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S3-126: Linehan Outdoor Services, River Falls Wisconsin
0 Playsin 19 hours
The guys sit down with the father/son team behind Linehan Outdoor Services, John and Luke. John started the company is 1998, and they let us know how they tackle snow operations in their area of Wisconsin!
*Recorded 4 weeks ago, but not dropped due to the Storm Chasin' recap episodes. We apologize for the episode misnumbering and any outdated information in the "Week In Review"*
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Overview
00:00:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
Let's get it. Snow jobs nation. We are back again, bringing you episode one 22 of the snow jobs podcast main show powered by top come back blades as always. I'm Steve, you know, who's here.
Weekly Activities and Weather Discussion
00:00:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
My main man, my co-host, snow pimp, Jeremy Lindstrom, Glacier Snow Management. What is up, Jay?
00:01:05
RICK JAMES
Hey, what's shaking, Steve-O?
00:01:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
How we doing?
00:01:08
RICK JAMES
I'm doing pretty good. Pretty good.
00:01:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:01:09
RICK JAMES
nice Nice week here. So it's been good times.
00:01:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good for you. lot of spraying?
00:01:14
RICK JAMES
Yeah. A lot of God's juice going out.
00:01:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice. Nice. Love to hear it, dude.
00:01:19
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:01:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
How many gallons?
00:01:21
RICK JAMES
Yeah. I did over 20,000 a day and almost 25, 26 yesterday. yeah. I don't know. twenty thousand bay and i twenty five so yeah
00:01:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
Keeping the gravel interstates of North Dakota dust free. Gotta love it You're a hero, dude.
00:01:35
RICK JAMES
I am. um Not all heroes wear capes, Steve.
00:01:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it, baby. That is it.
Rain and Job Site Challenges
00:01:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, there
00:01:41
RICK JAMES
So I'm driving a blue semi with a tanker behind it. I'm afraid of you.
00:01:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go, brother. How's everything else? Everything good? Good week?
00:01:49
RICK JAMES
feeling good, It was really good week, yeah. Just busy grinding with that. So trying to trying then knock a bunch of people off the list. I guess it's not even June yet. Who knows when this is going air, but it's not even June yet.
00:02:00
RICK JAMES
So I'm kicking ass.
00:02:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. Yep. Not sure when this one's going to drop, but yeah, it's, uh, it's just all rain here still all rain. We had like two days with no rain and then we're back to rain again.
00:02:08
RICK JAMES
Oh, well, at least you're not drying out of this.
00:02:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, no, we are definitely not dry. In fact, I have to go to one of the sites.
00:02:17
RICK JAMES
Grass growing then?
00:02:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
I have to go to one
00:02:18
RICK JAMES
You
Blame Shifts from Snow to Landscaping
00:02:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
of the sites and investigate whether one of our skids made marks over the winter or if it if this was...
00:02:19
RICK JAMES
cutting grass?
00:02:22
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
00:02:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
it To me, it looks suspiciously like a mower, like a zero-turn width tire and not a snow tire for a skid.
00:02:30
RICK JAMES
Yeah, how'd that go?
00:02:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
So we'll have to see.
00:02:32
RICK JAMES
How'd it go? Oh, I thought you went there today. No?
00:02:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
I did not get there.
00:02:35
RICK JAMES
I thought you were going.
00:02:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, because it was raining.
00:02:36
RICK JAMES
Oh.
00:02:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
So I'm like, I'm not going out there and measuring this in the rain. That's all.
00:02:39
RICK JAMES
It's even better to bring a lawnmower tire out there with you and roll that on the same lawnmower.
00:02:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'm just, I'm going measure, I'm just literally going to measure the skid steer snow tire. I'm going measure the zero turn rear tires and we'll see what happens. i don't, my guys are good, but I don't see the perfectly straight lines that they, ah that they are making. But yeah, we'll see. And it was February 12th, the last time they and that was, we were frozen for feet.
00:03:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
That ground was frozen solid.
00:03:04
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:03:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
So I find it very hard to believe that it was anything our guys did with a machine. And it's just now being noticed. Like you would have noticed that a month ago.
00:03:12
RICK JAMES
Well,
Upcoming Events and Conferences
00:03:13
RICK JAMES
Steve-O, you're a snow guy.
00:03:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
so always the snow guys.
00:03:15
RICK JAMES
maybe you can It's your fault.
00:03:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Always.
00:03:17
RICK JAMES
It's always a snow guy's fault. It doesn't matter when it happens.
00:03:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, but once it's, once it's April 1st, it's, it's the landscaper's fault.
00:03:20
RICK JAMES
It's a guy, snow guy.
00:03:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
We wrote, we rotate.
00:03:23
RICK JAMES
No, still snow guys. I mean, you guys, they got to cover They got to get us for something, you know, because, well, yeah.
00:03:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
It can't always be the snow guys. Sometimes it's gotta be the landscape guys and you whoever else you can find to blame it on anything but yourself.
00:03:38
RICK JAMES
Well, yeah, that helps.
00:03:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
But,
00:03:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. So still raining here, so it's not not too good. Hopefully it dries out in the next couple days. But you gearing up for Syma? Getting excited?
00:03:49
RICK JAMES
so and yeah what is that three weeks yeah yeah yeah three weeks or something yeah yeah should be a really good time i yeah I'm excited to get the hell out of here and go have some fun with the boys so see you you can't come huh well you gotta be a dad it's fine yep
00:03:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
Go see the boys next month? couple weeks, right? Three weeks? Yeah, three weeks.
00:04:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go.
00:04:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, I cannot come. I cannot make it. I got to do the i gotta do the right thing. Got to be a good dad. That's it.
00:04:14
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:04:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's a pretty big deal for him to ah to go to that tournament. So um I'm going to go and unfortunately not make Simon, which, I mean, I don't really care about. The only thing I care about going to Simon for is seeing the guys and going to the ah the Arctic party.
00:04:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
I am am'm pretty depressed. going to miss that. But what are going to do? you know There'll be other parties.
00:04:34
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah. yeah
00:04:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
And you know next year's next year's Arctic party will be even better because they they constantly raise the bar.
00:04:35
RICK JAMES
There are definitely more.
00:04:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'm not worried about it.
00:04:40
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:04:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
figure ah you can go to the dress rehearsal.
00:04:41
RICK JAMES
For sure. There's plenty of it.
00:04:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'll go to the real thing next year.
00:04:46
RICK JAMES
Oh, boy. Here we go. yeah will we going but There's plenty of parties that go to yet this year. We got more things on the docket.
00:04:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Plenty, plenty. We got plenty to do. Got storm day in August. That's, uh, that's coming up fast. and Oh, actually, you know, we should mention that. If you're planning on going to the storm field day there in August, you you guys better act quick. And as soon as they drop those tickets, they are actually limiting it. I know they've said that before, but this year they are serious that they are a hard, hard number.
00:05:12
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah.
00:05:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
So they are not going to go over. It's not going
Future Podcast Plans and Listener Engagement
00:05:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
to be last year where they, what's it?
00:05:15
RICK JAMES
Jordan's hard going to say no. i know Jordan's going to say no more. i can just, like and I know Jordan.
00:05:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
they they said it's They said no joke. It is a hard and fast 200 this year, and that is it.
00:05:26
RICK JAMES
Hmm.
00:05:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
There's not going to be like 270 roaming around. So if you want to do that, you know make sure you get those tickets bought as soon as they drop them.
00:05:30
RICK JAMES
Let's
00:05:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
um
00:05:36
RICK JAMES
see.
00:05:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
What else? Anything else, bud?
00:05:38
RICK JAMES
yes SMS. We'll be at SMS. That's in August or September.
00:05:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, that's September. We got a ways, right, for that. SNS in September, Equip Expo in October.
00:05:46
RICK JAMES
Yeah, I don't Oh, yeah.
00:05:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
We'll be everywhere. We'll be all over the place. But, yeah, no Simon for me this year. Oh, well. I'm not too broken up about it. I'll see you guys the month after.
00:05:57
RICK JAMES
who fate We'll FaceTime live.
00:06:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'm sure.
00:06:00
RICK JAMES
Instagram live, yeah.
00:06:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
i have no doubt. I will have no doubt. I'll just – White Castle?
00:06:04
RICK JAMES
I can guarantee I will not be going to... Where'd we go? Yeah, no, never again.
00:06:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
You won't find a White Castle in Michigan, I don't think.
00:06:09
RICK JAMES
Yeah,
00:06:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
I don't think they're out there.
00:06:13
RICK JAMES
that's fine.
00:06:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
you And you say that.
00:06:14
RICK JAMES
I won't.
00:06:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
you're you're You're going to be in charge of Sean. All right, so good luck reining that guy in.
00:06:20
RICK JAMES
Sean's a big boy. He can do his own. i I'm barely in charge of myself.
00:06:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it. Speaking of Sean, congratulations. He had yet another baby girl. Congratulations to the DiVincenzos. That's awesome.
00:06:33
RICK JAMES
Yes, congrats, Shani.
00:06:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
I think he's nuts, but whatever.
00:06:36
RICK JAMES
Three girls?
00:06:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
Three girls. Yeah.
00:06:38
RICK JAMES
Three girls.
00:06:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
He needs some male genetics.
00:06:39
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:06:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
I think it's something.
00:06:41
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:06:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
But yeah, our Sean.
00:06:43
RICK JAMES
Oh, Sean. Yeah.
00:06:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotta love him. Gotta love him. All right.
00:06:48
RICK JAMES
ye
00:06:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
So what are we doing today, buddy? We are heading to River Falls, Wisconsin. We're going talk to the father-son team, John and Luke Linehan of Linehan Outdoor Services. And before we get
Guest Introduction: Linehan Outdoor Services
00:07:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
to that, though, as always, we're going to hear from Team Top Gun.
00:07:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
and we're going come back and do a very quick week of review because we want to hear from these boys. So we'll be right back.
00:07:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, gang, we're back. So like we said, quick week review, very abbreviated here. ah If your company is interested in booking dates to train at Storm Academy out in Minnesota this upcoming fall, winter, all right, that season, make sure you get a hold of them soon and reserve your dates. They're going quick.
00:07:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, we were told to put that out. i'll Give everybody a heads up. Fair warning. um We got the Snow Jobs Nation store is stocked. As always, ready for your orders.
00:08:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Challenge Jeremy. Come on. Make him. He's spraying a lot now. Challenge him to get all these packages out same day like he does. He's better than U.S. mail. Nothing stops him from getting him out same day.
00:08:17
RICK JAMES
so U.S. mail.
00:08:21
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:08:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
he's very i I got to hand it to you, bro. I got to tip the cap, man. I couldn't do that. You're nailing that, getting all those orders
00:08:27
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
Origins of the Family Business
00:08:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
out like that.
00:08:30
RICK JAMES
Try to be good at something, I guess.
00:08:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go. Got to have goals.
00:08:33
RICK JAMES
kind of and I'm gonna i trying to maybe i'll work at UPS.
00:08:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
Got to have goals.
00:08:38
RICK JAMES
Who knows?
00:08:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go. Storm chasing episodes continue to be dropped now every Friday, as we said. All right. So we're not going to bombard you with all these texts and posts and DMS and all that stuff telling you about it.
00:08:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Just know that storm chasing episodes are dropping every Friday up until Simon. The last episode will drop at Simon. That's going to be Arctic snow and ice control. um
00:09:01
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:09:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
They're great. you know, the and we appreciate everybody who views and listens and watches and, and is bombarding YouTube, getting those things done.
00:09:04
RICK JAMES
Like.
00:09:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
what What's yours up to now, Jay, 20, 20,000, 21,000.
00:09:14
RICK JAMES
Yeah, 20,000 something.
00:09:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
twenty one thousand Yeah.
00:09:15
RICK JAMES
Yeah, something like that. Yeah. Yeah, hopefully everybody should you know like the page and subscribe and leave a comment.
00:09:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
21,000 views.
00:09:23
RICK JAMES
What you thought of it, I guess, would be kind of cool.
00:09:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
Definitely.
00:09:25
RICK JAMES
They're kind of fun to read.
00:09:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, absolutely.
00:09:26
RICK JAMES
So.
00:09:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely. Yeah. Let us know how you like it, what you don't like, if anything. And, And we'll try and do better next year. Let's see. You never know who's going to be on next year.
00:09:39
RICK JAMES
I'll be on it.
00:09:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, we probably, Glacier probably get another episode out of that. You could, you could do a whole show just on Glacier, honestly.
00:09:47
RICK JAMES
Yeah, we're characters. no
00:09:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
That'd be entertaining as hell. Watching you actually get out of your truck and push more carts. I would pay to see that.
00:09:53
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah. You know, I'm totally over that.
00:09:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
See, even your boy said that doesn't happen.
