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S3-114: Cali! Finally!! High Sierra MountainScapes, Graeagle California
617 Plays15 days ago
The guys welcome Alec Dieter, owner of High Sierra MountainScapes to the show! This is The SnowJobs first venture into the world of California Sierra Mountain Snow, and Alec tells us all about their operation and how they get it done
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Snowstorm Discussion
00:00:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Thank
00:00:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
And we're off Snow Jobs Nation. We are back again, bringing you episode 114 of the Snow Jobs podcast. Main show powered by Top Gun Backblades. As always, I'm Steve.
00:00:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
You know who's with me.
00:00:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
Jeremy Lindstrom, Glacier Snow Management, Fargo, North Dakota. And I emphasize snow. What is up, Jay?
00:01:06
RICK JAMES
Oh, how's it going, Steve-O?
00:01:08
RICK JAMES
Doing all right. Yeah, we got some big snow this week. ah Finally, let in April, finally.
00:01:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Got some big snow.
00:01:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
they They were right.
00:01:14
RICK JAMES
Yes, they were right. i little i got a little bone to pick with them, you know, that they were off on the timing, which whatever, but he shorted us as some short of some of the inches, or not inches, but like a half inch on his...
00:01:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
What they say? They told you four to eight, right?
00:01:30
RICK JAMES
Yeah, no, i'm I'm talking about certified. You know, we have account. We need to hit a number, and we measured over seven and a half, and he only gave us seven. so
00:01:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh What?
00:01:42
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:01:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's not good.
00:01:45
RICK JAMES
I'll have to talk to the doctor. I'll have to call the doctor on Monday.
00:01:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, you know, with the you can't win with the weathermen, bro. You can't win.
00:01:54
RICK JAMES
Yeah, I mean, it was it was good. It was finally, it was nice. It was, we all had a good time and it wasn't looking good for a while. Wasn't looking good at all. It was raining and not doing shit, moving east.
00:02:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
No?
00:02:07
RICK JAMES
So we thought we were going to get skunked again, but
00:02:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nick backed it up though, right? Nick said you were getting snow too? All right.
00:02:14
RICK JAMES
yeah, yep. They all got, yep. Yep.
00:02:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
So if Nick got on board, that was pretty good because he's usually noncommittal for you guys, right?
00:02:17
RICK JAMES
So,
00:02:20
RICK JAMES
yeah Yeah, he was like 5 8, I think is what Nick told me. so
00:02:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right. Right in the ballpark.
00:02:28
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:02:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
So you started as rain and then you got snow?
00:02:31
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
00:02:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
So was it super heavy, wet, concrete?
00:02:33
RICK JAMES
But it was like It was supposed to be like Tuesday, Wednesday, and it up being like Wednesday, Thursday. so
00:02:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, you got snow on Wiener Wednesday. Did you get out the the wiener machine?
00:02:45
RICK JAMES
We did not. We were out plowing, so...
00:02:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
Come on. That's morale, bro.
00:02:50
RICK JAMES
It was...
00:02:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's like, you know.
00:02:51
RICK JAMES
Yeah. It was just weird. It didn't it wasn't like a normal where everybody goes at one time. I had a few guys out. then It wasn't like where we always had everybody come in everybody go.
00:03:02
RICK JAMES
was just we had to shift people out during the day. It wasn't but was alright. We had a good time.
00:03:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
How long did it snow for?
00:03:08
RICK JAMES
on
00:03:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
What duration?
00:03:10
RICK JAMES
ah What time did finally start on? stickna wednesday Probably like Wednesday afternoon and it snowed until Thursday morning. Probably around four thirty five o'clock and they finally shut down so so it's a little yeah yeah that's what i would say but yep people east of us got got a lot more so or not a lot more but they you know they got more than us like 10 inches or better so but yeah it was uh hey yeah
00:03:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Jeez. And you got seven. yeah got seven and a half.
00:03:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
Got it.
00:03:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay. Well, I mean, it's better than nothing. April bonus snow.
00:03:46
RICK JAMES
Yeah, we're not complaining. it was the guys were all happy to get out one more time. and hopeful you know it's and We hauled, too.
00:03:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
I love it. And you even hauled. Wow.
00:03:56
RICK JAMES
Yeah, yeah. Had to haul some of them.
00:03:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's why the extra snow calls were going out.
00:04:00
RICK JAMES
Yeah, yeah. They were going out on
00:04:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
I can't believe you hauled in April. Like, it's going to be gone. What was it today? What was the temp?
00:04:08
RICK JAMES
on... 40? so
00:04:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, my God. And you hauled.
00:04:10
RICK JAMES
But it was... um my Snapchat, like, memories, were hauling... five years ago, three years ago, we were hauling like major hauling from another late storm.
00:04:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's insane. It's insane that you guys can do that.
00:04:20
RICK JAMES
So
00:04:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
God bless you. God bless you.
00:04:24
RICK JAMES
they don't want it on their lots. know, there's, they really, they need their spots. So
00:04:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's fantastic. Well, good for you. As long as you can get away with it, I would do it too.
00:04:30
RICK JAMES
it's tough. It's tough to find a place to put it though. Cause everything, our dump sites are all mud. So we ended up dumping on pavement and just using the blower and blowing it out into the field.
00:04:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
You
00:04:40
RICK JAMES
So.
00:04:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
got a big canal, don't you? Didn't you just tell me about the moat around Fargo?
00:04:45
RICK JAMES
Yeah, they won't let us up in that, though.
00:04:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
What are you talking about? Let you.
00:04:50
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:04:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
it's ah You own the night, bro.
00:04:52
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:04:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
you're the Nobody's watching. Middle of the night.
00:04:56
RICK JAMES
Oh, everybody's watching us.
00:04:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
but think of it
00:04:57
RICK JAMES
Don't worry.
00:04:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
Everybody's watching.
00:04:58
RICK JAMES
everybody Everybody's watching us.
00:05:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
Did you see the premier snow company in Fargo out there with you? Were they out there doing it?
00:05:06
RICK JAMES
Didn't even see them. I'm sure they're out there, but I saw some videos.
00:05:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
No.
00:05:08
RICK JAMES
I didn't see them out there, though. But, yeah.
00:05:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha. Guys don't run in the same part of town.
00:05:12
RICK JAMES
Yeah. We do, but I don't know. I was down for a comp. I had to take a little break. I don't know. I had some abdominal problems that night for some reason.
00:05:23
RICK JAMES
I was like, I had to go lay down for like two hours and just so I could feel better.
00:05:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Brick house.
00:05:29
RICK JAMES
I was not doing good.
00:05:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
Brickhouse.
00:05:34
RICK JAMES
It wasn't even that. I wasn't even there that day. It was...
00:05:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
No.
00:05:37
RICK JAMES
I thought i thought thought my appendix was going or something because I was not feeling good.
00:05:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, that's not good.
00:05:42
RICK JAMES
so was I got all the equipment up and out and told the guys to get going.
00:05:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
All
00:05:45
RICK JAMES
and I told them I need a little break here. so na it They took care of me.
00:05:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
all right.
00:05:49
RICK JAMES
so Two hours, not bad though.
00:05:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good man. Good man. Well, I'm glad you guys got snow that had to make the boys happy.
00:05:57
RICK JAMES
Yeah, definitely. they were They were all for it. so
00:06:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
You had Arctic Steve back out there made the trip.
00:06:03
RICK JAMES
Arctic Steve and then we had another celebrity came out.
00:06:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Who was that?
00:06:07
RICK JAMES
Lefty flew in.
00:06:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, yeah. Did he bring you a hat?
00:06:11
RICK JAMES
No.
00:06:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
No hat. Still no hat. This guy, we're not mentioning his name anymore on this show until we get those hats that he promised us.
00:06:14
RICK JAMES
No.
00:06:17
RICK JAMES
Hey, I brought him out the media shack though because i think he's going to have them start doing this stuff because his hat guy didn't fell through. So he's a,
00:06:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
Are we getting any royalties on on this introduction? Like, I mean, come on.
00:06:28
RICK JAMES
I would, i would assume so. I would assume so.
00:06:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
We better but be getting something out of the deal.
00:06:32
RICK JAMES
ah do I'll just put orders in for our own stuff and tell Spencer and Kim out there to this is just we'll just bill it we'll just bill it to them.
00:06:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
There. Yeah, just tell Spencer to hey keep two hats out of his next hat order so we'll actually get hats.
00:06:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
That would be great, actually. Oh, man. All right.
California Trip and Guest Introduction
00:06:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
You got anything else that happened this week of interest? her
00:06:52
RICK JAMES
No, that was that was honestly the biggest thing, obviously.
00:06:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it.
00:06:55
RICK JAMES
We got snow and we hammered it out. so it was It was a good week.
00:06:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool.
00:06:58
RICK JAMES
Everybody was happy. and Hopefully we're done now and put shit away.
00:07:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
the And the weathermen were right.
00:07:04
RICK JAMES
Yeah, but what a way to end, huh?
00:07:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, that's phenomenal, man. That's a nice big one for you. Did Minnesota get any of it?
00:07:11
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
00:07:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
They did too. All right, so everybody's happy.
00:07:13
RICK JAMES
Yep. Yep.
00:07:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, good to hear. Good to hear the weathermen nailed one.
00:07:17
RICK JAMES
I don't know Makedo got much, but i know the city's got some, and, you know, East of here did, so... look
00:07:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Well, I'm glad to hear that the the weathermen nailed one.
00:07:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
Excuse me, doctor. We got to make that shirt. That's definitely going to be a T-shirt.
00:07:39
RICK JAMES
Yeah, yeah we're
00:07:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
100%. We're doing it. ah All right. Well, then what are we doing tonight, man? This is ah this is a big one, right? This is our first trip to California.
00:07:50
RICK JAMES
we're going west for a change, huh?
00:07:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Dude, we've been trying, trying to get the Tahoe, the California, Tahoe area, trying to get some of these guys to come on. And it's like they're like Canada up there.
00:08:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
They don't want to talk about anything they do up in the High Sierras there.
00:08:05
RICK JAMES
ah
00:08:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's like, but we finally found a guy. We finally, finally found him.
00:08:09
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:08:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
And he's here tonight with us. Alec Dieter of High Sierra Mountainscapes. And that's in Gray Eagle, California. So we're going to talk to Alec tonight and and hear all about High Sierra and how they do it.
00:08:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
I know they got a muskox on a ah um what is a bobcat tool cats.
00:08:28
RICK JAMES
yeah yep
00:08:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
Those things are badass. I can't wait to hear how that's working for them. And ah yeah, so that's what we're doing tonight. First trip to California. We've been trying for a year and a half and unsuccessful. So we finally got one of the California guys. We'll have to hear what the big secret is out there.
00:08:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
I don't know what they're protecting.
00:08:46
RICK JAMES
Let's it.
00:08:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
They're protecting, you know, trade secrets of California snow. But yeah, so we'll get right into it. And before we do that, though, let's hear from Team Top Gun and we will come back. We'll throw a couple quick things in the week and review at you and then we'll be off to the races.
00:09:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, guys, we're back. So quick week in review. ah Last week, we had Adam Nelson from the premier snow company in Fargo, premier snow and ice management out of Fargo, North Dakota.
00:09:46
RICK JAMES
yeah Yeah, I think he's fidgeting a little bit there.
00:09:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's not going to get old. Um, I apologize for the audio there. Adam was using a i don't know Fisher Price mic. I don't know what he had, but every time you could tell ah it was fine on recording, but for whatever reason and when in post ah the mic just kept dropping out. I think it was every time he'd cover it with his hand, play with it.
00:10:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
He was playing with ah he was fidgeting little bit. fidgeting a little bit.
00:10:11
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:10:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
He had a pen going during it. He was banging on the desk a couple of times. So, uh, we might have him back. We might, ah might have to do a do over on that. Cause there were some dead air spots in there that we just couldn't do a damn thing with.
00:10:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
So, but we did have, we did have him on and, uh, it was great talking to him. Good to hear about premier and how they're doing it. And, uh, was able to get Cage a plug for their new wing plow in there. So that's good for them.
00:10:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
I think they'll be happy about that. And that's Snow Jobs approved. So that was ah that that that was approved by the Snow Jobs to talk about Cage on that one. So you're welcome.
00:10:45
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:10:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Uh, April 26th, going to be here before we know guys, Storks snow Alliance day. There are still a few tickets left. If you're thinking of going, get them, get it done. All right. Uh, we'll see you there.
00:10:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's a, what? Three weeks away now. Wow. Yeah. Three weeks out, three weeks out.
00:11:02
RICK JAMES
Getting closer. sir
00:11:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Uh, remind me to tell you about the rental call, uh, the rental car later.
00:11:06
RICK JAMES
Getting a little excited.
00:11:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Uh, remind me.
00:11:11
RICK JAMES
Oh boy.
00:11:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, it's all good. Uh, getting a Lambo.
00:11:15
RICK JAMES
I hope it's a Tesla.
00:11:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
yes like yes
00:11:18
RICK JAMES
I want ah i want to go harass people.
00:11:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes, I told them, get you a Tesla and have make sure it's not above a quarter charge. Leave it on a quarter.
00:11:27
RICK JAMES
That's fine.
00:11:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh
00:11:28
RICK JAMES
That's fine.
00:11:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
What else we got? The Snow Jobs Nation store open and restocked. Backpacks are in. If they're not in today, they will be there tomorrow. Did they get there?
00:11:38
RICK JAMES
They're here. Yeah, they're in my office.
00:11:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
They're there. So sorry for the wait.
00:11:40
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:11:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Everybody get your backpacks that that ordered them up. All right.
00:11:45
RICK JAMES
They're nice.
00:11:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah What else we got here? What do got, Jay? something?
00:11:49
RICK JAMES
I said they're nice. They're a little different than the other ones, but they're still nice. Yeah.
00:11:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, the other ones were out of stock for like through the next two to three months. So I'm like, yeah, we're not goingnna be able to not going to be able to do that.
00:11:59
RICK JAMES
Pretty much the same. They're pretty much the same, but yeah.
00:12:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, good.
00:12:02
RICK JAMES
They're little more waterproof than the other ones.
00:12:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sweet. They what?
00:12:06
RICK JAMES
They look like they're little more waterproof than the other ones. have more of yeah.
00:12:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, good. The other ones were pretty good waterproofing, actually.
00:12:11
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:12:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Wasn't too bad. Like and subscribe on whatever platform you listen to us on. ah we have We actually had a great email ah this week. ah Somebody emailed the website and wanted to know if we could get them a concrete release date for episode one of Storm Chasing with the Snow Jobs because they are organizing a watch party ah amongst the snow contractors in that area.
00:12:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
So...
00:12:37
RICK JAMES
Wasn't that in Washington?
00:12:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Seattle, Spokane, Seattle, something somewhere up in Washington state. Yeah. Spokane, Spokane, whatever. ah Yes. Washington state though. ah They're organizing a watch party. So I'm like, that's pretty freaking cool, dude.
00:12:52
RICK JAMES
cool. Well, maybe we since we're going west tonight, maybe we should try to get one of those guys on.
00:12:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
I know. I didn't even, I thought they get all rain in Washington. They actually get snow.
00:12:59
RICK JAMES
No, they get snow up there.
00:13:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Do they?
00:13:00
RICK JAMES
Yeah, they get some.
00:13:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right.
00:13:01
RICK JAMES
not Not a lot, but some.
