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S2-80: The Legend, Randy Strait of Arctic Snow and Ice Control
1.2k Plays3 months ago
The guys sit down with one of the pioneers of modern snow management, Randy Strait. Randy takes us on his journey from his start as an eight year old with a shovel, to becoming the monster snow management company Arctic is today. He also explains how his needs for his own company turned into developing snow products that changed the way the industry today handles snow.
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Transcript
Introduction and Technical Glitches
00:00:39
snowjobspodcast
All right, here we go. Snow Jobs Nation episode 80 of the Snow Jobs Podcast. Power my Top Gun Backblades is off and running. As always, I'm Steve. That's right. With me, as always, Mr. Jeremy Lindstrom of Glacier Snow Management, the Snow Bully, the Chuck Norris of Snow, Rick James.
00:01:07
snowjobspodcast
Let's try this again. How are you doing, Jay?
00:01:09
RICK JAMES
I'm doing great. Doing great.
00:01:11
snowjobspodcast
Good, man. Good. Oh, it's good to see you. Good to see you. We got a big one today, right?
00:01:16
RICK JAMES
Yeah, we do. We got Mr.
00:01:17
snowjobspodcast
Take two.
00:01:18
RICK JAMES
Randy straight. Yeah, take two.
00:01:19
snowjobspodcast
That's right. Take two. Guys, he just told you.
00:01:22
RICK JAMES
We'll get her.
00:01:23
snowjobspodcast
All right. We've been waiting for this couple of weeks now. We delayed it. Sorry about that. We had a technical
Randy Straight's Contributions to Snow Management
00:01:28
snowjobspodcast
problem with the audio. Couldn't bring you his last episode, which, I mean, was a four-year college degree and snow wrapped into two and a half hours. It was awesome. We're going to try and duplicate it today. Randy's back. All right, the let's just play the music for him.
00:01:48
snowjobspodcast
That's right, the most interesting man in snow, Mr. Randy Straight of Arctic Snow and Ice is with us today. And we're going to do this all over again. We're going to get it for you guys. We know you want to hear from him. We loved hearing from him once, so we're super excited to do this again. um I can't speak for everybody else out there, but for me and Jeremy, yeah probably the biggest name in modern snow management, right, Jay?
00:02:11
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah, for sure.
00:02:11
snowjobspodcast
For you?
00:02:12
RICK JAMES
Yeah, right yeah definitely.
00:02:12
snowjobspodcast
Definitely, right? I don't think anybody can really argue that.
00:02:14
RICK JAMES
He knows a little bit about snow.
00:02:17
snowjobspodcast
He knows a little bit, just a little bit.
00:02:17
RICK JAMES
He's done a few things in the industry. so
00:02:21
snowjobspodcast
He's plowed a few miles in 40 years, right?
00:02:23
RICK JAMES
Yeah, yeah, maybe made a decent plow on it too. so
00:02:27
snowjobspodcast
guys, if you haven't heard of Randy straight or Arctic snow and ice, you know, you've heard of the products, the Arctic sectional, the Razorback, the double down, all that Arctic brings to the table product wise. And that's all
Business Philosophy and Public Feedback
00:02:38
snowjobspodcast
awesome. But how it started, how all those great products came to be was Arctic snow and ice control, the snow company. And if you don't know, they are actually a family owned snow company and they're a monster snow company. And this man we have today built it. All right. And then he, built it ah alongside his three sons now. So it's awesome. We love family owned businesses. We love American family owned businesses. We love talking to this. This is going to be a great one. Uh, it's really just exciting to do this and do it again, actually. And everybody can have their own opinions. Uh, you know, uh, modern day pushers, you know, for equipment, everybody can have their own opinions of what's number one, what's number two, but in the whole chicken versus the egg conversation,
00:03:21
snowjobspodcast
The Arctic section was first and nobody can dispute that, right?
00:03:24
RICK JAMES
yep it was yep i believe so yes grant randy will let us know i can guarantee that
00:03:25
snowjobspodcast
All the innovation that is available today with, you know, sectional or live edge or, you know, active edge, whatever the hell you want to call your, your thing, it all started there, correct? I don't, I don't know enough of them. Randy will let us know. where He will let us know. But listen, we're not going to waste a lot of time today. So you all know who the guest is going to be. ah it's ah He's a legend. you know This is big for me and Jeremy to be able to to have him. It's an honor for us. And ah we're super excited to bring this episode to you guys again.
00:03:58
snowjobspodcast
All right, for the first time. ah so So before we get Randy in here and let him tell his amazing story, you know what we're gonna do? We're gonna hear from team Top Gun and do a quick week in review. All right, back in 30.
00:04:41
snowjobspodcast
All right, guys, we're back. Very quick week in review. Last week, we had episode 79 that we dropped in the place of the Arctic episode that we're bringing you today. And that featured Mike Sanelisito and the press secretary, Matt Mauler of curbside. And they were take along with Jeremy, they three of them were taking me through vendor partners and you know how they do things with vendor partners. Because i don't use I don't use vendor partners, and I'm not a vendor partner for anyone else. So it was an education for me. It was really good. They did a phenomenal job. Jade did a phenomenal job. You like to check? Muted. Muted audio show.
Upcoming Events and Listener Engagement
00:05:21
RICK JAMES
Sorry about that. I was commercial. I forgot to unmute.
00:05:24
RICK JAMES
No, it was, it was really good. It was, uh, no, I liked it. It was, I'm always like talking about our vendor partners are a big part of our team here. So they need their love too. So.
00:05:24
snowjobspodcast
All good.
00:05:36
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely. So we want to thank Matt and Mike for doing that with us. ah That helped a lot of guys. We've gotten a lot of great feedback this week ah in the three days since it dropped. So ah thank you boys for doing that. You guys knocked it out of the park. Phenomenal job. What else we got? Storm equipment field day is Thursday, August 22nd in Mankato. They are cutting off registration actually Friday. So by the time you hear this episode, it'll be too late anyway. So hopefully you guys got registered and we'll see you out there. That's going to be a phenomenal day of networking and a couple panel discussions.
00:06:08
snowjobspodcast
So should be a great time. Hopefully we'll see you there ah if Delta's flies. you know if Delta's flying.
00:06:14
RICK JAMES
ah
00:06:14
snowjobspodcast
Because right now their flights are still canceling.
00:06:15
RICK JAMES
I'm driving. I'm driving.
00:06:16
snowjobspodcast
so I'm a little nervous, man.
