for them.
Jonathan Wise: So it just kind of depends. But we're pretty religious on washing it out and then greasing it up.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, you kind of gotta be.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, dialectic grease, everything you can.
RICK JAMES: oh How?
snowjobspodcast: Amen.
RICK JAMES: How is that?
snowjobspodcast: Amen.
RICK JAMES: How is that salt the waste? I've seen a lot of ads and stuff. I've never used it.
snowjobspodcast: Very good.
RICK JAMES: Is it pretty good?
Jonathan Wise: I mean, we like it.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: I mean, we don't have as many problems. I do feel like our stuff looks pretty good. So I didn't do it this year, but usually we do like keep spreaders, or at least when I, when I used to do snow years ago, we keep spreaders for three years and keep plows for five.
Jonathan Wise: That's like kept their most, their best trade in value and then get new stuff.
snowjobspodcast: Mm hmm.
Jonathan Wise: But I mean, our stuff's holding up pretty darn good. I think, I mean, Washington, I mean, there's fluid films sitting over there in the shop.
snowjobspodcast: Do you fluid film the stuff too or and or just salt away?
Jonathan Wise: But we grease everything. My ah boys come in during the year and like they'll jump in a machine and, you know, once a month and drive it around and the blades maybe like twice they'll go or, you know, like if you, if it's a wing cloud grease it or something like that.
snowjobspodcast: Sure.
Jonathan Wise: So, but yeah, no, I, a lot of, I know a lot of people are useful in film. Again, we have it sitting over there, but we just didn't do it.
snowjobspodcast: I got you. I got you. Yeah. The salt, the way the salt away works. Any of those, those, uh, that break the bond there, the neutral wash salt, the way salt salt, the way is a lot cheaper, a lot cheaper than neutral wash, neutral, ah neutral wash is very expensive stuff.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, I've used neutral wash.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: Can you buy salt away? Like on a 50 gallon drum or anything or you know, I see.
snowjobspodcast: You can get that. You can get that off Instagram salt away. They actually have a, they actually have a dispenser.
RICK JAMES: I've seen it on there.
snowjobspodcast: Now you can mount on your wall and it it milks out of a 55 gallon drum and puts it right into the hose.
RICK JAMES: Hmm.
RICK JAMES: Maybe I should put it on, get a tanker, tanker load.
Jonathan Wise: Really?
snowjobspodcast: Yeah. It was like 20, $2 ,100 or something for the whole thing. You had to have it hooked up to electric and it's got a pump that pumps the stuff right into the hose reel that it has.
snowjobspodcast: And it's a whole little wash station, a salt away station.
RICK JAMES: Hmm.
Jonathan Wise: Hmm. That's pretty cool.
snowjobspodcast: It's one of those salt begun or salt away.
Jonathan Wise: I didn't know.
snowjobspodcast: You know, they're, they're all basically the same product ah as far as I can tell. Uh, different labels, but yeah, one of them has those that spray station now, which is, it's interesting, but yeah, it definitely works.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Definitely works that using that in fluid film definitely buys you time. It keeps your stuff looking better a lot longer.
RICK JAMES: About brian equipment.
snowjobspodcast: What else you got? with it What's that?
RICK JAMES: It's like you saw like you had some brian equipment made him say that
snowjobspodcast: Oh yeah. Yeah. We got to go into Brian. Yeah. Let's go into Brian.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, so we use all BSI because it's the best.
snowjobspodcast: It is the best. That's what I hear.
snowjobspodcast: Jordan made him say that.
Jonathan Wise: We really liked it.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, come on.
RICK JAMES: ah
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, i we love Brian. We make our own stuff here. But yeah, I can't knock it. I think the BSI stuff's also our sprayers.
Jonathan Wise: We were on 1 ,000 gun units in 750.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, for for us, it's awesome. It makes us sort of look really good. The biggest part is educating the customer. That's like the biggest.
snowjobspodcast: Sure.
Jonathan Wise: I so would probably say it's the biggest problem.
snowjobspodcast: Are you, are you doing everything, Brian, and then have the granular as a backup or is there some kind of planning program there?
Jonathan Wise: But yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, so we pretreat. If we can pretreat with Brian, we pretreat everything. And then as soon as the trucks come back, we switch them over to granular spreaders.
snowjobspodcast: Gotcha.
Jonathan Wise: And then that's what they would like and finish a storm off with.
snowjobspodcast: Cool.
Jonathan Wise: So um I don't, have enough intestinal fortitude to do it both ways. I think, uh, I know Chris Coladas does, and I think Clay, um, up with Meadowbrook and Scranton, he does Brian on the front and the backside.
RICK JAMES: How many gallons, how many gallons you've gone through so far?
Jonathan Wise: So I'm just not there yet.
snowjobspodcast: I got you.
RICK JAMES: Any idea?
Jonathan Wise: Oh, ah we probably use, let's just say 5 ,000 gallons an event. Maybe I'm not.
RICK JAMES: Okay.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: I've got to look at it. Maybe, maybe 3 ,500 or something like that.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: So yeah, I mean.
RICK JAMES: That's the acreage.
snowjobspodcast: And you've had good you've had good luck with all the VSI stuff.
Jonathan Wise: Oh yeah. Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Good.
Jonathan Wise: Well, the crazy thing is you can call like Jordan at 1 45 AM and he'll pick up like, what are you doing?
RICK JAMES: He'll answer, he'll answer.
snowjobspodcast: You literally can.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: You literally can do it. but ah That's why they're winning.
Jonathan Wise: ah He's like, I'll just do this. I'm like, um, thanks.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: That's why they're winning because they answer the phone.
RICK JAMES: And that's why they're the best.
snowjobspodcast: There is no such thing as office hours, you know?
