Introduction and Episode Number Confusion
00:00:41
snowjobspodcast
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.
00:00:48
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.
00:00:50
snowjobspodcast
How are we supposed to, that's it I know.
00:00:54
RICK JAMES
So you can you can say what you want.
00:00:56
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.
00:00:58
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah. I mean, go for it. Don't wait and listen to me.
Sponsor Highlight: Top Gun Backblades
00:01:06
snowjobspodcast
We are powered as always by Top Gun Backblades. And as always, you know who I am. You know who he is.
00:01:20
snowjobspodcast
Steven, Jeremy back together again. What's up buddy?
00:01:24
RICK JAMES
Oh, just another great day in Fargo skin
Weather Talk and Listener Feedback
00:01:27
snowjobspodcast
Yeah. You got a dusting this morning.
00:01:30
RICK JAMES
Yeah. We got a dusting of salt, ye dusting of salt.
00:01:35
snowjobspodcast
Oh Everything's good.
00:01:36
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.
00:01:44
snowjobspodcast
Unicorn juice.
00:01:46
RICK JAMES
That new term is called unicorn juice.
00:01:46
snowjobspodcast
Unicorn juice.
00:01:47
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,
00:01:53
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.
Snow Forecasts and Team Top Gun
00:02:01
snowjobspodcast
I said, okay.
00:02:02
snowjobspodcast
All right.
00:02:03
snowjobspodcast
I'm guessing they're from ah New England somewhere.
00:02:05
RICK JAMES
ah ah patrick salmon or what
00:02:06
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.
00:02:12
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.
00:02:18
snowjobspodcast
They know who we are.
00:02:18
RICK JAMES
You just can't.
00:02:19
snowjobspodcast
No. All right. I'm Steve.
00:02:21
snowjobspodcast
He's Jeremy. There we go. Intro complete.
00:02:22
RICK JAMES
What time of meeting after this?
00:02:24
snowjobspodcast
oh Oh man. You getting ready, babe? This is a, come on. One month. What are you one month away from snow?
00:02:33
RICK JAMES
Probably. Yeah. Yeah.
00:02:34
RICK JAMES
That's, I mean, I mean, I, we did it really last year and then what happened?
00:02:36
snowjobspodcast
Doing it, brother. You're going to be doing it early this year. I'm telling you.
00:02:42
snowjobspodcast
Well, that's not going to happen again.
00:02:42
RICK JAMES
Nothing. I think we had October snow last year and then we didn't get anything.
00:02:45
snowjobspodcast
That's not going to happen. Not going to happen an again.
00:02:47
snowjobspodcast
The snow gods are, they will not do that to you two years in a row.
00:02:51
RICK JAMES
Yeah. I don't know about that.
00:02:54
snowjobspodcast
You'd have Rick James on suicide watch. If you threw him two, no winters in a row.
00:02:58
RICK JAMES
Shit. I'm always on suicide watch.
00:03:02
snowjobspodcast
No, you got Nick saying Nick saying winner. Good winner for you.
00:03:06
RICK JAMES
Oh, the weather man.
00:03:07
snowjobspodcast
The weather man.
00:03:08
RICK JAMES
Oh shit, man. If they said it and it's guaranteed.
00:03:11
snowjobspodcast
Take it to the bank, lock it in, you know?
00:03:12
RICK JAMES
Yeah. I think we'll start sending invoices today.
00:03:16
snowjobspodcast
It's a guarantee, man. It's a guarantee.
00:03:19
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.
00:03:25
RICK JAMES
That's what they're saying. Neutral.
00:03:27
RICK JAMES
So anything goes, we need to wrap arounds.
00:03:27
snowjobspodcast
So now basically anything goes. They can, yeah, they don't know what's coming.
00:03:33
RICK JAMES
get side winders, wraparounds, freaking, uh, I don't know, muskox, whatever they're going to call it.
00:03:34
snowjobspodcast
ah Oh, my God. It's so funny. Yeah, we're neutral.
00:03:40
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.
00:03:53
snowjobspodcast
and Then this many winters, it was nothing. They're like, all right, so you're covering all your bases again.
00:03:58
RICK JAMES
No, that doesn't sound like a weather man.
00:03:58
snowjobspodcast
yeah yeah You're hedging all your bets.
00:04:01
RICK JAMES
I don't know why they have to do that because they make them.
00:04:03
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.
00:04:12
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, no, we just move on. We just move on.
00:04:14
snowjobspodcast
Moving ah moving ahead.
00:04:15
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.
00:04:20
snowjobspodcast
ah So this winter could be huge, could be nothing. Shocking.
00:04:26
snowjobspodcast
It's shocking.
00:04:27
RICK JAMES
Going out on a limb.
00:04:28
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.
Previous Episode Review and Commercial Break
00:04:50
snowjobspodcast
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,
00:04:57
snowjobspodcast
Let's hear from team Top Gun. Come back and do our week in review.
00:05:31
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?
00:05:42
snowjobspodcast
ah Bob was great. That was a great conversation. That was a good episode.
00:05:46
RICK JAMES
Yeah, Bob's a good guy.
00:05:47
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.
00:06:00
snowjobspodcast
You know, he'd be a good guy on those round tables and stuff, right?
00:06:02
RICK JAMES
Yeah, definitely.
00:06:03
RICK JAMES
He's got a lot of knowledge, so yeah.
00:06:03
snowjobspodcast
and The kick around episodes.
00:06:05
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.
00:06:16
snowjobspodcast
And you know, we take care of you like family, like they pay all the the full medical.
00:06:21
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.
00:06:34
RICK JAMES
yeah Pedestrian. Yeah, pedestrian. Yeah. Yeah.
00:06:39
snowjobspodcast
That is going to be a t-shirt. That's definitely got to be a t-shirt, but yeah.
00:06:43
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.
00:06:49
RICK JAMES
So she said she's going to work on it. So.
00:06:51
snowjobspodcast
All right, design away.
00:06:54
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.
00:06:57
snowjobspodcast
There you go.
00:06:57
RICK JAMES
I just put her logo on it and whatever else you want to do.
00:07:01
snowjobspodcast
It doesn't have to be complicated. Snow guys are simple. Keep it simple.
00:07:05
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.
00:07:18
snowjobspodcast
What were they saying? Four to six hours?
00:07:20
RICK JAMES
He said three, I thought he said three to four hours.
00:07:20
snowjobspodcast
So he was banking on three.
00:07:22
RICK JAMES
They were thinking, so they're going to have two of them. So two of them.
00:07:25
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?
00:07:36
snowjobspodcast
If I'm not mistaken, it's mostly loading. Hence why they're called a loader.
00:07:39
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.
00:07:49
RICK JAMES
especially if it's concrete smell
00:07:51
snowjobspodcast
It's always concrete, bro.
Upcoming Events and Listener Engagement
00:07:55
snowjobspodcast
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.
00:08:11
RICK JAMES
especially if it's concrete.
00:08:15
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?
00:08:23
RICK JAMES
It's going to be fun.
00:08:25
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
00:08:57
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.
00:09:08
snowjobspodcast
All right. Snow Jobs Nation store dot com. Visit Jeremy. Get some of the gear right in the comments section on your order.
00:09:15
snowjobspodcast
If you wanted autograph by ah Rick James or not, he'll ah he'll take care of it for you.
00:09:18
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah, let's get rid of this stuff. I've been... Office is getting full.
00:09:23
snowjobspodcast
Stop ordering it. You keep reordering.