00:06:17
RICK JAMES
I'll be there.
00:06:19
snowjobspodcast
They're still canceling like two, 300 flights a day.
00:06:21
RICK JAMES
Oh, you're always nervous though.
00:06:21
snowjobspodcast
So it's getting a little crazy with them.
00:06:26
snowjobspodcast
Well, yeah, I don't like to fly, but CrowdStrike or whatever the hell it was called, that's doing a number on them still two weeks later. But yeah, so hopefully you'll see us both in Mankato on the 22nd and the day before is the 21st obviously and also in Mankato.
00:06:38
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:06:41
snowjobspodcast
You got Sanco Equipment has their demo slash field day where you can come out and check out all the products, product lines that they sell, which is you know the big one for us obviously is the XCMG loaders. We're gonna see if they're all they're cracked up to be and everything we've heard, be able to put hands on them, let Jeremy run them around the lot and maybe get into some dirt.
00:07:01
RICK JAMES
ah I've driven one a little bit.
00:07:03
snowjobspodcast
Alright, well now you're gonna do it a lot.
00:07:03
RICK JAMES
the but pain yeah nice I just run it how I usually run it.
00:07:07
snowjobspodcast
Now you're gonna do one you don't have to be nice to. You know, jump in there and put it through its paces.
00:07:14
RICK JAMES
Run it hard.
00:07:15
snowjobspodcast
There you go.
00:07:15
RICK JAMES
That's what they're meant to be.
00:07:17
snowjobspodcast
There you go. And what else do we have upcoming events? We got September, I think it's Thursday, September 19th. We have SNS snow and ice out in Pennsylvania, out in the wil Scranton Wilts Bar area. They have their demo slash field day. So you can come check out their metal plus lines, their VSI by boss, their snow way and now snow power. All right. They are now a snow power dealer. Yay. We got one within two States of me.
00:07:44
RICK JAMES
East Coast, yeah.
00:07:44
snowjobspodcast
That's awesome. It's coming, baby. It's coming. So come on out.
00:07:47
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:07:48
snowjobspodcast
It's a great day. You'll see the, ah the whole storm crew with that as well. um so those guys get around so we're looking forward to seeing him again and once a month now we get to see him it's pretty cool most of them except Christian right just kidding just kidding ah what else we got Jay what else am I missing here for the week in review the like and subscribe oh yeah yeah yeah there we go so you got
00:07:56
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm. Yeah, well, most of them.
00:08:07
RICK JAMES
Low trees in them Look look at your brown deal is um You can go for it.
00:08:21
snowjobspodcast
you go You want to take him through that or do you want me to do it?
00:08:24
RICK JAMES
It's what August August i know a date i was August August 8th
00:08:26
snowjobspodcast
Hahahaha! August 8th I think it's a Friday right?
00:08:31
RICK JAMES
No, it's Thursday, I believe I know
00:08:32
snowjobspodcast
is it third Is it a Thursday? They're having a gala on a Thursday?
00:08:35
RICK JAMES
I don't believe so. I don't freaking know. Let me look it up.
00:08:37
snowjobspodcast
no Nobody works Fridays in the Midwest. Well, anyway, phaser marketing Thursday, Thursday, August 8th is phaser marketing and Luke Eggerbraten's black tie gala to benefit the boys and girls club of Detroit lakes, Minnesota.
00:08:40
RICK JAMES
Yep. It's Thursday. Thursday.
00:08:51
snowjobspodcast
I got it right. Right.
00:08:51
RICK JAMES
You got all right.
00:08:52
snowjobspodcast
When that's at what the mountain in Minnesota, it's like a bunny Hill Detroit mountain.
00:08:54
RICK JAMES
It's Detroit mountain. Yeah. Detroit. It's like a bunny hill. Yeah.
00:08:59
snowjobspodcast
listen' It's a great cause guys.
Randy's Journey and Business Growth
00:09:01
snowjobspodcast
Uh, if you can go to the gala, you know, have fun at the gala, Jeremy's going to be there. It raises money for the Boys and Girls Club of Detroit Lakes. Minnesota and that's where Luke actually both Luke says I was informed grew up there and they're just giving back to their community So if you can't make the gala but want to donate anyway anyway, just go to phaser marketing ah They have a spot on there You can donate or go to event bright calm and you can donate on event bright under phaser marketing All right, and they're trying to blow away last year's total of $30,000 they raised for the Boys and Girls Club of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota Did I miss anything check because I want to get to Randy here
00:09:39
RICK JAMES
Let's go.
00:09:41
snowjobspodcast
All right, boys and girls, because now we have a lot of girls listening apparently, 14% female now, 14% female.
00:09:45
RICK JAMES
Any pictures?
00:09:47
snowjobspodcast
I have not gotten any pictures yet. That's, ah you know, Jeremy Lister needs a date to the Black Tie Gala August 8th.
00:09:49
RICK JAMES
Well, yeah and let's meet needs a strong word there, but needs a strong word.
00:09:53
snowjobspodcast
So, you know, send in your pictures. ah but it Oh, that's true.
00:09:59
RICK JAMES
I don't need.
00:10:00
snowjobspodcast
That's true. He he will entertain a date if one comes along.
00:10:05
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:10:05
snowjobspodcast
Oh, but anyway, listen, let's hear from our partners and we'll be back in a minute and a half to get this going with Mr. Randy Straight.
00:11:44
snowjobspodcast
All right, guys, we are back. So we want to bring in the legend, Mr.
00:11:48
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:11:50
snowjobspodcast
Randy Straight. We're going to wait for him to unmute his mic. And we're just going to wind him up and let him go again and try and recreate some magic from last week.
00:11:57
RICK JAMES
but yeah here andy um No problem at all.
00:11:59
snowjobspodcast
So Randy, welcome to the Snow Jobs. It's an honor to have you here again. And ah we're going to get it this time. I feel it.
00:12:06
Randy Strait
Hey, guys. That we will. Yeah, we will.
00:12:09
snowjobspodcast
ah
00:12:09
Randy Strait
I promise that. And you know thank you very much for having me on again.
00:12:14
snowjobspodcast
No problem. No problem, boss. You've earned it. You've earned it. Whenever you want to come on, you let us know. I love hearing the stories. It's awesome. And I think it's a very helpful for a lot of snow guys out there to hear them. And it's important that you pass it on. 40 years is no, ah that's no turnaround the block. you know that that's so That's a marathon, not a sprint there, brother.