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: You know, I heard Bob Mark say that once. Sometimes he was telling me, he was telling me, yeah, someone was asking me like, let me do difference. And he said, um, pick the phone up.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: And I was like, yeah, that's totally right.
snowjobspodcast: 100%.
Jonathan Wise: I mean, that's a hundred percent what it is.
snowjobspodcast: 100 % answer your phone in any business.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah. Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Answer your phone when your're people when people call you.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah. Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Keys to success.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah. For sure.
snowjobspodcast: There's just one. Answer the phone.
RICK JAMES: how' is it How's your employees out there? Is it easy to get them for you or you you got a pretty standard crew?
Jonathan Wise: Um, I would say so. We've pretty much had the same guys since 2020. um There's been a couple that have changed and things like that. Not many, but man, we two years like I think it was two years ago, are like i don't even know we don't have a title for him, but his name is Larry.
Jonathan Wise: He is like in charge of this one facility, but I lean on him for like a lot of like knowledge or like, hey, you know what are you thinking about this? I mean, sometimes he'll tell me to like leave, which is probably the best thing.
RICK JAMES: Yup.
Jonathan Wise: Um, but, uh, he, he's been really great. Um, last year we took him to snow fighters, um, operations management course. And I think that was probably one of the better things we've done in the past couple of years, like trying to show the guys that, Hey, you know, we appreciate you.
Jonathan Wise: And we think that you can maybe do a little bit better by maybe learning something. Nothing beats real knowledge, like being on the site and it happening.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: But I think that kind of helps.
snowjobspodcast: yeah
Jonathan Wise: And we've done a couple since then. Um, and I definitely think, um, having the really great guys. So this is a crazy fact. So the first year we did five and a half million square feet and now we're doing over seven and a half million.
Jonathan Wise: We're using 36 % less iron than we did when we were serving five and a half million square feet.
snowjobspodcast: Really? She got more efficient.
Jonathan Wise: And I think it's, yeah, so I think it's, and that's when we switched over to like live edge technology.
RICK JAMES: Wow.
Jonathan Wise: um You know, the equipment we changed up a little bit. And then I just don't know what the factor is for having the same guys there every year. what that puts in there.
snowjobspodcast: Oh yeah.
RICK JAMES: Oh, yeah.
Jonathan Wise: I'm sure it's a big number. I just don't know what it is.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Um, but it just cute.
RICK JAMES: Storm vision will tell you.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, that's true.
snowjobspodcast: It's true.
RICK JAMES: Ding.
Jonathan Wise: But may I have it? Yeah. Ding, ding. You are faster.
snowjobspodcast: Cha -ching.
RICK JAMES: Come on, Jordan.
Jonathan Wise: Yes.
snowjobspodcast: He'll send you a hat.
Jonathan Wise: Phil, put the check in the mail. Put the check in the mail.
snowjobspodcast: He'll send you a hat, Jeremy.
RICK JAMES: Uh, yeah. Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, man.
RICK JAMES: I need another hat.
snowjobspodcast: No, you're right. Having the same guys doing the same sites year after year, it definitely is worth dollar amounts in efficiency, 100%.
RICK JAMES: Oh God makes your life so much easier.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah. Yeah. I'm really proud of the guys. I mean, there's times that, I mean, I don't really have to even say anything. Um, but we always struggle with that. Like last five to 10%. Um, I always say I'm inspecting.
RICK JAMES: Mm -hmm.
snowjobspodcast: Mm hmm.
Jonathan Wise: I'm very, I'm inspecting or no, I'm trusting, but verifying.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Um, and I had to learn to micromanage a little less. Uh, but yeah, they, uh, they're, they're getting it little by little, but that last five to 10%, I feel like in every business you're in, it's like the struggle.
snowjobspodcast: Absolutely. Definitely is. Let's take a quick break. We'll let Jonathan get a drink real quick and we'll be back in like a minute. We're going to do some vendor partners.
snowjobspodcast: All right, we're back. We're back. Let's keep going with Jonathan here, Jay. What else you got for him?
RICK JAMES: Are you using a weather service out there, John?
snowjobspodcast: Oh.
Jonathan Wise: Wow, those are fighting words.
snowjobspodcast: Oh.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, let's go.
Jonathan Wise: ah No, um do we use true weather? ah It's, yeah, I think what it comes back to is a relationship with Mark Schoenberger.
snowjobspodcast: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: um he He's a real guy, and I think like he he'll call back and like go over the season with you and just say, hey, I'm sure he doesn't do this for everyone, but I mean, um I think he probably picks certain people every year.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: But just going over the snow site, or not to say it's like this no year, just like kind of review it. Um, having this climatology reports, we build our budgets off of those. Um, and that's how we monitor cashflow.
snowjobspodcast: Mm hmm.
Jonathan Wise: Like our, our cash flow projections, we're using that to get in the mix. So last year in our overall budget, we were within 2%. So like now, like I say that, but in the, like, if you want to like go a little bit smaller dive, we didn't have much in March and they were talking about more things in March, but overall.
snowjobspodcast: Wow. Mm hmm.
Jonathan Wise: it was really, really close. And, you know, I tell people's story in a bunch of different times, but we had this snow event and we got a livecast alert. I'm thinking, I think it was two or three years ago that there might be a possible four inches of snow up north.
Jonathan Wise: And my son and I, we drove up there. It was like two 30 in the morning. And, uh, sure enough, there was like three inches of snow underground and no one else was out.
RICK JAMES: yeah
Jonathan Wise: So now luckily it was on a Sunday. So like, That's, that's the reality there. You know, people aren't as attentive.
snowjobspodcast: Sure.
Jonathan Wise: Um, but we were like clear and other people were coming in, like now the sidewalk guys were coming over. But here's myself and a 12 year old there in clearing probably a million square feet, million and a little bit.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: So, but yeah, so that's why I'm a firm a believer in two weather for sure.
snowjobspodcast: They're great for that.