00:09:59
RICK JAMES
Dude, it does happen.
00:10:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
That was for the camera. Yeah.
00:10:02
RICK JAMES
nope, it doesn't happen. I'm going to I told you it happens. It's not like it's every time, but that time there's a shit ton of cars in front of where they're pushing and they were just going around them. So i was like, well, fuck this. I got to push it. So.
00:10:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
Could be worse. You can put them all in the pile.
00:10:18
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:10:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like we just heard Arctic did one time.
00:10:19
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
00:10:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
That was great.
00:10:21
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah. The Arctic video. Yeah.
00:10:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, are you not supposed to do that?
00:10:22
RICK JAMES
That was a one.
00:10:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
I've been doing that every time. You'll find them in the spring.
00:10:27
RICK JAMES
so
Business Operations and Services
00:10:28
RICK JAMES
Sometimes that happens. Yeah.
00:10:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's funny, man. that was That was a great episode. If you haven't listened to that ah Arctic Army roll call episode with the ah the Memorial Day holiday stories, that was a very entertaining episode.
00:10:33
RICK JAMES
That's good.
00:10:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Check that one out. ah What else you got, Jay? Anything else? We already talked about Syma, June 17th to the 20th. If you are going, do not miss, like we said, the Arctic party on Wednesday night. That is for all attendees.
00:10:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right. So just look for the we've been posting. We put up a couple Instagram stories with the with the party ticket on there, the party flyer. So ah just get the location and stuff off that.
00:11:05
RICK JAMES
Yeah, you don't need to sign up for that.
00:11:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
You don't need a ticket.
00:11:08
RICK JAMES
and
00:11:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, you don't need to sign up.
00:11:09
RICK JAMES
Yeah, you don't need to.
00:11:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's for all comers.
00:11:10
RICK JAMES
I've had some people, yeah, I heard some people reach out to me and I'm like, no, you should be good to go. So, yeah.
00:11:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep, that is for the entire attendance of Syma. That is Wednesday night from 6 to 11. Don't miss a minute of that. There is nothing, nothing that should compete with that party.
00:11:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right? If you are a snow guy, you should be at that party and nowhere else. I'm saying it. hey Do not let anything dissuade you.
00:11:35
RICK JAMES
That's a good one. I'll be there.
00:11:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Not two hours anywhere else.
00:11:38
RICK JAMES
I'll be there. our Our crew will be there.
00:11:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
but That's right. That's right. All right. You got anything else? Because I want to hear from these boys.
00:11:46
RICK JAMES
bring it.
00:11:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right. We're going hear from our partners. We'll be right back, and we'll get into this with the boys.
00:12:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, guys, we're back. ah You know, I did forget one thing to say. ah Thank you very much for the continued comments um and when you're liking and subscribing on whatever platform you're listening to us on and also on the website, snowjob the
Challenges in Workforce and Equipment
00:13:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah We had a couple of great comments on there this this week and great reviews.
00:13:15
RICK JAMES
Thank you.
00:13:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
So we do appreciate that, guys. it always We read every one of them, and it helps us get better if you've got any words of encouragement or you'd you'd like to see something different. you know, we, treat we always try and deliver. So thank you guys very much for continuing to like, and subscribe and, uh, you know, leave those great reviews for us.
00:13:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
So without further ado, right, let's get to it. All right. John and Luke Linehan of Linehan outdoor services. Welcome to the snow jobs guys. How are we?
00:13:46
RICK JAMES
Hey guys.
00:13:47
Luke Linehan
Good, happy to be here.
00:13:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
How are you?
00:13:48
Luke Linehan
Thanks for having us.
00:13:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Long time.
00:13:52
RICK JAMES
What's going on?
00:13:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, see.
00:13:53
Luke Linehan
Yep, it has.
00:13:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
When do we see a storm day?
00:13:58
Luke Linehan
Yeah, think that was probably the last time.
00:14:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. All right, cool. Everything good?
00:14:03
Luke Linehan
Have you guys been?
00:14:03
RICK JAMES
What's going on in Cheese Company? Cheesehead? You're Cheeseheads, right? In the Wisconsin Cheeseheads? Packer fans?
00:14:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
teeth
00:14:08
Luke Linehan
Yeah. We're kind of a mix in River Falls because we're close to Minnesota.
00:14:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
Who's the team? Is it Packers or Vikings?
00:14:16
Luke Linehan
Packers. Yeah, Packers. are even a question.
00:14:17
RICK JAMES
Oh, God.
00:14:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
and Okay, there you go.
00:14:19
RICK JAMES
yeah Screw that.
00:14:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
You're not that close.
00:14:21
Luke Linehan
Francis wants to all the Vikings fans.
00:14:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
not You're not that close to Minnesota. Yeah.
00:14:26
RICK JAMES
yeah No, this podcast is
00:14:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah but ah Oh, man.
00:14:31
RICK JAMES
over.
00:14:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
So how was everybody? You had a good winter?
00:14:36
Luke Linehan
Yeah, we had a decent winter. A little bit slow for snow, but, you know, each storm did pretty good, so...
00:14:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
right, cool.
00:14:45
RICK JAMES
Good. Good.
00:14:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
Jay, you want to take us away here? Get into with the boys?
00:14:49
RICK JAMES
Yeah, you bet. don't you tell everybody about Lenin services when you guys got started and what you're all about?
00:14:55
Luke Linehan
ah So he started back in 1998 plowing snow.
00:15:01
RICK JAMES
who's he? They can't see you.
00:15:02
Luke Linehan
Oh, yeah.
00:15:02
RICK JAMES
This is a radio show.
00:15:03
Luke Linehan
Yeah,
00:15:05
RICK JAMES
We're not doing video, so they just...
00:15:07
Luke Linehan
yeah, yeah.
00:15:07
RICK JAMES
the
00:15:08
Luke Linehan
um My dad, John, he started 1998 plowing here and there. And then couple of years later, he started getting into the lawn care. So then we started doing both lawn care and snow, which helped us get more counts. And then ah Fast forward a few years, then I kind of started working for him six, seven years ago and just kind of worked our way up.
00:15:33
Luke Linehan
then And now we're here. We'll back up a few years when he was real small. He would still ride along and lights out in about five minutes. How he did it, don't know how he did it, but it doesn't happen anymore.
00:15:47
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:15:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
Now it's 10 minutes.
00:15:49
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:15:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah So you guys actually started plowing before you started lawns.
00:15:52
RICK JAMES
Now you hit a pile.
00:15:55
Luke Linehan
Yeah, yep.
00:15:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's usually the reverse, right? Like everybody starts with the lawns and then plows in the winter to keep it going.
00:15:58
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:15:58
RICK JAMES
Yeah. right.
00:16:01
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:16:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool.
00:16:03
Luke Linehan
Yeah, doing construction work and obviously the winter gets a little slow, so i picked up a few snow plowing accounts and the rest is kind of history.
00:16:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yup. That's awesome.
00:16:12
RICK JAMES
How big is the city you guys in?
00:16:14
Luke Linehan
ah It's about 16,000, but it's a college town. So in the summer, obviously we lose... Three, four thousand, Yeah.
00:16:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
What college is it?
00:16:28
Luke Linehan
ah UW River Falls.
00:16:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay. Very cool. Very cool.
00:16:32
RICK JAMES
It's Wisconsin. They like to party in Wisconsin. They're known one for it.
00:16:35
Luke Linehan
yeah.
00:16:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, they do.
00:16:36
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:16:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
No. My wife had friends out in Wisconsin and Madison, and I swear we went to visit one time and we were there five days. Everything in their lives revolved around beer and cheese.
00:16:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like it was literally like, get let's get through the work day so we can get to the bar. And everything like all everything revolved around getting to the bar. i was like, geez, this is something else here.
00:17:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
was great.
00:17:03
Luke Linehan
Yeah, sounds like a good week.
00:17:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's right.
00:17:06
RICK JAMES
ah That's a Wisconsin, yeah.
00:17:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah So what are you guys doing now?
00:17:09
Luke Linehan
ah
00:17:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like what services are you guys offering?
00:17:13
Luke Linehan
So now we still do ah primarily snow and then lawn care. And then we have a sister company, all concrete, where we do a lot of mud jacking. So concrete raising and then new concrete work
Winter Challenges and Contract Structures
00:17:25
Luke Linehan
replacement and then also peering.
00:17:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very cool.
00:17:28
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:17:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
So now do you guys separate like who runs what?
00:17:30
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:17:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
he like or Or is it everybody's doing everything?
00:17:35
Luke Linehan
Yeah, so for the most part, I run all the lawn care.
00:17:36
RICK JAMES
Dad's the boss, right? This.
00:17:38
Luke Linehan
I have couple of kids, Hayden and Vince, who do a good job for me. So I kind of run that. And then if there's other jobs i have to run on to and help them out, we'll do that. And then he runs all the concrete stuff for the most part.
00:17:51
Luke Linehan
And usually I'll usually work with him. And then in the winter, work together. he usually takes care of a lot more of the um operators. And then I take care of all the shovel trouble guys.
00:18:02
Luke Linehan
So, yeah.
00:18:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool.
00:18:03
Luke Linehan
And the reason he started taking care of all the shovelers because a few years ago, because kids know everything more than their parents, right? All the hard is to try to find shovelers.
00:18:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
I've heard that.
00:18:14
RICK JAMES
ye right like How's that working out for you?
00:18:14
Luke Linehan
Next to impossible to find shovelers. But in this town, we have a halfway house, which that I think they house like 60, 70 guys. So that's always a good option, the football team. so ah But it's obviously just hard to try to schedule them during snow.
00:18:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure. Absolutely.
00:18:31
Luke Linehan
I put Luke in charge of shovelers because he thought it was such a simple task. Well, it is when you bunch of friends.
00:18:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
And well, that's it. I was going to say, you know, if you got the high school wired, you know, for sound, you can get a how and how has it worked out?
00:18:41
RICK JAMES
oh
00:18:43
Luke Linehan
Right, yeah.
00:18:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
Have you had any problems getting shovelers? Oh,
00:18:49
Luke Linehan
I mean, not really. I mean, every once in a while, you know, a couple of our main guys will leave.
00:18:51
RICK JAMES
why
00:18:52
Luke Linehan
But other than that, it's been sunshine and rainbows.
00:18:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
man. So.
00:18:55
Luke Linehan
so Yeah.
00:18:56
RICK JAMES
Oh boy.
00:18:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:18:57
Luke Linehan
How many times it's sunny in River Falls all the time?
00:19:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah hu oh man so
00:19:03
RICK JAMES
Yeah, it's never hard getting shovelers. that's That's pretty easy, right?
00:19:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, geez. So do you guys like you do the lawn care? Do you do everything that goes with the lawn care, like pruning, mulch, stuff like that? or And then what about hardscaping? You do any hardscaping?
00:19:18
Luke Linehan
Not too much. ah
00:19:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
Site Management and Equipment Overview
00:19:20
Luke Linehan
Yeah, I kind stay out of it.
00:19:21
Luke Linehan
But yeah, mulch, you know, if the accounts need like rock installs or edging fix, we'll do all that kind of stuff. But yeah.
00:19:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool.
00:19:29
RICK JAMES
What kind of mowers you run?
00:19:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very cool.
00:19:30
RICK JAMES
I guess Steve would ask that. He's a big mole guy.
00:19:33
Luke Linehan
ah we got a We got a V-Ride, a Skag V-Ride, and then we have a Wright ZXL.
00:19:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
Not anymore.
00:19:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
V-Ride 2 or of original V-Ride?
00:19:43
Luke Linehan
V-Ride 2, yep.
00:19:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
How do you like that?
00:19:46
Luke Linehan
We like it. It's been nice. We've had it for quite a few years. We'll probably have to upgrade it to the new V-Ride probably next year. Yeah. oh
00:19:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
Those things, not to not to get off snow and talk about mowers, but ah we originally had turf tigers and the V-Ride, I took a shot at one just because it was half the price of the tigers you know five or six years ago when they came out with the the second one. We didn't go with the first one, but the redesigned one with the wider the wider stance, we gave it a shot.
00:20:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
my guys don't even ride the tigers anymore. They would rather go with the V ride twos. Those things are, they're mountain goats.
00:20:21
Luke Linehan
Mm-hmm.
00:20:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
The nice thing about those you're, we have a lot of slopes around here that, you know, extreme slopes. And if it's the least bit wet in the morning, you know, you could lose, you could lose a mower down the slope pretty easy.
00:20:33
Luke Linehan
yeah
00:20:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
And, uh, the nice thing about those is you can literally bail out. You can punch out. The tiger, you're along for the ride. If that thing starts going, by the time you you' figured out you're not going be able to fight it, here're you're along for the ride wherever it's going.