00:09:26
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.
00:09:33
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.
00:09:43
RICK JAMES
I don't think we have Forex. We just got, I don't think so.
00:09:47
snowjobspodcast
What's Sean wearing?
00:09:49
RICK JAMES
He's like a medium.
00:09:50
snowjobspodcast
It's a medium.
00:09:52
RICK JAMES
Yeah. No, we got lots of two and threes.
00:09:56
RICK JAMES
We gotta get, I might have to do a sale on them.
00:09:57
snowjobspodcast
I'm shocked. I am shocked that the three X's have not sold more.
00:10:02
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Well, let's get them out of here.
00:10:05
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.
00:10:15
snowjobspodcast
Brandon LADC sell them as a Snuggie.
00:10:21
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.
00:10:32
snowjobspodcast
Right. You got anything else buddy?
00:10:34
RICK JAMES
Nope. Uh, just, yeah, I'm just looking forward to equipped since you talked about that. I don't care.
00:10:38
RICK JAMES
Next week's episode will probably be a pre preseason show about that or pre show about that. Huh?
00:10:44
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.
00:10:49
RICK JAMES
There's plenty of snow stuff there. Yeah.
00:10:51
snowjobspodcast
All right. I know Arctic's going to be there.
00:10:53
RICK JAMES
Yeah. There's Artix there, Metal Plus there.
00:10:55
RICK JAMES
I mean, VSI is there, Boss is there. So, I mean, there's, there's snow stuff there. and Yeah.
00:11:00
snowjobspodcast
Boss is definitely there. Boss is definitely there because they were mad at us about the fat heads last year.
00:11:06
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah. They were, weren't they?
00:11:07
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, what did the Jordan Smith fathead walking around the show with it.
00:11:10
RICK JAMES
Then I got in trouble for Metal Plus cause I was at their booth, right? Cause they don't like me.
00:11:10
snowjobspodcast
they were Yes.
00:11:14
snowjobspodcast
has You're not permitted at the metal plus booth.
00:11:16
RICK JAMES
I'm not, I'm not well liked.
00:11:18
snowjobspodcast
No, Rick James in the area of the metal plus booth.
00:11:21
RICK JAMES
Guess what, I'm gonna camp out there now.
00:11:24
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.
00:11:35
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.
00:11:41
RICK JAMES
No, no. No, it'll be fun.
00:11:44
RICK JAMES
Just to see all the guys and all the YouTubers are all there and stuff, so it'll be fun.
00:11:48
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, we'll put our feelers out this year, or this week rather, coming up.
00:11:51
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.
00:12:02
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.
Interview with Jonathan Wise: Introduction to Winterstone
00:15:04
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?
00:15:11
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
00:15:13
snowjobspodcast
No problem.
00:15:14
snowjobspodcast
Anytime. How's things out there?
00:15:15
RICK JAMES
How's it going out there?
00:15:28
RICK JAMES
There's no problem.
00:15:29
RICK JAMES
No problems in Brian, is there?
00:15:30
RICK JAMES
I thought that was made really easy.
00:15:33
snowjobspodcast
It's flawless. I love that.
00:15:35
snowjobspodcast
That's great. ah Oh, man.
00:15:39
snowjobspodcast
Jeremy, you want to take us away, bud?
00:15:41
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?
00:15:48
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.
00:16:08
snowjobspodcast
Very cool. And that's, uh, you guys
Winterstone's Growth and Industrial Focus
00:16:11
snowjobspodcast
four years. So your four years and this'll be what your fifth winter.
00:16:15
Jonathan Wise
Yep, you got it.
00:16:16
snowjobspodcast
How has your growth been so far? Cause you guys have done pretty well from what I hear.
00:16:21
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.
00:16:30
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.
00:16:36
Jonathan Wise
Um, so we gained some, but we lost some at the same same time. So pretty good.
00:16:40
snowjobspodcast
It's all good. It's all about the right accounts, right?
00:16:42
Jonathan Wise
Oh yeah, for sure. Yeah.
00:16:44
snowjobspodcast
And now you guys are in that Lehigh Valley, uh, that Lehigh Valley triangle there.
00:16:49
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.
00:16:56
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.
00:17:01
Jonathan Wise
Well, I counted that, I count that as an honor then for sure.
00:17:01
snowjobspodcast
So there you go.
00:17:04
Jonathan Wise
I mean, all those guys over there, I'm good.
00:17:05
snowjobspodcast
That's what I'm saying.
00:17:07
RICK JAMES
There's some big players out there, that's for sure.
00:17:10
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely.
00:17:10
Jonathan Wise
Oh yeah, for sure. Yeah, they're awesome.
00:17:12
snowjobspodcast
That's awesome.
00:17:13
Jonathan Wise
we We have a pretty unique, pretty unique area, I would say.
00:17:13
snowjobspodcast
That's awesome.
00:17:18
snowjobspodcast
Well, yeah, I mean, it it used to be all farmland and now it's all Jesus.
00:17:22
snowjobspodcast
Every time you you turn your head, there's a million square feet of industrial and warehouse going up.
00:17:27
Jonathan Wise
Oh, yeah, for sure. It's kind of wild.
00:17:30
snowjobspodcast
That's great.
00:17:30
Jonathan Wise
I think Bob talked about that last week. i It's like every week, there's like another warehouse popping up.
00:17:34
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.
00:17:44
snowjobspodcast
Oh man. So you guys do primarily snow. That's your bread and butter. Just doing snow.
00:17:49
Jonathan Wise
Yeah, so we do some excavating like slit mowing and brush hog work during the summer months.
00:17:54
Jonathan Wise
But we don't really talk about it too much.
00:17:57
snowjobspodcast
and Gotcha.
00:17:57
Jonathan Wise
We just kind of do a little bit to keep ah keep us not burning as much cash.
00:18:03
snowjobspodcast
I hear you.
00:18:04
Jonathan Wise
So that's pretty much what we do.
00:18:04
snowjobspodcast
All right, sounds good.
Operational Logistics and Equipment Strategy
00:18:07
snowjobspodcast
Go ahead, Jack.
00:18:09
RICK JAMES
So what do you guys mainly do for Snowy? Industrial? Commercial? what whats What's your bread and butter?
00:18:12
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.
00:18:23
Jonathan Wise
Like I don't think we have any customers that aren't 24 seven.
00:18:25
snowjobspodcast
Well, yeah, that's the way to go.
00:18:26
Jonathan Wise
So, and they're, Very little tolerance. Yeah, for sure.
00:18:29
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, definitely.
00:18:30
Jonathan Wise
Yeah, that's how we're set up.
00:18:32
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.
00:18:43
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.
00:18:52
snowjobspodcast
That's for sure.
00:18:53
Jonathan Wise
Yeah, there's too much investment in equipment.
00:18:55
snowjobspodcast
Oh Jesus.
00:18:55
Jonathan Wise
Like to not to not be done 24 seven on those kinds of things.
00:18:55
snowjobspodcast
I know. I know. I hear you.
00:19:00
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?
00:19:10
Jonathan Wise
Um, so from our shop, we don't really go much more than 45 minutes.
00:19:15
Jonathan Wise
Um, but so what we do at every site that we set up satellite sites, so we have like, um,
00:19:20
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.
00:19:43
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, very cool. I like that. I definitely like that.
00:19:46
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.
00:19:47
snowjobspodcast
Go ahead, Jack.