RICK JAMES: Easy now. Don't get too many compliments. You know, those razor rates.
Jonathan Wise: but Yeah. Yeah. that's
snowjobspodcast: ah ah No, Mark's awesome.
RICK JAMES: I love Mark. He's great.
Jonathan Wise: but
snowjobspodcast: Mark's great. They do good work.
RICK JAMES: He's just a personal guy. And you can, like I say, you have any conversation you want with them. So.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, like the two years ago, when we had a terrible snow year, I would every two weeks we would talk and just say, Hey, you know, what are we, what are you saying? And we, I, you know, we had a lot of conversation going back and forth. So that was really great. Just about have someone that's like sympathetic, but also at the same time, like, Hey, you probably could send your rentals back if you have any.
snowjobspodcast: Wow.
RICK JAMES: Hmm.
Jonathan Wise: So it was just really good conversation to have.
snowjobspodcast: wow
RICK JAMES: Nice.
Jonathan Wise: So every two weeks we did that. And that was, I don't, I mean, maybe other people do that too. I'm sure, but I mean, that's just the relationship we have with Mark there and those guys and Mike, you know, and and Chris, you know, so.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, great.
snowjobspodcast: So how many guys do you actually run during a storm? How many guys are using?
Jonathan Wise: Usually between 30 and 36 somewhere right around there.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Very cool.
RICK JAMES: That's good.
Jonathan Wise: So they got there pretty good.
RICK JAMES: How about, uh, I know you're a little off the Lehigh, like you said, but competition wise, you got quite a bit around you, I would assume. I love it.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah. So like, I think we have great competition. I mean, there's a couple of losers out there in my opinion, but if it would snow, they will not be, it'll hurt them tremendously.
RICK JAMES: Mm hmm.
snowjobspodcast: Hope for snow. Hope
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, I'm actually hoping for a really great year because that would definitely separate the men from the boys.
RICK JAMES: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: And I think some of these customers that, I'm still just from, from Nick Albretta, he has an advanced snowroom in New Jersey, like Clinton, New Jersey area.
RICK JAMES: Wish for no snow.
Jonathan Wise: Value aligned, he used that word as well. blind And I thought, you know, that's totally right. You know, like being valued aligned. You know, Bob had talked a bit little bit about it last week, but I mean, we have um Western Lehigh up here, you know, like Jake and Eric and Leslie.
snowjobspodcast: Yup.
Jonathan Wise: And then you're coming down to EMI with Bob, Matt Dennis, Katie, and Steve, the director of pedestrian walkways.
snowjobspodcast: Mm hmm.
snowjobspodcast: Yep, he's pedestrian.
Jonathan Wise: no um
snowjobspodcast: Walkway director is big. Huge title.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Hey, do you know they're in Snow Business Magazine ah this month?
RICK JAMES: I need a higher.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, yeah.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: Memories. He showed, didn't he show us that last week come on our little pre -show?
Jonathan Wise: yeah
RICK JAMES: He showed us a picture of a magazine and I thought, didn't he?
snowjobspodcast: I have no idea. Oh, I didn't I didn't even recognize what it was.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: OK, cool.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, that's them.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: It kind of goes over their whole company. Yeah, it's it's great.
snowjobspodcast: Nice.
Jonathan Wise: But then you have Scott.
snowjobspodcast: I don't know if I get that magazine anymore. I don't know if Simon's sending it anymore.
Jonathan Wise: Oh boy.
RICK JAMES: Oh.
snowjobspodcast: I don't know.
Jonathan Wise: We're like, forget it. We're not sending it to him.
snowjobspodcast: They don't like us.
RICK JAMES: They don't like us. They don't like us.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, well, that's life. If you liked, everyone liked it, you're probably doing something wrong.
snowjobspodcast: i I've been called worse by better.
RICK JAMES: Exactly.
snowjobspodcast: ah
Jonathan Wise: But then even yeah we have Scott and Chad, Scott and Chad go with the Castle Rocks, and then, um and then some guys down our way, Vantage, Eric and Nathan Detweiler, they're brothers.
RICK JAMES: ah
snowjobspodcast: oh
snowjobspodcast: Sure. Castle rocks, yep.
Jonathan Wise: And then we actually had a little get together. Um, a couple of months ago with the wives, I just was trying to couple a couple little, like, who are we, who do we have an area that's value aligned?
Jonathan Wise: Like that's small.
snowjobspodcast: Sure.
Jonathan Wise: And I think, and we were really trying to keep it like small people and we had like 18 people there.
RICK JAMES: Mm hmm.
Jonathan Wise: So then we're going to do another one, hopefully in December, which is maybe flirting with the devil a little bit, but like to see, and there's a couple more key players I want to bring in that are, that really could, the guys could really listen to and hear a lot from.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Uh, so it's, it's, we actually brought the wives out.
RICK JAMES: That's cool.
Jonathan Wise: So it was kind of good for some, because some of these smaller guys, their wives are doing the billing or they're helping somehow.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: Hmm.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: And so it was kind of good because it was funny, like this one, I don't know if you know Taylor and Vinny from Vinco, they're in New Jersey.
snowjobspodcast: Mm hmm.
Jonathan Wise: But they were talking about, they had machines stolen. Like, has anyone dealt with this? I mean, they lost like three baccos.
snowjobspodcast: Really?
Jonathan Wise: Like Cat 420 is like not cheap.
snowjobspodcast: Freaking Jersey.
Jonathan Wise: So like those guys, they're, they're, they're value aligned with like who we want to be with. Um, but man, they, uh, you know, and they were just conversations going back and forth, you know, the billing everyone's always laughing about.