00:13:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
well. Then we got to get them. We got to get some of the Washington guys on. That'll be the next ah thing. Hopefully they're a little easy to find.
00:13:09
RICK JAMES
Colorado too.
00:13:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
What?
00:13:11
RICK JAMES
Colorado, we have to get some guys there too.
00:13:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
I got a guy for Colorado. I definitely got a guy. He actually filled out the ah so the ah be a guest thing. So he's in the system. So we can definitely hit Colorado very shortly. What else? But yeah, so they were organizing a watch party. So we will definitely let you guys know as soon as we hammer that out, Ghost Dog is working diligently and as quick as they can to make it perfect.
00:13:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah So as soon as we know when we're going to drop it and ah and we confirm that with our partners at Storm on this and this adventure, ah we will let you know when it's going to go live on YouTube. And that way you can plan your watch parties if that's what you're doing.
00:13:50
RICK JAMES
Yeah, we we want it perfect because you only get one shot.
00:13:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it. Only get one shot and so snow guys are not known for their forgiveness.
00:13:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
They'll let you hear it if if it's shit.
00:14:00
RICK JAMES
oh
00:14:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
So, but I mean, it's got Jeremy Lindstrom in the first episode. So how could it be shit? You know?
00:14:07
RICK JAMES
I should be in a few of them, so that'd be good.
00:14:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. You're in a lot. I mean, that was the plan. So it it should be.
00:14:12
RICK JAMES
Yeah, well, I know.
00:14:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, what else?
00:14:15
RICK JAMES
mean.
00:14:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
Did we have a baby this week?
00:14:19
RICK JAMES
ah No, I don't think so.
00:14:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
We didn't have a baby. none None of the crew had a baby.
00:14:24
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah. Mitchell did. Congratulations, Mitchell, from the ground down.
00:14:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mitch. Congratulations, Mitchell, from the ground down. Baby boy.
00:14:31
RICK JAMES
A little baby boy. think his name is Tom. Tommy. After Big Tommy in the cities. think it's after him. I think that's who it's after. i don't know.
00:14:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah I'm just kidding.
00:14:44
RICK JAMES
So.
00:14:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah Congratulations to the Muller. That's great for you guys. We got a onesie going that way.
00:14:51
RICK JAMES
Uh, yeah, maybe.
00:14:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
He'll get right on top of that.
00:14:54
RICK JAMES
This is Mitchell.
00:14:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
it's Just Mitchell. He'll get right on that.
00:14:59
RICK JAMES
Yeah, he doesn't even listen to the show.
00:14:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:15:00
RICK JAMES
would we send him anything?
00:15:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
He doesn't?
00:15:02
RICK JAMES
No, he doesn't. Aaron listens to it, but Mitchell doesn't.
00:15:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Really? That's interesting information.
00:15:08
RICK JAMES
only Only if Aaron tells him to listen to it, if we said something about him. Then he'll listen.
00:15:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh He got his fake plane repossessed, so he so he's got to worry about that.
00:15:15
RICK JAMES
Yeah. He's got to pay for his baby now, so...
00:15:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it. Gotta pay for diapers. ah Well, congratulations, even though you're not listening. So ah aaron Aaron, tell him to listen. We gave him a shout. ah Yeah, that's it, buddy. That's all I got. You got anything else?
00:15:32
RICK JAMES
I'm good, bud.
00:15:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, cool. So let's hear from our partners, and then we will be back, and we'll hear about all all about California mountain snow. Be right back.
00:16:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, we're back. We are back. So let's go ahead and we were going to welcome in Alec Dieter.
Alec Dieter's Background and Business
00:16:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Hi, Sierra Mountainscapes. Alec, welcome to the Snow Jaws, bud. How are you?
00:16:56
Alec Dieter
I'm doing good. Thanks for having me, guys.
00:16:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
No problem.
00:16:58
Alec Dieter
How are you guys doing?
00:16:58
RICK JAMES
Hey, Alec.
00:16:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
We're doing good. We're doing good.
00:17:00
RICK JAMES
Doing really good.
00:17:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's a Saturday night recording instead of our usual Sunday night the last couple weeks, trying to get it in under the deadline.
00:17:02
Alec Dieter
Nice.
00:17:05
RICK JAMES
Sunday night.
00:17:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
But, ah yeah, no, this is great, man. i'm um Thank you for coming on, man. California is very secretive about snow. Nobody wants to talk.
00:17:16
Alec Dieter
yeah I don't get it. I'm i'm surprised. I don't know what's up with those guys.
00:17:16
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:17:20
Alec Dieter
I mean, it is trucky, though.
00:17:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
So am I.
00:17:21
Alec Dieter
You know, they kind of got their nose in the air and stuff up there, so.
00:17:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh,
00:17:24
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:17:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
man. oh
00:17:27
Alec Dieter
You never know. I'll have to see if I can get some more companies to reach out to you guys or something.
00:17:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
I think we've reached out. Definitely.
00:17:32
RICK JAMES
Yeah, that'd be fun.
00:17:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah We've reached out to probably three companies in that, you know, the, the Sierras ah and literally like, you're the only guy that said yes.
00:17:33
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:17:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Everybody else is like, yeah, we'll get back to you. We're really busy right now. Like, you know, the usual blow off lines when you don't want to talk to somebody.
00:17:46
Alec Dieter
Right.
00:17:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'm like, oh, okay. And then yeah, couldn't get anybody to do it.
00:17:50
Alec Dieter
Oh, man.
00:17:50
RICK JAMES
That was more last year, wasn't it?
00:17:51
RICK JAMES
oh
00:17:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
What's that?
00:17:52
RICK JAMES
Wasn't that more last year were trying to get them when they were getting all that snow and Tahoe and stuff?
00:17:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, but i hit him again this I hit him again like the beginning of this winter. is like, hey, let's let's do this. Come on. We'll put you on the schedule. Oh, yeah, I'll get back to you in a week.
00:18:02
Alec Dieter
Yeah, you guys have talked about ah you guys have talked about one of the companies that I follow, Elements or whatever. I think that's their name, Elements.
00:18:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:18:08
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:18:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes.
00:18:08
Alec Dieter
They have those ah better tractors, I think.
00:18:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes. Yeah.
00:18:12
Alec Dieter
And yeah, I mean, I i thought they would have great. I listened to that but episode when you were talking about them and I was like, man, they should hit them up. And yeah, exactly.
00:18:19
RICK JAMES
I also bidirectional ones.
00:18:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
Tried. Yeah. the the They look like the New Hollands.
00:18:22
Alec Dieter
The seat swivels like a...
00:18:23
RICK JAMES
Yep. Yep.
00:18:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
00:18:24
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:18:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Those are cool. Are they still even making those?
00:18:28
RICK JAMES
Nope.
00:18:28
Alec Dieter
I think so.
00:18:29
RICK JAMES
Nope.
00:18:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah?
00:18:29
RICK JAMES
not what that
00:18:30
Alec Dieter
No.
00:18:31
RICK JAMES
Not around here.
00:18:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
but i
00:18:32
RICK JAMES
they' not Unless they're doing them some other country. but not Because ah they they're a New Holland that was doing them before.
00:18:37
Alec Dieter
Okay.
00:18:37
RICK JAMES
I'm pretty sure wasn't it wasn't
00:18:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
They look like New Holland. I was going to say, they look like New Holland.
00:18:41
RICK JAMES
at the... I thought I heard they weren't making them. But maybe they are somewhere else now. But I know they're not around here.
00:18:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
Well, if we could get them to come on, we could ask them.
00:18:46
RICK JAMES
so
00:18:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
But... yeah
00:18:48
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:18:48
Alec Dieter
Right, you find out.
00:18:49
RICK JAMES
I think I remember talking to them about it. They bought a bunch old ones up and refurbished them or something. If I remember right when I was following them around.
00:18:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
I mean, shit, that's got to be the way to go when you're getting that kind of snow and that much of it.
00:18:58
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:19:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Those those have got to be the right machines for that job.
00:19:05
Alec Dieter
Those got more a little bit more power, right?
00:19:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah i would think Yeah, I would think a lot of power.
00:19:09
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:19:11
Alec Dieter
yeah
00:19:11
RICK JAMES
couple of municipals have them around here for mulling and stuff like that and running blowers and stuff.
00:19:15
RICK JAMES
so
00:19:17
Alec Dieter
Gotcha. They look pretty sweet. I've reached out to them and tried the demo one, but never. Well, whoever I reached out to is Canadian, so there's that language barrier there.
00:19:24
RICK JAMES
Oh, there you go.
00:19:25
Alec Dieter
yeah ah so I haven't found the right guy yet.
00:19:27
RICK JAMES
You're not getting anything out of them.
00:19:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:19:28
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:19:29
Alec Dieter
Nope.
00:19:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, you're not going to get anything out of the Canadians.
00:19:30
Alec Dieter
Not with the tariff situation now.
00:19:32
RICK JAMES
yeah Oh, maybe when they come to 51st, they'll get...
00:19:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, even before.
00:19:36
RICK JAMES
Oh,
00:19:36
Alec Dieter
Right. There we go.
00:19:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
keep banging that drum. Oh, my God.
00:19:39
RICK JAMES
I love it.
00:19:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
right
00:19:41
RICK JAMES
oh Yeah.
00:19:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Jay, you want to take us away?
00:19:43
RICK JAMES
All right. Alex, once you tell us about your company and when you, where you guys got started and how long you've been in business.
00:19:49
Alec Dieter
Sure. um Yeah. So i I guess we've been in business since 2018. I kind of started this thing with my dad. um i I guess a little bit of a backstory.
00:20:00
Alec Dieter
I went to school in Arizona at Arizona State and got a degree there.
00:20:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah! My wife went there.
00:20:05
Alec Dieter
Oh, yeah. Oh, heck yeah. Nice. Go Devils. And, um, so my parents moved up here when I went to college and I've always loved the mountains and grew up a boy scout, right?
00:20:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:20:18
Alec Dieter
Eagle scout. Like that's my gig. And then, so they moved up here and I was like, well, what the heck am I doing in the desert? And so kind of followed them out here. um Didn't really know how to... Yeah, didn't know how to... Well, there's not... like Like I was telling you guys before, there's not a lot of people up here. There's not a lot of work opportunities.
00:20:38
Alec Dieter
like You can commute an hour into Reno. You can commute into Truckee. Or you can like do your own gig. Or you can get paid. by When I first came out here, i had i had my degree in design studies. So I had like a background in architectural rendering and stuff like that.
00:20:54
Alec Dieter
I tried to get a graphic design job and the guy offered me 15 an hour. And I was like, well, I'm going to pass on that. And that business, of course, and now is for a newspaper company.
00:21:05
Alec Dieter
They're out of business. Go figure. So it's like, you know.
00:21:08
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:21:09
Alec Dieter
So I've always loved doing yard work. I was doing yard my parents' yard and keeping it, you know, tip top shape. That's how my dad taught me. And I guess that's how I was raised. And I'm kind of OCD and I like my my stuff tight.
00:21:22
Alec Dieter
So neighbors started asking me, well, can you come to my yard?
00:21:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:21:26
Alec Dieter
And then it just, it spiraled. And so I figured, well, if this allows me to stay where I want to live and I don't have to commute and, you know, I can actually make a living out of it, why not give it a shot?
00:21:37
Alec Dieter
And so, yeah, just just started going for it.
00:21:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice. Good for you.
00:21:41
Alec Dieter
So, yeah.
00:21:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome.
00:21:43
RICK JAMES
And how's that been for you?
00:21:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
You know, there there actually is a lot of snow in Arizona.
00:21:44
RICK JAMES
Pretty good, obviously.
00:21:47
Alec Dieter
I know. Well, that's so Flagstaff, right? I mean, I, yep, that was, I would actually go snowboarding at, ah oh, it used to be called Sunrise, which um was on the border of New Mexico and Arizona.
00:21:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. Yep.
00:21:51
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:21:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:21:59
Alec Dieter
And they would actually get hammered.
00:22:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, yeah.
00:22:01
Alec Dieter
But yeah, it was, no one, you know, people would tell, I would tell people we would go snowboarding. Well, where the hell you doing that in the desert? You'd be surprised.
00:22:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
When I went out there, yeah, when I went out there, I got so sick of the desert so quick. I'm like, I can't look at brown anymore. I can't i need i need pine trees. I need mountains. like I need greenery.
00:22:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
I said, I need the Northeast.
00:22:22
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:22:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
I can't do this after like a month and a half. And she's like, get in the car. So we literally drove an hour and a half out of town, and boom, we're in the Northeast. Like nothing but mountains and pine trees, and everything looked like home. I was like, this is great.
00:22:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like, i could I could definitely do this.
00:22:35
Alec Dieter
Right.
00:22:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
And they had snow like nine months a year. They have snow on the ground up there. It's it's awesome. it's It's kind of the best of both worlds.
00:22:43
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Yeah, I think that ah I forget that mountain, but that mountain is actually pretty high in Flagstaff there.
00:22:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
00:22:50
Alec Dieter
So it's ah that's cool.
00:22:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, that's a nice backcountry snowmobile in two up there. that's ah It's a lot of fun.
00:22:55
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:22:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
lot of fun.
00:22:58
RICK JAMES
And yet you move back to New York.
00:22:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
But. Yeah, well, there's only one there was only one job I wanted. So that was if I could have taken that job and put it in Phoenix, I'd still be there.
00:23:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
But couldn't do it.
00:23:09
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:23:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
But yeah, so that's pretty cool. So 2018, you got your start. So what services are you guys doing? What's what's High Sierra offering?
00:23:19
Alec Dieter
Yeah. So, I mean, i started out doing like maintenance, right. You know, mowing, blowing, trimming stuff, um, you know, the normal maintenance gig. Um, and then was able to use my degree and then some of the experience get my contractor's license, my landscaping contractor's license. and So now we have started doing installs the past two years, which has been pretty cool. You know, pavers, grass, artificial turf, uh, water features, all that, all that stuff.
00:23:48
Alec Dieter
Um, We do a little bit of, as you guys know, the fires in California is kind of a big deal too. So we try and do like fuels reductions. um We don't have any masticators or anything like that.
00:23:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool.
00:23:59
Alec Dieter
We do have some brush, you know, we've got a, I guess kind of a brush hog for the tool cat, which is kind of nice. So we can do anything up to like, I think it's three inches or something.
00:24:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
coal
00:24:09
Alec Dieter
But do a lot of that work, limping up trees and, you know, trying to make homes fire safe and stuff like that. Um, And then in the wintertime, it transitions to just snow and ice management.
00:24:20
Alec Dieter
So, yeah.
00:24:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very cool. Very cool.
00:24:23
RICK JAMES
we had any Have you had any big fires close to you out there?
00:24:26
Alec Dieter
yeah Oh, man. Last year. so we had, i would say, about three quarters of our county burnt down five years ago. There was a pretty big one that was luckily no not really too close to us, but we just got all the smoke from it.
00:24:42
Alec Dieter
But last year, there was one that was from my shop. a I mean, a quarter of a mile away. It was basically the hillside across the highway.
00:24:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Really?
00:24:51
RICK JAMES
Wow.
00:24:52
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:24:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Wow.
00:24:53
Alec Dieter
It was caused by a lightning strike.
00:24:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Huh.
00:24:56
Alec Dieter
And luckily, that was blowing in the other direction.
00:24:58
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:24:59
Alec Dieter
So it blew away from our shop. And it was before all the other big California fires were going on. So we got they had air tankers in here dropping retardant lines and Yeah, it was, ah we were pretty lucky that they got a handle.