00:19:55
RICK JAMES
And is that kind of how you do your sites? or
00:19:57
Jonathan Wise
Yeah, we put like our sidewalk material inside inside the container, the serrators, extra shovels, PPE.
00:20:06
Jonathan Wise
I think usually there's def in there, extra def.
00:20:12
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.
00:20:17
snowjobspodcast
Oh yeah, absolutely.
00:20:18
Jonathan Wise
So the list keeps getting longer and longer.
00:20:21
snowjobspodcast
A couple of cases of water, some granola bars, you know, stuff like that.
00:20:25
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely. Oh man.
00:20:28
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.
00:20:28
snowjobspodcast
We've all.
00:20:35
Jonathan Wise
Just try to keep everyone happy because.
00:20:37
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.
00:20:52
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.
00:21:02
snowjobspodcast
They all could tell us, but they couldn't tell us what's going to happen tomorrow, but they can.
00:21:06
RICK JAMES
no Give him the zip code.
00:21:08
snowjobspodcast
Just kidding, Mark. Give him the zip codes.
00:21:10
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.
00:21:23
snowjobspodcast
Yup. Absolutely.
Site Management and Equipment Allocation
00:21:25
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.
00:21:29
snowjobspodcast
Yeah. Absolutely.
00:21:32
snowjobspodcast
Oh, that's pretty much what they do.
00:21:34
snowjobspodcast
It's going to snow somewhere. We have no idea where it's coming.
00:21:37
RICK JAMES
Gotta bring the weather rock back.
00:21:38
snowjobspodcast
ah The weather rock is never wrong.
00:21:39
RICK JAMES
Gotta bring it back.
00:21:42
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?
00:21:51
Jonathan Wise
We are servicing not to count them um Probably 15 13 15 somewhere around there.
00:21:54
snowjobspodcast
Oh, ballpark.
00:22:00
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
00:22:00
snowjobspodcast
So they're all big boys.
00:22:16
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.
00:22:23
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely.
00:22:25
Jonathan Wise
So that's what we try to do.
00:22:25
snowjobspodcast
That's what we like to absolutely love it.
00:22:27
RICK JAMES
You know, in all your equipments to dedicate it to site, i I would assume like everybody else out there
Preferred Equipment and Partnerships
00:22:31
Jonathan Wise
Yes. you Yeah. Yeah.
00:22:33
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely.
00:22:35
snowjobspodcast
Jay, you got anything else before you take them into your favorite part of the show?
00:22:40
RICK JAMES
I love this part.
00:22:41
snowjobspodcast
All right, well, then we got to say, ah you could, you definitely could.
00:22:42
RICK JAMES
I could talk to a whole show about equipment.
00:22:45
snowjobspodcast
And that, that would be your dream, right? Just run an hour, just talk, which is easy to do.
00:22:50
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.
00:23:00
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.
00:23:12
snowjobspodcast
Go ahead, Jay, take it away, bud.
00:23:14
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.
00:23:24
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.
00:23:33
snowjobspodcast
ah Like that.
00:23:36
snowjobspodcast
It's true.
00:23:37
snowjobspodcast
It's very true.
00:23:38
Jonathan Wise
oh but So I love Caterpillar. they're They're probably my favorite, but we run all Hitachi loaders.
00:23:45
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.
00:23:54
snowjobspodcast
Yeah. Yep.
00:23:55
RICK JAMES
I haven't seen him.
00:23:56
Jonathan Wise
They're okay. I know Tony Donovan out in New York has a bunch of them too.
00:24:02
snowjobspodcast
They're like a 221 case, like a 906, right?
00:24:06
RICK JAMES
I've never seen the ah compact Hitachi.
00:24:09
RICK JAMES
I've only seen the bigger ones.
00:24:09
snowjobspodcast
Yeah. They got the babies.
00:24:11
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
00:24:13
snowjobspodcast
They are. yeah I was just going to say that.
00:24:18
Jonathan Wise
Hitachi in general, like who paints a machine orange? Like, I don't know.
00:24:25
snowjobspodcast
Them and Doosan, right?
00:24:27
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.
00:24:43
Jonathan Wise
They've been really great. They just updated the dash sevens, which we got one end of those already.
Sidewalk Operations and Equipment Experiences
00:24:48
Jonathan Wise
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.
00:24:56
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.
00:25:07
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.
00:25:12
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.
00:25:21
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.
00:25:27
Jonathan Wise
But yeah, no, we really like those. we um
00:25:33
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.
00:25:40
snowjobspodcast
Regular or Magnum?
00:25:45
Jonathan Wise
I'm not trying to kill, I'm not trying to jump on balls here a little bit, but
00:25:48
snowjobspodcast
Go ahead.
00:25:48
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.
00:25:54
snowjobspodcast
The mags. Yep.
00:25:57
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.
00:26:13
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.
00:26:23
Jonathan Wise
We really like them. They're, in my opinion, they're a game changer for our guys.
00:26:28
Jonathan Wise
so I hope they don't change that much.
00:26:29
snowjobspodcast
You have the you have the exact path spreader on those snow Raiders.
00:26:33
snowjobspodcast
how How awesome are those?
00:26:34
Jonathan Wise
we have They're awesome. We had a couple, um we sold a couple of LT riches.
00:26:40
Jonathan Wise
And notice how broadcast spread is on. So we'll use those at like employee parking lots.
00:26:46
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.
00:26:53
Jonathan Wise
So I mean, I think it's kind of cool to have a piece of the original Snow Raider.
00:26:58
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, they were the spark, right?
00:26:59
RICK JAMES
Do they are the originals the ones that just have a blade or can they can you switch attachments?
00:27:00
snowjobspodcast
They were...
00:27:05
snowjobspodcast
No, they just have a blade. Yeah, they just have the blade.
00:27:06
RICK JAMES
Okay Yeah, we don't
00:27:06
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
00:27:15
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, but as far as your pushing options, the original, the LT Riches, they just had the blade.
00:27:21
snowjobspodcast
That's what I think he was asking, yeah.
00:27:21
Jonathan Wise
Yeah. Yeah. yeah Sorry.
00:27:22
RICK JAMES
Yeah, I didn't, I, I don't, we don't see any of those around here, honestly.
00:27:23
snowjobspodcast
No, it's all good.
00:27:27
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.
00:27:28
snowjobspodcast
No, too cold.
00:27:33
RICK JAMES
They're all great there. So yeah.
00:27:35
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.
00:27:59
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.
00:28:28
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.
00:28:37
Jonathan Wise
Did you had guys add any jets to the bottom? I think they're 20 gallons.
00:28:42
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.
00:28:50
RICK JAMES
How big a brine tank is on them? Sorry, ah big ah how big is the tank on there?
00:28:52
snowjobspodcast
What's that?
00:28:54
snowjobspodcast
Was it 20, 20 gallon, I think.
00:28:56
Jonathan Wise
Yeah, pretty certain, yeah.
00:28:56
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?
00:29:25
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.
00:29:31
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?
00:29:38
RICK JAMES
I haven't heard.
00:29:44
RICK JAMES
Wait, let's go to Robert.
00:29:46
RICK JAMES
Let's go to Robert here.
00:29:49
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.
00:29:54
Jonathan Wise
I just want to joke around about it.
00:30:01
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.
00:30:10
RICK JAMES
But then we had another guy say, Hey, you love it.
00:30:11
snowjobspodcast
Um, he did, uh, Rick, right?
00:30:12
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.
00:30:21
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.