Jonathan Wise: Um, but I think it was just good for, um, like my wife said a couple of years ago, she went, uh, we went to West Palm beach for the, uh, Simon, what was it? The leadership thing.
snowjobspodcast: Leadership thing. Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: And when she left there, she was like, there's actually more crazy people like you that call you think about us now.
snowjobspodcast: Oh yeah.
RICK JAMES: All right.
snowjobspodcast: We're out there.
Jonathan Wise: So, but, uh, so I think it's good.
snowjobspodcast: ah We're out there.
Jonathan Wise: I think it's good for people to see and hear that, you know, you know, significant others or family members.
snowjobspodcast: It is.
RICK JAMES: Mhm.
Jonathan Wise: Um, but just like, you know, being value aligned, I think with all those different contractors in the area is great. Now, again, there's some little guys out there we're never going to compete with.
Jonathan Wise: You can have all the drivers you want. You can have all the HOA's you want. Good luck.
snowjobspodcast: Uh huh.
Jonathan Wise: Um, but I really do feel that, um, in the industrial snow removal. There's some really great players up there. And I'm OK to lose a site to Bob or to our Western Lehigh. I mean, we do a lot of work together with those guys as well. But there's always a good conversation, like if if we're getting on someone's turf or we get called about it. um There was one time we we looked at a site and I didn't realize it was a broker coming at us because I called Josh with East Coast. And I just had said, hey, like what's going on with the site? And he just said, you know honestly, we're going north. We don't really want to bother with the stuff south.
Jonathan Wise: So like, man, those guys are great too. East Coast, you know, Edwin, Tim, John Koma, Josiah, James.
snowjobspodcast: Mm hmm.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, great guys.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: I mean, they're all great guys. I feel like it's good, healthy competition. I don't know how to summarize it. Like, how do you say, um, I don't work with douche bags, you know, you know I mean, I don't know how to say it.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, I don't I don't mind losing a bid by five percent.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: You know, if you guys are all doing the same thing and you're in the same ballpark because you talk and you're all, like you said, value aligned, you all know your numbers, you know your costs, you know what you should be getting paid. You're going to, you're going to lose bids by five to 10%. You're not going to lose bids by 70%.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: You know, that I think that's the best way to say because you guys have a great thing going. I love that you all talk. I love that you all have good, you know, positive relationships, you know, and and you can have conversations. And, you know, Scott Lezak was saying like he can call any guys down there in that little group and just say, hey, what do you think about this? What do you think about that? And it's a very, I don't know, ah
RICK JAMES: Clergyl.
snowjobspodcast: I don't know what the right word is, you know, very self, I don't know, self evolving, self help group there where you guys all help each other get better and grow. So I think that's great.
Jonathan Wise: I must feel like I do a better job because I'm like, Oh, well, and Edwin, Edwin, Edwin could drive past my site.
snowjobspodcast: You definitely do. You definitely do the better job.
Jonathan Wise: Actually hear a funny story. We, um, we were doing a site up north and, um, we have like three sites and East coast has one.
snowjobspodcast: but
Jonathan Wise: And I think castle rocks is like across the street and over there somewhere.
snowjobspodcast: Mm hmm.
Jonathan Wise: And then there's this other company that all they do is salt. Like they're not plowing. Like they, they could care less.
snowjobspodcast: Gotcha.
Jonathan Wise: Well, here, one of my, I was sitting there talking to my operator in this East coast facility truck comes flying up and like a sitting there while I'm having this conversation. And, um, so I like go down to see what they need.
Jonathan Wise: Like, cause my guess of what's East coast doing here? Like getting all defensive right away. And so I'm like, to relax. It's like, I went down there and everyone gets out and gives me this big hug, you know?
Jonathan Wise: And then the guys are like, what the heck's going on? I'm like, guys, these are all like good people.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Like. they will help you, you will help them. If you break down, you call me, that's who I'm probably going to call and be like, Hey, can you help us out?
snowjobspodcast: Hmm.
RICK JAMES: Mm hmm.
Jonathan Wise: Can you do this? And hopefully they would do the same thing.
RICK JAMES: Oh yeah.
Jonathan Wise: You know, it's like, we, we lost a pretty ah good account for us like recently in the past like three weeks, which I kind of knew was going to end up happening. But, um, like Josh Gama has reached out to me, Bob Mars reached out to me.
Jonathan Wise: Um, you know, uh, I put a little post on, uh, LinkedIn about it. Cause I was like really, I was really proud of the fact that my fellow people that I work with or even competition are like, Hey, you know, what's going on? You know, are, you know, is everything okay? And like, it was just great to hear from the community and like, you know, it actually is for the better at this point. Like we're going to be on better sites now. Uh, but I just, that was, that was great. I mean, I, Josh, I think I talked to Josh for an hour, the one night, um, on that Friday night. And then I talked to Bob like three times that day. Um, and just,
Jonathan Wise: I rely a lot on Bobby, probably mention his name because I think he does a great job, you know, being a human.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, absolutely.
Jonathan Wise: And I think he really cares for his people.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: So I just, yeah, I mean, that's probably my biggest takeaway in the past couple of years is like, people.
snowjobspodcast: Good for you guys. It's great to have something like that to be a part of at the every area. Every area should be like that. I know they're not all like that, but it'd be great if, uh, if in every four or five top contractors just got together and we're friends and okay, listen, I'm going to, I'm going to take a couple sites from you at some point.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, it would be.
snowjobspodcast: You're going to take a couple sites from me, but we're all going to be in the same ballpark. We're not going to be cutting each other's throats. You know, no race into the bottom. I wish more, more guys would do that. So that's great. Good for you guys, Jonathan.
RICK JAMES: Um,
snowjobspodcast: That's awesome out there. I love how you do it. What else you got? Jay, we can do five and five and circle back when you think of it.