00:20:47
Luke Linehan
Yeah, we like the V-Rides, and for, like, on our bigger accounts, we just hop on there with a backpack blower, around and blow.
00:20:48
RICK JAMES
That's your response.
00:20:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:20:54
Luke Linehan
The only thing that i don't like about stand-on mower is on a zero turn, you can raise the deck with just your foot going over.
00:21:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:21:00
Luke Linehan
um some You can do it, but it's just little bit more challenging.
00:21:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
You got to have a strong right arm.
00:21:05
Luke Linehan
Yep.
00:21:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah yes
00:21:05
Luke Linehan
Yeah. Well.
00:21:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep, I agree. I agree with that 100%. That's cool. what How is the right compared with the skag?
00:21:15
Luke Linehan
Uh, we liked the right, um, we had deer and a couple of turf tigers before, and the rights are so much smoother when we were on the turf tigers. He likes the turf tigers a lot, but I don't just cause it's so like rough and it's almost like the machines controlling you and you're just fighting it the whole time. Whereas the right.
00:21:34
Luke Linehan
Just a lot smoother. and no
00:21:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
Hmm. yeah ever You ever try the cheetah? Because a skag is made in Wisconsin, correct?
00:21:41
Luke Linehan
Yup.
00:21:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
I believe, yeah.
00:21:41
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:21:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
So, I mean, i'm I'm shocked you're allowed to have anything other than the skag orange out there. It's like a sin.
00:21:47
Luke Linehan
Cake, beer, cheese curds.
00:21:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
you ever try the cheetah?
00:21:50
Luke Linehan
We have been.
00:21:50
RICK JAMES
How many cup holders come on it?
00:21:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
but
00:21:51
Luke Linehan
I've demoed one, yeah.
00:21:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah ah
00:21:53
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:21:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah did you ever try the cheetah
00:21:57
Luke Linehan
we have been i've i've demo one yeah
00:22:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
That that's like riding on a couch with that independent platform. Like I, I had one for a little bit. We had to get rid of it. Guys were like dozing off. But with that thing, they were too comfortable.
00:22:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
but I personally did not think it cut the same as a tiger though. I, for whatever reason, I don't know what it was about it. It just didn't seem, even though it had the same deck, it did not seem to get the same cut and I could never figure it out.
00:22:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
So we only had that a couple years.
00:22:25
Luke Linehan
I think on the ah turf tiger, the the deck is shaft driven and the,
00:22:34
Luke Linehan
what's the other kind? of The cheetah. Belt driven.
00:22:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah Yeah, it's very possible that that is it.
00:22:36
Luke Linehan
Is belt driven deck. I think that's the difference.
00:22:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
But, yeah, so that's way too much lawn talk, though. I'm trying to wind down my lawn stuff.
00:22:44
Luke Linehan
It is. Jeez. Jeez.
00:22:47
RICK JAMES
feel
00:22:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
but oh Well, I mean, they're from Wisconsin.
00:22:48
RICK JAMES
what good out kind of oh yeah why not okay i want you to tell us what kind of winner you have there luke
00:22:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
We had to give Skag a shout. Those things are bulletproof. So ah there you go.
00:22:59
Luke Linehan
ah This last, well, the past two winters have been quite a bit slower. Three years ago, we had, was it 99, 99 inches of snow in a year. So yeah, pretty much every other day we were out doing something, but then completely ah switched roles in these past few years have been pretty slow. So it's been hard to keep guys engaged in the snow and keep clients from ah seeing why they pay us this much money for, you know, a lot of service.
00:23:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep
00:23:28
Luke Linehan
So
Innovations in Snow Management
00:23:29
Luke Linehan
it's been tricky, but it's still been all right, I guess.
00:23:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
And what's your what's your normal average up there Okay Gotcha so you got half you got about half of that This year Yeah that's tough that is
00:23:37
Luke Linehan
52 inches is what we typically get. Yep. Yeah. And half of that in one storm in March.
00:23:44
RICK JAMES
they
00:23:46
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:23:46
RICK JAMES
You have to say how many events?
00:23:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, geez.
00:23:47
RICK JAMES
are like Not many.
00:23:48
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:23:49
RICK JAMES
Not many events.
00:23:49
Luke Linehan
Yeah, probably six times we probably pushed, and the last one was like a foot and a half of snow, of wet snow.
00:23:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, geez.
00:23:56
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:23:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
So that was half the snow.
00:23:58
Luke Linehan
yep
00:23:58
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:23:59
Luke Linehan
Yep. That was a tricky one. You can keep those.
00:24:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'll gladly keep those. ah That's our bread and butter out here.
00:24:06
RICK JAMES
You guys get the wind there? don't know.
00:24:08
Luke Linehan
What's that?
00:24:09
RICK JAMES
got You get much wind where you're at? Or is it straight down?
00:24:11
Luke Linehan
ah We'll get a fair amount of wind. Nothing like what you guys get, obviously, but we'll get drifts here and there, yeah.
00:24:18
RICK JAMES
No.
00:24:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, Fargo invented wind. don't know if you knew that.
00:24:22
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:24:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
they they have They lay claim to it.
00:24:23
RICK JAMES
We're the wind capital.
00:24:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
They have copyright but wind.
00:24:27
RICK JAMES
Pretty much. It sucks. It sucks.
00:24:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
I don't know. I watched a whole episode. I didn't see a whole hell of a lot of wind. Mm-hmm.
00:24:35
RICK JAMES
Oh, Christ. It wind. Dude, I got my buddies that are, the guys on my team that farm, they're replanting because the wind, like
Community Engagement and Hiring Practices
00:24:46
RICK JAMES
the sugar beets stuff come up, they go up, they get like two leaves on them. the It was so windy here last couple weeks, it like spins the leaves off and like everything dies.
00:24:54
RICK JAMES
So they have to go, and they're up like that, you know, barely on the ground.
00:24:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Really?
00:24:57
RICK JAMES
So everybody's like replanting and shit because the windows just fuck everything up. So there you go, Steve.
00:25:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Wow.
00:25:03
Luke Linehan
Interesting.
00:25:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Crazy. i i'm All I'm saying is I didn't see it affect your snow at all in that episode.
00:25:05
RICK JAMES
Now we got farm talk and lawn talk.
00:25:10
RICK JAMES
Yeah, it was probably only a 21 hour wind for a change.
00:25:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's all I'm saying.
00:25:14
RICK JAMES
That's pretty light.
00:25:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah So what do you guys do as far as your type of sites? What's your bread and butter? What do you guys service for snow?
00:25:22
Luke Linehan
So our main is kind of small businesses. We'll do a lot of gas stations, restaurants, ah businesses, um couple shopping, small shopping centers. And then we do quite a bit industrial. We have a few industrial parks in our town.
00:25:37
Luke Linehan
And then we've got two HOAs that we take care of now and then a couple residentials. But we're not trying to take on any more HOAs or residentials just with the ah pain. But The two HOAs we have right now, I mean, they've been but they've been pretty good, actually, surprisingly.
00:25:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
No.
00:25:56
Luke Linehan
Not too many complaints. so
00:25:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
I like the HOAs. As long as they have a good...
00:25:59
Luke Linehan
A few years ago, we had a ton of HOAs.
00:26:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:26:02
Luke Linehan
Yeah, these the last two Mohicans that are last in them.
00:26:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
00:26:05
Luke Linehan
They're good to deal with.
00:26:05
RICK JAMES
yeah Cool.
00:26:07
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:26:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Are they set up correctly though?
00:26:07
RICK JAMES
That's great.
00:26:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Where like they have a board and you only deal with one person, your point of contact on the board and everything.
00:26:14
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:26:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like I know that the, the one of the two that we do, like they'll get fined if they, if they yell at our guys or talk to our guys, like they have to, everything has to go through the board.
00:26:25
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:26:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
So it's, it's nice.
00:26:27
Luke Linehan
ah
00:26:27
RICK JAMES
well
00:26:28
Luke Linehan
And one of the HOAs we take care of, the president, he actually coached my dad in hockey when he was little. So, yeah, small town.
00:26:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, no shit. That's cool.
00:26:36
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:26:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's very cool. Yeah. I mean, if you get the right ones, man, they're great. They, they usually pay really well. And if you, if you, if you set up for them, it can be a a real big moneymaker for you.
00:26:48
Luke Linehan
Sure. Sure.
00:26:49
RICK JAMES
why not Why not more residential? I thought shovelers were no problem.
00:26:53
Luke Linehan
Well, to a certain extent.
00:26:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it. That's it. Oh man. Uh, a
00:26:56
Luke Linehan
Okay.
00:26:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:26:58
RICK JAMES
yeah have a throw it out there
00:26:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
that's it ah the oh ah What do you guys do? Like what? Cause you got the HOAs and stuff. What's your contract structures predominantly like out there? are you seasonal per push per, you know, time and material? what are you doing?
00:27:14
Luke Linehan
A lot of per push. It's probably a mix of per push and then monthly. um We'd like to get more monthlies, but it's just been hard with these past two years.
00:27:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:27:25
Luke Linehan
I mean, no one really wants to pay for all this money and then get an event or maybe two in a month.
00:27:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:27:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:27:31
Luke Linehan
So it's been tricky, but I think we're hopefully this coming year, we'll have a big year. So then everyone will switch to monthly and then we'll even back out, even back out.
00:27:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:27:40
Luke Linehan
But And then for ah hourly, that's just pretty much all of our hauling and relocation. That's all hourly, but we don't do a ton, but we'll do a fair amount, couple places each storm.
00:27:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
You do.
00:27:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool.
00:27:55
RICK JAMES
Do you do your your per pushes? or Is that like a increments, the how you do it?
00:28:00
Luke Linehan
ah No, it's not.
00:28:00
RICK JAMES
Nope.
00:28:01
Luke Linehan
It's just one basic.
00:28:01
RICK JAMES
Okay.
00:28:02
Luke Linehan
I think eventually we'd like to, yeah, put in increments, but not right now.
00:28:03
RICK JAMES
Gotcha.
00:28:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
Just responses.
00:28:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Hmm.
00:28:08
RICK JAMES
Gotcha.
00:28:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
So how often, like on the on the per pushes where you're just, you know it's per response, how often are you servicing those properties during a storm?
00:28:18
Luke Linehan
I would say they kind of vary depending on the site, you know, like our banks and gas stations and restaurants, you know, we're trying to get in and out of there. I mean, as fast as we can, as fast as the snow falls and then businesses and that sort of thing, you know, usually depending on the business kind of when they're opening, when they're closing and then one or two passes, you know, just to keep traffic flowing.
00:28:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:28:40
Luke Linehan
But so I'd say every you know a couple hours we try and go through our route.
00:28:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha. And each of those passes, that's that's a response, right?
00:28:49
Luke Linehan
Yeah. yeah yeah
00:28:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice. There you go.
00:28:50
RICK JAMES
Nice.
00:28:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, cool.
00:28:51
RICK JAMES
Good.
Competition and Year-Round Staff Retention
00:28:52
RICK JAMES
And your weather, your snow events, I'm going to guess, are kind of like mine.
00:28:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very cool.
00:28:57
RICK JAMES
you Between one and two, maybe?
00:28:59
Luke Linehan
Yeah. Yeah. One, you know, one, two.
00:29:00
RICK JAMES
Trace the two?
00:29:01
Luke Linehan
Yeah. Seems like in the past few seasons, it's been like quarter inch, quarter inch.
00:29:02
RICK JAMES
yeah You don't...
00:29:07
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:29:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:29:07
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah.
00:29:08
Luke Linehan
lot of those.
00:29:08
RICK JAMES
Oh, I know all about that.
00:29:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
One zero to one inch.
00:29:10
Luke Linehan
<unk>
00:29:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
That'll the true weather daily.
00:29:12
RICK JAMES
I know all about that.
00:29:13
Luke Linehan
That's enough to keep you up all night.
00:29:14
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:29:15
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:29:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes. Yeah, exactly.
00:29:16
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
00:29:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, geez. Jay, you want to ah want to do your favorite portion here or what? You got something else before we get to your 10S leasing equipment segment?
00:29:27
RICK JAMES
No, we can go right there. i like a little bit of equipment.
00:29:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go.
00:29:29
RICK JAMES
so
00:29:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
Take it away.
00:29:31
RICK JAMES
All right, Luke, let's tell me what you guys all got for equipment. Pushers, equipment, tractors, shovels, i don't care. Name it all.
00:29:39
Luke Linehan
it's Sounds good. ah So we got two skid loaders, um or three, I guess. ah We have a John Deere 330 with a 10-foot cage. We're big cage guys.
00:29:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
00:29:52
Luke Linehan
a And then we have a John Deere 325 with a 9-foot cage. And then we have a Volvo, think it's an L30. 35. thirty Or yeah, a compact loader.