00:30:30
snowjobspodcast
They're all machines that can all be broken. You got to have service to back it up, make it right for guys.
00:30:36
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.
00:30:45
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.
00:30:54
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.
00:30:59
RICK JAMES
No, no, no, no.
00:31:03
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.
00:31:11
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.
00:31:24
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.
00:31:31
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.
00:31:42
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, I don't know we didn't hit nothing we didn't touch anything.
00:31:46
snowjobspodcast
I don't know why it's why it's leaking Oh Jesus
00:31:46
RICK JAMES
yeah Workman parked.
00:31:49
RICK JAMES
Workman parked.
00:31:50
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.
00:31:53
RICK JAMES
At least they even, at least they admitted it even when the guy got guys at home.
00:31:58
RICK JAMES
We didn't do it. I'm like, Oh, so who's that?
00:32:01
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, most snow guys double down.
00:32:02
snowjobspodcast
Nope. That's not me.
00:32:04
snowjobspodcast
That's not me.
00:32:04
RICK JAMES
That's somebody else.
00:32:05
Jonathan Wise
That's another guy.
00:32:06
snowjobspodcast
Yeah. That's another guy.
00:32:06
RICK JAMES
It's a different guy on our lot.
00:32:09
snowjobspodcast
but Jesus.
00:32:11
snowjobspodcast
Oh man. All right. So we're using the snow Raiders of sidewalk machines. What else you got in the fleet there, Jonathan?
Equipment Trials and Efficiency Gains
00:32:18
Jonathan Wise
Yes, so we were, I hate to say it, but no, actually I don't. I'm proud of us.
00:32:21
snowjobspodcast
All good.
00:32:23
Jonathan Wise
We use a lot of metal plus.
00:32:25
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.
00:32:49
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.
00:33:01
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.
00:33:05
snowjobspodcast
Got told to get one.
00:33:08
Jonathan Wise
We just had like steel trip edge, which it did okay, but nothing compared to that.
00:33:13
Jonathan Wise
I should, maybe I should say constant contact because you have live edge, trace edge.
00:33:16
Jonathan Wise
You have any of that. Um, like we didn't have any.
00:33:19
snowjobspodcast
Everybody's got their different name for it.
00:33:21
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.
00:33:31
Jonathan Wise
I want to see how they work. Um, price point wise.
00:33:34
snowjobspodcast
Keep us posted.
00:33:35
Jonathan Wise
Yeah. I mean, they, um, they're definitely a cost savings for sure.
00:33:41
snowjobspodcast
Oh, sure.
00:33:41
Jonathan Wise
Um, and I, but the, the problem with them is they only come in three foot wings.
00:33:46
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.
00:33:51
Jonathan Wise
So it's like, so I think what it's going to do is there.
00:33:53
RICK JAMES
That's straight out.
00:33:55
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.
00:34:04
snowjobspodcast
Sure. Cool.
00:34:07
RICK JAMES
How big of metal pluses do you have then?
00:34:09
Jonathan Wise
Uh, we go up to 28 foot.
00:34:12
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.
00:34:18
RICK JAMES
Okay. What do you have those on? What what size hotachis are you running those?
00:34:23
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.
00:34:35
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.
00:34:50
Jonathan Wise
So we put those, those will go on there.
00:34:52
Jonathan Wise
So, but we're we we're putting ah snow tires on this 160 that we have that we just got in.
00:34:54
snowjobspodcast
and how Yeah. Yeah.
00:34:58
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.
00:35:06
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.
00:35:12
Jonathan Wise
Yeah. Yeah. So we're, we're going to use those galaxies.
00:35:14
snowjobspodcast
Jeremy says that all the time and it's absolutely true.
00:35:17
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.
00:35:30
snowjobspodcast
How have the plus has been for you? Everything good?
00:35:32
Jonathan Wise
Yeah. we I mean, knock on wood. We haven't had any problems.
00:35:35
Jonathan Wise
The biggest thing is, um, the guys messing up the harnesses, you know, like, I don't know how it happens.
00:35:41
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?
00:35:48
RICK JAMES
Oh God, so you gonna go with the star vision?
00:35:49
Jonathan Wise
I had 30 extra feet. Um, I don't i think I think we probably should try at least one.
00:35:55
RICK JAMES
I think you should.
00:35:55
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.
00:36:07
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.
00:36:07
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, exactly.
00:36:12
Jonathan Wise
Like what's going on?
00:36:13
RICK JAMES
okay And every storm vision I saw, I got to kick back.
00:36:16
RICK JAMES
So I'm just going to keep.
00:36:17
snowjobspodcast
Oh, yeah. Do you?
00:36:18
Jonathan Wise
You've done it.
00:36:19
RICK JAMES
I'm just kidding.
00:36:21
RICK JAMES
Maybe I'm not.
00:36:21
Jonathan Wise
I got a call.
00:36:22
Jonathan Wise
I got to call Jordan or talk to Christian about that. Where's this kickback stuff coming from?
00:36:25
snowjobspodcast
It's. ah Yeah, right.
00:36:27
RICK JAMES
ah I should probably talk to him about that too.
00:36:28
snowjobspodcast
Oh. You should.
00:36:31
Jonathan Wise
Oh, you should probably talk to Phil.
00:36:31
snowjobspodcast
You should. You he did love.
00:36:32
Jonathan Wise
You should probably talk to Phil.
00:36:33
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah, Phil.
00:36:34
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.
00:36:40
RICK JAMES
Yeah, I love it.
00:36:41
snowjobspodcast
This is amazing.
00:36:42
Jonathan Wise
it's pretty cool I think the biggest thing on it is is having the um like having your blade set straight.
00:36:43
snowjobspodcast
It's really cool.
00:36:49
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
00:36:57
Jonathan Wise
I don't know. I think that having been able to see that, I think that would be pretty awesome.
00:37:01
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.
00:37:06
Jonathan Wise
Yeah, I need to work on that.
00:37:09
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.
00:37:21
RICK JAMES
but then Isn't that what Metal Plus is kind of, the they burn the shoes.
00:37:21
snowjobspodcast
So on the live boxes,
00:37:25
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.
00:37:32
snowjobspodcast
i think I think so.
00:37:32
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.
00:37:33
snowjobspodcast
I don't know. I didn't burn mine on the wings.
00:37:42
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.
00:37:46
snowjobspodcast
Doing a good job.
00:37:48
Jonathan Wise
I do, I do believe they are doing a great job. Um, but yeah, yeah.
00:37:55
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.
00:38:05
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.
00:38:13
RICK JAMES
What are you using on those smaller loaders, the compacts? Did I miss that?
00:38:17
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.
00:38:28
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.
00:38:38
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.
00:38:46
Jonathan Wise
We get, we get deserve red storks.
00:38:48
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, it's basically an automatically yeah automatic turning white out, right?
00:38:54
snowjobspodcast
Basically automatic. it You put it to the right and the wings
00:38:56
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.
00:39:06
snowjobspodcast
OK, I got you.
00:39:06
Jonathan Wise
or something like that. And then when you if you like dump it to the right, that right one dumps automatically.
00:39:11
snowjobspodcast
I got you.
00:39:12
Jonathan Wise
But you can also you can also like put it back.
00:39:14
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.
00:39:19
snowjobspodcast
I got you.
00:39:19
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.
00:39:25
Jonathan Wise
And I'm starting to learn. Maybe I should shut up, and I should pay attention to what they say.