RICK JAMES: um I hit something else. I can't remember what it was now, but, uh, we could do five and five, I guess. So yeah.
snowjobspodcast: All right.
RICK JAMES: Uh, what do you see yourself from the next five years?
snowjobspodcast: Take us away.
RICK JAMES: Jonathan, or where would you like to see your company?
snowjobspodcast: Ooh.
Jonathan Wise: oh Oh, no, I think I'd like to develop a larger if we could increase like gross sales by 30 % so that we can have more full -time guys and then develop that team better and better.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: I have to constantly i remind myself that we're only four years old.
snowjobspodcast: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: And I always want to like push it more and like my mentor Dave Roland or, you know, Bob will just be like, hey, you know, grow steady, just keep focused on the end game.
Jonathan Wise: I think, you know, if we could grow 30%, I think that's actually pretty easily ah obtainable. Um, I don't think that would be much of a problem.
RICK JAMES: Yes.
snowjobspodcast: Nope, because they keep building those buildings in your area too. There's no there's no shortage of them going up.
Jonathan Wise: and
snowjobspodcast: So 30%, I don't think that'd be hard for you at all. um Since you you're only four years old, so the second question will just based on four years, what has been the best decision you've made in those four years to get you to the point you're at now?
Jonathan Wise: I think listening to the guys. I think I'm trying to do a better job listening. There are times that I definitely fail at it. um Larry, my like number one guy, you got to make a name for him. I guess I should ask Steve if he can make a cool name up.
RICK JAMES: yeah
snowjobspodcast: ah Yeah, yeah, have EMI Steve make a name for him.
Jonathan Wise: but He, um, this, so this winter we were doing a site and I can we use these radios, um, that they're like old next tells basically all next. So, so I can hear them talking anywhere I'm at and mine scans through every channel.
snowjobspodcast: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: And I heard him talking at this one job site and I was like, they're going to do that. They're doing the wrong thing. They need to push it in the side. So I jumped on the radio and said, Hey, no, make sure you run that line down to this area. And that's where we're going to stockpile it.
Jonathan Wise: And then I realized what I did, like literally I was like the lifts, my lifts were just done and I realized what I did. So then I called Larry. He didn't pick up. So I was like, Oh crap, he's totally ticked. So then he calls me back like 10 minutes later. He's like, how's that feel?
snowjobspodcast: Ah, nice. Good for him.
Jonathan Wise: And I was like, yeah, I really shouldn't have jumped in on that. And I apologized on the radio right away to everybody that I shouldn't have done that. And I think that was like. I, yeah, I just, that was like, I think the guys didn't expect me to do that.
Jonathan Wise: And I did that and that kind of like, it threw me off and it threw our guys off. Cause we want the guys to make their own decisions, you know, relatively, you know, a couple of things that probably we should check or we should talk, but, um, yeah, I think investing in the guys, you know, doing the snow fighter Institute or anything like that, education wise, um, he, um, Larry came up for a sort of snow show this, um, um, this past year.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: Haha. Mhm.
Jonathan Wise: for the Simon in Pittsburgh and he brought his wife with them.
snowjobspodcast: Cool.
Jonathan Wise: Um, so I think it's just like that kind of thing. Seeing that, I mean, equipment expo or, um, we were up at, uh, the storm days, like me i year they did that again.
RICK JAMES: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: You know, I would take Larry up for that. That's, you know, a couple of day trip.
snowjobspodcast: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: Um, but I think like those things like that, uh, yeah, yeah, I would say that's probably the thing, the best thing.
snowjobspodcast: Cool.
snowjobspodcast: Sounds good. Do you think of what you had Jeremy?
RICK JAMES: Nice.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, I was going to ask him one more thing. ah I use any software to manage your crew or anything.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, the software.
Jonathan Wise: Uh, well, that's a good one. So we were trying, um, some software last year and it just didn't work. And I think it was, I probably didn't onboard the guys the right way. So we went back to paper, which was the wrong thing to do.
Jonathan Wise: But it was like a response.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: It was just like, I need to fix this. And that was like what I just went to my safe place.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: And that was paper.
RICK JAMES: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: So we're going to try site photos this year. So we have lot we we put all our sites on SnowBitter anyway.
snowjobspodcast: Mm hmm.
Jonathan Wise: So it will actually integrate it better. So I'm hoping that that works. That's going to be a trial and error piece.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: But I'm hoping that that is the solution.
snowjobspodcast: Very cool. Uh, what do you feel are the biggest issues that are facing the snow management industry right now?
Jonathan Wise: Um, so I have a little, I get a little on my shoulder or I get a little chip on my shoulder a little bit. Like it's like we stand in a circle and we all say like, Oh, we have all this equipment.
snowjobspodcast: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: We have all this, we have all that. And I think that kind of bugs me at times. Cause it's like, you know, we're, we're all working together here. At least, you know, like, why are we like saying, Oh, I'm awesome. You know, it's like, we stand in a circle and you know, myself is bigger than yours.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: And, um, I guess that kind of bothers me a little bit at times. You know, like, I feel like, can't we be like more.
snowjobspodcast: Okay, cool.
Jonathan Wise: I don't know. Sometimes I feel like LinkedIn is all like, my employees are awesome and my equipment's awesome. Like those are like the two things that everyone always talks about.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: And I don't know what the other things are to talk about. Um, but that's like more of like a maybe a social impact.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Um, I know they, mean I know they mean well, I think they honestly, i I feel like they mean well, it just, it seems deceitful at times, if that makes any sense.
snowjobspodcast: I like it. No, I like it.
snowjobspodcast: Yep. I mean, here's, here's what I've noticed and over the summer. Um, some of the smaller events, like you were at SNS the other day, right? Uh, and you, were you, you were at storm day and I didn't see it storm day.