00:25:13
Alec Dieter
But yeah, it's, it's real, man. It sucks, but.
00:25:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
They got it pretty quick.
00:25:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's, ah yeah, that's definitely, ah that's it's amazing.
00:25:18
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:25:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's a whole different ballgame than what I do. So it's, yeah, I don't know. God bless those guys. not what I wouldn't want to do it.
00:25:28
Alec Dieter
Yeah, it's all, we're, you know, like i was telling you guys, we're a small town.
00:25:29
RICK JAMES
and
00:25:31
Alec Dieter
So our fire department's all volunteer department.
00:25:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, I've heard that.
00:25:36
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:25:36
Alec Dieter
So it's, yeah, it's, uh, we basically have to get out there, then call for service and then they can help us out. And then they just start calling everyone and anyone and, you know, start dragging them out here.
00:25:48
Alec Dieter
But, uh, yeah.
00:25:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
Now, is your town like a lot of those towns in the Sierras? there're are They're like vacation spots, right? They're like destinations. Is your town like that, too, where your population swells?
00:25:55
Alec Dieter
Yep.
00:25:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
in the in the Is it in the summer that it swells or the winter?
00:26:01
Alec Dieter
The summer, thankfully.
00:26:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Summer. Summer it swells.
00:26:03
Alec Dieter
So, I mean, So people from Truckee are starting to find out about over here, which sucks. But yeah, normally and normally in the wintertime, and I now know I'm not helping you guys for your getting those guys on, right?
00:26:16
Alec Dieter
But oh, man.
00:26:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's all good.
00:26:18
RICK JAMES
ah
00:26:19
Alec Dieter
No, in the wintertime, yeah, in the wintertime, it turns into a ghost town pretty much.
00:26:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
ain't coming anyway.
00:26:23
Alec Dieter
Besides like the snowmobilers, the snowboarders, the skiers, and it's freaking amazing. But yeah, 4th of July, it's a zoo, and
00:26:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool.
00:26:33
Alec Dieter
I try to go camping and get out of town. So yeah.
00:26:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome.
00:26:37
Alec Dieter
yeah Oh yeah.
00:26:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:26:38
RICK JAMES
So what, what elevation are you at your spot?
00:26:42
Alec Dieter
So we're at 4,500 feet.
00:26:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay, that's up there.
00:26:44
RICK JAMES
Okay. Okay.
00:26:44
Alec Dieter
So, yep.
00:26:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
Not crazy high, but high enough. That's for sure.
00:26:49
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Yeah. And so like we have this basin that's, I mean, like I can look out my window and I can see peaks that are, I would say 7,000 seven thousand feet
00:26:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
okay
00:26:59
Alec Dieter
So like we get a lot of, you guys get lake effects now, right? In Fargo, we get mountain effects now where it just seems to, it just seems to roll off the, you know, the mountain.
00:27:05
RICK JAMES
but
00:27:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha.
00:27:11
Alec Dieter
and the It just keeps coming. It won't even be on radar and it's just still snowing.
00:27:15
Alec Dieter
So.
00:27:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
They get wheat.
00:27:15
RICK JAMES
Yeah, we don't get lake.
00:27:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
They get wheat.
00:27:17
RICK JAMES
we We don't get lake effect.
00:27:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
Wheat effect.
00:27:19
Alec Dieter
No, weed effects now.
00:27:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, we sometimes do.
00:27:20
RICK JAMES
No, we get like, we we get prairie snow, prairie land.
00:27:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, yeah they prairie.
00:27:22
Alec Dieter
that's great.
00:27:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:27:25
RICK JAMES
that's weird All we have is flat.
00:27:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
prior
00:27:26
RICK JAMES
All North Dakota is flat land. There's no lake.
00:27:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
Four trees.
00:27:29
RICK JAMES
likes there It's yeah. So, yeah.
00:27:31
Alec Dieter
So do you guys get like, it won't snow, but it'll just be windy.
00:27:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, yeah.
00:27:35
Alec Dieter
And next thing you know, you got like two feet of snow.
00:27:35
RICK JAMES
Oh God, yeah. yeah yeah
00:27:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes. Yeah, that's what he that's that's Jeremy in a nutshell.
00:27:39
Alec Dieter
Okay.
00:27:39
RICK JAMES
Yeah, we get snow from Canada. Canada blows snow in. Yeah, exactly.
00:27:43
Alec Dieter
Oh, shit.
00:27:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, they blow smoke in in the summer and they blow snow in in the winter.
00:27:45
RICK JAMES
Yeah. yeah Yeah, we get Canada smoke all summer and then we get snow in the winter sometimes.
00:27:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Is there anything left of that country to burn?
00:27:53
RICK JAMES
don't
00:27:53
Alec Dieter
they're fighting us.
00:27:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's been burning the last two summers that we've been in like crazy smoke from Canada fires.
00:27:56
RICK JAMES
know. I think they, like the yeah.
00:28:01
RICK JAMES
Yeah, oh um they probably already started.
00:28:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Probably getting an early early start on it this year. Oh, my goodness. So as far as like as far as snow in the mountains there, what do you usually get as far as types of storms and and like how many inches a year you you usually average?
Snow Types and Equipment in Sierra
00:28:21
Alec Dieter
Yeah, I mean, so it seems to vary year to year, right? Some years, last year, two years ago, we got like cold cold snow. We got that cold smoke.
00:28:34
Alec Dieter
blower snow that was just like amazing right you you love to be out in it it's it's great um this year it was what we call the classic term sierra cement so it is it is the biggest chicken feather flakes that you've ever seen in your life it'll snow for three hours and it only accumulates one inch but it' it's just full of like muck and you know water the water
00:28:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
ye
00:28:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
okay
00:29:02
Alec Dieter
concentration is so high that it's just a pain in the ass.
00:29:04
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:29:04
Alec Dieter
So it it it's crazy. It depends. It depends. um
00:29:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
I like Sierra cement new term.
00:29:10
RICK JAMES
Sierra Cement. We got a new one.
00:29:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Love it.
00:29:11
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:29:12
RICK JAMES
but got a new one.
00:29:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
New term.
00:29:12
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:29:13
RICK JAMES
I like it.
00:29:13
Alec Dieter
Oh, yeah. So there's a, I actually follow this app, this weather app, and they have, what's he call it?
00:29:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's great.
00:29:20
Alec Dieter
A SLR, snow liquid ratio.
00:29:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:29:24
Alec Dieter
Which is, yeah, which is kind of cool. So it'll kind of let us know, right? Like, ah are the blower's going to be useless this storm or do we need to put some plows on or or how's it going to be? And this year, basically we didn't get above a 10 to one ratio.
00:29:37
Alec Dieter
So we were always, and yeah, just nasty.
00:29:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, wow.
00:29:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
You were heavy wet all year.
00:29:41
Alec Dieter
Yeah. So, but other years, I mean, we get six to six to 14 inches of just, you know, you could fart on it and it just, it flies away on you.
00:29:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
Crazy.
00:29:51
Alec Dieter
So it depends.
00:29:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. Yep. We get that too.
00:29:53
RICK JAMES
ye
00:29:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool. Well, I mean, Hey, you know It keeps you on your toes, right?
00:29:54
Alec Dieter
yeah
00:29:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's
00:29:59
Alec Dieter
I guess.
00:30:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
crazy.
00:30:01
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:30:02
Alec Dieter
so I mean, some consistency would be nice sometimes.
00:30:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
and
00:30:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, well, I mean, that's not Mother Nature.
00:30:07
RICK JAMES
up
00:30:08
Alec Dieter
No, not at all.
00:30:09
RICK JAMES
So many, um how many events you get then to get to go after a year, or roughly any,
00:30:09
Alec Dieter
i didn't Go ahead.
00:30:16
Alec Dieter
So I think the five-year average last year was 12 to 15 visits, depending on um our customers. um our trigger point is three inches.
00:30:27
Alec Dieter
So most of our residential people are, you know, once it hits three inches, then we go out and we do post offices as well. We do those at zero tolerance. So of course those are probably like, you know, triple the amount of visits that we would normally do.
00:30:41
RICK JAMES
Uh-huh. Uh-huh.
00:30:42
Alec Dieter
But this year, i don't even think we hit, we may have hit five visits on some of our customers that are tucked up against the mountain and up in the higher spots. So other than that, I mean, what's hilarious, I've got customers on one side of the highway that I've done five visits.
00:30:59
Alec Dieter
I've got another customer on the other side of the highway that I've done one visit.
00:31:03
Alec Dieter
Just because of that.
00:31:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
Wow.
00:31:04
RICK JAMES
ah
00:31:05
Alec Dieter
Yeah, the the amount of.
00:31:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's how it goes.
00:31:07
Alec Dieter
Right. So.
00:31:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Well, I mean, that's the and that's the thing. If guys listen to this, that they need to understand that mountain snow tolerance is a lot higher. Like people are used to having snow on their roads all winter long on their driveways.
00:31:17
RICK JAMES
Yeah. What?
00:31:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like you go to any ski area, they don't plow the driveways of any Airbnb, any any hotels that you're at.
00:31:23
Alec Dieter
Oh, yeah.
00:31:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
They're all snow covered, hard pack all winter long. And that's that's the amount.
00:31:32
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:31:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
I love that, though. I mean, that's awesome. It really is.
00:31:36
Alec Dieter
Yeah. And people fight me for three inches sometimes. They want six inches. But then then they start driving on it and then they expect it to be cleared down the pavement.
00:31:41
RICK JAMES
what
00:31:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:31:46
Alec Dieter
It's like, I can't do this, you know? So...
00:31:49
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:31:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:31:49
Alec Dieter
Yeah, three inches seems to be an acceptable amount for everyone.
00:31:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
So do you do mostly residential or do you do a ah bunch of different type sites?
00:31:59
Alec Dieter
wait i We do a bunch of different ones. I tried to kind of do half and half in a sense.
00:32:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:32:06
Alec Dieter
So um we do, did we do this year? We had one, two, three HOA. four HOAs. Three of them were community kind of based, like townhome-esque.
00:32:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
hu yep
00:32:19
Alec Dieter
So they kind of shared driveways in a sense, super small driveways, right, nice and straight, whatever. And then we did another HOA that was like their main roadway. That was probably, I think, two miles of roadway um that we and we take care of.
00:32:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha.
00:32:33
Alec Dieter
And then we do, like I said, both posts. we do We have two post offices in the town. We do both of them. And I know it's pretty but crazy.
00:32:41
RICK JAMES
ah
00:32:42
Alec Dieter
Bill Clinton, actually, I think.
00:32:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
You have two.
00:32:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
What's the population?
00:32:43
RICK JAMES
you yeah One for the dogs, one for the humans.
00:32:47
Alec Dieter
Right, exactly.
00:32:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
00:32:48
Alec Dieter
You think it's insane, but I don't know what it's about. But um yeah, it's all PO boxes, right? So we don't have any mailboxes at our houses and stuff like that.
00:32:58
RICK JAMES
Nice.
00:32:58
Alec Dieter
Everything's there.
00:32:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
and
00:32:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
Doge is coming for that second post office.
00:33:02
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:33:03
Alec Dieter
yeah
00:33:03
RICK JAMES
yeah ah
00:33:06
Alec Dieter
ah
00:33:07
Alec Dieter
But yeah, and then I think we have 70, last time i counted, 70 residential individual properties that we manage.
00:33:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:33:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool.
00:33:17
Alec Dieter
So yeah, just little mixture, man.
00:33:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Now, what population of the town, do you know offhand?
00:33:21
Alec Dieter
Oh God, I don't, I can look it up really quick.
00:33:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like under 5,000?
00:33:25
RICK JAMES
Gotcha.
00:33:26
Alec Dieter
Oh, easily.
00:33:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. And you got two post offices.
00:33:28
RICK JAMES
Gotcha.
00:33:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'm still stuck on the post and two post offices.
00:33:31
Alec Dieter
yeah
00:33:34
Alec Dieter
You ready for it? 532.
00:33:37
RICK JAMES
oh
00:33:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Man, you guys must send a lot of mail.
00:33:40
Alec Dieter
Now, okay, so they set and so that was for Gray Eagle.
00:33:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
but
00:33:43
Alec Dieter
So I guess one post office is in Clio, technically, and the other one's in Gray Eagle.
00:33:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha. Okay.
00:33:49
Alec Dieter
Clio, that's the one that has the dog sign. And then I think there's 32 dogs.
00:33:54
Alec Dieter
So i don't know. There's got to be, right, 15 people?
00:33:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
That they got more dogs than people.
00:33:57
RICK JAMES
oh geez
00:33:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah That's great. That's awesome.
00:34:01
Alec Dieter
oh yeah.
00:34:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
Jay, you want to take them into your favorite part?
00:34:07
RICK JAMES
yeah you bet elk once you uh yep don't you tell us about what what ah what equipment are you using up there elk in your in your line of work up in the sierras
00:34:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
but The Dinesse leasing equipment portion?
00:34:18
Alec Dieter
Yeah, sure. um and Kind of, again, a mixture, you know, just with the different contracts we have, it takes an army. I mean, as you guys know, you got, it's nice to have every, not every tool, but a lot of tools in your arsenal.
00:34:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:34:32
Alec Dieter
So we got, we got an old Dodge with a plow on it, um you know, for our plow truck. um I have three Bobcat tool cats that most of the time, 99% the time are running blowers on them.
00:34:47
Alec Dieter
Then we have a Cat 259 D3 that also runs a blower. And then a crew with walkbehinds. So walkbehinds and shovels.
00:34:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice.
00:34:58
Alec Dieter
So, yeah.
00:34:59
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:34:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
do you Do you do mostly blowing up there? Like you said, you got two mile of HOA road. Is that being plowed or blown?
00:35:06
Alec Dieter
but So, funny enough, I started... When I started this, and with me and my dad, we just had one toolcat, right? and And we bought a V-blade. We bought...
00:35:17
Alec Dieter
a multitude of attachments, but we got a blower and a V blade. So I would, I started blowing the whole thing and it would take me like four hours to do that.
00:35:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
I bet.
00:35:27
Alec Dieter
Yeah. yeah
00:35:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
I bet.
00:35:27
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:35:27
Alec Dieter
Yeah. because And then, and that's on a good day yeah if it's not wet and heavy. And so then I started, I kind of adopted what Caltrans does up here, right. And plow to the sides of the roads, create some berms and then go through later and then just clean up your edges and stuff.
00:35:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
who
00:35:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:35:43
Alec Dieter
So that's that's kind of reduced it down.
00:35:44
RICK JAMES
Thomas Edgar- Nice. Thomas Edgar-
00:35:45
Alec Dieter
Now I just have the plow truck go through, rip it. And then if it needs to be widened out, then I can go through with the blowers and then kind of do it that way.
00:35:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:35:53
Alec Dieter
So,
00:35:54
RICK JAMES
nice
00:35:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cole.
00:35:55
RICK JAMES
hu
00:35:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
what ah What blowers are you running on the tool cats?
00:36:00
Alec Dieter
I've got two Bobcat brands, which I think one of the ones back in the day, it's like when they had Erskine doing it for them.
00:36:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
and Okay.
00:36:10
Alec Dieter
But there's there's still Bobcat brand.
00:36:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:36:10
RICK JAMES
yep
00:36:12
Alec Dieter
I've got one Erskine. um And then I have a Muskox.