00:39:33
snowjobspodcast
Is it you think because it's simpler to run than a plus?
00:39:37
Jonathan Wise
Uh, it might, I, yes.
00:39:40
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, I could see that. I could definitely see that.
00:39:43
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.
00:39:49
Jonathan Wise
Um, but yeah, they just really like it. I'm not knocking metal plus on that.
00:39:53
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.
00:40:01
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, yeah, it's a huge savings.
00:40:01
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.
00:40:09
Jonathan Wise
Although I am drinking the Kool-Aid on Western.
00:40:11
Jonathan Wise
So I have to give that, give that out there.
00:40:13
snowjobspodcast
Western West.
00:40:13
Jonathan Wise
I mean, we, yeah, we run MVP threes.
00:40:14
snowjobspodcast
I hear you. Western's been good for me.
00:40:18
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.
00:40:29
Jonathan Wise
They were really saying that they're another awesome local snow guy down our way.
00:40:35
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.
00:40:41
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, me too. How have they been for you? The MVP threes.
00:40:46
Jonathan Wise
Oh, I never had a problem.
00:40:47
snowjobspodcast
Exactly. Neither have I. That's the, they're bulletproof.
00:40:49
Jonathan Wise
Yeah. Yeah. They're just, I love them. Yeah.
00:40:53
snowjobspodcast
Great plows. Yep. Absolutely great plows.
00:40:56
snowjobspodcast
Have you used, have you put a set of the winter edges on the MVP threes yet?
00:41:01
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.
00:41:10
Jonathan Wise
I forget the name of it now. We got them at StorX Pliles. Oh my gosh.
00:41:15
Jonathan Wise
Savory? Yeah, that's at Savory.
00:41:17
Jonathan Wise
And they both have been no problem. like
00:41:19
snowjobspodcast
Not there.
00:41:20
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?
00:41:32
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.
00:41:43
RICK JAMES
Someday somebody will listen to me.
00:41:44
snowjobspodcast
there Yeah. Right. I listened to you all the time.
00:41:48
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.
00:41:57
RICK JAMES
um no problem I have no problem spending other people's money.
00:42:00
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?
00:42:09
snowjobspodcast
You're doing and doing more pushes.
00:42:11
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.
00:42:21
snowjobspodcast
So you got to, you know, it's all time under plow.
00:42:24
RICK JAMES
Blades on the ground, man. That's what we do around here. So we still, we probably pushed more needed last year.
00:42:29
RICK JAMES
Still, I think we had 12 or 13 pushes.
00:42:31
snowjobspodcast
You did not.
00:42:34
snowjobspodcast
No, you did not.
00:42:36
snowjobspodcast
You got, didn't you get like 17 inches of snow?
00:42:39
RICK JAMES
Yeah. But we pushed at a quarter inch.
00:42:42
snowjobspodcast
Oh, well, all right.
00:42:43
RICK JAMES
but We, we got to take advantage of man.
00:42:43
snowjobspodcast
Yeah. That is true. You're below zero. Yeah.
00:42:47
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.
00:42:50
snowjobspodcast
ah ah Then yes, you, then yes, you did. You had, you had a couple of pushes on us.
00:42:57
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah. Got to keep the guys happy.
00:43:00
snowjobspodcast
Quarter inch. I wouldn't get out of bed for a quarter inch bro.
00:43:03
RICK JAMES
Oh, you're a hobby pusher. So, uh,
00:43:05
snowjobspodcast
I'm a hobby pusher.
00:43:06
snowjobspodcast
Exactly. I'm a hobby pusher.
00:43:10
snowjobspodcast
It's fucking funny. Uh, in the Northeast here, we get like feet, not inches.
00:43:16
RICK JAMES
Yeah, inches pay the bill.
00:43:18
snowjobspodcast
No, that is true. If you're, if you do your contract, right? So to feet though, but, uh, yeah.
00:43:23
RICK JAMES
True. How about Salters? What do you got?
00:43:28
snowjobspodcast
Yeah. What are you running? Salters, Jonathan.
00:43:30
Jonathan Wise
Yeah, so we use um Western strikers. And, um, but our favorite are the, um, the snow X with the helix core.
00:43:41
snowjobspodcast
Okay. We've heard that a couple of times from guys.
00:43:42
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.
00:43:55
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.
00:44:08
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.
00:44:14
snowjobspodcast
Oh, the four pockets.
00:44:16
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.
00:44:30
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.
00:44:39
Jonathan Wise
They used to have like, uh, yeah.
00:44:41
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.
00:44:52
RICK JAMES
Cause they know better or they think they know better.
00:44:54
snowjobspodcast
Well, yeah.
00:44:56
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.
00:45:02
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah. I think Mitchell runs them too.
00:45:05
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.
00:45:06
snowjobspodcast
Mitchell. Yeah.
00:45:14
RICK JAMES
Yeah. What else? Two to three yarders or what?
00:45:18
Jonathan Wise
Yeah. So we have, now you're questioning me. I think one of ours is, um, a six yard.
00:45:26
Jonathan Wise
And then we have four and a half yards on the, all the other ones.
00:45:29
snowjobspodcast
Cool. What are you putting those on truck wise?
00:45:34
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.
00:45:42
snowjobspodcast
It's all good.
00:45:52
Jonathan Wise
Um, and then, um, five fifties, three fifties.
00:45:58
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.
00:46:08
snowjobspodcast
Very cool.
00:46:09
Jonathan Wise
But yeah, I know we like her.
00:46:09
RICK JAMES
So all these shelters, do they just stay at the site, son?
00:46:13
Jonathan Wise
No, we we we make everyone bring them, everything comes back and we wash out and then sold away it.
00:46:19
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.
00:46:32
Jonathan Wise
So it just kind of depends. But we're pretty religious on washing it out and then greasing it up.
00:46:38
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, you kind of gotta be.
00:46:39
Jonathan Wise
Yeah, dialectic grease, everything you can.
00:46:43
RICK JAMES
How is that salt the waste? I've seen a lot of ads and stuff. I've never used it.
00:46:46
snowjobspodcast
Very good.
00:46:46
RICK JAMES
Is it pretty good?
00:46:48
Jonathan Wise
I mean, we like it.
00:46:49
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.
00:47:03
Jonathan Wise
That's like kept their most, their best trade in value and then get new stuff.
00:47:07
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.
00:47:11
snowjobspodcast
Do you fluid film the stuff too or and or just salt away?
00:47:20
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.
00:47:33
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.
00:47:40
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.
00:47:48
RICK JAMES
Yeah, I've used neutral wash.
00:47:56
RICK JAMES
Can you buy salt away? Like on a 50 gallon drum or anything or you know, I see.
00:47:59
snowjobspodcast
You can get that. You can get that off Instagram salt away. They actually have a, they actually have a dispenser.
00:48:03
RICK JAMES
I've seen it on there.
00:48:05
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.
00:48:12
RICK JAMES
Maybe I should put it on, get a tanker, tanker load.
00:48:13
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.
00:48:25
snowjobspodcast
And it's a whole little wash station, a salt away station.
00:48:28
Jonathan Wise
Hmm. That's pretty cool.
00:48:29
snowjobspodcast
It's one of those salt begun or salt away.
00:48:30
Jonathan Wise
I didn't know.
00:48:32
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.
00:48:45
snowjobspodcast
Definitely works that using that in fluid film definitely buys you time. It keeps your stuff looking better a lot longer.
00:48:52
RICK JAMES
About brian equipment.