00:30:06
Luke Linehan
That was our first year trying out a loader because we've always been big skid guys.
00:30:06
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:30:10
Luke Linehan
And we finally decided to make a small jump into the loader. So we bought a used one just to kind of, we liked it a lot.
00:30:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
What'd you think?
00:30:16
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:30:17
Luke Linehan
He never got to run it, but and I got to run a few times and then our other guys and compared to a truck or a skid loader, it's night and day just with having the plow, you know, out in front of your face instead of back, you know, on the side.
00:30:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
yep
00:30:30
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:30:30
Luke Linehan
and traction and yeah, just visibility overall being able to back up and I mean, you're right over top of it. So yeah, that was huge.
00:30:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
Definitely a game changer, that's for sure.
00:30:41
Luke Linehan
Yeah. Yeah. And then we, we got ah two sidewalk machines. We have an ASV, uh, 50.
00:30:48
RICK JAMES
OK.
00:30:48
Luke Linehan
We got that a few years ago and we've liked that for sidewalks. Uh, we got, yeah, we got a, what's what brand broom?
00:30:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Love those.
00:30:53
RICK JAMES
What do you put on that?
00:30:56
Luke Linehan
Uh, Jenkins. Jenkins. burn Yep. There's a dealer right across the border that we've gotten a few attachments from. And then we also have a musk ox, a 60 inch musk ox.
00:31:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
00:31:08
Luke Linehan
Yeah, we only got to try that, i think, two or three times.
00:31:09
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:31:12
Luke Linehan
But I mean, it worked a good one when we did get it out.
00:31:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
How'd it
00:31:16
Luke Linehan
And then we have a little blade for it too. But that thing didn't get used. I don't think ever. But yeah.
00:31:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice. How do you like that ASV? What is it, RT50? Mm-hmm.
00:31:27
Luke Linehan
Yep, yeah. We liked it, though. I think Bobcat makes one of those L28s.
00:31:34
RICK JAMES
you
00:31:35
Luke Linehan
And we're kind of looking at one of those and trading in the ASV just for the visibility reason. and Yeah.
00:31:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
Get yourself stocked up on the doors.
00:31:45
RICK JAMES
The glass.
00:31:45
Luke Linehan
Really.
00:31:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
If you go with those L28s, you'll be replacing those pretty regularly from what I hear from everybody.
00:31:47
RICK JAMES
ah
00:31:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
Right, Jay? I mean, um ah a bunch of guys have said they've replaced doors.
00:31:52
RICK JAMES
yeah umve we've i've Guys I've talked to, yeah, I mean, they're just there's kind of same as the same the 321s. There's nothing there. It's just glass. There's no real frame to it.
00:32:01
Luke Linehan
Yeah, that's what, that's what went and looked for $1,500.
00:32:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:32:02
RICK JAMES
So, yep.
00:32:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's glass, a gasket, and a handle. That's it.
00:32:07
RICK JAMES
That's what it is.
00:32:07
Luke Linehan
for fifteen hundred dollars so
00:32:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, yeah basically.
00:32:09
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Well, yeah, of course.
00:32:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely.
00:32:10
RICK JAMES
Of course. course.
00:32:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Uh, but yeah, there's a guy up here that runs two of them, the L twenty eight s the Bobcats.
00:32:14
RICK JAMES
Yeah. machines all
00:32:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
And, uh, he said that traction is an issue with the stock tires. You got to get a different tire on them. Um, but he says, if you're running a broom, it's not a problem.
00:32:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
Uh, but if you're, if you're plowing, ah the traction with the stock tires becomes a problem. And the, uh, the doors are like wind sales. If you happen to open the door and there's a decent wind,
00:32:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
it's going to rip it right back and break the glass.
00:32:40
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:32:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
So he's gone through a bunch of doors and a bunch of sets of hinges on it. But other than that, he likes it.
00:32:50
RICK JAMES
So just plan on being out without a cab.
00:32:50
Luke Linehan
that's fun.
00:32:53
RICK JAMES
We good.
00:32:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah Yeah. Yeah. Who needs a cab?
00:32:58
RICK JAMES
don't put see it. Put see. I think put says God, it was a 50 last year. That ESV. And he loved that thing. Here's got him and the guys love that little thing.
00:33:06
Luke Linehan
Yeah. it Yeah.
00:33:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Dude, those those are the most comfortable riding skids ever with that Positrack stuff.
00:33:09
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah. Undercare.
00:33:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
That is awesome.
00:33:11
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:33:13
Luke Linehan
yeah Well, we liked about it because we have a John Deere, a 1585.
00:33:13
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:33:15
Luke Linehan
Yeah. And we have a broom blower, but what we liked about the ASV was the broom's hydraulic, so we could backdrag, so we could get right up to doors and backdrag, save a lot for the shovelers.
00:33:18
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:33:27
Luke Linehan
So that was pretty nice.
00:33:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:33:28
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:33:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
Does the ASV have a rear view camera?
00:33:31
Luke Linehan
Yep. All
00:33:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh. How much you selling it for?
00:33:36
Luke Linehan
right.
00:33:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
If you get rid of it, let me know if you're getting rid of it.
00:33:37
RICK JAMES
yeah ah
00:33:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cause I, I, I really liked those things.
00:33:41
Luke Linehan
all right
00:33:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
We had a, what what did we have? We had an RT 120 with a mulcher, which that thing was like a full-size dozer.
00:33:53
Luke Linehan
Yeah, those things are huge. Yeah.
00:33:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Huge, but the the nimbleness and the the ride was incredible. The only thing I noticed that in New York with so much rock in our soil, the yeah when you're doing turns and stuff, doing dirt work, we would we would tear the crap out of those bogey wheels.
00:34:11
Luke Linehan
Sure.
00:34:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah those rubber bogeys. But yeah, it was, ah ah we we had one for like a month and it was, that that thing was an absolute beast and the guys loved it. and And like I said, i mean, you were not, you were not beat up at the end of, you know, eight or nine hour day in that thing.
00:34:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's just that the positive track took care you.
00:34:32
Luke Linehan
Yeah. Yeah. And we would use it a lot for, uh, like small concrete jobs, like sidewalks or patios. And that thing was super nice being able to fit into tight spots.
00:34:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:34:42
Luke Linehan
And then also ah with the big tracks on it, it wouldn't rip up the ground too bad.
00:34:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. Yep.
00:34:48
Luke Linehan
So that was nice.
00:34:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
You had to have ridiculous ground pressure, like three pounds per square inch.
00:34:51
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:34:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like it was next to nothing.
00:34:53
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:34:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
It was crazy how light it was on the grass.
00:34:55
Luke Linehan
yeah
00:34:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah So what else? Keep going with your equipment then and your your trucks and stuff. What do you got?
00:35:04
Luke Linehan
Yeah, so our other sidewalk machine, like I said, the 1585, that's probably our favorite sidewalk machine, and we would like to get another one, but just sucks because you can't really do anything with it in the summertime.
00:35:16
Luke Linehan
You put a mower deck on it, but it won't do the same as a zero turn, obviously, so it just kind of sits and sweeps our driveway every once in a while to keep that clean.
00:35:16
RICK JAMES
You know?
00:35:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:35:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:35:25
RICK JAMES
you know
00:35:25
Luke Linehan
And then ah for trucks, we have typically two trucks. If it's a bigger storm, we'll send out another truck. But ah one's a GMC with a EXT, Boss EXT.
00:35:37
Luke Linehan
And then ah another truck with a Boss V plow. And then as a Boss Drag Pro. So it the plow before the 180Z. So ah the wings don't go all the way back.
00:35:50
Luke Linehan
They just go out 90 degrees.
00:35:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
So you're the guy with the drag pro.
00:35:55
Luke Linehan
Yep.
00:35:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
So I've heard there was somebody out there with a drag pro.
00:35:55
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:35:57
Luke Linehan
That'd be us.
00:35:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
ha give ah Give me like give me a review on that because we've never we've never talked to anybody that had the the boss drag pro.
00:36:04
RICK JAMES
no
00:36:05
Luke Linehan
ah I think if we were to buy one again, because it's only 12 footer.
00:36:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:36:11
Luke Linehan
I think we'd go for the 16-footer. And then the on the 180Z, it swivels up and down in the 12-foot. It has a little bit of play, but not enough.
00:36:21
Luke Linehan
So if you go if you're trying to pull any snow and it's just angled a tiny bit, you're only catching half of it. Yeah.
00:36:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, okay. Did you guys go blow any sheer pins on that?
00:36:34
Luke Linehan
I've never blown one and from the day we bought it, that's what I always heard those pins were brick and knock on wood.
00:36:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
That was, yeah, that was the knock on them.
00:36:42
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:36:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
Hmm.
00:36:44
Luke Linehan
yeah Yeah, but it's it's nice for detail work, like pulling out curves because it has the down pressure versus just a one blade that doesn't have down pressure.
00:36:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
Interesting.
00:36:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:36:53
Luke Linehan
So it just does a little bit nicer of a job.
00:36:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool.
00:36:57
Luke Linehan
Yeah. And the extra weight's always nice.
00:36:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very.
00:37:00
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:37:01
Luke Linehan
Along with you're not going to wreck a bumper when you back into something.
00:37:04
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:37:05
Luke Linehan
That's what I said. I said we should get one on every single truck just to protect the rear ends.
00:37:10
RICK JAMES
Hey, that's that's why i put that's what we put all the plows on all the pickups here. we don't plow with the pickups. its I just call it a front bumper so when they hit something, it'll wreck the whole truck.
00:37:20
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:37:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah right.
00:37:20
RICK JAMES
So.
00:37:20
Luke Linehan
ah
00:37:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool. So you think you think more backblades are in your future?
00:37:26
Luke Linehan
Uh, potentially, I think we want to get to more equipment and less trucks, but I mean, obviously you're going always have to have a truck or two around. So but potentially, but
00:37:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure. All right.
00:37:37
RICK JAMES
Throw a razor back on one.
00:37:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go.
00:37:40
Luke Linehan
yeah. Yeah.
00:37:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
So what else are we rolling with?
00:37:43
Luke Linehan
Uh, and then we got, uh, it's a international 4,300 and that's our salt truck that we use. It's got snowy salter. That's our, our dealer in town. That's what they sell.
00:37:55
Luke Linehan
And it's actually worked out fine. We haven't really had any issues. And then we also, ah i guess a few years ago, we went 100% liquid with a SnowX brine sprayer.
00:38:06
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:38:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
00:38:09
Luke Linehan
And i mean, honestly, he bought it when I was just starting out and I didn't even really know brine was a thing until he started spraying it with me. But ah we liked it, but we just liked for...
00:38:20
Luke Linehan
um You know, like when there's hard pack and stuff, the granular bites into it a little bit better. So we kind of backed off a tiny bit, but we still do have brine on that truck. So we'll use it for pre-treat. And then if we need to get the granular or we'll spike the granular.
00:38:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha. Cool.
00:38:38
Luke Linehan
Just a bit of a kick, but.
00:38:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
So are you guys doing a ah lot of liquid still with the pre-treating or ah how much?
00:38:41
RICK JAMES
but do You guys making your own Brian then or you buying it?
00:38:45
Luke Linehan
um What would you say? Yeah, I mean, we typically try to pre-treat before every storm.
00:38:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:38:51
Luke Linehan
yeah The truck has 600 gallons of brine, and we'll usually go through that in a storm.
00:38:59
Luke Linehan
ah We get brine from the city in town. They're public works.
00:39:02
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:39:03
Luke Linehan
We buy brine from them.
00:39:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, that's cool.
00:39:06
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:39:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
They'll sell you, Brian.
00:39:07
Luke Linehan
yeah yeah And it's relatively cheap, too.
00:39:07
RICK JAMES
Ours will do that too.
00:39:09
Luke Linehan
so i mean And they're three minutes down the road.
00:39:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Wow. That's great.
00:39:12
Luke Linehan
so
00:39:15
Luke Linehan
Works out pretty
00:39:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome. I like that. That's the first time I think we've heard that, right?
00:39:19
RICK JAMES
Yeah, but it ain't no
00:39:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's not, i it's it's not heavily.
00:39:22
Luke Linehan
What?
00:39:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'm sure it's not heavily agitated like the glacier, Brian, the fire, Brian, we call it, uh, uh, you spin your Do you spin your brine?
00:39:32
RICK JAMES
I don't...
00:39:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
Ask your ask your municipality that makes it if they spin their brine 18 hours a day every day just to make sure there's no fallout potential ever.
00:39:39
RICK JAMES
Bailey...
00:39:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
That is the angriest brine you've ever seen. It's super agitated. Yeah.