00:36:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. How's the muskox doing up there in the Sierras? Handling it?
00:36:21
Alec Dieter
it It's doing great. Yeah.
00:36:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:36:23
Alec Dieter
Yeah. I think its best feature is being able to back drag and use it almost like a box scraper, in a sense, right?
00:36:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
00:36:30
Alec Dieter
When it's so slushy and wet and heavy.
00:36:31
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:36:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
how do you um How does it deal for you?
00:36:33
Alec Dieter
You don't have...
00:36:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
How does it deal with your heavy wet stuff? Because we haven't had any problems with it clogging with the heavy wet stuff. it's It's eaten right through it.
00:36:41
Alec Dieter
It, and we've had some clogging. um Now it's, so it's, I'm not the one who gets to use it, unfortunately.
00:36:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:36:49
Alec Dieter
I have another guy using it. So, and he's not as experienced as I am. So there could be some of that going on.
00:36:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
That is definitely a yeah it's definitely some part of it.
00:36:58
Alec Dieter
Right. You learn to finesse it once you're, once you can hear when it's going to clog and let off of it.
00:37:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes.
00:37:02
RICK JAMES
So doubt.
00:37:03
Alec Dieter
And, oh yeah.
00:37:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes.
00:37:04
Alec Dieter
Yeah. There takes a little bit of skill.
00:37:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
i tell him it's like a i tell I always tell them it's like a saw when you're cutting wood. When you hear the saw start to bog, slow down. Let it catch up, get the RPMs back, and then keep going.
00:37:12
Alec Dieter
right yep yeah yeah
00:37:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
But, yeah, my guys will clog it. They'll they'll clog it on purpose just because they're they're not listening. They'll just do it. But when you're running it like it's supposed to be run, like any blower, if you run it like it's supposed to be run, it it ain't clogging on you. yeah That thing's been an animal for us.
00:37:28
Alec Dieter
ah right yeah you can hear once you that the muskos compared to our other blowers just sounds like a whole different beast it's uh it's impressive
00:37:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, yeah. Yep. That was the first video I ever took when I got my first one was I recorded it running with the sound because I'm like nothing else. The other blowers we have don't sound like this. thing This thing sounds angry as shit.
00:37:52
Alec Dieter
You're right. it It's kind of scary. Nice.
00:37:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like it really does.
00:37:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. Yeah. Jeremy ah and Jeremy, when I remember when we sent we sent a muskox up there to Fargo and I was telling Jeremy how good the thing was and everything. And like um he's like, he's used to big blowers. and He's like, yeah, how good could it be?
00:38:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
He went up there and they had one with him in the bullet and he was very impressed by it.
00:38:12
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:38:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
So that was.
00:38:13
RICK JAMES
He bought one.
00:38:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:38:13
Alec Dieter
nice
00:38:14
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:38:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, he yeah, it was. Andy was so impressed.
00:38:16
RICK JAMES
And he he tries the stuff at every time.
00:38:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
He bought it.
00:38:20
RICK JAMES
I mean, I don't think he really gets it stuffed. So he actually puts it to work. So if you believe that.
00:38:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, it's in the new one. There's new prototype ah that is even more ridiculous.
00:38:29
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
00:38:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'll send you some pictures.
00:38:33
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:38:33
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:38:34
Alec Dieter
They reached out to me. They wanted to send me one and we had no snow and I was, I was so bummed.
00:38:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Ah, always say yes.
00:38:39
RICK JAMES
Oh.
00:38:40
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:38:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Always say yes.
00:38:42
RICK JAMES
I always say, yes, the snow will come.
00:38:42
Alec Dieter
I know. I know.
00:38:44
RICK JAMES
Snow will come.
00:38:45
Alec Dieter
I've learned boys. I've learned.
00:38:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
You got two post offices.
00:38:46
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Yeah.
00:38:47
RICK JAMES
yeah You never turn it down.
00:38:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
you You can send it back.
00:38:49
RICK JAMES
You never turn down equipment.
00:38:49
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:38:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
You never say, yeah, we got like 10 inches coming next week.
00:38:51
RICK JAMES
yeah You always say, yep, it's coming.
00:38:54
Alec Dieter
oh
00:38:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, the weather guys were wrong.
00:38:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it.
00:38:56
Alec Dieter
yeah
00:38:57
RICK JAMES
It's not your fault.
00:38:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it.
00:38:58
Alec Dieter
yeah
00:38:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
Not your fault.
00:38:59
RICK JAMES
You got to be ready.
00:39:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, man.
00:39:00
RICK JAMES
You got be ready.
00:39:01
Alec Dieter
but ah
00:39:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool, though. that That's cool. So you use it how it's supposed to be. You're back dragging it with the tool cat.
00:39:08
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Yeah, for sure.
00:39:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
How's the traction on the tool cats?
00:39:10
Alec Dieter
I mean, like, to so that's one thing. One of the reasons I love them. I put studded tires on it.
00:39:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:39:18
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah. Mm-hmm.
00:39:19
Alec Dieter
Yep.
00:39:20
Alec Dieter
So it's, you know, I think their weight's 5,500 pounds.
00:39:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very cool.
00:39:23
Alec Dieter
So I run like a, yeah, I run a heavy duty truck tire. I think it's a Toyo MT33 or 35 or something like that, that I, I, Caltrans or the power company ran, and then you can just pop studs in them.
00:39:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, they're pretty beefy.
00:39:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
No shit.
00:39:38
Alec Dieter
So it's ah it's a beast, you know, and then you don't have to worry about the chains. And yeah, that's one of the main reasons that I've kind of stuck with the tool cats for snow removal.
00:39:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
What's the top speed on those things?
00:39:50
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:39:52
Alec Dieter
14, no, or 18, 17 or 18, I think.
00:39:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:39:56
Alec Dieter
I think, yeah, that's more like it.
00:39:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:39:58
Alec Dieter
But I mean, you know, a small loader can go a little bit faster, but it's still faster than a skid sear.
00:40:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:40:03
Alec Dieter
So, yeah.
00:40:04
RICK JAMES
yeah Do you use a crab steer a lot with that?
00:40:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
do. Yeah.
00:40:07
RICK JAMES
Because they got the crab steer in them, don't they?
00:40:09
Alec Dieter
I do. i do.
00:40:10
RICK JAMES
Yeah, figured you did.
00:40:11
Alec Dieter
I love that feature, man.
00:40:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:40:11
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
00:40:12
Alec Dieter
So yeah, forre do for cleaning up driveways and stuff like that, or even just...
00:40:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
00:40:16
Alec Dieter
So we have... We're in the mountains, so our driveways aren't just flat and level. A lot of our driveways just careen off to a ah hillside that's 40 feet down below.
00:40:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
if
00:40:26
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
00:40:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
00:40:28
Alec Dieter
So I don't want to get anywhere near that thing, right?
00:40:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
ye
00:40:31
Alec Dieter
So I'll just crab steer it so that the blower's hanging off the road and I'm you know well in the driveway and... I've got it now to where I can, I can just sit with my finger on the toggle switch and, you know, turn the steering wheel, press the button, turn it back, press the button and just keep moving.
00:40:47
Alec Dieter
And it's, yeah, it's a sweet feature.
00:40:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool. I like that. So you said you got three of the tool cats.
00:40:52
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:40:52
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:40:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool. Is that, is that, are you discovering that like, if you ever had to expand, that's the way to go.
00:40:54
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:40:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
Add more of them.
00:41:02
Alec Dieter
So far, I think so.
00:41:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
okay
00:41:04
Alec Dieter
You know, based off, well, so not a lot of guys, it's funny listening to you guys, everyone's got totally different ideas on equipment and what they use across the country. And it's, ah it's so interesting to see.
00:41:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Got different needs. Yeah.
00:41:17
Alec Dieter
Yeah, right.
00:41:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Everybody's got different needs.
00:41:18
Alec Dieter
um There's not a lot of like tractors around here, like Kubotas and and and be John Deere's and stuff like that. Everyone started out with backhoes.
00:41:29
Alec Dieter
There's just a bunch of good old boys in their backhoes, right? It was something that they could use all year round.
00:41:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. Yep.
00:41:33
Alec Dieter
And I should, I can plow snow with it too.
00:41:35
RICK JAMES
Oh, boy. Yep.
00:41:36
Alec Dieter
And then, and then so now some of the bigger companies are, have like their loaders and stuff like that.
00:41:36
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:41:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:41:43
Alec Dieter
A couple of, i there's like three, five, maybe larger companies. It's a, again, small town, but a couple of the guys just bought 908s and they seem to like them.
00:41:54
RICK JAMES
so
00:41:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
i
00:41:56
Alec Dieter
which I thought you know that would be maybe the next viable option as opposed to a toolcat. But you're looking at double the price.
00:42:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
sure
00:42:06
Alec Dieter
And you're looking at double the weight and trying to put a guy in there that you know might be new or inexperienced. like I'd much rather have him in the toolcat. It's like driving a side-by-side almost.
00:42:18
Alec Dieter
The visibility is awesome.
00:42:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
I would tend to agree with you.
00:42:19
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:42:21
Alec Dieter
It's lighter. So if he gets it stuck, I can get it out. He's not going mean, you can still mess up driveways, but you know it's I guess that's less likely to occur.
00:42:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
You got to work.
00:42:30
Alec Dieter
so
00:42:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
You got to work to roll over a tool cat. I would imagine in the mountains, you could find yourself rolling a loader pretty easily.
00:42:38
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Oh, yeah. Well, and I've, I mean, I've had one of the buddies, he had like a cat skid steer tires, right? Chains on it. And he slid down the entire subdivision because it was just ice.
00:42:52
Alec Dieter
And I don't, or no, and he might've been in his track boat, whatever it was, you know, he, he hit ice and he slid down the whole entire subdivision. It's like, it's nice being able to put those studs on and, you
00:43:01
RICK JAMES
oh
00:43:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
You're along. Yeah. And in a skid, you're along for the ride. you
00:43:07
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:43:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
you you
00:43:07
Alec Dieter
Ride, oh man.
00:43:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
You ain't ejecting out of that.
00:43:11
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:43:12
RICK JAMES
so
00:43:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, man.
00:43:12
Alec Dieter
I keep our track loader on flat ground. It's not allowed to do any any steep driveways or anything like
00:43:12
RICK JAMES
ah you
00:43:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Smart.
00:43:21
RICK JAMES
Are your roads pretty steep and curvy then around there or?
00:43:25
Alec Dieter
I would say for the most part, yeah. i mean like our Once you get into like the HOAs and those subdivisions stuff like that, it kind of flattens out. We have one that kind of just goes up a hill and of course has the driveways off of it like that.
00:43:37
Alec Dieter
But um yeah, shoot. Some of our driveways are... i mean, shoot, a quarter of a mile long. you know They're big, big driveways that kind of start off of a road and wind down into where the property is.
00:43:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
00:43:50
Alec Dieter
And yeah. It's, uh, there's some that just come up and go straight up and it's, it's all, it's all over the board.
00:43:57
RICK JAMES
Uh-huh.
00:43:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
So do you have to put weight in those tool cats in the rear for traction or no?
00:44:00
Alec Dieter
So
00:44:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
Because all the weight's up front, right?
00:44:05
Alec Dieter
I, so I, so when we started out, I had a, right, exactly. Um, when we started out, I had a sand spreader that I would put in the back, but I didn't really fill it up.
00:44:09
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:44:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:44:14
Alec Dieter
We didn't find a need for it.
00:44:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:44:16
Alec Dieter
Now all I have is I put two five gallon cans of diesel on the back and then shovels and it, and it works out.
00:44:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay. Great.
00:44:24
Alec Dieter
So, I mean, when you lift the blower up and like shake snow off that you can feel your acid is light, but it, it does fine.
00:44:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's great.
00:44:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:44:31
Alec Dieter
So.
00:44:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very cool.
00:44:32
RICK JAMES
So you just have the the two cats with the the box on the back? I've seen other ones that that like have like a three-point on the back and stuff like that? Okay.
00:44:40
Alec Dieter
Right. Yeah. No, all all of ours have the, the, the dump bed on the back. So.
00:44:44
RICK JAMES
Okay. Mm-hmm.
00:44:45
Alec Dieter
That's what's sweet too. It's like, I don't have to mount shovels on it or, you know, I can carry fuel. And I've even seen some toolboxes, the like toolbox transfer tank combos that would fit in the bed.
00:44:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
yep
00:44:57
Alec Dieter
And I was like, well, shoot, if I need to, now those guys can carry an extra 20, 40 gallons of diesel, you know, and they're not going to need me or anything like that and still throw troubles in the back.
00:45:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:45:07
Alec Dieter
And I used to throw a walk behind back there too. So, yeah.
00:45:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:45:11
RICK JAMES
OK. Yeah.
00:45:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
And now those have, uh, those have all cab. They're all cab tool cats, right?
00:45:17
Alec Dieter
Oh, yeah.
00:45:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:45:18
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:45:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Uh, how are the cabs? Do they seal? Well, are they, uh, are they comfortable?
00:45:22
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Oh, they're great.
00:45:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good.
00:45:24
Alec Dieter
That's, yeah, that's, and that's, when you have the two seats, you have tons of room, right? So I can bring an ice chest with me.
00:45:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah Yeah, that's cool.
00:45:31
Alec Dieter
i can take off my jacket and everything and set it off to the side. And like, there's tons of room for everything. Yeah, the the new models too, they recently updated the tool cats kind of like with everyone, you know, they're going all electronic with all the,
00:45:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure.
00:45:44
Alec Dieter
all the features and whatnot. But um yeah, rear view camera, heat AC, Bluetooth, you know, radio it's got everything. So yeah.
00:45:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Great.
00:45:54
RICK JAMES
ah Plus they don't have def.
00:45:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool. That sounds great. I don't think we've, have we talked to somebody, Jay, with tool cats before at length? don't think so, right?
00:46:02
RICK JAMES
No, not really. no
00:46:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool. See, another another tool for the arsenal.
00:46:05
RICK JAMES
ah like i i looked at one a few years ago. but yeah
00:46:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
you drove Did you drive the one at the that the sandbox day out in Mankato when we were out there?
00:46:14
RICK JAMES
No, I demoed one here in town.
00:46:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
At Sanko? Yeah.
00:46:16
RICK JAMES
here Swanson sent me one because i was trying to find something to put our MB brooms on, move around town a little quicker and
00:46:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:46:24
RICK JAMES
It worked, but it was they were 12-foot brooms, so were little heavy for that. so it was ah but
00:46:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
Hmm. Maybe that was Sean.
00:46:30
RICK JAMES
ah
00:46:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sean, somebody was one of one of our crew was trying to break.
00:46:33
RICK JAMES
Oh, no. Yeah, me and Sean were in that one at the Samba.
00:46:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, I was going to say, yeah, like they told you, be careful with the crab walk, because if you do this at this time, it'll never drive straight again.
00:46:37
RICK JAMES
Yeah, we screwed around with that.
00:46:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like you'll never get the Ford tires to align again.
00:46:43
RICK JAMES
i don't remember. We just put the hammer
00:46:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
so
00:46:46
Alec Dieter
Oh, geez.
00:46:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. that's they They said that that that was one common problem that they they found, that sometimes ah I forget what guys were doing, but if they did something at the wrong time with the controls, it would throw the crab walk off where when you wanted it to realign to drive straight, it would always crab a little.