00:48:52
snowjobspodcast
What else you got? with it What's that?
00:48:53
RICK JAMES
It's like you saw like you had some brian equipment
00:48:54
snowjobspodcast
Oh yeah. Yeah. We got to go into Brian. Yeah. Let's go
Brine Equipment and Supplier Support
00:48:57
snowjobspodcast
into Brian.
00:48:57
Jonathan Wise
Yeah, so we use all BSI because it's the best.
00:49:00
snowjobspodcast
It is the best. That's what I hear.
00:49:03
RICK JAMES
made him say that
00:49:05
snowjobspodcast
Jordan made him say that.
00:49:05
Jonathan Wise
We really liked it.
00:49:08
snowjobspodcast
Oh, come on.
00:49:10
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.
00:49:21
Jonathan Wise
We were on 1,000 gun units in 750.
00:49:26
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.
00:49:32
Jonathan Wise
I so would probably say it's the biggest problem.
00:49:35
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?
00:49:43
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.
00:49:50
Jonathan Wise
And then that's what they would like and finish a storm off with.
00:49:54
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.
00:50:07
RICK JAMES
How many gallons, how many gallons you've gone through so far?
00:50:08
Jonathan Wise
So I'm just not there yet.
00:50:09
snowjobspodcast
I got you.
00:50:13
Jonathan Wise
Oh, ah we probably use, let's just say 5,000 gallons an event. Maybe I'm not.
00:50:23
Jonathan Wise
I've got to look at it. Maybe, maybe 3,500 or something like that.
00:50:28
RICK JAMES
That's the acreage.
00:50:28
Jonathan Wise
So yeah, I mean.
00:50:30
snowjobspodcast
And you've had good you've had good luck with all the VSI stuff.
00:50:33
Jonathan Wise
Oh yeah. Yeah.
00:50:34
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?
00:50:38
RICK JAMES
He'll answer, he'll answer.
00:50:39
snowjobspodcast
You literally can.
00:50:41
snowjobspodcast
You literally can do it. but ah That's why they're winning.
00:50:43
Jonathan Wise
ah He's like, I'll just do this. I'm like, um, thanks.
00:50:48
snowjobspodcast
That's why they're winning because they answer the phone.
00:50:49
RICK JAMES
And that's why they're the best.
00:50:50
snowjobspodcast
There is no such thing as office hours, you know?
00:50:53
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.
00:51:03
Jonathan Wise
And I was like, yeah, that's totally right.
00:51:04
Jonathan Wise
I mean, that's a hundred percent what it is.
00:51:06
snowjobspodcast
100% answer your phone in any business.
00:51:09
Jonathan Wise
Yeah. Yeah.
00:51:10
snowjobspodcast
Answer your phone when your're people when people call you.
00:51:13
Jonathan Wise
Yeah. Yeah.
00:51:14
snowjobspodcast
Keys to success.
00:51:14
Jonathan Wise
Yeah. For sure.
00:51:15
snowjobspodcast
There's just one. Answer the phone.
00:51:17
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?
00:51:22
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.
00:51:40
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.
00:51:54
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.
00:52:07
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.
00:52:14
Jonathan Wise
But I think that kind of helps.
00:52:15
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.
00:52:30
Jonathan Wise
We're using 36% less iron than we did when we were serving five and a half million square feet.
00:52:37
snowjobspodcast
Really? She got more efficient.
00:52:37
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.
00:52:44
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.
00:52:52
Jonathan Wise
I'm sure it's a big number. I just don't know what it is.
00:52:55
Jonathan Wise
Um, but it just cute.
00:52:55
RICK JAMES
Storm vision will tell you.
00:52:57
Jonathan Wise
Yeah, that's true.
00:52:59
snowjobspodcast
It's true.
00:53:00
Jonathan Wise
But may I have it? Yeah. Ding, ding. You are faster.
00:53:03
snowjobspodcast
Cha-ching.
00:53:04
RICK JAMES
Come on, Jordan.
00:53:09
Jonathan Wise
Phil, put the check in the mail. Put the check in the mail.
00:53:09
snowjobspodcast
He'll send you a hat.
00:53:11
RICK JAMES
Uh, yeah. Yeah.
00:53:11
snowjobspodcast
He'll send you a hat, Jeremy.
00:53:14
RICK JAMES
I need another hat.
00:53:14
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%.
00:53:23
RICK JAMES
Oh God makes your life so much easier.
00:53:24
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.
00:53:37
Jonathan Wise
I'm very, I'm inspecting or no, I'm trusting, but verifying.
00:53:41
snowjobspodcast
Oh, yeah.
00:53:41
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.
00:53:53
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.
00:55:09
snowjobspodcast
All right, we're back. We're back. Let's keep going with Jonathan here, Jay. What else you got for him?
00:55:15
RICK JAMES
Are you using a weather service out there, John?
Weather Forecasting and Relationship Building
00:55:19
Jonathan Wise
Wow, those are fighting words.
00:55:20
RICK JAMES
Yeah, let's go.
00:55:21
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.
00:55:31
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.
00:55:44
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.
00:55:55
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.
00:56:04
snowjobspodcast
Wow. Mm hmm.
00:56:15
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.
00:56:31
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.
00:56:41
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.
00:56:46
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.
00:57:00
Jonathan Wise
So, but yeah, so that's why I'm a firm a believer in two weather for sure.
00:57:02
snowjobspodcast
They're great for that.
00:57:05
RICK JAMES
Easy now. Don't get too many compliments. You know, those razor rates.
00:57:08
Jonathan Wise
but Yeah. Yeah. that's
00:57:10
snowjobspodcast
ah ah No, Mark's awesome.
00:57:14
RICK JAMES
I love Mark. He's great.
00:57:16
snowjobspodcast
Mark's great. They do good work.
00:57:16
RICK JAMES
He's just a personal guy. And you can, like I say, you have any conversation you want with them. So.
00:57:22
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.
00:57:40
Jonathan Wise
So it was just really good conversation to have.
00:57:42
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.
00:57:58
snowjobspodcast
So how many guys do you actually run during a
Team Dynamics and Industry Challenges
00:58:00
snowjobspodcast
storm? How many guys are using?
00:58:02
Jonathan Wise
Usually between 30 and 36 somewhere right around there.
00:58:08
snowjobspodcast
Very cool.
00:58:09
Jonathan Wise
So they got there pretty good.
00:58:11
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.
00:58:18
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.
00:58:29
snowjobspodcast
Hope for snow. Hope
00:58:31
Jonathan Wise
Yeah, I'm actually hoping for a really great year because that would definitely separate the men from the boys.
00:58:35
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.
00:58:40
RICK JAMES
Wish for no snow.
00:58:45
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.
00:59:00
Jonathan Wise
And then you're coming down to EMI with Bob, Matt Dennis, Katie, and Steve, the director of pedestrian walkways.
00:59:10
snowjobspodcast
Yep, he's pedestrian.
00:59:13
snowjobspodcast
Walkway director is big. Huge title.
00:59:17
RICK JAMES
I need a higher.
00:59:17
Jonathan Wise
Hey, do you know they're in Snow Business Magazine ah this month?
00:59:21
snowjobspodcast
Oh, yeah.
00:59:22
RICK JAMES
Memories. He showed, didn't he show us that last week come on our little pre-show?
00:59:26
RICK JAMES
He showed us a picture of a magazine and I thought, didn't he?
00:59:26
snowjobspodcast
I have no idea. Oh, I didn't I didn't even recognize what it was.