RICK JAMES: Yep, he was there.
Jonathan Wise: yeah
RICK JAMES: Yep.
snowjobspodcast: Okay. So I didn't see out there. Um, the. those two events, the vibe was completely different than anything else that I had ever been to in snow. Like it was a very together, like, you know, not like not sitting around the campfire singing Kumbaya shit, but like everybody was there to help everybody get better and network and everybody was had the same attitude. It was just such positive energy. There was no dick measuring shit going on. I love that. And I think,
snowjobspodcast: I think those little events, not little, but those smaller, more intimate events are changing you know a lot of people because every event now that you have, like storm doubled in size that storm day from last year.
RICK JAMES: Mm hmm.
snowjobspodcast: um S and &S is going to, you know next next year, that'll double in size and you're you're bringing more people. As more people hear about how great those events were, for snow guys, like you were saying, to just basically, you know, be social and hang out and and talk about life, not necessarily even snow, um but get better as a whole together.
snowjobspodcast: I think that I think that's going to going to change a lot of things because you're right. It's always been that like, oh, I don't I don't talk to that guy. You know, he's a hobby pusher and I got, you know, 100 loaders, you know, like he's not worth my time crap.
RICK JAMES: Oh God. Here we go.
snowjobspodcast: ah But I know, he but he's right that Jonathan's right.
RICK JAMES: and I know what you're saying. I i know what you're saying.
snowjobspodcast: Yep, that's that's exactly, i i I hear you on that. That is definitely the way it's been, but I think those small, you know, forward -thinking events with forward -thinking people I think is changing that because let's face it, a lot of the guys that are in the industry now in the last five years that are coming in are younger guys. they're They're younger guys and they don't know how it's been the last 25, 30 years. So they don't have a benchmark, you know? So if we get them on board with these these positive events that we're doing and and positive communities that we're building, you know, I think you you have change happening every day.
Jonathan Wise: We've been really involving, or my wife and I really have been involving the boys. We have two boys and two girls, but my oldest is 14 and then my second oldest is 12. And they come out and help in snow storms.
Jonathan Wise: But I involve them at SIMA, just because I think it's a great place for people to be at. And I mean, there might be things I don't like about it, if I was honest. But I do really think that having them involved like SNS, having them involved in storm days,
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: coming out there, I mean, he's 14 and 12. Will they be involved in it the one day? I think hopefully, you know, maybe not. If they don't want to be, that's okay too. You can do whatever you want.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: But I definitely feel that having that young influence, um most of the people at trade shows are great with my kids. And there's been other, not too many kids go there, which I kind of was like bummed out.
Jonathan Wise: I was like, you know, I had this one picture of, I think it was his past year or another year before. Caterpillar like, my he was 13 at the time or 12. They literally sat there for 15 minutes and talked to him. Oh no, it was Hitachi.
Jonathan Wise: Hitachi sat there and talked with my kid for like 15, 20 minutes. like And there's all these other guys out there that are going to buy way more machines than we're going to buy. and But just treated them like with respect you know and and didn't have to do that.
Jonathan Wise: And Kat did the same thing this past year in Pittsburgh.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: they were like go We had picked up a new 265 and there was one there. We hadn't seen it yet. And just going through all like the different things about it and i mean spent a lot of time there. And I think that's most of the, most of the snow industry.
Jonathan Wise: I think that's why I love it. It's like a safe place. Like you don't have to worry about, like I don't have to worry about my kids hearing things or seeing things that are unacceptable.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: Right.
snowjobspodcast: No, generally it's all good, hardworking blue collar people, you know, it's
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, I just, that's what, I'm definitely proud of the industry I'm in. Around our area, people do not know what a snow pro is. They think I just show up in a pickup truck and push snow as long as driveway.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, that's everywhere, I think, still.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
Jonathan Wise: So that gets frustrating. I wish there was more, I'm actually really excited for the the video thing that storming you guys are doing.
RICK JAMES: Storm Chasing?
snowjobspodcast: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: i Yeah, storm chasing.
RICK JAMES: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: I really think we put a sticker on some of the trucks.
RICK JAMES: Mm -hmm.
snowjobspodcast: Very cool.
Jonathan Wise: But I'm really excited to see if that brings like awareness. like This is not, like we don't just show up when we want. like We're working on snow almost year round. Either we're talking about it, looking at stuff, making purchases, or making plans or trying to pick up bring on more clients or educating those clients.
RICK JAMES: yeah
Jonathan Wise: And I just honestly,
snowjobspodcast: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: Most people just think it's like ah you work for three months a year and then you have to go cut grass.
snowjobspodcast: yeah Yes, exactly.
RICK JAMES: yeah yeah
snowjobspodcast: ye No, I think you're right. I think i think it it'll be very valuable for not just entertainment purposes, but I think it'll be valuable for property managers and and customers that are in that space.
snowjobspodcast: I think they'll they'll get to see a lot of what goes on behind the scenes before any snow falls and how long after the snow is over, they're still working.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, yeah.
snowjobspodcast: So you know somebody's got to pay for those hours.
RICK JAMES: Oh, yeah.
snowjobspodcast: you know like that's That's what they don't understand.
Jonathan Wise: the yeah
RICK JAMES: Yep.
snowjobspodcast: They think you were here for three hours. That was that was all it took you to plow this whole so whole facility.
RICK JAMES: That's all you paid for.
snowjobspodcast: you know That shouldn't cost that much. Well, what about the you know the countless hours before the the the storm or the winter started and after?
RICK JAMES: Mm hmm.
snowjobspodcast: you That's what they don't get.
RICK JAMES: For another back end, they never think about.
snowjobspodcast: Nope.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah. Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: So yeah, hopefully it will bring exposure, like you said. What else, Jay? you Got anything else for him?