00:12:33
Randy Strait
Hey, don't short me. It's 47 now.
00:12:36
snowjobspodcast
Sorry, 47.
00:12:36
RICK JAMES
yeah yeah
00:12:37
RICK JAMES
Wow.
00:12:38
Randy Strait
Hey, when you start to get up there, you start pounding.
00:12:38
snowjobspodcast
I insulted you. I apologize.
00:12:42
Randy Strait
Yeah.
00:12:44
snowjobspodcast
Well, oh Jeremy, you want to take us away?
00:12:44
RICK JAMES
wow Yeah, let's go.
00:12:46
snowjobspodcast
I want to hear all about this again.
00:12:49
RICK JAMES
Hey Randy, let's tell everybody about the Arctic Snow and Ice and how how you got started and just run us through your, how you got going, I guess.
00:12:57
Randy Strait
Yeah, absolutely. And you know a lot of people ask me that. And it really didn't start the year I started the business in 1978. It really started back in my neighborhood. you know And I was 12 years old. I was one of those many kids out there knocking on doors, would you like your driveway shoveled? And I just, I loved it. I mean, I couldn't wait for it to snow, couldn't wait for snow days to be off, big snows. I'd always you know jump up and I'd be out there shoveling. and um And I always always dreamt, I always wanted to own a Jeep. And I always thought maybe when I'm 16, I'll buy a Jeep and and put a plow on it and kind of expand my my little ventures of ah my passion for shoveling and and and the money. It was great. I mean, you come home and you had enough money to buy a pair of Converse tennis shoes. yeah i like
00:13:50
RICK JAMES
ah
00:13:51
Randy Strait
So, but with that said, ah I actually did fulfill that dream.
00:13:51
snowjobspodcast
but
00:13:57
Randy Strait
I bought a 1977, I bought a 1977 K5 Blazer. And actually I got it from a guy who drove it to Alaska that summer and drove it back and then he sold it.
00:14:10
snowjobspodcast
Bye.
00:14:11
Randy Strait
So it was really what, maybe four or five months old and had 12,000 miles on it.
00:14:14
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
00:14:14
RICK JAMES
Ha, ha.
00:14:16
Randy Strait
And to me, I was just too good to be true, even though it had a four speed stick, the hardest clutch you've ever seen in your life. A jungle 305 engine.
00:14:24
RICK JAMES
fit
00:14:26
Randy Strait
But again, I had heat, not much of it, but it worked. And then actually i what I did was I put a ah used seven foot western plow on it with the old school T handle.
00:14:38
snowjobspodcast
Oh, geez.
00:14:38
Randy Strait
And yeah, so I got that going. And then I went out and I just started signing some work. At the time, I was working at a gas station. So that was a layup. They gave me that one. And then I signed a bank and then a couple of other accounts, a small little shopping center. And um to this day, I pass that bank. And I tell you, I remind my children about what it took to get this business off the ground. But when I started...
00:15:11
Randy Strait
It was in 1978, 79. And that today still stands as record snow here in the Chicagoland area. We were almost at 100 inches.
00:15:22
snowjobspodcast
Wow.
00:15:22
RICK JAMES
Wow.
00:15:23
Randy Strait
And it wasn't just the 100 inches. It was the drifts um and the high winds and the cold temps. I mean, you pull up at a shopping center. Could you only imagine snow drifting from the gutters to the first set of islands? ah
00:15:39
snowjobspodcast
With a blazer.
00:15:40
Randy Strait
ah Yeah, yeah, with the blazer and so forth, but you know that's that's exactly what I did.
00:15:44
RICK JAMES
that
00:15:48
Randy Strait
and ah But one thing I did learn from shoveling ah sidewalks and driveways as a child, the importance of quality work. and ah And the difference is so many ah younger guys, my competition, the other boys on the block, a lot of times they would make a half effort just to go down a sidewalk and a small path. But I'd always make sure I had all the effort. I'd always make sure I go the width, the full width of the sidewalk, the full width of the driveway. And I also did the public sidewalk in the front where many of the kids didn't even touch that.
00:16:30
Randy Strait
but What I did gain out of that was um my customers staying with me because a lot of the kids, again, just knocking on the door and the line was, hey, would you like your driveway shoveled? My customers were saying, we have somebody that will ah will do it. And they were talking about me because they seen the difference of the work that I was doing. And right then I started figuring it out the importance of doing a good job. And I took that same approach and attitude that I learned early and i I put it into my commercial snow removal. So anytime we would always plow shopping centers, I always made sure the front entrance, all the entrance, curb to curb.
00:17:15
snowjobspodcast
you
Commitment to Quality and Business Strategy
00:17:16
Randy Strait
And nothing bothered me more, man.
00:17:16
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
00:17:17
Randy Strait
I'd go to a mall, I'd go to somewhere, and I'd see, you know ah I would be outbid by something by a contractor. And I'm like, oh, he's holding four feet from the curbs, pushing snow on the islands, stacking snow on the light poles, and all the things that really you should not be doing if you're going to be a quality snow contractor.
00:17:30
snowjobspodcast
Amen.
00:17:40
snowjobspodcast
amen
00:17:40
Randy Strait
but And I took that, and it went a long, long way.
00:17:40
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:17:44
Randy Strait
ah to help me ah become a better snow contractor because when I started training drivers and operators in Foreman, they all knew. ah they ah they knew I mean, i would I would jump all over their ass and come back and like, you gotta be kidding me. you know That's the best you could do in this loading dock. And if I ever catch anybody pushing the snow into the dock, not ragging it out, I'll hand you a shovel and you can shovel it out by hand.
00:18:06
RICK JAMES
Oh.
00:18:11
Randy Strait
you know So that's how it was.
00:18:12
snowjobspodcast
Hey, Mel.
00:18:13
Randy Strait
I'm not saying I'm the bad guy, but let's just say that I like to get jobs done right.
00:18:16
snowjobspodcast
No.
00:18:17
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
00:18:19
Randy Strait
And that's still a philosophy here to this very end, that if I come by and I see something's not right, and I hear the guys on the radio, you better make that right.
00:18:24
snowjobspodcast
That's awesome.
00:18:29
Randy Strait
you know The boss sees that, and that's just how I am, and I'm not going to change. Call me bad, whatever, but don't call me broke, so that's all that matters.
00:18:38
RICK JAMES
How about, how about, how about rounded corners, Randy?