00:39:47
RICK JAMES
Somebody texted me last week. They wanted that fire dry fire brine. That drink. we They had it on Billy.
00:39:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. yeah
00:39:55
RICK JAMES
don't remember it was, but I gave him, i told what it was and they're going to make some. So,
00:39:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's funny. That's really funny. ah You know, it's funny. You mentioned the snow way there. Like, that's a brand that is not, you know, widely known, but I know like two or three guys that swear by them. There's a guy on long Island that he's on the same job as me and he's got a decent size company. I think he's got, he's got 10 trucks with all snow ways and he swears by those things.
00:40:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like he says, the Salters are great and the Plows are great. So I i don't have any experience with them, but you know there are guys that absolutely swear by that brand. So that's good that it's working out for you.
00:40:32
Luke Linehan
Yeah, the Snowway, I think we've had it for two two seasons now.
00:40:32
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:40:36
Luke Linehan
Yeah, we haven't had any issues with it. And the dealer, i think they just started selling Snowways maybe three years ago, and now they're slowly popping up in our town and everyone's starting to get them. I don't think we'll ever get one.
00:40:49
Luke Linehan
I guess we did have one. we used to have a John Deere Gator that I would rip around in before I got my license. So ah that was our sidewalk ah crew.
00:40:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
God.
00:40:58
Luke Linehan
And we had a little UTV plow on that.
00:40:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:41:00
Luke Linehan
And besides for breaking the A-frame on it, or going over a bump, it worked out pretty good.
00:41:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah Your generation and my kids' generations are so lucky. like We didn't have any of that cool shit back then when I was 18 or 20. to be you know The UTVs weren't a thing.
00:41:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
like It was awesome to have a quad like at the time.
00:41:17
RICK JAMES
No,
00:41:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
But you know these UTVs now are like little SUVs. and they're it's It's amazing like the stuff that you guys have access to now to do the same job.
00:41:23
Luke Linehan
yeah
00:41:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
It makes me...
00:41:30
Luke Linehan
Yeah, they're not cheap though.
00:41:32
RICK JAMES
no, not at all.
00:41:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
I used to freeze my ass off on a quad plow in driveways when I was like 15. Oh, man, it sucked.
00:41:38
RICK JAMES
What?
00:41:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
But that was what we had. That was the coolest thing ever, though.
00:41:42
Luke Linehan
Yep.
00:41:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
You know, beat beat a shovel in a snowblower, that's for sure.
00:41:42
Luke Linehan
Yep.
00:41:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
And you can still tool around snow-covered roads at 45 miles an hour.
00:41:45
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:41:48
Luke Linehan
ye
00:41:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Probably not the best idea, but, you know, we did it.
00:41:50
RICK JAMES
It's
00:41:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Made it work.
00:41:53
RICK JAMES
all fun.
00:41:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yup.
00:41:55
RICK JAMES
What's your salt? Are you using treated or non-treated salt? Or what are you guys doing there?
00:41:59
Luke Linehan
um Pretty much non-treated. When we do sidewalks, if it's really cold, we'll use treated on sidewalks, but pretty much all non-treated.
00:42:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very cool.
00:42:09
RICK JAMES
Does that, that your salt, can you pre-wet it on the disc or how does that work?
00:42:16
Luke Linehan
ah It doesn't come standard with that, but we made a little homemade run, a little ah pipe to it.
00:42:21
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:42:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
00:42:25
RICK JAMES
Give her a little spike when she gets spun off. Get her going.
00:42:28
Luke Linehan
Yep. Oh, yeah.
00:42:28
RICK JAMES
That's good.
00:42:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
So what's the muskox on?
00:42:32
Luke Linehan
It's on the ASV.
00:42:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:42:35
Luke Linehan
Yep.
00:42:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
And you got to use it a couple times, you said? Just a couple?
00:42:39
Luke Linehan
Yeah, neither of us got to use it.
00:42:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
twice.
00:42:42
Luke Linehan
It was one of our guys, but he's a bit older, so he's not as good with that thing. A little new to him having to back drag, but he seemed to like
00:42:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:42:52
RICK JAMES
Thank you.
00:42:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
it's ah It's funny. Like, my guys, that I have usually two to three guys that will run that. And you either get that device and you're a pro with it or you don't understand it at all and you're leaving a ton of shit behind.
00:43:02
Luke Linehan
Yes.
00:43:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like, it's just it's weird. i've I've showed all three of them the same video. And, like, last year, got a phone call the one morning saying, hey, we're doing driveways. And I just...
00:43:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'm having the guys come behind me and shovel it. I can't get the last inch off. Like this thing is not taking the last inch. I'm like, I'll be right up. And I just swap out, jumped in it.
00:43:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
I banged out like five driveways, squeegee and right down to nothing. I'm like, it's not the Indian. It's the, or it's not the arrow. It's the Indian. ahs like yeah You just don't get it.
00:43:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
But yeah, some guys get it. Some guys don't get it. It's, it's interesting.
00:43:43
Luke Linehan
yeah
00:43:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
But we've loved it. That thing has saved ah those men. Those things are so if you use it right and in the right setting, like as far as the right site, man, that thing will save you ah ton of time. Absolutely. Huge amounts of time savings with those.
00:44:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah What else you got?
00:44:03
Luke Linehan
oh
00:44:03
RICK JAMES
What else you got?
00:44:03
Luke Linehan
ah small
00:44:03
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:44:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
right What's that?
00:44:05
Luke Linehan
I said all we need is the snow.
00:44:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it. now You got to have snow.
00:44:07
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:44:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's definitely, that is the one thing we were we were not lacking since we've had that.
00:44:09
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:44:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
We've we've definitely had snow. That's been a good thing. What else you got, Jay?
00:44:19
RICK JAMES
Is that all you
00:44:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
Are we done with equipment? Did we get through all the equipment?
00:44:23
Luke Linehan
Yeah, I think that's pretty much it. I mean, unless you really want to hear about our shovels.
00:44:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah What shovels do you use?
00:44:28
RICK JAMES
do?
00:44:30
Luke Linehan
Galleons.
00:44:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah Galleons?
00:44:32
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:44:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right.
00:44:34
RICK JAMES
What?
00:44:34
Luke Linehan
They take quite a bit of use, so cheap shovels.
00:44:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
they Yeah? All right. good Oh, God.
00:44:37
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:44:38
Luke Linehan
We'll even find one laying around town every now and then falling out of the back of
00:44:41
RICK JAMES
Yeah, we yeah we we we got that issue here too. So, yeah.
00:44:44
Luke Linehan
the truck. I see.
00:44:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah That's funny.
00:44:46
Luke Linehan
do you guys know that Pagel Services on YouTube?
00:44:47
RICK JAMES
No. I... um
00:44:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
No.
00:44:50
RICK JAMES
no
00:44:51
Luke Linehan
Oh, you got to look him up. His YouTube videos are pretty funny, but he made all of his or he labeled all of his shovels with the shovelers name. So when they lose them, he knows who who lost it.
00:45:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's smart as hell. I love that.
00:45:05
Luke Linehan
Yeah, it is.
00:45:05
RICK JAMES
aye
00:45:05
Luke Linehan
We might to
00:45:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
I might start doing that. I might start assigning shovels. That'd be great.
00:45:09
RICK JAMES
Dude, I just, before we came here, and the guys did a rock job at Walmart today. I drove through I was looking at it. Yeah, there's a shovel laying in it. Like, cool.
00:45:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
I just leave it laying in the rock.
00:45:19
RICK JAMES
They're just leaving the shovels out. Yeah.
00:45:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh my God.
00:45:23
RICK JAMES
Cool, guys. and You don't have to pay for them. don't care. so
00:45:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh my gosh. Do you guys, uh, you guys use any contracted weather forecasting services? Are you just looking out the window?
00:45:34
Luke Linehan
No, we use Novak Weather. I'm sure you guys have heard.
00:45:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
Novak Yep, yep, we've heard that How's that, how's he been?
00:45:37
Luke Linehan
think he's been talked about a few times.
00:45:38
RICK JAMES
yeah.
00:45:40
Luke Linehan
Yep, he's been pretty. He's been pretty good. There's a couple of times this year when we were a bit, we were confused because he was up in it little bit more than everyone else. And then we'd go through the storm, but then by the end of it, he was actually pretty accurate versus a couple other ones. So he's been pretty good.
00:45:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good Very cool Very cool Yeah, yeah, I think a couple guys have said they liked him a lot That's awesome
00:45:56
Luke Linehan
think we've had him for three or four years.
00:46:00
RICK JAMES
Yeah, I've heard good stuff about him.
00:46:00
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:46:01
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:46:05
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:46:05
Luke Linehan
Yeah. He does emails a couple times a day, once or twice, I think. Yeah, for sure daily than, uh, pre-storm or post-team usually two times day.
00:46:13
RICK JAMES
with
00:46:16
Luke Linehan
And it'll go on Facebook Live.
00:46:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
Now, as he is he is he more local? Like, is he a local Wisconsin-based guy?
00:46:21
Luke Linehan
Yeah, we're local to the Twin Cities.
00:46:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:46:24
Luke Linehan
Yeah, because we're about 45 minutes away from the Twin Cities, so there's that half hour, five minutes, yeah.
00:46:24
RICK JAMES
ye
00:46:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right. Go Midwest guy.
00:46:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, okay. That's not bad. Not bad at all.
00:46:33
RICK JAMES
I didn't know you that close.
00:46:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, very close to Minnesota.
00:46:34
Luke Linehan
Yeah. Yeah, we're probably 15 minutes from the border.
00:46:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, okay. Okay.
00:46:40
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:46:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha.
00:46:43
RICK JAMES
Nice.
00:46:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
And now is there that you you're in river falls, but there's also a thief river falls, right?
00:46:44
RICK JAMES
you Yeah,
00:46:46
Luke Linehan
Yep.
00:46:49
Luke Linehan
That's Minnesota.
00:46:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Somewhere that's Minnesota.
00:46:49
RICK JAMES
northern Minnesota. Yeah, that's northern Minnesota. Yeah.
00:46:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
And as they're nowhere close to each other, right? Two different places.
00:46:55
RICK JAMES
know
00:46:56
Luke Linehan
I haven't even heard of it. Uh-huh.
00:46:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
You haven't heard of thief river falls. Really? Okay. All right. Uh, what else you got for them? Jay. Let's keep it rolling.
00:47:06
RICK JAMES
Well, you said you guys don't usually use Novak. So how you said he's been good. Has he done any blocks or anything that you guys – we haven't played it yet.
00:47:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, yeah.
00:47:16
Luke Linehan
Uh-huh.
00:47:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah yeah
00:47:17
RICK JAMES
We got to play it. We haven't played it.
00:47:17
Luke Linehan
Well, yeah, that's that's what everyone knows.
00:47:20
RICK JAMES
I was trying to lead into the – I was trying to lead into your deal.
00:47:20
Luke Linehan
yeah
00:47:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
the
00:47:22
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:47:23
RICK JAMES
We haven't even played it yet today. We we got to –
00:47:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, we have that play.
00:47:25
RICK JAMES
we got ah we got it
00:47:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Well, we'll play it now.
00:47:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah so Has he achieved doctor status yet?
00:47:35
RICK JAMES
no
00:47:37
Luke Linehan
then
00:47:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:47:38
RICK JAMES
Yeah. yeah I wouldn't want to upset Shannon Burger without hitting him in a podcast.
00:47:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, man, they do love it. They're they're embracing the ball breaking, which is always good.
00:47:47
RICK JAMES
That's
00:47:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
When you can have fun with it makes everything better.
00:47:51
RICK JAMES
great.
00:47:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, that's good.
00:47:54
Luke Linehan
That would be a yes to your question though, Jeremy.
00:47:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go.
00:47:57
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:47:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right.
00:47:58
Luke Linehan
yeah
00:47:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
So you've had locks.
00:47:58
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Perfect.
00:48:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go.
00:48:00
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:48:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:48:02
RICK JAMES
So you said you
00:48:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
How many guys? oh sorry, Jay. Go ahead.
00:48:04
RICK JAMES
I saying kind of questions. So you said you use a halfway house? they like Or what? What did you say to hire some guys?
00:48:09
Luke Linehan
Yeah, so we take care of a halfway house ah for lawn and snow.
00:48:13
RICK JAMES
Oh,
00:48:14
Luke Linehan
And then we haven't used them recently because now I can just get my buddies to shovel. But back before me, that's that's where we would pick up a couple
00:48:18
RICK JAMES
oh yeah.
00:48:21
Luke Linehan
couple guys
00:48:23
RICK JAMES
Hey, people want to work.
00:48:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right.
00:48:24
RICK JAMES
Let them work.
00:48:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:48:25
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:48:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
They got to work, right?