RICK JAMES: No, it's kind of like Jonathan was saying, I think the a lot of the younger guys get a bad rap because they don't know what they're doing, but there are quite a few younger guys in the snow business that are actually raising the game.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, hell yeah.
RICK JAMES: you know, raising the game for snow more than the old school guys. the old school guy A lot of the old school guys are stuck in the old school way.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah.
RICK JAMES: they don't they don't And I think these some of these younger companies and whatever that are growing, on there they're actually raising the game, helping everybody, you know, rise to the top, I guess.
snowjobspodcast: Absolutely. ah Helping everybody up their game and there they are.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: They're, they're interested in learning. They're not afraid to say, Hey, teach me something, you know,
RICK JAMES: And that's only good for the industry. i mean's as I mean, I think the last two years this industry's grown to leaps and bounds of what it was. I mean, um I'm not just saying just from our show, but from just everything.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, absolutely.
snowjobspodcast: No, no, just in general, the general feeling, you know, the general atmosphere amongst the guys actually plowing snow, ah you know, the boots on the ground guys.
RICK JAMES: Yeah. Yeah.
RICK JAMES: Right. More awareness, more awareness.
snowjobspodcast: Absolutely. Absolutely. 100%. I agree with that.
RICK JAMES: So stressful.
snowjobspodcast: 100%.
Jonathan Wise: like It's a good trade to get into. i mean You can do so much more.
snowjobspodcast: It is. It definitely is.
Jonathan Wise: and i yeah I think that education is is key.
RICK JAMES: stressful
snowjobspodcast: It's definitely stressful.
Jonathan Wise: I wish it could be a little different, but I don't know what the solution is. like I don't know. I think I learn more at those events like SNS or Storm Days or Um, if I could plug, um, snow lines, you know, like that is, I like that.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah. Oh yeah. Snow lines was great.
Jonathan Wise: So the original key with that, when we were first talking about it was we talked about like 25 people. Um, and then it just kind of grew away. I mean, way beyond what I thought. Um, but I think Gina's right vision there, um, with it.
Jonathan Wise: Uh, and I think he, he really means to to do the right thing with it. And I think it's going to keep growing and getting better and better. Um, but losing that intimacy is the only thing I would be kind of concerned about that.
Jonathan Wise: Like these other events don't let these other events do have, but it's like, how do you keep that intimacy in a group of 250 people?
RICK JAMES: Correct.
snowjobspodcast: Mm hmm.
Jonathan Wise: Like, you know, how do you, like, there's still like, I love walking around the snow lines and I see like a group here talking about Brian.
snowjobspodcast: Um.
Jonathan Wise: And then there's another group over here shooting the crap about fashion on XCMG or cat or her attached to me, whatever they want to do.
snowjobspodcast: Yep.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: You know, like those are, um, Those are great. I mean, I can, I, my son Clayton or Jackson, they'll walk around in one of those groups and they can talk crap, but those guys just as good. Um, it's kind of funny cause they're totally, uh, drinking the Kool -Aid because, you know, I tell them it's right.
snowjobspodcast: but ah Yeah, I think snow aligns I mean what was it the first year 75 75 people
Jonathan Wise: So yeah, I think it was right. I think it was right about a hundred, but yeah, now, and then I think
snowjobspodcast: And then now it's one 50. And then who knows what he's going to go up to in 25. But, you know, it's popular for a reason. It's getting more popular for a reason. It's a great event. You know, you guys did a great job putting it on.
snowjobspodcast: Jean Jean and his team do a phenomenal job with the day. The people that attend want for nothing throughout the day. I mean, everything is taken care of.
RICK JAMES: More pretzels, more pretzels.
snowjobspodcast: It's very well. And what's that? More pretzels, more pretzels.
Jonathan Wise: No pretzels.
snowjobspodcast: Yes, they were running out of it.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: He didn't run out of pretzels, though.
RICK JAMES: He didn't run out.
snowjobspodcast: he told
RICK JAMES: He didn't run out. They just didn't, they they didn't cook them or they, they misplaced them or something.
snowjobspodcast: They just didn't cook them.
Jonathan Wise: Well, this year.
snowjobspodcast: I said, I think they didn't cook them because dinner was coming.
RICK JAMES: Oh, yeah.
Jonathan Wise: oh
snowjobspodcast: They didn't, they wanted everybody to eat their dinner, ah but it was phenomenal and it's going to get more popular and there's going to be calls for either it to get bigger and bigger or, you know, it's going to be a greater demand for those spots to be able to get in.
snowjobspodcast: You know, cause it was a great day. And like you said, those groups, I think that was, that was great. You know, the, the whole day was great. We had a great time there. Good conversations. Great, like great people.
Jonathan Wise: I almost feel like the panel, like yeah i like I have like extra your questions there. And I'm like, OK, I want real questions, not just these questions that we already had.
snowjobspodcast: Softballs. Yep. Yeah.
Jonathan Wise: Because I know they're out there. just Some people just don't want to say it. And I think it's more like, it's OK to be wrong. like You can say something and be like, yeah, um whatever.
RICK JAMES: Right.
snowjobspodcast: yeah
Jonathan Wise: like I was trying to get the pot stirred with you, Jeremy, when I was like, so Metal Plus or Arctic?
RICK JAMES: Oh yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Oh, he'll tell you.
Jonathan Wise: a one
RICK JAMES: I'll fight that all day long.
snowjobspodcast: He'll tell you.
Jonathan Wise: but like
RICK JAMES: I'll fight that fight.