00:46:48
RICK JAMES
down. we just put the hammer down
00:47:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
It would always be a little crab. You'd never get it back to like zero degrees.
00:47:09
Alec Dieter
Oh, interesting.
00:47:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, but that's cool.
00:47:11
Alec Dieter
I haven't had that problem yet. i've And I've had those things pranked. but So...
00:47:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
Well, I mean, that's awesome, man.
00:47:16
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:47:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's great. um so yeah, i mean, yeah, I was going to ask.
00:47:19
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:47:20
RICK JAMES
about your sidewalk guys so you're you're uh guys are doing walk-behinds or they just jump around in a pickups and you just go around and they're what
00:47:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
You got many sidewalks?
00:47:28
Alec Dieter
Yep, exactly. the I mean, the only sidewalks we have are for the post offices and then the HOA associations. So it'd just be residential, you know, walkways to the front door and then whatever the guy with a blower can't get, you know, in front of the garage.
00:47:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
That was my next question. That was my next question.
00:47:42
RICK JAMES
like
00:47:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
You're doing the walkways to the driveways and the walkways of the residentials.
00:47:43
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:47:46
Alec Dieter
Yep. Yep. And then one of our associations has, of course, you know, steps up to like a wooden deck into a front entryway.
00:47:54
Alec Dieter
So we do, we got to do that.
00:47:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Of course.
00:47:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:47:55
Alec Dieter
and oh yeah, we got pots and everything else out there.
00:47:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:47:58
Alec Dieter
But yeah, you know.
00:48:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool. Very cool. What are you?
00:48:03
RICK JAMES
So after, go ahead.
00:48:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
God, Jay. Sorry.
00:48:05
RICK JAMES
Okay, so after it snows out there, does it warm up? Like, does your snow melt at all? Or does it stick around on winter? What's it what's it normally do there?
00:48:13
Alec Dieter
again, from year to year, it changes, right? This year, it melted off like crazy. I mean, this past week, we had, um, I would say we probably had a foot of total snowfall, and it's all gone now.
00:48:26
Alec Dieter
I mean, it was 65 degrees today, and I almost mowed the lawn. Um, but the, like, those that cold year, when, uh, who knows if it's El Nino or La Nina, whatever the heck the weatherman says, right, um,
00:48:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
Wow.
00:48:33
RICK JAMES
It's
00:48:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nobody knows. The weathermen don't even know that.
00:48:42
Alec Dieter
No. Colder years, it would stay cold. So then now we're dealing with, you know, kind of ice sheets on people's stuff and it's lingering in driveways and people are calling us and there's six feet of snow in their, you know, driveway and it's a solid sheet of ice.
00:48:55
Alec Dieter
And so it just depends.
00:48:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:48:58
Alec Dieter
It's so variable at our elevations.
00:49:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
What is your, ah since you guys are using them so much, what has become your snowblower, your walk behind of choice?
00:49:08
Alec Dieter
Oof. that I'm still uncertain on that one.
00:49:12
Alec Dieter
we Our main ones are Hondas and Aaron's, right?
00:49:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:49:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good to know.
00:49:15
Alec Dieter
um
00:49:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. Both great blowers.
00:49:17
Alec Dieter
Because we... Yeah, because we do have the steep driveways, the guys like the tracks for those, if it's anything that's on an incline or whatnot.
00:49:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay. Yep.
00:49:26
Alec Dieter
But if I'm if i'm just doing like something straight or like a walkway, give me give me tires. Because I can just pull that backwards myself and just rip it and and move.
00:49:37
Alec Dieter
It's very agile.
00:49:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
So you're using so single stage or double stage two stage or single stage?
00:49:38
Alec Dieter
The errands seem like you can get... Oh, I have a single-stage errands, but when it's wet and heavy, you can't do anything with it.
00:49:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
Really? Okay.
00:49:48
Alec Dieter
Even if it's like three inches. And I don't know. i had a buddy up here that had a Honda. He said he loved his. So I went out and bought this errands, and i it hasn't been used in three seasons.
00:49:58
Alec Dieter
Right.
00:49:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
See, we haven't had any problems with our, we have the Arians.
00:50:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
I think they're the pro 21s and we haven't had any problems with the wet heavy stuff going through that single stage.
00:50:03
Alec Dieter
Right.
00:50:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
That thing eats like crazy.
00:50:09
Alec Dieter
Really? my bet My belt will just squeal like a pig.
00:50:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
00:50:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
Really? Wow.
00:50:14
Alec Dieter
And I've tried to adjust it I've tried to, ah, hmm, maybe need to try another one.
00:50:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
You might be, I mean, you might be a lot heavier.
00:50:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Wow. Interesting.
00:50:20
Alec Dieter
But, yeah, because I thought it great for decks and and all that stuff.
00:50:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, we have those.
00:50:24
Alec Dieter
But, yeah.
00:50:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Interesting. Yeah, that's ah the guys that I don't think the guy they haven't even since I bought those those pro 21 single stages. They haven't even pulled the duals to two stagers out.
00:50:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
They just roll with the they roll with the the sidewalk machines and anything that needs a snowblower. They're rolling with the single stages. They don't even I don't think those the two stages have not come out in two seasons.
00:50:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
They're still in the barn.
00:50:48
Alec Dieter
I bet.
00:50:49
Alec Dieter
Yeah, there's so much lighter. Why not? You know?
00:50:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
So.
00:50:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, yeah, they throw them around. They're made to be pulled up into the back of a truck bed. They roll right up on the handlebars. It's awesome. But, yeah, we haven't had any problems with clogging.
00:50:59
Alec Dieter
Right.
00:51:01
Alec Dieter
Hmm. Maybe I just got a dud or something.
00:51:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
I think the only problem we've had is when you suck in a newspaper.
00:51:07
Alec Dieter
Yeah, yeah, I'll get get you.
00:51:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's about it.
00:51:09
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:51:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
But that's going to get all of them.
00:51:10
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:51:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
So, yeah, I mean, Arians makes a great blower. They really do. though The walk-behind blowers.
00:51:16
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Well, and you can buy their parts online too. So that was another thing, right? You can go online to their website and get parts, which is sweet.
00:51:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:51:23
Alec Dieter
Honda, you can't do that. You have to go into a dealer and shoot.
00:51:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
no
00:51:27
Alec Dieter
I think 2017, when we had our big snow year, you couldn't buy a Honda in the state of California. They were, they were just so sold out.
00:51:33
RICK JAMES
ah
00:51:36
Alec Dieter
So it's
00:51:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
Well, shit, aren't you guys going to be all ah anti-gas engines soon?
00:51:38
RICK JAMES
Yeah, aren't you all electric? Yeah.
00:51:41
Alec Dieter
that's all easy. That's why, you know,
00:51:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
ha, ha, ha, ha.
00:51:43
RICK JAMES
ah
00:51:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
00:51:44
RICK JAMES
ah ah
00:51:45
Alec Dieter
Yes. Yes, we are. We're all going to make the transition and, yep, be happy people.
00:51:51
RICK JAMES
ah ah
00:51:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Dude, i'll ship you so I'll ship your gas engines. Don't worry about it. Let me know what you need.
00:51:56
Alec Dieter
Well, luckily, we got, like I said, Nevada's right there.
00:51:57
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go.
00:51:59
Alec Dieter
So 45 minutes, but I bought a mower and they make you fill in your address and they want to know where it's going. And.
00:52:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Really?
00:52:06
RICK JAMES
ah
00:52:06
Alec Dieter
Oh, yeah, I've beaten.
00:52:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
So is it is it just that law? Is it just going to be you can't buy them in the state or you can't use them in the state?
00:52:15
Alec Dieter
As far as I know right now, it's you just can't buy them in the state.
00:52:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Got it.
00:52:20
RICK JAMES
ah
00:52:20
Alec Dieter
I'm sure that will likely lead into you can't use them.
00:52:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, well.
00:52:23
Alec Dieter
Right.
00:52:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
They're going to put, I mean, there aren't there power equipment dealers and stuff in California?
00:52:24
RICK JAMES
i
00:52:24
Alec Dieter
But.
00:52:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
There have to be.
00:52:29
Alec Dieter
Oh, yeah.
00:52:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
What are they going to do? It's going to put them right out of business.
00:52:32
Alec Dieter
Yeah. I don't know, man. It's crazy.
00:52:35
RICK JAMES
ah
00:52:35
Alec Dieter
It's it's crazy.
00:52:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
I thought New York was the most business unfriendly state.
00:52:36
RICK JAMES
I
00:52:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, it's not.
00:52:39
Alec Dieter
Now you should. have Well, they they probably compete for each other. But yeah.
00:52:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'm sure they do they're They're close. I mean, they keep trying to outdo themselves.
00:52:45
RICK JAMES
i would risk it. I would risk it.
00:52:47
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:52:47
RICK JAMES
Just keep doing what you're doing.
00:52:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, absolutely.
00:52:49
Alec Dieter
Yeah, exactly.
00:52:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
so like Till they come repo them.
00:52:51
RICK JAMES
so yeah Come on.
00:52:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, that's great.
00:52:55
RICK JAMES
How about, a I know you said you don't, is there any de-icing you have to do out there? no Or like sanding? or What do you what do you guys do up there?
00:53:00
Alec Dieter
so
00:53:01
RICK JAMES
Anything?
00:53:01
Alec Dieter
I'll throw ice mail down at the post offices, you know, just for the sidewalks and then the parking areas and stuff like that.
00:53:01
RICK JAMES
Or just let rip?
00:53:07
Alec Dieter
Just... Dude, it'll be nuking snow and an absolute blizzard. And I think you've heard you guys talk about it. There's the 95-year-old lady that's out there with her walker trying to get her mail.
00:53:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
Mm-hmm.
00:53:20
Alec Dieter
And it's just like, what the heck are we doing right now?
00:53:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:53:23
Alec Dieter
So I try to keep that stuff as mint as possible. But other than that, it's it's the mountains. People kind of expect it. So it just, yeah.
00:53:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah I love that. I love that. People are normal and they expect they expect snow in the mountains. That's great.
00:53:39
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:53:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, my God. Good for you. that that i mean, that's that's awesome if you don't have to worry about salt. Even the HOAs, they don't make you salt or anything. The roadways, that's awesome.
00:53:47
Alec Dieter
No, nope.
00:53:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good for you.
00:53:50
Alec Dieter
Yeah. So it's just that one, most of the HOAs were just doing the driveways and the walkways.
00:53:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah love it.
00:53:54
Alec Dieter
Like, so here in this community, they then have another, there's, there's like five different associations. It's, it's bonkers.
00:54:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha.
00:54:03
Alec Dieter
So they have another company or another crew. I guess the community has employs their own people right year round.
00:54:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay. Yep. Sure.
00:54:10
Alec Dieter
So then they go and do the main roadways and then we're contracted to do the driveways, walkways. And so, yeah.
00:54:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha. Cool. Do you guys use, ah you you have anybody doing weather for you?
00:54:18
Alec Dieter
Yep.
00:54:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Any contractor weather services or no?
00:54:25
Alec Dieter
No, no.
00:54:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
I love the mountains, man. Just it would look out your window.
00:54:27
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Like I said, I bought that.
00:54:28
RICK JAMES
no
00:54:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
but
00:54:29
Alec Dieter
of the
00:54:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
hu
00:54:32
Alec Dieter
ah the I pay for that ah subscription for an app called Open Snow, um which I don't even know if they forecast in the East Coast. I bought it because hi I thought it was...
00:54:42
Alec Dieter
main It's like a snowboarding and skiing app kind of thing, right?
00:54:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:54:46
Alec Dieter
like He's really big on snowfall. I don't really look for it for rain or anything else, but when winter comes, like that's my go-to. Yeah.
00:54:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
00:54:57
Alec Dieter
But this year, I don't know. I think he might have been bought out by the ski resorts because he wasn't right a lot.
00:55:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Really?
00:55:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
Ah.
00:55:05
Alec Dieter
Let's just say that. lot of fluffed up numbers that then led to rain, you know?
00:55:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, ah no.
00:55:09
RICK JAMES
No.
00:55:11
Alec Dieter
So, I'm...
00:55:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
We know some guys like that, too.
00:55:12
RICK JAMES
last mayor Must have been a half a degree that just made it not.
00:55:16
Alec Dieter
Right.
00:55:18
RICK JAMES
Yeah. ah
00:55:23
Alec Dieter
Oh,
Team Operations and Recruitment Challenges
00:55:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
There were a lot of guys there were a lot of guys that were off this year. the
00:55:25
Alec Dieter
that's great.
00:55:29
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
00:55:29
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:55:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, must have been something.
00:55:31
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:55:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
I don't know. We'll have to. well well
00:55:33
Alec Dieter
I sent you a, uh, to the snow jobs, Instagram. I sent you a video. I don't know.
00:55:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
Protesting? that was Yeah, that's funny.
00:55:40
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Did you see that?
00:55:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, that's funny.
00:55:41
Alec Dieter
it was the first, i it just popped up on my feed. I'm like, someone's listening and knows I'm going on the podcast right now.
00:55:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's absolutely they know.
00:55:47
RICK JAMES
Oh.
00:55:48
Alec Dieter
Oh yeah.
00:55:48
RICK JAMES
the
00:55:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Siri listens.
00:55:49
Alec Dieter
That was good though.
00:55:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, that's great.
00:55:51
Alec Dieter
Yep.
00:55:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
how So how many guys do you guys actually run during a storm?
00:55:58
Alec Dieter
I would say normally we're probably like around eight guys.
00:56:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:56:03
Alec Dieter
So yeah, five in the machines and then, you know, two to four for walk behind guys and stuff like that.
00:56:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good number.
00:56:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool.
00:56:12
RICK JAMES
How is it to get employees?
00:56:12
Alec Dieter
yeah, some of my, I guess a lot of my contracts I've kind of had, well, the main commercial contracts, I have it so that we were only required to do full timers the first within 24 hours or with once we've reached that trigger point.
00:56:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:56:28
Alec Dieter
So then and then we have within 48 hours to go back and clear everyone else's drivers.
00:56:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
00:56:36
Alec Dieter
So before.
00:56:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha. So like a big the guys, the people that don't actually live there year round.
00:56:40
Alec Dieter
Right, right, right, right.
00:56:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha. Okay.
00:56:42
Alec Dieter
Because before these associations would just be like, well, these people are just going to call you. And then when they're coming up, they're going to want their driveway cleared.
00:56:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
No.
00:56:51
Alec Dieter
And then within my time here, yeah, there's six feet of ice on your driveway. Like, no, like it's going to be a totally different operation now.
00:56:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
No.
00:56:55
RICK JAMES
right
00:56:58
Alec Dieter
So they seem to be, um, you know, fine with how we've been doing things. And I think from a safety standpoint, you know, if emergency services or whatever needs to get in, like your driveway is just cleared, you know, it's going to be clear.
00:57:10
RICK JAMES
you
00:57:13
Alec Dieter
You don't have to worry about it
00:57:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep. 100%. hundred percent
00:57:14
Alec Dieter
So yeah, it seems to be working good.
00:57:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
100%. No. Mm-hmm. hundred percent
00:57:17
RICK JAMES
how is it to get How is it to get employees up there? Is it easy enough? her
00:57:22
Alec Dieter
No, no, no. It's, uh, yeah
00:57:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah no
00:57:28
Alec Dieter
it's pretty difficult. Um, Yeah, it's, you know, there's not a lot of main businesses up here, I guess. And there's, you know, so there's some core ones that already just attract a lot of people.