00:59:31
snowjobspodcast
OK, cool.
00:59:31
Jonathan Wise
Yeah, that's them.
00:59:32
Jonathan Wise
It kind of goes over their whole company. Yeah, it's it's great.
00:59:37
Jonathan Wise
But then you have Scott.
00:59:38
snowjobspodcast
I don't know if I get that magazine anymore. I don't know if Simon's sending it anymore.
00:59:43
snowjobspodcast
I don't know.
00:59:43
Jonathan Wise
We're like, forget it. We're not sending it to him.
00:59:45
RICK JAMES
They don't like us. They don't like us.
00:59:45
snowjobspodcast
They don't like us.
00:59:47
Jonathan Wise
Yeah, well, that's life. If you liked, everyone liked it, you're probably doing something wrong.
00:59:50
snowjobspodcast
i I've been called worse by better.
00:59:58
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.
01:00:01
snowjobspodcast
Sure. Castle rocks, yep.
01:00:10
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?
01:00:20
Jonathan Wise
Like that's small.
01:00:21
Jonathan Wise
And I think, and we were really trying to keep it like small people and we had like 18 people there.
01:00:27
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.
01:00:39
Jonathan Wise
Uh, so it's, it's, we actually brought the wives out.
01:00:43
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.
01:00:49
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.
01:00:58
Jonathan Wise
But they were talking about, they had machines stolen. Like, has anyone dealt with this? I mean, they lost like three baccos.
01:01:05
Jonathan Wise
Like Cat 420 is like not cheap.
01:01:08
snowjobspodcast
Freaking Jersey.
01:01:10
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.
01:01:22
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.
01:01:32
snowjobspodcast
Leadership thing. Yeah.
01:01:33
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.
01:01:38
snowjobspodcast
We're out there.
01:01:38
Jonathan Wise
So, but, uh, so I think it's good.
01:01:39
snowjobspodcast
ah We're out there.
01:01:41
Jonathan Wise
I think it's good for people to see and hear that, you know, you know, significant others or family members.
01:01:46
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.
01:01:58
Jonathan Wise
You can have all the drivers you want. You can have all the HOA's you want. Good luck.
01:02:02
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.
Community Support and Industry Bonds
01:02:36
Jonathan Wise
So like, man, those guys are great too. East Coast, you know, Edwin, Tim, John Koma, Josiah, James.
01:02:39
RICK JAMES
Yeah, great guys.
01:02:44
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.
01:02:54
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, I don't I don't mind losing a bid by five percent.
01:02:59
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%.
01:03:16
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
01:03:39
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.
01:03:50
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.
01:03:53
snowjobspodcast
You definitely do. You definitely do the better job.
01:03:57
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.
01:04:05
Jonathan Wise
And I think castle rocks is like across the street and over there somewhere.
01:04:09
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.
01:04:17
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.
01:04:29
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?
01:04:39
Jonathan Wise
And then the guys are like, what the heck's going on? I'm like, guys, these are all like good people.
01:04:44
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?
01:04:50
Jonathan Wise
Can you do this? And hopefully they would do the same thing.
01:04:52
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.
01:05:05
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,
01:05:38
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.
01:05:45
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, absolutely.
01:05:46
Jonathan Wise
And I think he really cares for his people.
01:05:48
Jonathan Wise
So I just, yeah, I mean, that's probably my biggest takeaway in the past couple of years is like, people.
01:05:55
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.
01:06:02
RICK JAMES
Yeah, it would be.
01:06:13
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
Growth Strategies and Team Empowerment
01:06:20
snowjobspodcast
bottom. I wish more, more guys would do that. So that's great. Good for you guys, Jonathan.
01:06:24
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.
01:06:29
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.
01:06:38
snowjobspodcast
All right.
01:06:38
RICK JAMES
Uh, what do you see yourself from the next five years?
01:06:39
snowjobspodcast
Take us away.
01:06:41
RICK JAMES
Jonathan, or where would you like to see your company?
01:06:45
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.
01:07:01
Jonathan Wise
I have to constantly i remind myself that we're only four years old.
01:07:05
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.
01:07:16
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.
01:07:26
snowjobspodcast
Nope, because they keep building those buildings in your area too. There's no there's no shortage of them going up.
01:07:31
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?
01:07:50
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.
01:08:05
snowjobspodcast
ah Yeah, yeah, have EMI Steve make a name for him.
01:08:11
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.
01:08:24
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.
01:08:36
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?
01:08:51
snowjobspodcast
Ah, nice. Good for him.
01:08:54
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.
01:09:06
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,
Software Challenges and Industry Events
01:09:30
Jonathan Wise
this past year.
01:09:31
Jonathan Wise
for the Simon in Pittsburgh and he brought his wife with them.
01:09:34
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.
01:09:44
Jonathan Wise
You know, I would take Larry up for that. That's, you know, a couple of day trip.
01:09:47
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.
01:09:56
snowjobspodcast
Sounds good. Do you think of what you had Jeremy?
01:09:59
RICK JAMES
Yeah, I was going to ask him one more thing. ah I use any software to manage your crew or anything.
01:10:03
snowjobspodcast
Oh, the software.
01:10:04
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.
01:10:17
Jonathan Wise
But it was like a response.
01:10:19
Jonathan Wise
It was just like, I need to fix this. And that was like what I just went to my safe place.
01:10:23
Jonathan Wise
And that was paper.
01:10:24
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.
01:10:31
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.
01:10:37
Jonathan Wise
But I'm hoping that that is the solution.
01:10:40
snowjobspodcast
Very cool. Uh, what do you feel are the biggest issues that are facing the snow management industry right now?
01:10:51
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.
01:11:01
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.
01:11:13
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.
01:11:18
snowjobspodcast
Okay, cool.
01:11:21
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.
01:11:31
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.
01:11:38
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.
01:11:39
snowjobspodcast
I like it. No, I like it.
01:11:46
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.
01:11:56
RICK JAMES
Yep, he was there.
01:11:58
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,
01:12:29
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.
01:12:41
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.
01:13:02
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.
Youth Engagement and Public Perception
01:13:10
snowjobspodcast
You know, he's a hobby pusher and I got, you know, 100 loaders, you know, like he's not worth my time crap.
01:13:14
RICK JAMES
Oh God. Here we go.
01:13:16
snowjobspodcast
ah But I know, he but he's right that Jonathan's right.
01:13:18
RICK JAMES
and I know what you're saying. I i know what you're saying.
01:13:20
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.
01:13:55
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.
01:14:08
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,
01:14:23
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.
01:14:34
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.
01:14:48
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.
01:15:04
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.
01:15:19
Jonathan Wise
And Kat did the same thing this past year in Pittsburgh.
01:15:23
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.
01:15:36
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.
01:15:45
snowjobspodcast
No, generally it's all good, hardworking blue collar people, you know, it's
01:15:46
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.
01:15:56
RICK JAMES
Yeah, that's everywhere, I think, still.
01:15:57
snowjobspodcast
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
01:15:58
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.
01:16:06
RICK JAMES
Storm Chasing?
01:16:08
Jonathan Wise
i Yeah, storm chasing.
01:16:09
Jonathan Wise
I really think we put a sticker on some of the trucks.
01:16:13
snowjobspodcast
Very cool.
01:16:13
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.
01:16:29
Jonathan Wise
And I just honestly,
01:16:32
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.
01:16:36
snowjobspodcast
yeah Yes, exactly.