00:18:39
snowjobspodcast
i
00:18:41
RICK JAMES
Do you, I hate that one guys around corners instead of like square them up. That's one of my biggest pet peeves around here is like no rounded corners.
00:18:48
Randy Strait
And i
00:18:49
RICK JAMES
That's hate it.
00:18:49
Randy Strait
Yeah, no, no. And you know, the thing is, though, when you look at all the plows that you know we manufacture and other people as well, the the ah the pushers and that and skid stairs, it's so much easier to hug that rounded curve line, right?
00:19:01
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
00:19:02
Randy Strait
But you try to do it with the truck and it's an outside turn. It's just going to roll and spill and everything else.
00:19:07
snowjobspodcast
Hmm hmm.
00:19:08
Randy Strait
But it was challenging. But nowhere as near as challenging as that bank I told you about, that first bank that I pass every day. And I remind my kids too. And I say, you know, um when I signed that, it had a drive through. And um I remember pulling up there. it's it It was a Sunday. So after it snowed out and the winds died down, I went out there. And it was probably about, I'd say 3.30, 4 o'clock. The sun was just starting to you know show a little you know red in the sky. and
00:19:45
Randy Strait
And I remember the snow being so drifted all the way up against the glass where the tellers were at. right So if a teller was there, you couldn't even see he or her. That's how much snow was drifted all the way up to those glass windows.
00:20:00
snowjobspodcast
wow
00:20:01
Randy Strait
And I had, like we said, a blazer. So I never forget it. I walked up there with the snow shovel. I took my coat off. I hung it up on a branch on a tree.
00:20:10
snowjobspodcast
Wow.
00:20:13
Randy Strait
and I commenced shoveling. And I shoveled that. all night long and I never stopped. And the real challenge was the snow was so tall, I had to pick it up and throw it up and over. You know what I'm saying?
00:20:28
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
00:20:28
RICK JAMES
Oh.
00:20:29
Randy Strait
Luckily, it really wasn't heavy wet because it was the, you know, drift of it still yet.
00:20:32
RICK JAMES
Hmm.
00:20:34
Randy Strait
It was damn cold out. and But it wasn't windy that I could live with, right?
00:20:39
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
00:20:39
Randy Strait
But I went it and I'll never forget it. I went and shoveled that. And then when the first car pulled up at 8 a.m., that's when I finished.
00:20:51
snowjobspodcast
Wow.
00:20:51
RICK JAMES
Oh well.
00:20:51
Randy Strait
8 a.m., so that all those teller windows and everything were all cleared out. Now, today, I think of all these skid-steers I have, and they probably knock it off in about 20 minutes with a heated cab. But, you know, yeah yeah yeah you know you you dead you did what you did.
00:21:03
RICK JAMES
hopefully Hopefully your T and&M back then.
00:21:08
Randy Strait
And and then I even reflect back to the same bank, and it was just another event. I was out plowing. We had, and I'm not lying, I had every bit about two feet of snow drifted right across their main tribe in the back. um Today, there's a shopping center there. There wasn't then. It was just a ah a cornfield of sort. But I was out there plowing, and it was bitter cold that night. I'll never forget it. And um I kept straight blading and pushing over, straight blading, pushing over, then angle.
00:21:44
snowjobspodcast
Yeah. but but
00:21:45
Randy Strait
um And then what I'd even do to keep the blade from twisted and turning on the hydraulics, I had a half inch extension ah for a socket. I put in in the quadrant in the A-frame to lock it in place. And that's that's essentially what I was doing is using my my truck as a wheel loader.
00:22:02
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
00:22:04
Randy Strait
But what happened was I killed the battery. Because back in that day, we only had 32 amp at best, ah Sears diehard battery, 550 cold cranking amps.
00:22:15
snowjobspodcast
Wow.
00:22:16
Randy Strait
So we thought that was everything. So I actually, I killed the battery and it was about one, two in the morning. And I was sitting out there by myself a freezing, literally freezing. And there was a ah ah standard gas station ah before it was called Amaco, if you all remember that, when I age ourselves, right?
00:22:36
snowjobspodcast
wow
00:22:38
Randy Strait
But those were service stations. So i was I waited, I sat in that truck and I waited a good four hours till they opened at 6am. So I got out, I took the battery out. And I thought, you know what, instead of walking all the way around that retaining ditch that surrounded the bank, I'm going to go from point A to point B and right through it. And I'm carrying this. I'm already frozen at this point. yeah you can't get You cannot get any more froze, right?
00:23:10
RICK JAMES
Thank
00:23:10
Randy Strait
And um so I was going to go from point A to point B for a shorter walk. And as I'm walking, I stumble and I fall into the ditch. Now, it's all the drifted snow.
00:23:24
snowjobspodcast
Oh, geez.
00:23:24
Randy Strait
And again, it's you know it's the lighter snow, so you can't walk on top of it.
00:23:28
snowjobspodcast
Yup.
00:23:29
Randy Strait
The battery rolls down through the ditch.
00:23:30
RICK JAMES
you.
00:23:32
Randy Strait
And I don't know where it's at. I'm on my hands i'm on my hands and knees trying to find this battery. And i ah to this day, I was amazed that it rolled like eight, nine feet over to the right. Like how did this possibly happen? But it did. I did find it. So I picked it up and I walked all the way around this time.
00:23:50
RICK JAMES
you
00:23:51
Randy Strait
And I get to the service station and I told the guy, he said, hey, can you put this on a charge? He said, yeah, sure. But the bad news was he used the old milk crate and he kept his door open so he had no heat in that office. And I'm thinking, oh, you've got to be kidding me, right? And he he did not have any heat. He left the door open. And he put that thing on charge for about 45 minutes. And I said, that's enough. He goes, oh, it really needs a few hours. I said, no, no, no, I got to get back and get this bank opened.
00:24:24
Randy Strait
You know what I mean? So now we're talking it's it's quarter to seven.
00:24:25
snowjobspodcast
Mm
00:24:29
Randy Strait
So I walk all the way around, hooked up that damn battery. And when I started that truck and I first got heat, it was it was. It was great, let's just say that. So those are the memories, those are the things that we you call them war wounds, call them whatever you want. But these are the things that I did to get the business off the ground.
00:24:51
snowjobspodcast
-hmm
00:24:52
Randy Strait
And now I think about it all these, we I don't know, I think we have six, seven or eight service trucks that are out during every storm. So, and ah we're we're very smart how we do it. We strategically kind of send them out in a certain area. So if you break down, you have one nearby.