00:57:41
Alec Dieter
So when you're starting out and trying to do something new, it's, it's kind of, youre I'm not trying to steal people either.
00:57:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
Sure. Yeah. yeah
00:57:47
Alec Dieter
So I'm not in the business of going and trying to poach guys or, because I, and it's such a small town.
00:57:48
RICK JAMES
Right.
00:57:52
Alec Dieter
A lot of these other business owners are my friends. I see them snowmobiling on the mountain or in town. And so it's, Yeah, it's a little different. It's definitely very hard.
00:58:03
Alec Dieter
um But yeah, you you you seem to find ah few good guys that ah kind of stick around for a couple years. And I guess that's the thing too, starting out, you know, when I first started out, I couldn't pay as much as all these other companies.
00:58:21
Alec Dieter
So it's like slowly trying to get my hourly pay to where I can compete with these other businesses is starting to attract better employees. Yeah. employee
00:58:21
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:58:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool.
00:58:33
Alec Dieter
yeah
00:58:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
That sounds great. So what are your, what are you guys with these HOAs and the, and, and the, ah the residentials that you're doing? What kind are you doing contracts? Are you doing per time? Like how how does it work? Seasonals? what What are you doing up there?
00:58:48
Alec Dieter
Yeah, it's so it's all over the board. um Our commercial...
00:58:54
Alec Dieter
Each commercial contract is different too because it's all they're all their own association. And then every year, it seems like there's a new board. So then they want to do things their own way or change things or they have a bright idea.
00:59:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha.
00:59:09
RICK JAMES
Uh-huh.
00:59:09
Alec Dieter
most that One of our contracts is it's just seasonal. right They pay monthly no matter how much it snows. Even if it doesn't snow at all, there's no ceiling, there's no floor. Um, we've kind of started getting a couple of our other commercial clients to do their paying. It's kind of seasonal, but we have a ceiling.
00:59:29
Alec Dieter
So eight visits or 10 visits. And then after that, it goes to a per, you know, per visit or per push charge.
00:59:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
gotcha
00:59:36
Alec Dieter
Um, all of our residential, I make them pay for five visits up front to kind of secure our services. And then after the five visits, it goes to per visit based on depth.
00:59:48
Alec Dieter
So we have depth charge as well.
00:59:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
and Okay. Cool. I like that.
00:59:52
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Yeah.
00:59:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very cool. um Let's let Alec get a drink, and we'll hit some commercials here and from our partners, and we'll be back in 45 seconds.
01:00:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, we're back. Jeremy, you got to use the Razorbacks, right? did you get Did you get more than one out there?
01:00:59
RICK JAMES
Yeah, we we had two out there. We had Arctic Steve brought his along, and the silver bullet was using his, and they were doing some tip touching. and Yeah, it was ah those things did a hell of a job out in that heavy, wet stuff we had. so It was fun to watch them.
01:01:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
Tip touching on Wiener Wednesday.
01:01:16
RICK JAMES
Yeah, it was, was, yeah, they were doing it. It was a good time. Lefty got some, Lefty got some good drone footage. I think we'll be releasing here and there, but yeah, it was a, it was a good time. Those things out in action, showing what they could do. it was, it was great.
01:01:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
Pretty impressive, right?
01:01:33
RICK JAMES
Yeah, definitely.
01:01:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, it's pretty cool.
01:01:34
RICK JAMES
Wow. It's an Arctic scrape as Arctic scrape, you know, so.
01:01:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
I know, you can't really beat that. it's ah
01:01:39
RICK JAMES
So.
01:01:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's awesome. That's cool. I didn't get to use mine. I'm i'm a little bummed about that. Arctic killed the snow.
01:01:44
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:01:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
Snow's afraid of arctics.
01:01:46
RICK JAMES
i I didn't think we were going get to use Andy's either, but it was we finally did. So it was it was nice. we got
01:01:52
Alec Dieter
Okay.
01:01:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, it showed up.
01:01:53
RICK JAMES
We got a couple on it. so Yeah, I think so.
01:01:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
I want to say it showed up 24 hours after our last snow. That was it, so
01:02:00
RICK JAMES
i think memories are doing it.
01:02:01
RICK JAMES
But yeah, it was definitely fun.
01:02:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
No good.
01:02:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
No good. That is always next year.
01:02:05
RICK JAMES
Yep. Good one.
01:02:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. Did, uh, did Arctic Steve do any podcast episodes while he was out there? What you guys got anything done or no?
01:02:11
RICK JAMES
No, no, we were just so busy, you know? Yeah.
01:02:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
No podcast form. Okay.
01:02:17
RICK JAMES
No podcasts.
01:02:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's good.
01:02:19
RICK JAMES
Not that I know him. He could have done one in his pickup. i don't know. I wasn't with him the whole time.
01:02:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh my God. All right. Let's get back to Alec here. So Alec, like, um, I don't know. I mean, what else? What else is like different about mountain snow? You listen to the show all the time. you you hear how what guys are talking about. Like, what stuff have you heard that just completely does not apply to you up there?
01:02:45
Alec Dieter
Oh,
Equipment and Operational Strategies
01:02:46
Alec Dieter
the big open parking lots.
01:02:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
Anything? Anything stick out? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. ah
01:02:52
Alec Dieter
ah You guys just pushing snow and loaders for days on end.
01:02:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah
01:02:55
Alec Dieter
Yeah, that's a, there's not a lot of that, you know, it's all lot more roadways.
01:02:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
no
01:02:56
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
01:03:01
Alec Dieter
um I think the biggest store we have in town is a debt dollar general. Right.
01:03:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha. Yep.
01:03:07
Alec Dieter
So it's, yeah, that's probably of the biggest thing. Yeah. Snow quality sometimes, but, you know, with it varying so much, it's just kind of how it goes.
01:03:17
Alec Dieter
Like you said, it's it's mother nature.
01:03:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
yep
01:03:19
Alec Dieter
You don't know what you're going to get, and you've got be ready for everything.
01:03:22
Alec Dieter
So.
01:03:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Would sidewalk machines work for you up there or it's just too mountainous, too hilly in the terrain, like the path?
01:03:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
I was thinking like your, your walkways and stuff at the HOAs and stuff would like a snow Raider type thing work up there or not so much.
01:03:37
Alec Dieter
ah You know, ah one of the dealerships that I go to in Reno sells them. And like the ah the Mammoth or whatever it is, I think is that the other...
01:03:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
You don't want, you don't want that one.
01:03:47
Alec Dieter
you know i don't want that one. Yeah.
01:03:50
Alec Dieter
ah yeah It's good to know.
01:03:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
01:03:51
RICK JAMES
you
01:03:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
but but
01:03:52
Alec Dieter
No, when he was telling me about it, I think there were like 20 30 grand for the machine.
01:03:53
RICK JAMES
ah Yeah.
01:03:56
Alec Dieter
No, it's... you know for the machine
01:03:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
They are not cheap.
01:04:01
Alec Dieter
no
01:04:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
there and Well, with all the bells and whistles, they are not cheap. If you're getting like like the Snow Raider is just a, I mean, I think the Boss Snow Raider is just a blade, right? They have the little one now that's sub 10 grand.
01:04:10
RICK JAMES
Yeah. The scout? The scout, whatever?
01:04:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
The Scout, yeah, the Scout is just ah ah an angling straight blade ah that is sub $10,000.
01:04:14
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:04:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
I think it's like nine grand and change. um But like, yeah, you can go as crazy as you want on those. I just didn't know if they would work with the terrain and stuff up there. Like, you know, I don't know what their traction is like on steep hills.
01:04:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
I haven't really tried it.
01:04:32
RICK JAMES
Start them
01:04:32
Alec Dieter
Right. Yeah, there you go.
01:04:34
The SnowJobs Podcast
What?
01:04:36
Alec Dieter
Shoot.
01:04:36
RICK JAMES
out. Oh. Mm-hmm.
01:04:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, i you probably could.
01:04:37
Alec Dieter
Yeah, my the cat dealer gave me ah those screw-in studs for our track machine. I didn't put them in because a buddy put them in and town, and he just, I mean, it's like graffiti work all over the asphalt.
01:04:49
Alec Dieter
But yeah, yeah.
01:04:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh Oh, no good.
01:04:49
RICK JAMES
ah
01:04:51
Alec Dieter
i did The operator was just like doing 360s, you know, and sliding around.
01:04:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:04:55
Alec Dieter
But um no, I bet you could just screw those into those tires, and it'd probably be pretty, probably be a little tank.
01:05:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's interesting.
01:05:02
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
01:05:02
RICK JAMES
ah
01:05:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
That is interesting. Yeah, those i mean those things will definitely save you time if you have the right kind of walkways. But you said not much is straight, right? Like you got, yeah.
01:05:10
Alec Dieter
No, and it's it's like, yeah, short runs, you know? So, yeah.
01:05:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha. Gotcha. So wouldn't it wouldn't even wouldn't even pay to get it on and off a trailer and have to tow a trailer around with it on there. And they're not fast enough.
01:05:21
Alec Dieter
I don't think so. Yeah, little bit of sweat equity sometimes, you know?
01:05:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
i was no Yeah, sometimes it's your only way to do it.
01:05:23
RICK JAMES
Yes.
01:05:25
Alec Dieter
Just...
01:05:28
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
01:05:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, cool. So what lessons have you learned? Like in the last, you said you're about six years old, right? 2018.
01:05:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
seven years, maybe so early stages to now, as you've grown, what lessons have you learned in the mountains there that you'd want to pass on to other guys?
01:05:38
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
01:05:47
Alec Dieter
Um, poof, accidents are going to happen.
01:05:52
Alec Dieter
You know, that's probably the biggest one. I think it's funny. My, uh, now wife, it's when we first started dating, she's like, you, year after year, your stress level and your anger just starts to diminish.
01:05:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
01:06:06
Alec Dieter
When I, I, it was probably how I was raised, right?
01:06:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
01:06:10
Alec Dieter
My dad used to yell at me all the time. It was like, Hey, you're shining the light, shine the light here. Right. that was, that was that kid.
01:06:16
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:06:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it.
01:06:18
Alec Dieter
But no, I used to just get so mad when stuff would either break down or, you know, things would happen or someone would run into something or break break something.
01:06:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh
01:06:29
Alec Dieter
And now it's I've kind of just grown to accept it and just know that it's going to happen. It's just a matter of when it's going to happen. And hopefully we have extra parts so we can manage it.
01:06:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
it
01:06:40
Alec Dieter
And, you know, we got extra equipment so that we can tackle that. And yeah.
01:06:46
Alec Dieter
Yeah. I think that's that's probably a big one right there.
01:06:46
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:06:46
The SnowJobs Podcast
no I say that all the time to one of my guys. Like, I am not going to spend time freaking out over something I have no control over. Like, whatever happens, you just roll with it.
01:06:55
Alec Dieter
Right.
01:06:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
You know, okay, plan B.
01:06:58
Alec Dieter
Right.
01:06:59
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:07:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
but you know but ah If we can get it fixed, we'll get it fixed during the storm.
01:07:00
Alec Dieter
Right.
01:07:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
But if not, plan B. Let's let's go.
01:07:08
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
01:07:08
RICK JAMES
Yeah, pretty much.
01:07:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, and you learn, honestly, I think you just learn over time to just know when to say fuck it.
01:07:09
Alec Dieter
Oh, yeah.
01:07:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like, ah, screw it.
01:07:14
RICK JAMES
Yeah, exactly.
01:07:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like, it you know, it's...
01:07:16
Alec Dieter
Exactly.
01:07:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
so yeah ah ah What do you think, Jay?
01:07:16
RICK JAMES
Yeah, i I concur with all that.
01:07:17
Alec Dieter
Yep.
01:07:19
RICK JAMES
Yeah, definitely.
01:07:23
Alec Dieter
yeah
01:07:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Five and five?
01:07:25
RICK JAMES
Yeah, you bet. Alec, where would you like to see your company go within the next five years?
01:07:31
Alec Dieter
Um, you know, it's interesting because I mean, I don't know, I guess, i guess we don't have as much growth potential as some of these other companies, right? Because we are in this smaller area.
01:07:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:07:44
Alec Dieter
Um, but I would like to take over pretty much everything that I have available within, you know, this 15, 20 mile radius. Like that's, I, I would love to be able to do that.
01:07:53
RICK JAMES
Right. Mm-hmm.
01:07:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Nice. Hey, that's reasonable.
01:07:56
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, shoot, I think we're halfway more than halfway there already. So, um, yeah, just continue doing that, continue buying more equipment. That's rad and, uh, you know, updating things and, um, yeah, just trying to find,
01:08:13
Alec Dieter
I think hopefully within five years, I can find some really key guys that, you know, want to make careers out of stuff. And I think that could completely change, you know, the company.
01:08:19
RICK JAMES
right
01:08:22
Alec Dieter
So.
01:08:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:08:24
Alec Dieter
so
01:08:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
I'll tell you, if there's one thing I know about like the mountains, like when we go up to the Adirondacks and stuff, those smaller communities, when you have a guy, like most of them are just the guy air quotes.
01:08:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah When there you move into a town and you say, I need a guy to do this. Oh, we got a guy. He does everybody like he has got a booming, booming business because he's reliable.
01:08:45
Alec Dieter
Right.
01:08:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
He shows up. He does not. A lot of people are vacationers. They don't live there full time. He never tries to cheat them. You know, like that, those kind of that is the best thing about those small vacation type communities is when if you can get in there and you are all those things.
01:09:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
you will You won't take over overnight, but as people go different ways and stop doing business stuff, you will gradually take over everything. And you're young. You're, what, six, seven years in.
01:09:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
So, yeah, that that's a realistic goal, I think, to be able to take over everything.
01:09:18
RICK JAMES
Yeah, definitely.
01:09:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
And you want to get that dollar general. Who's doing that?
01:09:22
Alec Dieter
Oof, no, no, no, no. No Dollar Generals for me.
01:09:25
RICK JAMES
No.
01:09:25
Alec Dieter
No.
01:09:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
Because that's the biggest lot in town.
01:09:26
Alec Dieter
They tried to have us do landscaping for us and, or for them, and God, they don't pay worth a darn.
01:09:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
Well, selling everything for a dollar.
01:09:34
Alec Dieter
Trying to get them to pay is, I guess, you know, writing's on the wall there. I should seen that one.
01:09:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
there you go.
01:09:41
Alec Dieter
Oh, man.
01:09:41
RICK JAMES
That's from the ground down stuff.
01:09:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, that's funny. We're doing a lot next door.
01:09:44
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Yeah. Oh, Jesus.
01:09:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
We're doing a lot next door. It made sense.
01:09:49
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:09:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, my gosh.
01:09:50
Alec Dieter
Oh, man.
01:09:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome.
01:09:51
Alec Dieter
Yeah, nos
01:09:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah i think that's ah I think that's realistic, man. I don't think that's ah umt think that's out of the realm of possibility for you to say that.
01:09:59
Alec Dieter
no, it's kind of crazy up here. I grew up in the city, right? So I grew up near in the Central Valley in California.
01:10:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes.
01:10:06
Alec Dieter
Yeah. when I moved up here, seeing how some of these people and businesses operated was like just mind boggling. Right. It's like all you had to do, like you said, just come up here, be professional, be trustworthy, do what you're going to say.