Jonathan Wise: like people like people just like it just it was kind of like you know that I know there's questions out there because you can hear when you're in different areas you know and it's like oh well let's let's talk about it and um i mean this year at snow lines it's it's two days um and case has actually come in as a main supporter for the night before there's going to be like a pretty big dinner um yeah yeah so cake for you know for yeah caseloaders and whatnot no no no yeah
snowjobspodcast: Yep.
snowjobspodcast: Case construction.
RICK JAMES: Yes.
snowjobspodcast: OK, good. All right.
RICK JAMES: Not the other one.
snowjobspodcast: Sweet. Yeah, not the other one. but I wouldn't be going.
RICK JAMES: Not the other one nobody likes.
snowjobspodcast: I wouldn't, yeah, I wouldn't be going if it was the other one.
Jonathan Wise: But, um, but yeah, I mean, I think I'm excited for it. Uh, it's always nice coming off a winter season. Um, and just seeing that, I mean, there's a ton of equipment there and a lot of guys, you know, relate on that.
Jonathan Wise: Uh, but I mean, talking about just talking shop, I think is a lot of fun for a lot of guys. i Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Absolutely.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah. So I.
snowjobspodcast: Yeah, it's a great, it was a fantastic day. it's It's only going to get better. Um, you know, I think having the, uh, having the thing that the night before is a great, a great idea. I think that's, uh, absolutely.
Jonathan Wise: We just need to cater from up at Scranton.
snowjobspodcast: Bring me more mushrooms.
RICK JAMES: Yeah.
snowjobspodcast: Absolutely.
RICK JAMES: Okay.
snowjobspodcast: What was it?
Jonathan Wise: Did you have this, did you have this cheesesteak?
snowjobspodcast: The Epic, the Epicurean delight.
RICK JAMES: Okay.
Jonathan Wise: Oh yeah, that's it.
snowjobspodcast: I did get a cheesesteak. Yep.
Jonathan Wise: That thing was awesome. I was like, whoa. Like Larry was up there with me.
snowjobspodcast: Yep.
Jonathan Wise: He came to SNS as well. And it was like, ah this was pretty good stuff. So, I mean, that's, so Gene, if you ever listen to this call, what does it call again?
snowjobspodcast: Yeah. The Epicurean delight gene.
Jonathan Wise: Oh, there we go.
snowjobspodcast: All right.
RICK JAMES: ah
snowjobspodcast: And if you talk to him, have him send me a box of the stuffed mushrooms again.
Jonathan Wise: but
RICK JAMES: yeah Jesus.
snowjobspodcast: All right. Those things were phenomenal.
RICK JAMES: Yeah, he ate a platter of them.
snowjobspodcast: ah
Jonathan Wise: I don't need, I don't need mailbox money, I just need mushrooms.
snowjobspodcast: yeah Oh, absolutely. That's it. That's it. Just mushrooms. That that is the way to do. Those things were phenomenal. I still think about them.
RICK JAMES: Geez, obviously.
snowjobspodcast: up ah But yeah, that place is great.
Jonathan Wise: ah
RICK JAMES: ah
snowjobspodcast: Get them the cater, take some of the weight off.
Jonathan Wise: Yeah, it kind of was bummed out that that people left that early. Like, I was like, this is when the best stuff happens. Like, I was kind of, I'm like, why did whered everyone go?
snowjobspodcast: Absolutely.
RICK JAMES: Oh, yeah.
snowjobspodcast: I completely agree.
Jonathan Wise: Like, I mean, there's still a good amount of people there, but I kind of was thinking, man, this is the best, this is the best time of the day.
snowjobspodcast: Completely agree.
Jonathan Wise: Like, know.
snowjobspodcast: I wonder if people I wonder if some guys were confused about whether or not they were invited because they put a VIP tag on it. Like that was the, I wonder if that had anything to do with it.
snowjobspodcast: I don't know. It could have just been that it was a nice day and, uh, you know, guys were taken off, but like, I mean, shit, I think Tony would have let us stay there till, till midnight.
RICK JAMES: We can still stay there.
snowjobspodcast: If we wanted, if the conversation was still good, we could still be there.
Jonathan Wise: yeah
RICK JAMES: I think we can still be there.
Jonathan Wise: ah
snowjobspodcast: Oh my God.
Jonathan Wise: but They still keep bringing the mushrooms over, I guess that's the question.
snowjobspodcast: Keep, keep cooking.
RICK JAMES: yeah
snowjobspodcast: Yo. Yeah. Epic carrying the light keeps cooking. We'll, we'll still be there. Oh man.
RICK JAMES: oh
snowjobspodcast: Well, yeah, that was a great day.
Jonathan Wise: no Yeah, well, that's where you are.
snowjobspodcast: What else you got from him Jay? Anything else?
RICK JAMES: I don't think I'd think I'm out. It was another great show and Jonathan's a great guy.
snowjobspodcast: Jonathan, absolutely.
RICK JAMES: He's got a great young company. That's what sounds like his growing strong in a busy area where he's at. So it looks like the future's up for him.
snowjobspodcast: Absolutely. You got anything for us, Jonathan?
Jonathan Wise: No, just thanks for having me on and talking snow.
snowjobspodcast: No problem, man. Anytime.
Jonathan Wise: I can do it any day, anytime, anywhere.
snowjobspodcast: Absolutely.
RICK JAMES: Same.
snowjobspodcast: So can we. Absolutely right. All right. Well, then nobody's got anything else.
Jonathan Wise: Cool.
snowjobspodcast: We'll wrap it there. So that'll do it, guys. This episode is in the books. All right. We want to thank Jonathan so much for coming on, giving us the time. All right. And, uh, in telling us all about winter stone, keep an eye on them because they're getting bigger every year. Uh, we've heard great things. So we're looking forward to hearing more from them in the future. Uh, so best of luck this winter to you, Jonathan, everybody else be safe out there. Have a great week. Keep pushing.