00:25:07
snowjobspodcast
here
00:25:10
Randy Strait
And I'm just thinking how, what what a luxury. Everything is is a luxury.
00:25:13
RICK JAMES
Yup.
00:25:13
snowjobspodcast
yeah
00:25:15
Randy Strait
This equipment we own today is what a luxury, you know?
00:25:18
snowjobspodcast
Yeah Yeah, and you learn those lessons your very first winter in the business hundred inches and all that stuff going wrong with your blazer Randy what made you come back for year two for winter two after that being your first winter out?
00:25:19
Randy Strait
but
00:25:24
Randy Strait
Yeah, you know, oh my God. Unbelievable. yeah
00:25:34
RICK JAMES
ah
00:25:35
Randy Strait
um god
00:25:37
snowjobspodcast
but yeah
00:25:38
Randy Strait
It was a promise I made. and I said, God, don't let me freeze tonight and I'll do this again next year.
00:25:40
RICK JAMES
the
00:25:43
snowjobspodcast
There you go.
00:25:44
Randy Strait
um know you know you Honestly, passion.
00:25:44
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:25:47
snowjobspodcast
There you go.
00:25:48
Randy Strait
What made me get up when I was 12 years old? What made me want to buy that truck? And I did. Hey, all my buddies were buying Corvettes and everything and I bought trucks. And I got to the Corvettes and the Mercedes a little later on, but um I started, you know, investing my money and and and and fulfilling my passion.
00:26:03
snowjobspodcast
Amen.
00:26:07
Randy Strait
I love, to this day, I love plow much snow. I really do.
00:26:12
snowjobspodcast
and man
00:26:12
Randy Strait
And my passion is, how can I do it even more efficiently and efficiently? efficiency is more important than ever because ah the profits aren't there like they were years ago. The ratios have changed.
00:26:29
snowjobspodcast
Amen.
00:26:29
Randy Strait
So you just have to be smarter. ah There's still a lot of money in this business, but you just can't leave any on the table. Bottom line.
00:26:37
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:26:38
snowjobspodcast
Amen.
00:26:39
Randy Strait
Yes.
00:26:39
snowjobspodcast
Amen. so So true. Absolutely. It's more true today than it ever has been. You cannot leave a penny on the table.
00:26:45
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:26:46
snowjobspodcast
You got to get everything that you can.
00:26:47
Randy Strait
No, not at all. Not at all.
00:26:49
snowjobspodcast
so So that was your first winter. And that that's incredible to begin with. when How long did it take you before you said, OK, listen, we're going to make a real go of this with Arctic. And you actually started what is now Arctic. you know When did you start ramping it up? Was it immediately in the first couple of years?
00:27:07
Randy Strait
No, no, it actually it wasn't. And it kind of started ah the following year when you asked, you know what made you give it a go the second year?
00:27:09
snowjobspodcast
OK.
00:27:16
Randy Strait
Well, once I realized I was doing snow, I needed something to carry me over the summer months, but also give me a constant more day by day communication with any store managers. And um that year, um I
00:27:32
snowjobspodcast
mark
00:27:35
Randy Strait
I plowed three K-Marts.
00:27:39
Randy Strait
I'm trying to think really. So 78, 79, I did the smaller things. So 79, 80, I did three K-Marts for a guy. And imagine this, he didn't pay me.
00:27:48
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
00:27:51
Randy Strait
and
00:27:52
RICK JAMES
No.
00:27:53
snowjobspodcast
ah So it existed back then too
00:27:55
Randy Strait
Yeah, yeah. And he he didn't pay me. Unfortunately, some things happened internally into his company that shouldn't have happened. And it pretty much bankrupt him. And ah so he packed up
00:28:08
snowjobspodcast
Gotcha.
00:28:11
Randy Strait
He had the company here in Bolingbroke and ah he packed up and he went back to Maine. But what he was doing, he was doing lawn care and he was also doing power sweeping for litter control. And so he was sweeping these K-Marts and I did, ah he was sweeping seven of them. And i would I plowed the three. But I never got paid, and then I knew he went back to to Maine, and I knew he bought this sweeper with him, just talking to people through the grapevine. And I thought, actually, the power sweeping business might be just what I was looking for. It'd be ideal that I could ah
00:28:55
Randy Strait
you know sweep all summer or all winter as well, but also ill start to hire people full time that I could depend on to be foreman for me, ah which they became ah for the snow business.
00:29:07
RICK JAMES
Mm
00:29:08
Randy Strait
So um I knew I wanted to look at that. I didn't know anything about it. So I gave this guy a call and I just asked him, I said, hey, can you help me out?
00:29:18
RICK JAMES
hmm.
00:29:20
Randy Strait
ah Give me any good advice about how to get in the sweeping business. And he said, i hey, I could even do you one better. I could sell you a sweeper. And that's really what I was hoping for him to say. I was letting him say it first.
00:29:34
RICK JAMES
Mmhmm.
00:29:34
Randy Strait
So with that said, he said, and i I owe you money.
00:29:34
snowjobspodcast
Gotcha.
00:29:39
Randy Strait
And the sweeper is still worth a bit more. um He said, I owe at the bank. He said, um I'm certain the bank would let you assume the loan or give you a loan. Why wouldn't they? Because they were chasing him and the sweepers all the way in Maine. It was a local bank here in the western suburbs of Chicago. And so he introduced me to the bank and the banker, and he agreed. He gave me a loan for the balance due of the sweeper, which came out to be an incredible thing because now I had a banker.
00:30:16
Randy Strait
So I was a young guy in banking history, and it opened the door for a large bank, not a small bank.
00:30:17
snowjobspodcast
Ah.
00:30:22
snowjobspodcast
Mm.
00:30:24
Randy Strait
It was a large bank.
00:30:26
snowjobspodcast
Nice.
00:30:26
Randy Strait
And the banker really took liking to me. And ah he's seen what I was doing. So he ah he was giving me money for more equipment. I bought my first wheel loader. Yay. ah and It was an old HOF six cylinder.
00:30:39
RICK JAMES
Haha.
00:30:39
snowjobspodcast
but
00:30:42
Randy Strait
ah It did articulate. I'll give you that. But um it it did a job, ah barely, but again, it I was so proud of it. you know and um But just kind of fast forward, from 1980 to 1989, in between those years, I became one of the largest sweeping contractors in Chicago.
00:31:09
snowjobspodcast
Really?
00:31:09
RICK JAMES
Huh.
00:31:09
Randy Strait
Yes.