01:10:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
yep
01:10:23
Alec Dieter
it's, it's insane. The world's your oyster and it's word mouth.
01:10:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
yes
01:10:26
Alec Dieter
Just, just is wildfire.
01:10:27
RICK JAMES
That's awesome.
01:10:29
Alec Dieter
And, uh,
01:10:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
And that is the same way it is here in New York.
01:10:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like you have all the craziness down by the city, but once you get up to the Adirondacks, it's normal thinking people that are old school, their old school values, and they just want to be left alone.
01:10:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
They have a great time. Everybody knows everybody. Most people leave their doors unlocked for crying out loud still. So I love it.
01:10:47
Alec Dieter
Oh, yeah.
01:10:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
It's different world.
01:10:49
Alec Dieter
much
01:10:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
I love it.
01:10:49
Alec Dieter
My wife does that. I'm like, hey, you're crazy. like you can't we
01:10:53
RICK JAMES
Ha ha ha ha ha.
01:10:54
Alec Dieter
If anything, bears can come inside. Haven't you seen that online?
01:10:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
Bigfoot.
01:10:57
Alec Dieter
Right, Bigfoot?
01:10:58
RICK JAMES
yeah Big foot.
01:10:58
Alec Dieter
like
01:10:59
Alec Dieter
Come on now. I don't want Bigfoot coming into the bed. like That's going to be good.
01:10:59
RICK JAMES
Big foot.
01:11:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh
01:11:05
RICK JAMES
Unless you get a video of it.
01:11:07
Alec Dieter
ah it'd be worth it then if we get video. You're right.
01:11:11
RICK JAMES
There you go. but ah
01:11:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
No Bigfoot encounters for you in the Sierras? We're always hearing Sierras for Bigfoot.
01:11:19
Alec Dieter
yeah You know, not not me personally, but i know i know some guys that they they said they've seen some things.
01:11:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah Okay.
01:11:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right. Well, I mean, interesting.
01:11:27
Alec Dieter
So it's, I mean, yeah, I know.
01:11:28
RICK JAMES
ah
01:11:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
So what would you, to get back on here, what would you say has been the best decision you've made in the last five years to get to where you are right now?
01:11:40
Alec Dieter
Oh, mechanize as soon as possible and as fast as possible.
01:11:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha.
01:11:45
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Yeah, there was, i mean, there was a time where I was doing 30 to 35 driveways myself in a day with the tool cat. um And then we, everyone else was on walk-behinds.
01:12:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
Wow.
01:12:01
Alec Dieter
Yeah. And
01:12:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's a way to burn out your guys. though You're right. Mechanize as quick as.
01:12:05
Alec Dieter
you called it.
01:12:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:12:07
RICK JAMES
Yep, yep.
01:12:07
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Morale is not the highest when the boss is dry and warm and everyone else is soaking wet. And yeah. Yeah.
01:12:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
hundred percent. You're right.
01:12:16
Alec Dieter
oh yeah getting getting more equipment to put people in and then them kind of seeing that there's opportunity for growth and that they can actually you know do that as well i think that was the biggest thing so
01:12:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah I should have asked this during the equipment portion, but I'm going to ask it now anyway.
01:12:28
RICK JAMES
Good.
01:12:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
Being so remote and in the mountains, like how is your dealer support from Bobcat if something goes wrong with a toolcat? like How far away are they?
01:12:41
Alec Dieter
so bob bobcat uh
01:12:44
Alec Dieter
Our dealer in Reno, there's two service guys behind the desk, right?
01:12:44
RICK JAMES
Sorry.
01:12:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
01:12:49
Alec Dieter
It's tiny. It's, uh, I wish Kat made the tool cap, I guess.
01:12:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
okay
01:12:56
Alec Dieter
But Bobcat makes a great product. I'm not saying they don't make a great product, right? But when when i went and bought that skid steer from Kat, it was like a whole different freaking world.
01:13:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, yeah.
01:13:07
Alec Dieter
you are you You know, the the the repair shop, everything is just a whole different ballgame.
01:13:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:13:13
Alec Dieter
Um,
01:13:14
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. Cat is cat.
01:13:15
Alec Dieter
Yeah, exactly. So i ah Bobcat suite, though, they have the online portion now so I can order stuff online and get it here pretty quickly. I think they have a warehouse in Reno.
01:13:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, okay. Cool.
01:13:25
Alec Dieter
If not, I can call the guys in in Reno and it takes me 45 minutes to an hour to drive out there if they have it.
01:13:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay. Okay.
01:13:33
Alec Dieter
So that's not too bad getting service done. I've tried to just do everything myself in house. Cause that's, you know, their lead time on that's astronomical just because they're not, it's not a big, they don't have a big facility.
01:13:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah ah ah
01:13:44
Alec Dieter
So it kind of just is what it is.
01:13:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:13:46
Alec Dieter
um
01:13:47
RICK JAMES
Bobcats made it right right here, North Dakota.
01:13:47
Alec Dieter
But yeah, there you go. Maybe I just need to start calling you for some parts.
01:13:53
RICK JAMES
Right down the street.
01:13:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
There you go.
01:13:55
RICK JAMES
Right down the street from me.
01:13:55
Alec Dieter
yeah
01:13:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh
01:13:57
Alec Dieter
Jeez. Yeah.
01:13:58
Alec Dieter
But I mean, other than that, it seems like it's been, you know, um, it has't We haven't had any two any crazy breaks.
01:13:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
I mean.
01:14:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good. Knock on wood for you.
01:14:07
Alec Dieter
yeah
01:14:07
Alec Dieter
Right.
01:14:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good.
01:14:08
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:14:08
Alec Dieter
Fuel and water separators, the fuel filters, that's that seems to be what we just absolutely chew through.
01:14:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's everybody. Yeah.
01:14:14
Alec Dieter
um So I just order a ton of those at the beginning the season, and yeah, we do good.
01:14:14
RICK JAMES
Hmm.
01:14:18
The SnowJobs Podcast
Cool.
01:14:19
RICK JAMES
Good.
01:14:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good for you, dude. Oh, Jay, you got anything else for him?
01:14:23
RICK JAMES
ah You got any ah good good plowing stories you want to say, like encountering a bear or Bigfoot anything like that? Or you got anything?
01:14:30
Alec Dieter
Bigfoot would be sweet. I'd munch that guy up. um
01:14:33
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah. oh
01:14:35
Alec Dieter
I was trying to think of, you know, some of these guys come on here and they got these great stories. And it's like, man, I i can't think of... We have some, right? Like we've got...
01:14:43
The SnowJobs Podcast
i'm okay with I'm okay with not having any legendary plowing stories.
01:14:48
Alec Dieter
Right, exactly.
01:14:49
RICK JAMES
you You didn't go down on an embankment or anything?
01:14:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah hu
01:14:52
Alec Dieter
no I mean, I've got... all Everyone's got their stuck story. You know, I've got one, like I was probably... It was probably like 10 o'clock at night, been plowing all day, plowing early morning and just going through.
01:15:05
Alec Dieter
i think I went back and hit all of our customers again a second time. And then I was going to do a house that i have never done before. They don't have snow markers up. I visual i pictured the driveway right and just went right off the road. right No driveway in sight right there. Just buried it. Luckily, had to call a
Personal Stories and Community Dynamics
01:15:25
Alec Dieter
guy. he got me out.
01:15:27
Alec Dieter
That was the worst of that one. I've had some guys with walk-behinds suck up Amazon packages with Pepto-Bismol in it.
01:15:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh
01:15:36
Alec Dieter
That's always pretty, yeah, kind of scary at first, but, you know.
01:15:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
she
01:15:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah oh shit ah yeah
01:15:41
Alec Dieter
yeah Other than that, no, it's pretty, you know, just dealing with all the old ladies trying to get to the post office the middle of the day.
01:15:48
RICK JAMES
you go.
01:15:49
Alec Dieter
that's Yeah, it stays pretty quiet up here.
01:15:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's fine by me, man. v
01:15:52
Alec Dieter
Exactly.
01:15:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
VIP landscaping in Massachusetts still holds the best one where he almost leveled an entire city hitting an underground propane tank.
01:15:58
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah.
01:16:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
That is ah
01:16:00
Alec Dieter
Oh, geez.
01:16:00
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:16:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
that yeah that was the best one by far. They shut down the airport. They shut down the whole half of the city.
01:16:07
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:16:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
That was by far. I think I would have hung them up after that. I give them credit for still doing it.
01:16:13
Alec Dieter
Yeah, that's, a you're going to be a little more hesitant um from there on out, I think.
01:16:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, yeah. i mean, it wasn't his fault. They weren't marked. They didn't have any bollards or anything around it. And, yeah, he just caught it with the plow.
01:16:22
Alec Dieter
Dang.
01:16:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
And he's like, uh-oh. That was, by far, I think, is the worst plowing story we've ever heard.
01:16:25
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Yeah.
01:16:29
Alec Dieter
That's a good one.
01:16:30
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:16:30
Alec Dieter
I saw a video.
01:16:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
Have we heard anything better, Jay?
01:16:33
RICK JAMES
Huh?
01:16:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
Have we heard anything better than the VIP one?
01:16:36
RICK JAMES
I don't think so.
01:16:36
The SnowJobs Podcast
far as crazy plowing stories?
01:16:37
RICK JAMES
Not that anybody wants to admit. Yeah.
01:16:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, yeah. Not to anything I'll admit to.
01:16:39
Alec Dieter
Yeah, right. Exactly. You get OSHA involved on that one
01:16:42
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Did you, does your wife help out in your business at all? don't know.
01:16:48
Alec Dieter
that she has a really good job with the power company up here.
01:16:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
01:16:51
Alec Dieter
Um, so yeah, she's pretty much full on hands with that.
01:16:51
RICK JAMES
Okay. Okay.
01:16:55
Alec Dieter
And, um,
01:16:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
Good.
01:16:56
Alec Dieter
Yeah. So my mom actually is the one who helps out the most, I would say.
01:17:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
No shit.
01:17:01
RICK JAMES
Oh, she like, what if she's like Sean's mom gives them, tells them what he can spend money on and stuff like that.
01:17:02
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool.
01:17:02
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
01:17:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, she'll tell you what you what you can, yeah.
01:17:07
Alec Dieter
She tries to. Oh, yeah. Because, yeah, she does the books, right, and helps out of the invoicing. And so she's just stressed all the time.
01:17:15
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:17:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool.
01:17:16
Alec Dieter
You can't be buying that.
01:17:19
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
01:17:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah That sounds like Sean's mom.
01:17:20
RICK JAMES
Sounds like Sean's mom.
01:17:21
Alec Dieter
Oh, yeah.
01:17:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:17:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's
01:17:22
Alec Dieter
Yeah. I'm getting too old for this. And oh, yeah.
01:17:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
great. That's good.
01:17:26
Alec Dieter
you know
01:17:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
you Tell her you got to spend money to make money in this business.
01:17:30
Alec Dieter
Right.
01:17:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
Very true.
01:17:32
Alec Dieter
Exactly.
01:17:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
Efficiency is the key.
01:17:34
Alec Dieter
Yes, sir.
01:17:35
RICK JAMES
no
01:17:35
Alec Dieter
Name of the game.
01:17:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, that's awesome. You got anything else for him, Jay?
01:17:39
RICK JAMES
I don't. It was nice talking to Alec.
01:17:41
The SnowJobs Podcast
Alec, you got anything for us before we let you go?
01:17:45
Alec Dieter
Yeah, also I asked you guys it before, but I'll see you again just for the podcast. um Retaining of employees you know throughout the season. That's
01:17:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
For you, i can't imagine how how much harder it would be for you up there if you're not having them full-time because you have such a much less pool to pick from, right?
01:18:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
You said 500 people in the town?
01:18:07
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Yeah.
01:18:08
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's tough. How close is the next town?
01:18:12
Alec Dieter
20 minutes away.
01:18:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay. So, I mean, you could probably target a couple towns away then.
01:18:17
Alec Dieter
yeah we can. I mean, yeah, I got, ah you know, i've guys that live in that town.
01:18:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
If you pay good enough,
01:18:21
Alec Dieter
Yeah, right.
01:18:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, I mean, if you pay good enough, they'll they'll drive. off Well, let's see. Like like i told I told you offline, um two years ago and we had no winner. you know We had the the key guys in the key positions that we knew needed to make money. We talked to them, and we we said, like,
01:18:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
listen, we're gonna give you we're going to give you pay for when we're putting you on standby. We're going to give you this. and Just basically, the younger guys, you know the younger kids, they need to make they need to make money. they They don't have a full-time job.
01:18:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
They're working a couple part-time jobs, so they need to have money out of this.
01:18:50
Alec Dieter
Thank you.
01:18:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
So we just ask them, like, hey, listen, we're not getting a lot of snow right now. what do you need to make ah What do you need to make right now to cover your payments and you know to be comfortable that you're not going to go out and get another part-time job that negates you from working for us so we work like that with them we try and work with but most of the guys that work with me um you know they're all full-time they all have a career they all have their benefits from that career um so they don't i'm not really worried about retention with them they're always there they they're more doing it honestly they're doing it for me and they're doing for fun it's it's a good time when they come out and and push snow they have fun with it so uh
01:19:24
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
01:19:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
But, yeah, the sidewalk kids, those are the ones we have to retain.
01:19:29
Alec Dieter
That's a good cake.
01:19:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
We don't have a business with that. Around here, I mean, it's different up there. But here, you do not. If you don't have sidewalk crews that can move and shake and and do all the right things, that's what people are judging you on is your your finish work.
01:19:45
The SnowJobs Podcast
And we got to have those kids, and they're all phenomenal.
01:19:46
Alec Dieter
Right.
01:19:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
So whatever I got to – they know they can come to me at any time. Like, you tell me what you need. I'm going get it for you. Socks, shoes, you know chicken fingers and fries. That's all they want to eat.
01:19:57
Alec Dieter
Right.
01:19:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's all they want to eat. So we make sure, hey, 6 a.m., 5.30, whenever the smokehouse opens, hey, get the chicken fingers and fries on. That's all these kids want after a night of doing snow. So it's great.
01:20:10
Alec Dieter
nice
01:20:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah That's tough, man. ah having Having that little pool, like the only thing I can tell you is what I told you is hopefully you get one key guy that's a good worker. He believes in your business and how you do things. He understands the quality you want, and he is able to bring in a couple more of his friends that – he now you know can tell, hey, this is what it's this is what's expected, but he's going to take good care of you if you do it.
01:20:35
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Yeah.
01:20:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's kind of what you got to shoot for in my mind.
01:20:37
Alec Dieter
yeah
01:20:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
What about you, Jay?
01:20:40
RICK JAMES
Yeah, I mean, it's most of my guys all have other jobs or they're lot of farm guys or college kids. So, you know, i mean, I tell them straight up when we hire them, you know, it's a, you know, it's a seasonal job.
01:20:53
RICK JAMES
We work when it snows and they kind of know the game around here. So, I mean, obviously I'd love to give them as many hours as I can. i try to yeah to get some extra hours, you know, if we got a clean loaders or stuff like that after events and if possible. So I try to give them what I can get them and who's ever, you know, i usually put a call out, who's ever wants to want some extra time, whoever wants to come get it. But yeah.
01:21:13
RICK JAMES
It's, they all kind of know what they're signing up for, I guess, is what I'm expecting them to, you know. So it's, it's not, it's not great.