00:48:28
Luke Linehan
yeah
00:48:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
think they have to work.
00:48:30
Luke Linehan
It's either that or sit there all day.
00:48:31
RICK JAMES
Oh.
00:48:31
Luke Linehan
So I guess.
00:48:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's right. And where do you get them from? You get them from that that that the that fan club for your high school?
00:48:39
Luke Linehan
the
00:48:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
You guys do all that crazy shit that you post?
00:48:43
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:48:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:48:44
Luke Linehan
Not too many Usually it's just my close friends. A couple of kids from the hockey team will help out.
00:48:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome.
00:48:50
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:48:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
And they're not too busy with hockey?
00:48:52
Luke Linehan
No, not, not typically. Yeah.
00:48:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right. That's cool. yeah I got to say, though, that is I do love, um you know, seeing how much school spirit and stuff is still alive up there. You guys are going to every game. You're pumped. You know, you're talking it up. ah that's That doesn't exist everywhere anymore.
00:49:12
Luke Linehan
Well, it it got tricky because our principal wasn't a big fan of us.
00:49:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like. the
00:49:15
Luke Linehan
So here in our AD, no.
00:49:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
No.
00:49:16
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:49:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, dude, I would love that that that. I think that's awesome.
00:49:20
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:49:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's what high school is all about with sports and stuff and and rallying around it.
00:49:23
RICK JAMES
um
00:49:23
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:49:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
I think that's great. And it's definitely not, it's it's becoming more the exception than the rule anymore to find that kind of spirit and stuff in school.
00:49:31
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:49:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
So that that's cool. I love what you guys were doing. That was always funny stuff. I got a couple of that.
00:49:38
Luke Linehan
Yeah, the football season, it got pretty fun because our football team wasn't very good, but every week we'd always trip the other team and get them all riled up, and then we'd turn around and we'd get our ass kicked.
00:49:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go. ah but
00:49:49
RICK JAMES
That's the fun stuff.
00:49:50
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:49:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's okay.
00:49:51
RICK JAMES
That's the fun stuff.
00:49:51
Luke Linehan
but Yeah.
00:49:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's all you got. You got to play the cards you dealt.
00:49:54
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:49:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:49:56
RICK JAMES
The same as pushing snow.
00:49:56
Luke Linehan
Nope.
00:49:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
If you can't win on the field, you got to build a chirp more.
00:49:58
Luke Linehan
yeah
00:49:59
RICK JAMES
Same as work. You got to chirp your guys. yep
00:50:01
Luke Linehan
yeah
00:50:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it.
00:50:02
RICK JAMES
If you're not chirping, you're not having fun no they
00:50:04
Luke Linehan
no
00:50:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, what else you got, Jay?
00:50:10
RICK JAMES
as fun. You said you do a lot of industrial. I know you said industrial. What kind of industrial do you have there?
00:50:16
Luke Linehan
ah Yeah, we do a fair amount.
00:50:17
RICK JAMES
like
00:50:20
Luke Linehan
We don't have too many huge sites. you know They're all probably within 50 80,000 square foot.
00:50:23
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:50:29
Luke Linehan
So not huge, but we can bang them out pretty fast.
00:50:29
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:50:33
RICK JAMES
So when you're when a Solvan comes, you on it right away, or do you guys let it build up, or what what's your what's your typical?
00:50:38
Luke Linehan
Yeah. Depending on the site, um usually we'll let it build up to, you know, like a half inch. I mean, if it's going to big one, we'll let it build up, you know, to an inch or two, and then we'll start much just making a loop.
00:50:47
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:50:49
Luke Linehan
But if it's going to be a slower event or if it starts, you know, let's say like five, six o'clock at night, you know, wol' and it's going to be done by two, three, we'll just let it ride out then we'll go and scrape unless something's going to be open that night, which typically isn't besides for a church or gas station or something.
00:50:59
RICK JAMES
right
00:51:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh,
00:51:06
RICK JAMES
You do any bars? I mean, we got keep them open.
00:51:08
Luke Linehan
actually We actually do do one for two bars.
00:51:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah. Yeah.
00:51:12
Luke Linehan
Yeah. Two bars.
00:51:13
RICK JAMES
ah
00:51:15
RICK JAMES
Stop in for one. Oh,
00:51:16
Luke Linehan
Well, that's always, because usually we're there around two or three o'clock when it's bar closed. And there's been kids when I'm pushing pile or pushing into a pile, they'll go running up onto the pile.
00:51:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh yeah
00:51:28
RICK JAMES
yeah.
00:51:28
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:51:28
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah.
00:51:29
Luke Linehan
yeah
00:51:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
help
00:51:30
Luke Linehan
We take care of the center median right on Main Street, so right where all the bars are. And there's been plenty times when we're getting handshakes and people are hooting and hollering for us, shoveling the median off.
00:51:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:51:40
RICK JAMES
ah We used to do place we used to fall back in the day.
00:51:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool.
00:51:44
RICK JAMES
It was a crossmo big bar in town here. They were kind of upset that all these people were parking in bars. So we'd go in there we'd push the entrances shut of snow and all these cars. And we'd sit across street watch bar clothes. All these people try to figure out how to get out the park. They just do circles around this bar. And they start shoveling.
00:52:02
Luke Linehan
That's a good
00:52:03
RICK JAMES
It was good entertainment. We just sat there and watched them and laughed. It was a good time.
00:52:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's funny.
00:52:07
RICK JAMES
God, they were pissed.
00:52:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
I've never heard that story.
00:52:08
RICK JAMES
They were pissed. Yeah, it was that it's been a while.
00:52:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's funny.
00:52:12
RICK JAMES
The same parking lot. i I think I saw a couple of fire cops giving DUIs. So we're like plowing while they're doing a DUI. We're just plowing around while they're doing their thing.
00:52:19
Luke Linehan
one.
00:52:21
RICK JAMES
was kind of fun. So...
00:52:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, man. How big a town? ah What's the population of River Falls? Do you know offhand?
00:52:28
Luke Linehan
About 16,000.
00:52:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay. so thats
00:52:31
Luke Linehan
that
00:52:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
that's a good-sized town.
00:52:32
Luke Linehan
not Not huge. When you go up to Hudson, the population is about the same, but it's a lot bigger infrastructure. So we have a few accounts up there, but we're trying to get more towards Hudson just with the bigger bigger stuff over there.
00:52:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:52:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very cool.
00:52:47
RICK JAMES
Is there a lot of competition?
00:52:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
Jay, you want to hit some commercials?
00:52:50
RICK JAMES
One more. Is there a lot of competition in your town?
00:52:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay, ahead.
00:52:53
Luke Linehan
Uh, yeah, being what's kind of hard about being in a small town is there's a lot of, you know, just like one, two man shows that kind of come in and, uh, they can just compete with us just because the accounts aren't huge.
00:53:06
Luke Linehan
But I think where we kind of stick out from them is, you know, there's a lot of part-time guys that do snow. So then they have to go to work and then, you know, if so a client calls or something, you know, they can't really get to it.
00:53:19
Luke Linehan
So it's nice that this is our full-time thing.
00:53:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
gotcha
00:53:21
Luke Linehan
So, you know, if a client needs something, you know, we can be there within usually 10, 15 minutes, you know, if it's towards the end of the storm. So I think that's where we really stick out from our competition.
00:53:32
Luke Linehan
is just being able to be available.
00:53:32
RICK JAMES
Nice.
00:53:34
Luke Linehan
And, you know, we have the equipment and the team and the staff, so, you know, we can be there when we need to be there.
00:53:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very cool.
00:53:42
RICK JAMES
Do you keep a lot of your staff here around then? Since you do the mud jacking and concrete stuff?
00:53:45
Luke Linehan
ah Yeah, what's nice about ah the concrete side is a lot of the, they'll go to the work for him, and then when they come back, we kind of all work together. And then my lawn care kids, one of them goes off to college, so he's not around. it He actually, he shoveled for us once this year.
00:54:01
Luke Linehan
I don't think he really enjoyed it, but but we got, like I said, we got a lot of kids that, and my friends who, if they're not working or don't have school, then they'll come shovel, so.
00:54:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
a
00:54:14
RICK JAMES
Great.
00:54:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool.
00:54:14
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:54:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's always cool when you have the same group of like, that's how i I have it. I have a, the main majority of my sidewalk guys. I think they're, I think they're now 13 strong, but they're all friends.
00:54:27
Luke Linehan
and Yeah.
00:54:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
They're all literally in that same group. And the one kid brought them all in. And it's been great. Like, I don't have to do anything. like I make one phone call, tell them what time to have everybody in. And he just rallies his troops. And it's been great. They have a lot of fun too. Cause they're,
00:54:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
They're all friends. They all know each other well, and they're all breaking each other's balls. It's it's a lot of fun.
00:54:49
Luke Linehan
Yeah, we got ah brothers that shovel for us, and those two, whenever they start fighting, it's the funniest thing.
00:54:49
RICK JAMES
that is the best.
00:54:56
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:54:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah whatever Whenever.
00:54:58
Luke Linehan
They'll start yelling at each other. and
00:55:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
it's It's more likely do they ever stop fighting whenever they start.
00:55:05
Luke Linehan
Well, typically typically at the start of the day, they're good, and then towards towards the end of it, that's when they start fighting, when they're tired.
00:55:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, my God.
00:55:11
Luke Linehan
and
00:55:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, you got to start introducing stressors, like just mess with them a little bit just to get them to go.
00:55:15
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:55:18
RICK JAMES
That is the best, most Steve, when you have a crew that loves each other, that great like that, they're best friends, until they all want to go do something together and it snows and you're fucked.
00:55:19
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:55:29
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
00:55:29
RICK JAMES
Because they're like, are they all going on a snowmobile trip?
00:55:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
hundred percent I agree completely.
00:55:33
RICK JAMES
are they all I mean, what do you can't do anything about it, but it's just, I mean, it's great. 99% the time it was great, but that one other time when they're all off, you're like, you're screwed, but you always figure it out, get it done.
00:55:45
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:55:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
I got to say they they've all like, like Brandon lays it down for him and he just tells him like, listen, this is a, you say, yes, this is a October 1st April 1st. You are available.
00:56:00
Luke Linehan
Thank
00:56:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
You, if you're not going to be available, you're going to give multiple weeks notice that you're going away for, for whatever days. And he monitors them and they, they all make it like there.
00:56:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
I had, I think, I think like out of 13 of them, I want to say nine or 10 made every event, every call out. And that was a lot of call outs this year. It wasn't your normal, you know, 12 to 15 call outs. It was a lot. And they, they had a lot that the vast majority of that crew made every call out.
00:56:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
You know, so yeah, you can't, can't, I can't, I don't, I don't mess with them at all.
00:56:32
Luke Linehan
um
00:56:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
I just take care of them and I just let Brandon do his thing. Like I'm just going to ride this as long as I can. It's not a wave that I expect to last forever, but I'm not going to do anything to screw with it while I have it this easy.
00:56:50
Luke Linehan
Just take them out to breakfast when you're done. Yeah.
00:56:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Chicken fingers and fries. That's all they want. 13 orders or 10 orders, whatever it is, chicken fingers and fries. That's it. No bacon, egg, and cheeses. They just want chicken fingers and fries at 6 a.m. m That's it.
00:57:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'm like, okay. All right. Whatever you guys want.
00:57:08
Luke Linehan
yeah
00:57:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah you want to hit some commercials, let these guys get a drink.
00:57:12
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:57:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right. Let's hear from our partners. We'll be right back in 45 seconds.
00:58:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, we're back.
Industry Challenges and Client Education
00:58:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
We are back with the boys here. um I got a question for you guys. So up in Wisconsin there in your neck of the woods, what do you guys see as the biggest problems with snow, with with the snow management industry in in that area?
00:58:26
Luke Linehan
um Kind of what I said before, especially being in a small town with, ah you know, just smaller clients, there's not too many brokers in our area. There's a few.
00:58:38
Luke Linehan
And I mean, we work with a couple, not national, but, you know, somewhat local and they're all pretty good.
00:58:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:58:45
Luke Linehan
But I would just say clients being uneducated of what we do. I think that's kind of the biggest thing. And then also just kind of the chuck in the trucks, you know, who think that they can come in and do something and do it as well as, you know, a full, full-time company.
00:59:02
Luke Linehan
So that's been hard to deal with is especially with the, like two low snow years, having and clients don don't think that they have to pay for top of the line service.
00:59:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
sure
00:59:11
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:59:15
Luke Linehan
So then they go to that guy and then on a big storm, they drop the ball, obviously. And so that's been, it's been frustrating the past, past two years, but.
00:59:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, that's I could see that. That'd be a huge pain in the ass.
00:59:29
Luke Linehan
Yep.