00:31:10
Randy Strait
So I think it was like, I think it was like 81, 82, 82, um, grinding or milling machines became popular.
00:31:10
snowjobspodcast
You did not know that.
00:31:21
Randy Strait
Nobody ever seen them.
00:31:22
snowjobspodcast
Mmhmm.
00:31:23
Randy Strait
And we all know what they are. They, they're the ones that put the grooves in the end and playing off the first inch and a half of asphalt.
00:31:30
snowjobspodcast
Mmhmm.
00:31:30
Randy Strait
It goes up with the conveyor. So those, we call them grinders. They're actually, I think they're called planers. But when they came out, they're grinding the streets and they're using air compressors and hose on a pipe, trying to blow all the fines off out of the grooves and over the off off the road. And I said, well, hell, I got a better way to do that and a Elgin sweeper.
00:31:54
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:31:55
Randy Strait
So i I went out there and I started sweeping for him. And it was working great. You know, I'm sweeping.
00:32:01
snowjobspodcast
Nice.
00:32:02
Randy Strait
Now, there was another another guy doing it as well. But um so but he was really no competition to me because we had so much work. And so next thing you know, fast forward, by 1989, I had several large ah ah road contractors I'm sweeping for ah and um not only doing the milling machines, but doing cleanup after construction, bridges. I worked around the clock up at O'Hare when they ripped down the old
00:32:38
Randy Strait
uh international building to build the united building and that was a sweet sweet deal because uh we had to have two sweepers out there just in case they happened to spill uh way dumping or uh running dirt if they happen to spill some on a runway or a taxi way we had run out there and sweep and clean it up
00:32:41
RICK JAMES
Hmm. Hmm.
00:33:00
Randy Strait
And during the nighttime, I was a single guy. So hell, I would just sleep in my sweeper, right? And and I had the two ways I had the Motorola trunking two ways we had about an
00:33:08
RICK JAMES
but
00:33:08
snowjobspodcast
thank
00:33:14
Randy Strait
At nighttime, I had at that time 12 short sweepers. So we're sweeping 132 shopping centers a night. So all the guys are out sweeping all night long.
00:33:23
RICK JAMES
Jesus.
00:33:24
snowjobspodcast
Wow.
00:33:26
Randy Strait
And I had sweepers running during the day, but I slept in the one Elgin sweeper at O'Hare at night. because it's on the clock and I'm sleeping, right?
00:33:36
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
00:33:37
Randy Strait
But it was the backup one. They demanded two. They demanded two in case one broke down.
00:33:40
snowjobspodcast
Gotcha.
00:33:43
Randy Strait
That's how important this job was, right? So I thought, hell, I just bought a pillow and I would sleep in this thing.
00:33:46
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
00:33:50
Randy Strait
I was all of 24 years old, you know what I'm saying? and young and and it's it and and loving it, I should say. so ah But with that said, um if I just told the guys, hey, if you need to call me, ah go to channel.
00:33:59
RICK JAMES
Bye.
00:34:05
Randy Strait
I think it was C on the radio. I think they were ABCD. whatever I said, go to see.
00:34:11
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
00:34:13
Randy Strait
And nobody else would be on that channel. Only the foreman would talk to me. And I said, you know, don't be chattering. You'll wake me up. But if you need me, go to see. Right. And that's what they would do. And I'd answer any question and and go back to bed. And at 6 a.m., I get a rattle on the window. It was the full time driver showing up. And there it was. So that that was a great gig.
00:34:35
snowjobspodcast
That's awesome.
00:34:36
Randy Strait
And, uh, so I had a lot of fun with everything I did. I won't say that it's even when I would even drove a, uh, a back truck at nighttime. Um, I, uh, I would spend most of my sleeping on the beach on Lake Michigan. Uh, you know, because I'd sweep all night, come home, watch facts of lives, have my raisin brand.
00:34:52
RICK JAMES
sure
00:34:58
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:35:00
Randy Strait
It is a routine razor brand, a toast with peanut butter on it.
00:35:01
snowjobspodcast
ah oh
00:35:05
Randy Strait
And then I would jump in my car at a beautiful Mercedes convertible.
00:35:06
RICK JAMES
Thank you.
00:35:08
Randy Strait
I would drive to the Warren Dunes ah in Indiana. And I was fortunate enough to talk to this lady. She lived right on on on the beach. And behind her house was you know Lake Michigan. And I needed a place to park because you couldn't get close to this place, right?
00:35:25
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
00:35:26
Randy Strait
So I rented out her entire driveway. And that way, when I pulled up, it was mine all summer long. I just gave her a lump sum of money. I said, all summer, your driveway is mine. And then I would pull up.
00:35:39
snowjobspodcast
Nice.
00:35:41
Randy Strait
I'd walk behind her house, around her garage, through her backyard, and I would just sleep on the beach. And yeah that was again, I was just living life.
00:35:50
snowjobspodcast
ye That's awesome.
00:35:52
Randy Strait
And then it got to the point I had more friends on the beach and I had in real life and they would wake me up, hey, Rand, you know, do you want a burger? Yeah, sure. So and and stuff like that. And this is such a great lady, I haven't returned the favor, I would call her up and I'd say, you know, I hey, I'm not coming in today. So if you want to rent the whole because you get 20 bucks a car, right?
00:36:13
snowjobspodcast
Okay.
00:36:13
Randy Strait
You want to rent it out, go for it, right?
00:36:13
RICK JAMES
Mmhmm.
00:36:15
Randy Strait
but So that's what life was like, you know, and plowing snow. And I kept growing my snow business and growing my sweeping business until 1989. That's when I got ah a bit of a phone call. And ah waste management wanted to talk to me about buying my sweeping division out. and They offered me a very attractive money, and I agreed. And ah so that would put it as nineteen January 1 of 1989, I think, from that point forward, I was all snow.
00:36:52
Randy Strait
And i did that I did that because A, I did not have passion for the sweeping business, but I had passion for the snow business.
00:36:52
snowjobspodcast
That's great.
00:37:01
Randy Strait
But I also had better opportunity because so many of my clients would say, you know Randy, we can't just take any bid and try a new snow contractor out. But we can a sweeping contractor because if if the other guy doesn't do a good job, We know we could cancel 30 days. We know we could come back to you. But when it comes to snow, we know we can't.
00:37:26
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, gotta to get that right.
00:37:27
Randy Strait
If they have a problem, it has to be fixed, right? Then and there. And and again, ah nobody, there are no slip and falls, you know what I mean, or or no risk. There's no anything associated you know with sweeping and the serious, ah it it is with snow.