01:21:18
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
01:21:22
RICK JAMES
Like this year, last couple of years haven't been great for them. Like, what, three years ago, they made a lot of money. We were busy a lot. So they, they all made some really good money, but it also put a lot of stress on their, you know, home lives and stuff like that. Cause they're working all the time between their days and nights and everything. But yeah.
01:21:38
RICK JAMES
Yeah, it's ah mean it's a just a game we play.
01:21:39
Alec Dieter
Totally.
01:21:42
RICK JAMES
It's some reason we like to do this, so...
01:21:43
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Now, do you guys? It's kind of fun, huh?
01:21:47
The SnowJobs Podcast
the other the The other thing I'll throw out there, do you plow your guys' driveways when they're when they're working for you?
01:21:55
Alec Dieter
So when they lived over where we kind of do most of our service, yeah, I would let the guy take his plow you know the plow truck and go clear his driveway. But most of our guys are in that next town over.
01:22:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Gotcha.
01:22:06
Alec Dieter
And we're we're not really over there.
01:22:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
Okay.
01:22:08
Alec Dieter
But yeah, that would be a great idea too, huh?
01:22:10
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, like that's – I make sure there's – there's only a couple of them that that want it, but like their wives are home and they're out in the snow. So along our route, you know, we – either Matt's truck or if I'm in a truck that night, one ah somebody that's in one of the trucks is going to hit – you know, he's going to hit Ed's driveway.
01:22:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah They're going to hit the the the couple of the – the sidewalk kids, because they're responsible for doing, they're still living at home and they're responsible for doing the driveway. So, you know, hey, listen, they're to bust their ass for 12, 14 hours from me.
01:22:42
The SnowJobs Podcast
They're not going home to do their own their own stuff. Like, we're out, we have the equipment, take care of them.
01:22:47
Alec Dieter
Right. No, that's
Communication and Team Morale
01:22:49
Alec Dieter
a great idea. I love that. That's pretty awesome.
01:22:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
Even like the next day when you're all cleaned up, you know, blow down there with a 20-minute drive with ah with the plow truck if you can get through the pass there and hit their driveways.
01:22:59
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
01:23:01
The SnowJobs Podcast
That usually means there's nothing worse, I think, for snow guys than working all night and coming home and having to do your own damn driveway.
01:23:07
Alec Dieter
Right.
01:23:08
RICK JAMES
Always the last one to be done.
01:23:08
Alec Dieter
I've had guys that could make it in because they you know they can't get out their driveway.
01:23:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:23:12
Alec Dieter
And so I think that's a great idea.
01:23:13
RICK JAMES
we go get we go I go get those guys. I go get those guys personally.
01:23:16
The SnowJobs Podcast
but Jeremy jumps in a loader and parks on their lawn.
01:23:17
RICK JAMES
You're coming. you're coming
01:23:20
The SnowJobs Podcast
man. But yeah, that.
01:23:20
RICK JAMES
I'll come there and get you.
01:23:20
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
01:23:21
RICK JAMES
Don't worry about that.
01:23:22
Alec Dieter
If I had a loader, it'd be a different story, right?
01:23:24
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:23:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah oh man
01:23:25
Alec Dieter
That'd be sweet. So now do you guys, do you guys have this year?
01:23:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
but yeah that
01:23:30
Alec Dieter
I ran into so many situations where I told the guys the night before, right? We're supposed to get one, one weather says we're going to get rain. The next one says we're going to get six inches of snow.
01:23:40
Alec Dieter
Like I just need you guys to kind of be ready on call. Do you guys do like an on-call, like pay for the guys or if they don't go out the next day or is it just, like you said, it's kind of expected that you never know.
01:23:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, it's kind of expected, but they know that like there's perks throughout the year for that kind of responsiveness. Like when we're putting out the text and stuff in there, you know, they're always getting extra money.
01:24:07
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like they're always getting extra hours here, extra hours there.
01:24:08
Alec Dieter
Gotcha. Gotcha.
01:24:11
The SnowJobs Podcast
You know, we always round up, you know, if you, if you started, you worked four hours and 10 minutes, it's five hours. I don't care if you work four hours and two minutes, it's five hours. You you always take care of them.
01:24:20
Alec Dieter
Right.
01:24:21
The SnowJobs Podcast
So they're just like, we do the best we can to take care of them and and, you know, clothing, whatever they need, we'll, we'll, we'll take care of it and get it for them.
01:24:29
Alec Dieter
Yep.
01:24:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
um
01:24:31
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
01:24:32
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like I said, it's, it's pretty much family based for the most part too. So it's just, I think they honestly come out just to break balls half the time. Like, cause they can't do it at home. It's either sit home with the wife overnight or, you know, come out with the boys and, you know, be on the headsets and have some fun and, you maybe, you know,
01:24:44
Alec Dieter
Right.
01:24:49
The SnowJobs Podcast
maybe catch the corner of a building with ah with a bucket or something. It all makes for good stories. But yeah, and not normal.
01:24:57
Alec Dieter
Oh yeah.
01:24:59
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:24:59
Alec Dieter
Now are you guys, I'm sorry, go ahead.
01:25:03
The SnowJobs Podcast
I said, yeah, but not not normally. it's just It's kind of expected.
01:25:05
Alec Dieter
Okay. Gotcha. um Are your, the headsets you guys are using, are is that like the subscription based cell?
01:25:13
Alec Dieter
Like do you, no.
01:25:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
No, just blue parrot.
01:25:14
RICK JAMES
No, it's just a this blue parrot headset and then you may walk.
01:25:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
Just Bluetooth on your cell phone.
01:25:21
RICK JAMES
Yeah, Bluetooth on the cell phone and I don't know.
01:25:21
Alec Dieter
Okay.
01:25:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
Usually set up a Google meet.
01:25:26
Alec Dieter
Okay.
01:25:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah
01:25:26
RICK JAMES
set up Google Meet for us.
01:25:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
Actually, he probably wouldn't if he's got like, think what is it?
01:25:28
RICK JAMES
but
01:25:30
Alec Dieter
Right.
01:25:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
Eight guys you can conference in right on the iPhone.
01:25:32
RICK JAMES
Yeah, you can you can conference them easy if you wanted to on yeah on a call, but yeah.
01:25:35
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, you wouldn't even have to do a Google meet if you're doing like, you know, I think I think you can do eight. I think eight is the most.
01:25:42
RICK JAMES
Hey, you can do more than that. Some let you do more than that, but it' yeah, it's, I mean, but it's Google meets by the easiest way to do it because then you don't have to if see if the if the lead guy hangs up and everybody loses a call on a normal deal.
01:25:44
The SnowJobs Podcast
You can't.
01:25:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, yeah, that's true.
01:25:54
RICK JAMES
So if you do like a and Google meet, you can go on and off all night long and checking it out, so.
01:25:54
Alec Dieter
ae
01:25:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
Google Meet, you enter in the phone numbers, and then you push one button every time, and it dials everybody.
01:26:02
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
01:26:04
The SnowJobs Podcast
tells you the call's live, and everybody hops on.
01:26:04
Alec Dieter
Gotcha.
01:26:04
RICK JAMES
It works good. Everybody loves it.
01:26:06
The SnowJobs Podcast
It does.
01:26:07
Alec Dieter
Well, I was going to say, like, that's a great way to keep everyone like together and build team morale. And like, they don't even think they're doing that, but you know what I mean?
01:26:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:26:15
RICK JAMES
That's...
01:26:17
The SnowJobs Podcast
Time flies.
01:26:18
Alec Dieter
Like, right.
01:26:19
The SnowJobs Podcast
The time flies.
01:26:19
RICK JAMES
That's... we don't We don't push. Our guys don't even push. with I mean, they don't even leave the shop without that call going off and everybody's on it. it's it's man and I mean, whoever wants to be in.
01:26:28
Alec Dieter
That's funny. Yeah.
01:26:30
RICK JAMES
guys want to add We just add more and more guys, whoever wants to be in on. and it's a Like you said, the morale...
01:26:34
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
01:26:37
RICK JAMES
It's just great. Like a couple of times I went out east this year, push the snow. It just seemed weird not being on a call. was like, this is kind of, but this is kind of boring. Where are my boys at? You know, it's, I mean, was just, it was like, you're missing something.
01:26:47
Alec Dieter
Right. It's like a Call of Duty lobby back in the day with all your crew, you know.
01:26:49
RICK JAMES
It's just like, you're missing something.
01:26:50
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yep.
01:26:52
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:26:53
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes, exactly.
01:26:53
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
01:26:54
The SnowJobs Podcast
Exactly.
01:26:55
RICK JAMES
So yeah.
01:26:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
it's that It's that kind of fun.
01:26:56
Alec Dieter
oh
01:26:57
RICK JAMES
The camaraderie you get, you know,
01:26:58
Alec Dieter
That's rad.
01:26:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
but yeah yeah And it's safety-wise.
01:26:59
The SnowJobs Podcast
I mean, like I've said it a couple times. I know since we've started doing it the last three seasons, it's been at least avoided an accident a year where the guy didn't see a car because we do most of our work with skids.
01:27:02
Alec Dieter
Right.
01:27:12
The SnowJobs Podcast
So not the best visibility at times, even with the backup camera. But we've easily three, I think, three accidents in three years that we've avoided because, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. whoa And then everybody stops no matter what.
01:27:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
You don't even have to yell out a name.
01:27:23
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:27:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Everybody stops.
01:27:25
Alec Dieter
The whole county.
01:27:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
And it's it's instant.
01:27:26
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
01:27:27
The SnowJobs Podcast
You don't get to try and pick up a radio to tell the guy where you're losing two seconds here, two seconds there, you know, hoping you can get through.
01:27:32
Alec Dieter
Right.
01:27:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
So, yeah, it's it's definitely ah efficiency goes up when you're doing it. That's for sure.
01:27:38
RICK JAMES
yeah yep i mean like i said a lot of these guys they knew each other but now they talk so much in the last few years or i mean they're
01:27:39
Alec Dieter
cool.
01:27:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
but
01:27:49
RICK JAMES
they're just like all best friends, you know, yeah you know, not just winter they're year round.
01:27:51
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, yeah.
01:27:54
RICK JAMES
They talk round. Like all these guys are farmers. They're on a call every day. Yeah.
01:27:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, they're all farming in different fields miles and miles away. and
01:28:01
Alec Dieter
I was going to say, if they're not pushing snow, they're they're plowing the field and doing
01:28:01
RICK JAMES
And they're all,
01:28:05
RICK JAMES
they'll, they'll send a text.
01:28:05
The SnowJobs Podcast
oh absolutely.
01:28:07
RICK JAMES
They'll send a text though. Like any, like, Hey, we're on a call. If you want to get on i'm like, Oh, cool. I'll see what anybody everybody's up to.
01:28:12
Alec Dieter
the same thing.
01:28:13
Alec Dieter
Oh, that's so cool, man. Oh, geez.
01:28:13
RICK JAMES
So, yeah.
01:28:15
The SnowJobs Podcast
yeah Yeah, definitely. that that is a That's one of the great things we've taken from Glacier that's actually worked well. um
01:28:23
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:28:23
The SnowJobs Podcast
And you got some guys that some guys don't want to be on it. And that's OK, too.
01:28:26
Alec Dieter
Yeah, and that's fine. That's cool.
01:28:26
RICK JAMES
That's fine.
01:28:28
The SnowJobs Podcast
Like there are guys that are cool with just being solitary in their own thoughts.
01:28:28
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
01:28:31
The SnowJobs Podcast
And, you know, for most of us, that's not healthy. You know, sitting there in our own brain over hours at a time.
01:28:37
Alec Dieter
Right.
01:28:38
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:28:39
Alec Dieter
Yep.
01:28:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
but It definitely makes you even if you're one guy in a machine and no other machines are around, you're you're still, you don't feel like you're by yourself. So the time flies.
01:28:49
RICK JAMES
Like I said, some guys just want to go out and push snow and get away from stuff and not have to deal with shit and just relax.
01:28:49
Alec Dieter
Yeah, totally.
01:28:52
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah.
01:28:54
RICK JAMES
And that that works fine too.
01:28:55
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's cool.
01:28:56
RICK JAMES
it is it is what it is.
01:28:56
The SnowJobs Podcast
We got guys that do that.
01:28:56
Alec Dieter
Yeah.
01:28:56
RICK JAMES
So... so
01:28:58
Alec Dieter
Yep.
01:28:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's what Matt does. Matt doesn't want to be anywhere near a call. like I constantly, I have to pick up the phone and dial him 10 different times a storm just to find out his status, what what's going on, because he doesn't want to stay on the call, you know, very long. So, but yeah, if the guys like it though, it's, it's definitely a lot. It adds fun to it and it adds definitely efficiency.
01:29:20
Alec Dieter
Yeah, I'm gonna have to try that one out next year.
01:29:21
RICK JAMES
And you learn a lot.
01:29:22
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yes, sir.
01:29:22
RICK JAMES
You learn a lot. but
01:29:24
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah Yeah. Yeah.
01:29:25
Alec Dieter
I bet.
01:29:25
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah. Yeah, you learn the personalities inside and out, that's for sure.
01:29:26
RICK JAMES
You learn a lot. but Yeah.
01:29:29
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right, Jay, you got anything else for him?
01:29:30
Alec Dieter
oh
01:29:30
RICK JAMES
I
01:29:34
RICK JAMES
don't think so. was good talking to Alec and I'm glad we got out west finally.
01:29:37
The SnowJobs Podcast
Absolutely.
01:29:38
RICK JAMES
See how they do it out there. so
01:29:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
Yeah, we really appreciate it, bud. Thanks for coming on with us, Alec. Definitely appreciate it.
01:29:44
Alec Dieter
Yeah, glad to have this opportunity and chat with you guys.
01:29:45
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:29:47
Alec Dieter
It was pleasure.
01:29:47
RICK JAMES
yeah
01:29:48
The SnowJobs Podcast
Oh, it's awesome. We're glad. Thank you for letting us into the state of California. If you if you do find Bigfoot in a snowstorm, definitely let us know, though.
01:29:55
RICK JAMES
Yeah, good video.
01:29:55
Alec Dieter
You guys will be the first ones to know. Yeah.
01:29:58
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's awesome. Oh, man.
Episode Wrap-up
01:30:00
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right. Well, then that that's going to do it, guys. We're going to wrap episode 114 of the Snow Jobs podcast main show. We want to thank Alec again for the time, letting us into California, hearing about mountain snow and Sierra.
01:30:13
The SnowJobs Podcast
the Sierra mountainscapes, high Sierra mountainscapes. All right. So ah can't thank him enough. He's the first guy that would actually get back to us and talk to us from California. So, well you know, he'll always have a soft spot with us.
01:30:26
The SnowJobs Podcast
ah we'll We'll have him back on anytime he wants, but that is it.
01:30:30
RICK JAMES
Give him a follow.
01:30:30
The SnowJobs Podcast
Got what's that.
01:30:31
RICK JAMES
Give him a follow on the old Instagram.
01:30:33
The SnowJobs Podcast
That's it. It's HSMountainscapes, right? HSMountainscapes on Instagram.
01:30:37
Alec Dieter
Yeah. Yep.
01:30:39
Alec Dieter
yep
01:30:39
The SnowJobs Podcast
Check them out.
01:30:40
The SnowJobs Podcast
All right. lot of cool stuff. Good muskox videos on there. But that's going to do it, guys. Everybody have a great week. Be safe out there. Keep pushing.