00:59:30
RICK JAMES
Have you lost, have you had any clients back out like the monthly ones because they think they're not getting you know, because there's no snow or whatever last couple of years they all kind of
00:59:39
Luke Linehan
um we haven't We haven't had anyone switch to per push that I can think of, but we had one account and we do the surrounding lots and he dropped us for a lower price.
00:59:54
Luke Linehan
And it was actually kind of amusing because by the end of the storm, our lots would be black and then his would be, you know, six inches of hard pack.
01:00:02
RICK JAMES
I touched.
01:00:03
Luke Linehan
So
01:00:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
You get what you pay for in snow.
01:00:07
Luke Linehan
you try and tell them that, but
01:00:07
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:00:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, I mean, it's it's an absolute truth. you You literally get what you can have anything you want, but you get what you pay for.
01:00:12
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
01:00:17
Luke Linehan
yeah
01:00:17
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:00:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, every, I firmly believe that every every customer out there is getting exactly the snow, the snow service they want.
01:00:19
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:00:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
but Because they can have anything they want. They just got to understand what the value associated with that is.
01:00:33
Luke Linehan
yeah
01:00:34
RICK JAMES
The price for everything.
01:00:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
Dude, I tell you, when we started actually just putting that little breakdown of forbids of what our costs are to do their site, and they start seeing the cost of equipment, how much depreciation, you know, the insurance, ah like I had jaws hitting the floor. Like they don't they don't know. Like you said, like they're uneducated for the most part. And it's not...
01:01:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
and't It's not their fault. Like, who who the hell, if you're a business owner, you're not going to you know bone up on, you're not going to go get a bachelor's degree in snow management just to know what you're talking about, what what company to hire.
01:01:02
Luke Linehan
no
01:01:03
RICK JAMES
um
01:01:11
RICK JAMES
Can you get that?
01:01:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
So you education. What's that, Jay?
01:01:14
RICK JAMES
Can you get that? Where where do you get
01:01:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
School Jobs University, coming soon. That's
01:01:19
Luke Linehan
Your next endeavor. All right.
01:01:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
it. Because we don't have enough on our plate. We're going to do that now, too.
01:01:24
Luke Linehan
right
01:01:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, man.
01:01:26
RICK JAMES
as well invent something. Why not? Everybody else does.
01:01:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
It wouldn't be a bad idea, though, for property managers like or you know business people that that don't know anything about snow is like do something to help educate them on behalf of snow professionals.
01:01:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
So if they are interested in learning what actually goes into it, they can.
01:01:46
RICK JAMES
It's kind of like mean.
01:01:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
But yeah, ah we've, we've, we've shocked the shit out of a bunch of people with, the with the prices and like, Hey, listen, this is all Googleable. You can look, you can call, call this business, this business is where we get this from.
01:01:54
Luke Linehan
Yeah. Yeah.
01:01:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
This is go ahead, price it out for yourselves. This, these are all legit numbers. And they're like, Holy shit. Had no idea.
01:02:04
RICK JAMES
mean If you watched the last storm chasing video, that's what it was. I mean, they don't think all them.
01:02:10
Luke Linehan
yeah
01:02:10
RICK JAMES
I mean, we didn't get snow, and there's still all that ton of work you got to do and be ready for that.
01:02:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
tons tons of man hours to prep absolutely that money has to come from somewhere absolutely
01:02:18
RICK JAMES
that that That all costs money, as we all know. so
01:02:21
Luke Linehan
And that happens more often than what people think.
01:02:23
RICK JAMES
more More often than plowing.
01:02:24
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
01:02:25
RICK JAMES
Like I always say, to plow on, that's the easy part.
01:02:26
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
01:02:29
RICK JAMES
it Everything else is rough.
01:02:29
Luke Linehan
A hundred percent. Yeah.
01:02:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah absolutely and i always like i always kick myself for the like i know a couple guys that I wouldn't say they are the most conscientious when it comes to snow. They do snow because they kind of have to, but they're not in love with it. And they will literally only prepare for something if it's like a 70% chance or better that it's coming.
01:02:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
And like, if I got a 0.2% chance that I'm getting anything, like everything's ready to go.
01:02:56
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah, you're on.
01:02:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'm spending hours and hours.
01:02:57
Luke Linehan
We
01:02:58
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:02:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
And I'm like, man, and when they don't pan out, I'm like, well, who's the fucking moron? He's asleep. He's not up all night.
01:03:04
Luke Linehan
are. Yeah.
01:03:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
he He didn't spend, you know, he didn't pay three guys five hours each to prep all the shit, like make sure everything was good.
01:03:06
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:03:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like, who's the moron?
01:03:12
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:03:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
but I just, ah yeah I just, I could not do it.
01:03:14
Luke Linehan
we are
01:03:16
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:03:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
the I could not go that that route.
01:03:18
Luke Linehan
yeah
01:03:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
I wouldn't be able to live with myself.
01:03:19
RICK JAMES
right yeah you know
01:03:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
But yeah, those guys sleep well. They really do.
01:03:24
RICK JAMES
They do.
01:03:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
They sleep well.
01:03:25
RICK JAMES
It always needs to work out for them. That's some bad, but it's like, I just can't think that way.
01:03:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh my God.
01:03:32
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:03:33
Luke Linehan
Maybe one one day will work out for us.
01:03:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:03:35
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:03:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. I mean, I think it is honestly, I think a lot of you're hearing a lot of places that they're, they're wanting better quality snow work and they're now maybe understanding.
01:03:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
There's a lot of pro I didn't realize how many property managers are listening to the show. There are actually, but there's two local property managers that in the last two weeks I've learned are listening to the show. So, and they, they've said, you know, it's a good resource. Like it it may not work for every property, but at least, you know, we've heard you talk about certain properties or guests on your show talk about how to do certain properties.
01:04:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
And it, I said, well, that's great. I mean, I guess it's great that we kind of bash property management companies, you know, here and there, but you know, it's good for them every, every so often.
01:04:15
Luke Linehan
Yep. Yep.
01:04:20
RICK JAMES
everybody gets bashed.
01:04:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
Help them out.
01:04:21
RICK JAMES
stay Everybody gets bad.
01:04:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Everybody gets bashed. Yeah, it's a pretty wide brush, you know, broad brush.
01:04:24
RICK JAMES
That's how the world works, man.
01:04:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah we' We're equal opportunity.
01:04:30
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:04:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
Smack everybody.
01:04:31
RICK JAMES
Everybody gets smacked around no matter what you're in.
01:04:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
We smack ourselves. it's It's great.
01:04:35
RICK JAMES
Oh, God, yeah.
01:04:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
You know, you gotta gotta be gotta to be able to take a punch, right? If you're going
Future Growth and Business Expansion
01:04:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
throw punches, gotta be able to take the punches.
01:04:42
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:04:42
Luke Linehan
help
01:04:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
but um So, I really want to, you want to do five and five, Jay, or do you want to, ah
01:04:49
RICK JAMES
Yeah, you do that.
01:04:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, you want to do that?
01:04:50
RICK JAMES
You can do that.
01:04:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, because I really want to hear from from ah John and and hear about the lessons.
01:04:52
RICK JAMES
All
01:04:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like, he's been in business a long time, so I want to hear, ah you know, what ah what lessons he's learned that he can pass on to guys.
01:04:59
RICK JAMES
right.
01:05:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
But let's do five and five, and then we'll get to that.
01:05:05
RICK JAMES
Okay. Where do you want to see your guys' as company and go in the next five years? What are you guys looking forward to or planning on?
01:05:12
Luke Linehan
ah Right now, I want to see us go more, ah expand a little bit, expand towns, because right now we're were primarily in River Falls. So, you know, all of our sites are within 10, 15 minutes.
01:05:24
Luke Linehan
So I think if we if we do it properly and expand into surrounding towns, I think that could be huge for us with growth.
01:05:24
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
01:05:35
Luke Linehan
But then I also want to improve service, you know, speed up our times and, you know, do a better job. So.
01:05:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
Those are usually not mutually exclusive. Like if you're going to expand your area, generally your times do not speed up.
01:05:47
Luke Linehan
yeah
01:05:50
Luke Linehan
Yeah. Yeah. So that's why, that's what was kind of saying, expand with a purpose, I guess, not just getting accounts all over different towns and try and target one area so that we can, you know, have a full crew in one area work and not driving around the whole town, trying to get a,
01:05:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:05:58
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:06:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
01:06:03
RICK JAMES
just
01:06:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
I like it.
01:06:09
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
01:06:09
RICK JAMES
Just be more efficient and stuff is what you're saying.
01:06:11
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
01:06:11
RICK JAMES
and Yeah.
01:06:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:06:12
Luke Linehan
Yeah. Cause I mean, right now it probably takes us five, six hours to plow everything.
01:06:13
RICK JAMES
Is there any? Yeah.
01:06:18
Luke Linehan
And then maybe an hour after to salt two hours typically. Yeah. About that. i
01:06:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's a good route.
01:06:24
Luke Linehan
Two to four. Yeah.
01:06:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, that's a good route.
01:06:26
RICK JAMES
you know
01:06:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
I like that.
01:06:27
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:06:28
Luke Linehan
Yeah. So, I mean, all our stuff is probably done within, an hour or two, you know, they're all pretty consistent. So, but I think just trying to speed it up and as we expand, even in river falls, you know, adding equipment just to try and keep speeding up. And also, you know, if there's a big storm, we're not stretched too thin.
01:06:46
Luke Linehan
I mean, obviously we're going be stretched thin, but stretched, stretched out enough to where still manageable and we're not running around with our heads cut off.
01:06:50
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:06:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:06:56
Luke Linehan
and And Luke's looking to expand and I'm looking to see how much gas we get back back.
01:06:56
RICK JAMES
Do you see
01:06:59
RICK JAMES
I was going to say, yeah.
01:06:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah I, you know, I was just going to say, I think dad's back there shaking his head a little bit.
01:07:05
RICK JAMES
no Do you have any big purchases that you want to do coming up or anything that you're looking at getting, trying to help your snow company out little more?
01:07:15
Luke Linehan
um So we actually just recently purchased land.
01:07:16
RICK JAMES
that
01:07:18
Luke Linehan
So um last week, so we'll be, there's a shop on it right now. So kind of ah our biggest expense right now is getting that set up for our, to move our business too.
01:07:30
Luke Linehan
So that's, yeah.
01:07:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
cool really cool
01:07:31
Luke Linehan
So we're pretty excited about that and there'll be a lot of potential there.
01:07:35
RICK JAMES
That's
01:07:36
Luke Linehan
Yeah. So that, and then i think getting, getting into more loaders and cause it's easy to find people to like them.
01:07:42
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:07:44
Luke Linehan
And I, I think compared to a skid loader, they're a lot safer for an operator. I feel a lot better knowing that they're in a loader than skid loader.
01:07:49
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:07:51
Luke Linehan
They're not slipping around everywhere. And then also improving like salt, like it the, I see boss has the new um plus with, or the VBX plus.
01:08:02
Luke Linehan
So salt tracking and then like Hilltip or VSI.
01:08:02
RICK JAMES
Yep. DBX.
01:08:06
Luke Linehan
So I think getting into more tracking just so we know the exact amount and then continuing to educate clients. So, you know, they're seeing what paying for and we can, we can prove it to them.
01:08:15
RICK JAMES
Perfect.
01:08:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool.
01:08:18
RICK JAMES
Great.
01:08:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Love it.
01:08:19
RICK JAMES
Well, good things.
01:08:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
What's been the most important decision you guys have made in the last five years to get you where you are today?
01:08:29
Luke Linehan
Probably higher than
01:08:31
RICK JAMES
It's
01:08:32
Luke Linehan
Of course.
01:08:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
If I do say so myself. That's
01:08:34
RICK JAMES
not like a Jeremy answer.
01:08:35
Luke Linehan
Yeah, I mean, I always say we're only as good as our last job. So we try to pride ourselves doing a good job the best we can.
01:08:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
and's it
01:08:44
Luke Linehan
And it's a good way to grow.
01:08:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Now that's great.
01:08:49
RICK JAMES
right There's two bars in the tower.
01:08:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
I agree. I agree completely. like So I got to ask this question. So, cause know I could not do it. I would not be able to do this with my father. We would just not be able to work in the same business together.
01:09:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
How, how is it? How is the dynamic, you know, father and son, you know, running the same business. Yeah.
01:09:09
Luke Linehan
It's tight. yeah
01:09:13
RICK JAMES
One goes to one, one goes the other.
01:09:13
Luke Linehan
yeah
01:09:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
but
01:09:15
Luke Linehan
the It depends on the day.
01:09:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, it's great.
01:09:19
Luke Linehan
and
01:09:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
That is great. I love it.