00:37:40
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
00:37:44
Randy Strait
And it would um it would demand more. it demand more from a contractor without a doubt, but the the money was associated with that. And what was happening is i um I had more opportunity in the snow business, but I couldn't take it because I didn't have the time because I was also putting in the sweeping, but also the money I was putting in the sweepers
00:38:08
snowjobspodcast
Mm.
00:38:11
Randy Strait
I should have been putting in in the wheel loaders and salt trucks and so forth. I clearly could see that. And um so that's exactly what I did. I sold it and I took every penny, which was a good sum of money because I only had a service debt of 125,000 then. And that cleared out everything. So then I just turned around and I started ah buying equipment and signing more work for snow.
00:38:39
snowjobspodcast
That's awesome.
00:38:39
Randy Strait
So when you ask, you know, how did it really launch?
00:38:40
RICK JAMES
Wow.
00:38:43
Randy Strait
I'd say officially, you know, 1989, the day I sold the waste management to go all snow. Uh, that's when it launched.
00:38:50
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:38:51
Randy Strait
And you know what, it's been a great ride still
00:38:53
RICK JAMES
Wow.
Industry Challenges and Equipment Management
00:38:54
Randy Strait
going, and I haven't looked back.
00:38:57
snowjobspodcast
That's awesome. That's really great. I mean, what a story. That's pretty awesome.
00:39:01
RICK JAMES
Yeah, I never...
00:39:01
snowjobspodcast
and I mean, when waste management comes in and asks to buy your company, like you don't tell them no, right? yeah yeah
00:39:09
Randy Strait
No, no, ah not at all.
00:39:10
RICK JAMES
so forth
00:39:12
Randy Strait
And it was, you know, it was they were very professional about it.
00:39:12
snowjobspodcast
yeah
00:39:16
Randy Strait
And they just said, hey, you know, we're going to make you an offer. And I OK. Where's the pen? and And they really they really did want it bad.
00:39:25
snowjobspodcast
yeah
00:39:29
Randy Strait
They really did.
00:39:30
snowjobspodcast
Uh, it's good for you.
00:39:30
Randy Strait
So um um But, you know, it worked out. It was just, ah you know, timing. Everything is about timing and executing.
00:39:38
RICK JAMES
Mmhmm.
00:39:38
snowjobspodcast
Yes, sir.
00:39:39
Randy Strait
I mean, you can sit there and think about it it. But if you have an opportunity, you don't launch on it, well, then, you know, that you're going to pay that price. And don't think that I've made every right move in my life. Oh, would trust me, I have not. But I'm learning from those things. And you do all you can and and so forth. But the other thing, though, too, about, you know, with the snow, what concerned me and the reason I sold the business, because I was passing by on opportunity. And that right there is the key word. People need to listen. I was passing on it.
00:40:17
Randy Strait
and If you grow too fast or you take on something you can't, you will end up taking three steps backwards, I guarantee you.
00:40:28
snowjobspodcast
Yes, sir. Yes, sir.
00:40:29
Randy Strait
Because you take on work with a great client and you mess up, then you lose that beautiful account that you have with that great client. So yeah that's one thing I never did.
00:40:42
snowjobspodcast
100%.
00:40:44
Randy Strait
i And I always told everybody this. I said, you know to become successful, because they do. They'll say, how did you get to this point? And I would say, you know get ready to write all this down. It's a long list. Be on time and do what you say. That's it.
00:41:00
snowjobspodcast
Amen.
00:41:00
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:41:01
Randy Strait
That's it, that's, I swear to God, that's all you today. I cannot even begin to tell you how many people, whether it's snow or concrete or are delivering ah bottled water, that ah they don't do what they say and they're not on time. And when I was building my first house back in, oh God, in the 90s, I had a ah concrete contractor and I had an 8 a.m. appointment with him on a Tuesday. and he didn't show, he didn't call me, he didn't show.
00:41:34
Randy Strait
And you know, we had cellular phones, might've been big phones, but we had cellular phones, right?
00:41:40
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:41:40
snowjobspodcast
ah
00:41:40
Randy Strait
And here I am on the job site Thursday, two days later, he comes pulling up, gets out of his truck with his clipboard, comes walking up and he goes, okay, and he starts talking to me and I'm like, whoa, time out.
00:41:40
snowjobspodcast
Cool.
00:41:58
Randy Strait
Where were you two days ago? I mean, he was so crazy that he didn't even acknowledge by one would think, hey, I know we had an appointment and I didn't even call you. I didn't do anything. ah You know, somebody put an arrow through my brain and I needed but needed time to recover, right?
00:42:16
snowjobspodcast
ah
00:42:16
RICK JAMES
All
00:42:17
snowjobspodcast
ah
00:42:17
Randy Strait
I guess and i see this and i'm thinking okay now i understand why. I've become successful because that's all been given my clients do what you say and be on time and if you if you can't do what you say don't do it.
00:42:29
snowjobspodcast
Beyond time I love it
00:42:34
RICK JAMES
right.
00:42:34
Randy Strait
It's tempting to take on things. you know I did not grow so fast that I didn't i didn't want to stumble on myself. And and and ah so i I was very patient when it came to growing. But I see some guys today sign in multiple accounts across multiple states. It's a recipe for sure disaster.
00:42:58
snowjobspodcast
It is.
00:42:58
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah.
00:42:58
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely. and Randy, i mean we talked about this in the first episode, but it's it's that didn't didn't take, but it's worth mentioning again. like I remember when I was very young in my business and I was deciding whether or not I was going to level up from trucks to equipment and stuff. and You actually gave me 20 minutes on the phone and you asked me about my business.
00:43:17
RICK JAMES
okay
00:43:19
snowjobspodcast
I was buying an Arctic machine. I thought the deal was too good to be true. So they put you on the phone to tell me, no, it's legit. This is how it works. And you didn't just talk about the machine. You asked me about my business, where I was in business. And I said, you know, what you guys are doing out there. you know If I could somehow break that down and scale it to my level where I am and just follow that blueprint, you know it sounds great.
00:43:43
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:43:44
snowjobspodcast
And you were like, you're not in Chicago. I got no problem telling you what you need to do. And you said that, do what you say you're gonna do beyond time doing it. And I'll never forget it. yeah And you said, do not bite off. the You get one shot at snow. Do not bite off more than you know you can knock out of the park every winter. And that's it on your worst day you have to be able to get everything done so make sure you only take what you can do and i never forgot that and where we're at today that's ninety percent. That phone call is the blueprint.