01:16:39
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.
01:16:51
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.
01:17:00
Jonathan Wise
Yeah, yeah.
01:17:00
snowjobspodcast
So you know somebody's got to pay for those hours.
01:17:02
snowjobspodcast
you know like that's That's what they don't understand.
01:17:04
snowjobspodcast
They think you were here for three hours. That was that was all it took you to plow this whole so whole facility.
01:17:06
RICK JAMES
That's all you paid for.
01:17:09
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?
01:17:18
snowjobspodcast
you That's what they don't get.
01:17:19
RICK JAMES
For another back end, they never think about.
01:17:22
Jonathan Wise
Yeah. Yeah.
01:17:22
snowjobspodcast
So yeah, hopefully it will bring exposure, like you said. What else, Jay? you Got anything else for him?
01:17:29
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.
01:17:41
snowjobspodcast
Oh, hell yeah.
01:17:41
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.
01:17:47
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.
01:17:59
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely. ah Helping everybody up their game and there they are.
01:18:03
snowjobspodcast
They're, they're interested in learning. They're not afraid to say, Hey, teach me something, you know,
01:18:06
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.
01:18:16
snowjobspodcast
Oh, absolutely.
01:18:20
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.
01:18:27
RICK JAMES
Right. More awareness, more awareness.
01:18:29
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely. Absolutely. 100%. I agree with that.
01:18:33
Jonathan Wise
like It's a good trade to get into. i mean You can do so much more.
01:18:35
snowjobspodcast
It is. It definitely is.
01:18:37
Jonathan Wise
and i yeah I think that education is is key.
01:18:41
snowjobspodcast
It's definitely stressful.
01:18:45
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
Event Impact and Community Building
01:18:50
Jonathan Wise
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.
01:18:58
snowjobspodcast
Yeah. Oh yeah. Snow lines was great.
01:19:01
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.
01:19:18
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.
01:19:29
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?
01:19:37
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.
01:19:44
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.
01:19:52
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.
01:20:08
snowjobspodcast
but ah Yeah, I think snow aligns I mean what was it the first year 75 75 people
01:20:12
Jonathan Wise
So yeah, I think it was right. I think it was right about a hundred, but yeah, now, and then I think
01:20:17
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.
01:20:29
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.
01:20:37
RICK JAMES
More pretzels, more pretzels.
01:20:37
snowjobspodcast
It's very well. And what's that? More pretzels, more pretzels.
01:20:41
Jonathan Wise
No pretzels.
01:20:42
snowjobspodcast
Yes, they were running out of it.
01:20:44
snowjobspodcast
He didn't run out of pretzels, though.
01:20:44
RICK JAMES
He didn't run out.
01:20:45
RICK JAMES
He didn't run out. They just didn't, they they didn't cook them or they, they misplaced them or something.
01:20:46
snowjobspodcast
They just didn't cook them.
01:20:49
Jonathan Wise
Well, this year.
01:20:50
snowjobspodcast
I said, I think they didn't cook them because dinner was coming.
01:20:53
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.
01:21:08
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.
01:21:18
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.
01:21:26
snowjobspodcast
Softballs. Yep. Yeah.
01:21:28
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.
01:21:38
Jonathan Wise
like I was trying to get the pot stirred with you, Jeremy, when I was like, so Metal Plus or Arctic?
01:21:44
snowjobspodcast
Oh, he'll tell you.
01:21:46
RICK JAMES
I'll fight that all day long.
01:21:46
snowjobspodcast
He'll tell you.
01:21:47
RICK JAMES
I'll fight that fight.
01:21:48
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
01:22:05
snowjobspodcast
Case construction.
01:22:08
snowjobspodcast
OK, good. All right.
01:22:11
RICK JAMES
Not the other one.
01:22:11
snowjobspodcast
Sweet. Yeah, not the other one. but I wouldn't be going.
01:22:13
RICK JAMES
Not the other one nobody likes.
01:22:14
snowjobspodcast
I wouldn't, yeah, I wouldn't be going if it was the other one.
01:22:17
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.
01:22:28
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.
01:22:36
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely.
01:22:37
Jonathan Wise
Yeah. So I.
01:22:38
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.
01:22:48
Jonathan Wise
We just need to cater from up at Scranton.
01:22:51
snowjobspodcast
Bring me more mushrooms.
01:22:52
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely.
01:22:54
snowjobspodcast
What was it?
01:22:54
Jonathan Wise
Did you have this, did you have this cheesesteak?
01:22:54
snowjobspodcast
The Epic, the Epicurean delight.
01:22:57
Jonathan Wise
Oh yeah, that's it.
01:22:58
snowjobspodcast
I did get a cheesesteak. Yep.
01:22:59
Jonathan Wise
That thing was awesome. I was like, whoa. Like Larry was up there with me.
01:23:02
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?
01:23:10
snowjobspodcast
Yeah. The Epicurean delight gene.
01:23:13
Jonathan Wise
Oh, there we go.
01:23:13
snowjobspodcast
All right.
01:23:14
snowjobspodcast
And if you talk to him, have him send me a box of the stuffed mushrooms again.
01:23:17
snowjobspodcast
All right. Those things were phenomenal.
01:23:19
RICK JAMES
Yeah, he ate a platter of them.
01:23:20
Jonathan Wise
I don't need, I don't need mailbox money, I just need mushrooms.
01:23:22
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.
01:23:30
RICK JAMES
Geez, obviously.
01:23:32
snowjobspodcast
up ah But yeah, that place is great.
01:23:35
snowjobspodcast
Get them the cater, take some of the weight off.
01:23:36
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?
01:23:41
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely.
01:23:42
snowjobspodcast
I completely agree.
01:23:46
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.
01:23:46
snowjobspodcast
Completely agree.
01:23:53
snowjobspodcast
I wonder if people I wonder if some guys were confused about whether or not they were invited because they put a
Conclusion and Future Outlook
01:24:00
snowjobspodcast
VIP tag on it. Like that was the, I wonder if that had anything to do with it.
01:24:06
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.
01:24:14
RICK JAMES
We can still stay there.
01:24:15
snowjobspodcast
If we wanted, if the conversation was still good, we could still be there.
01:24:17
RICK JAMES
I think we can still be there.
01:24:20
snowjobspodcast
Oh my God.
01:24:20
Jonathan Wise
but They still keep bringing the mushrooms over, I guess that's the question.
01:24:22
snowjobspodcast
Keep, keep cooking.
01:24:23
snowjobspodcast
Yo. Yeah. Epic carrying the light keeps cooking. We'll, we'll still be there. Oh man.
01:24:28
snowjobspodcast
Well, yeah, that was a great day.
01:24:28
Jonathan Wise
no Yeah, well, that's where you are.
01:24:30
snowjobspodcast
What else you got from him Jay? Anything else?
01:24:32
RICK JAMES
I don't think I'd think I'm out. It was another great show and Jonathan's a great guy.
01:24:35
snowjobspodcast
Jonathan, absolutely.
01:24:36
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.
01:24:42
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely. You got anything for us, Jonathan?
01:24:45
Jonathan Wise
No, just thanks for having me on and talking snow.
01:24:48
snowjobspodcast
No problem, man. Anytime.
01:24:49
Jonathan Wise
I can do it any day, anytime, anywhere.
01:24:51
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely.
01:24:51
snowjobspodcast
So can we. Absolutely right. All right. Well, then nobody's got anything else.
01:24:56
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.