01:09:20
Luke Linehan
yeah He's always right and I'm always wrong. So that's all.
01:09:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, yeah, I'm sure that's that's usually how it is.
01:09:25
RICK JAMES
That sounds about right. Sounds about right.
01:09:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
The younger generation, they are never wrong. Just ask them.
01:09:31
Luke Linehan
don't know.
01:09:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, man, that's funny.
01:09:34
Luke Linehan
Yeah, for the most part, though, it goes, I mean, there'll be are days, I guess, where it doesn't go so good.
01:09:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
So, go ahead.
01:09:41
Luke Linehan
But usually in a snowstorm, unless it's like the snow's still falling at 6 a.m., that's when stuff gets stressful. But...
01:09:49
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:09:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, it's a different, I'll tell you, it's just two very different outlooks. Like my son's only 10 and he's telling me two days ago, dad, you got to expand.
01:09:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
You got to grow the snow business. I'm like, dude, fuck off. Like yeah the I'm looking to stay the same or wind it down.
01:10:03
Luke Linehan
if
01:10:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like I'm an old man here, buddy. And i like, it's just two different schools of thought.
01:10:10
RICK JAMES
the
01:10:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
The young guys want to grow it. They want to, they're hungry. And like, I've been doing this a long time. I'm looking to enjoy some part of life at some point, you know, but wind this down, have an exit plan.
01:10:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
But I think it's the same. i think it's the same across the board.
01:10:28
Luke Linehan
the way I kind of think about it and like a couple of my friends, their parents own businesses and Like my whole life, this has kind of been somewhat around the size that we've been at.
01:10:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
no
01:10:38
Luke Linehan
So this is like the normal to me. Like I haven't started a business from scratch where he has. So he knows like from the start to where he is now. So this feels probably a lot different to him than what does for me.
01:10:50
Luke Linehan
So this is kind of like the norm to me.
01:10:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
01:10:52
Luke Linehan
So i think growing it, that's when I'll start to feel more uncomfortable where you want to be, honestly.
01:10:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
I got you. Cool. Uncomfortable is good. i mean, uncomfortable is not necessarily a bad thing.
01:11:04
Luke Linehan
Mm-hmm.
01:11:05
RICK JAMES
I just wait till they can't have their holidays together when they start being married.
01:11:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's
Running a Family Business
01:11:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
it.
01:11:12
Luke Linehan
and
01:11:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
Christmas card here and there. oh man. That's funny. John, I really want to know. You've been doing this a long time. 1998. I mean, that's a while. Any lessons you learned in your early stages or as you guys grew ah that you could pass on to the other younger guys out there who may just be starting out?
01:11:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
you know that would help him out.
01:11:35
Luke Linehan
Yeah, I guess.
01:11:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
And I see you looking at Luke.
01:11:35
Luke Linehan
Yeah,
01:11:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
Obviously, he may not listen, but there are a lot of other younger guys out there that probably want to hear it.
01:11:39
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:11:42
Luke Linehan
yeah I mean, i'm I'm just trying to think of a lesson learned in 25, 28 years or whatever. Yeah, I mean, I'll go back to doing a good job.
01:11:53
Luke Linehan
Saying, say you know, if someone calls, what time you're going to be there, be there on there at that time and just following through with your word.
01:12:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:12:00
RICK JAMES
Yeah, it's just simple stuff, but it's the biggest thing, you know?
01:12:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
I love that.
01:12:03
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
01:12:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
We've, how many times, Jeremy, have we heard that from the older generation, you know, the forties to 60 year olds that be on time, do what you say you're going to do when you're going to, when you say you're going to do it.
01:12:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
And that's like the keys to business be on time and do what you say you're to do.
01:12:19
Luke Linehan
Yeah. Yeah.
01:12:20
RICK JAMES
obviously Obviously, it's a big thing. It's a big thing to do. i mean
01:12:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's a big thing for all the young bucks out there. That is, those are keys.
01:12:29
RICK JAMES
A lot of people can't do it. They just want to be yes man and say yes and then deal with the consequences later. And that's usually when they get in trouble.
01:12:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
hundred percent 100%.
01:12:36
RICK JAMES
so
01:12:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:12:37
Luke Linehan
I think another big thing too is answering the tough phone calls from clients, you know, when they're complaining, you know, you have to, I mean, it's probably your fault.
01:12:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely.
01:12:47
Luke Linehan
So, or one of your guys faults, but it all comes back to us. So, you know, going out there and doing the right thing.
01:12:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Always.
01:12:54
RICK JAMES
Yep. You're the snow guy. It's always your fault.
01:12:55
Luke Linehan
Never easy, but it has to be done.
01:12:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, 100%.
01:12:58
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:12:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
You got answer the phone. Absolutely. That's great.
01:13:02
RICK JAMES
You got any good plowing stories you want to tell before you close us out or anything you want to tell your dad that you did or anything like that?
01:13:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good stuff.
01:13:06
Luke Linehan
cool but
01:13:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yup. Mm-hmm.
01:13:13
Luke Linehan
we're talking about funny stories and he's like, well, you tell one, you probably have more. And it's like, it seems like you do this long enough. You've seen such crazy stuff. It's,
01:13:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
ye
01:13:23
Luke Linehan
But, yeah, I mean, we were just talking about this past winter. One of the guys that plows in town here, he calls me up. He goes, because college town, so it's close bar closing time. So downtown's semi-full, you know. He calls me up. He goes, I just saw the grossest thing. He goes, I was driving down Main Street. This girl's blowing chunks in this little bank. And he go comes back around the corner, and she's making out with this dude. He's like,
01:13:50
RICK JAMES
Oh, man.
01:13:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh,
01:13:53
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:13:54
Luke Linehan
Well, I didn't see it firsthand, but
01:13:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
who was, who must've been drunker than she was.
01:13:59
Luke Linehan
that reference
01:13:59
RICK JAMES
you
01:14:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
but so
01:14:02
Luke Linehan
everyone looks good at Barclos time, I guess.
01:14:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah that's great. Oh man. You do.
01:14:07
RICK JAMES
man
01:14:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
so You do though. You were all, we're out all night long. a lot of nights year after year. You see some of the craziest shit out there.
01:14:15
Luke Linehan
Right.
01:14:15
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:14:16
Luke Linehan
don't even know after time, it's like, I've seen it. Yeah.
01:14:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
Really do.
01:14:19
RICK JAMES
Yeah, exactly.
01:14:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
You don't even notice it anymore as being weird. It's just how it is.
01:14:24
RICK JAMES
Just a normal mate.
01:14:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
that's it.
01:14:27
RICK JAMES
Nothing left?
01:14:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, Jay, you got anything else for these guys?
01:14:28
RICK JAMES
Nothing from you?
01:14:29
Luke Linehan
I got one more story that I don't think he knows about.
01:14:29
RICK JAMES
You got no story?
01:14:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, bring it.
01:14:34
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:14:34
Luke Linehan
well
01:14:35
RICK JAMES
Let's tell the one he doesn't know about.
01:14:36
Luke Linehan
this is interesting over enough yes
01:14:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah ah
01:14:39
Luke Linehan
So I think it was two or three, whenever I just got my license. so a couple of my friends were hanging out. ah I think had a friend's house and I had to bring one of the kids home. So we're driving, drove actually drove right by my house and then hook a left.
01:14:54
Luke Linehan
And I wasn't really paying attention. And I, it was a pretty big snowstorm. My plow caught the, caught the bank and drug, drug me into the ditch.
01:15:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh geez You could have seen it.
01:15:03
Luke Linehan
So I was buried in obviously, cause I think he was still sleeping. So I didn't want to call him. so I called my friends who were like at the bowling alley or something. I think it took us like 45 minutes to get the truck out.
01:15:17
Luke Linehan
And if he had walked outside, he could have seen truck in the ditch. So whole time I'm looking, seeing if the lights turn on, but so we get it out. drive Drive down the road and like five minutes later, he calls me. He's like, was someone in the ditch down the road?
01:15:33
Luke Linehan
i was like, no, I don't think so.
01:15:33
RICK JAMES
yeah yeah
01:15:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
i
01:15:35
Luke Linehan
Cause there's more all Well, he just found out just now.
01:15:40
RICK JAMES
How long you take it home?
01:15:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh man Dude that happens There you There you go just Just told them
01:15:43
RICK JAMES
How long was it before you phoned out and was you or did you tell him right away?
01:15:49
RICK JAMES
Whoa, just now? Oh, perfect.
01:15:52
Luke Linehan
so i I didn't know we're coming confessional hour here.
01:15:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
01:15:55
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah. That was the best.
01:15:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah ah We're nothing but trouble That's it Take that one to the grave That's it Oh man
01:15:59
RICK JAMES
Yeah, somebody was bitch. I don't know it was.
01:16:03
Luke Linehan
like
01:16:03
RICK JAMES
Crazy kids.
01:16:03
Luke Linehan
Keep asking questions. We'll find out more about Luke.
01:16:06
RICK JAMES
yeah that season. I
01:16:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah What else you got for him, Jay?
01:16:12
RICK JAMES
don't got anything, buddy. That's another good one.
01:16:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
guys got anything for us before we let you go?
01:16:18
Luke Linehan
I just want to say thank you
Podcast Impact and Closing Remarks
01:16:20
Luke Linehan
for having us on and, you know, doing the show.
01:16:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
no problem.
01:16:24
Luke Linehan
mean, to be honest, I've always liked doing snow, but then when I saw your podcast was starting, that's when I really got into it. And, I mean, I think about it pretty much all summer and all winter long now.
01:16:34
Luke Linehan
So thanks for that.
01:16:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome.
01:16:35
Luke Linehan
But,
01:16:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
No problem.
01:16:36
RICK JAMES
crazy. crazy.
01:16:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's great to hear. Love, love hearing that.
01:16:39
Luke Linehan
yeah.
01:16:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome.
01:16:40
RICK JAMES
Got another one.
01:16:41
Luke Linehan
And as a parent, is that a failure or a –
01:16:43
RICK JAMES
Yeah, I think it is.
01:16:44
Luke Linehan
and
01:16:45
RICK JAMES
Yeah, I think it is.
01:16:45
Luke Linehan
don
01:16:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah Time will tell, I guess. We'll see how the expansion goes. Oh man.
01:16:51
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:16:52
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
01:16:52
RICK JAMES
ah
01:16:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome though. Good for you guys.
01:16:54
RICK JAMES
If you want to live in misery and all that, you're good.
01:16:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. Yeah.
01:16:58
Luke Linehan
Yeah. a great
01:16:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
Life of frustration.
01:17:01
RICK JAMES
You're stressed out. You're good.
01:17:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
Just make sure you have an outlet.
01:17:05
RICK JAMES
You're good.
01:17:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like as you get older, something that you can do to just relieve the stress or walk away. Winters can be ah real pain in the ass sometimes.
01:17:15
Luke Linehan
yeah
01:17:16
RICK JAMES
They live in Wisconsin, though. That's the bar. That's what it is.
01:17:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
You go snowmobiling or anything?
01:17:22
Luke Linehan
Every once in a while with my buddies.
01:17:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right.
01:17:25
RICK JAMES
To the bar.
01:17:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
So far, do they get, yeah, I guess they would in Minnesota or Wisconsin go barda bar to bar and the snowmobiles. You probably still do that.
01:17:34
RICK JAMES
yeah.
01:17:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
Right.
01:17:35
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
01:17:35
RICK JAMES
They do it all here, yeah. ye
01:17:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Upstate New York. That's what, that's all it is. A snow snowmobiling and like the tug Hill plateau and stuff. It's literally, they go from bar to bar to bar, like a 80 mile loop.
01:17:46
Luke Linehan
That's Wisconsin.
01:17:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
And there's like seven bars along the trails. And that's it. Man, how do you guys do that?
01:17:55
RICK JAMES
Fast.
01:17:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Uh, Well, we really appreciate it. We appreciate the time. Definitely loved having you guys on. It was great meeting you at storm day.
01:18:04
Luke Linehan
Yeah.
01:18:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
And, uh, yeah, we wish you guys the best going forward. That's awesome.
01:18:08
Luke Linehan
Thanks for having us. Yeah.
01:18:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nope.
01:18:09
RICK JAMES
Yeah, definitely.
01:18:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
No problem at all.
01:18:10
RICK JAMES
Thanks for coming up.
01:18:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Anytime, anytime. All right, Jay, we're going to wrap it.
01:18:14
RICK JAMES
Scrap.
01:18:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right. Well, then that's going to do it for this episode 122 of the Snow Jobs Podcast main show. Again, we want to thank John and Luke for the time. We wish Linehan Outdoor Services all the best in the future.
01:18:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it, gang. All right. Everybody be safe out there. Have a great week. Keep pushing.