00:44:16
snowjobspodcast
So I thank you for that. And that's, you know, that's something people need to know that you, you take the time.
00:44:19
RICK JAMES
Thanks.
00:44:20
snowjobspodcast
I was, I'm still a nobody, but I was a definite nobody back then. You didn't know me from Adam and you took 20 minutes and it changed the course of my business for 10, you know, the 10 years since. So I thank you for that. And that's awesome. And and it works. What you're saying is actually what what worked. So I love it. It's great.
00:44:39
Randy Strait
No, I'm good. And I'm glad I mean that I was able to help out and maybe make a difference, you know, and ah but, you know, you talk about biting off where you could chew and so forth that I'll, you know, I'll tell a client that the way I really assign my work and my equipment, I should say.
00:44:45
snowjobspodcast
You definitely did.
00:45:00
Randy Strait
So I know I'm not biting off too much is I think of every snowstorm as one foot.
00:45:07
snowjobspodcast
Mm-hmm.
00:45:07
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
00:45:07
Randy Strait
Every snowstorm is a foot.
00:45:08
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
00:45:09
Randy Strait
And I put enough equipment on that site to get one foot plowed in time for when that store is going to open in the morning.
00:45:15
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:45:19
snowjobspodcast
Yes, sir.
00:45:19
Randy Strait
So if two to four inches come, we fly right through it.
00:45:24
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:45:24
Randy Strait
But i I don't cut and say, I'm going to not run a couple pieces of equipment. No, I'll still run them all because I want all those operators to get all those hours and stay as efficient as possible. Keep them in the loop.
00:45:36
snowjobspodcast
Yes, sir.
00:45:37
Randy Strait
Keep them in the system. So then when one foot comes, we're right on cue.
00:45:39
snowjobspodcast
Amen.
00:45:42
Randy Strait
We knock it off right on time.
00:45:43
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
00:45:45
RICK JAMES
help
00:45:45
Randy Strait
Well, if, you know, 19, 20 inches come, it becomes challenging, but doable.
00:45:52
snowjobspodcast
But doable, yep.
00:45:53
Randy Strait
We don't shut stores down, never shut a store down in my life. And, and I know we've opened our share of them. We had a blizzard back in 2011. And ah roughly, if I remember right, it's about 21 inches in eight hours.
00:46:06
RICK JAMES
Yup. Wow.
00:46:09
Randy Strait
and And that's a hell of a storm.
00:46:09
snowjobspodcast
Yeah. yeah
00:46:11
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:46:11
Randy Strait
And um we were fortunate though for preparing for this storm because you you talk about the equipment that I sell.
00:46:22
Randy Strait
I have a a very unique relationship ah with Case and I built it over time ah with Case because Case wanted to ah sell my snowplow and um I wanted to buy their equipment. So we struck up a good good relationship, right?
00:46:41
snowjobspodcast
you know
00:46:41
Randy Strait
And um since then now, I've been buying Case for about eight years. And I was at in Vegas for Con-X and they invited me to the Keith Urban concert, they meaning Case.
00:46:56
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
00:46:56
Randy Strait
And I was walking back from the men's room and they go, this beer is for you.
00:46:58
snowjobspodcast
You
00:47:02
Randy Strait
And I go, oh, thanks. He goes, we're congratulating you because you are now the world's largest single purchaser of Case equipment in the world.
00:47:06
snowjobspodcast
know?
00:47:11
RICK JAMES
Wow.
00:47:12
Randy Strait
I said, no shit, really?
00:47:12
snowjobspodcast
That's awesome. but
00:47:14
Randy Strait
yeah So you know the bottom line is we our program is unique because I'll use all this equipment, right?
00:47:15
RICK JAMES
but
00:47:22
Randy Strait
And then I i started Dinesse Leasing. So Dinesse Leasing, D-E-N-E-S-S, Dinesse Leasing holds all the equipment and it leases it to Arctic Snow and Ice and we use it to service it. And then at the end of those six years, that equipment is available for sale. And when guys get it, it's truly a unicorn.
00:47:45
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
00:47:49
Randy Strait
And all the loaders still have plastic on their seats.
00:47:49
RICK JAMES
Mm
00:47:50
snowjobspodcast
It is. Mhmm.
00:47:53
Randy Strait
I mean, some of them, some some of these machines only had maybe three, four hours on them because we parked them on top of parking decks down in the city to remove snow in the event that we piled a lot of snow in the upper parking lot deck.
00:48:07
RICK JAMES
-hmm
00:48:10
Randy Strait
And we all know that doesn't happen every year. So I had machines sitting up there ready to go that were never used.
00:48:16
snowjobspodcast
Yup.
00:48:16
Randy Strait
So yeah, when I put that machine up for sale and I get a guy calling up, wait, why does this thing only have, I might run with it, dude.
00:48:25
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, yes.
00:48:25
Randy Strait
It's i say it's a gift. And it's true it truly is, it they truly are a unicorn.
00:48:28
snowjobspodcast
I did it.
00:48:31
Randy Strait
I mean, think about it. Where can you have a six month old machine that never seen dirt?
00:48:32
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:48:39
Randy Strait
never seen dirt.
00:48:39
snowjobspodcast
Yup.
00:48:41
Randy Strait
A lot of the buckets were never even used because we're hooking up all the Arctic sectionals on them.
00:48:43
snowjobspodcast
Nope.
00:48:43
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm.
00:48:47
Randy Strait
You know what I'm saying? ah When we'll use a bucket on a loader is when we have to remove snow, which we didn't do last year or the year before, or we'll use a bucket when we have to load salt.
00:48:55
snowjobspodcast
ah
00:48:58
Randy Strait
But that's only a fraction of the loader fleet. and Then all the wheel skid stairs even though we still bring the bucket out on site just in case you know you get that blizzard you still can do a lot of work with a ah a Skid steer bucket, you know detailing and that but um having that kind of ah equipment and This year, you know
00:49:10
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
00:49:10
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:49:24
Randy Strait
If we're selling roughly 2,300 machines, I think that's the number we already sold that we have here. They call it the magnificent mile. Because I bought i bought this facility. It used to be an airport. And back in 2000, 82 acres, and people are like, why did you buy an airport? Well, I'm a pilot. And I lived at an air park where I kept my house. And I would fly here. And kept my airplane here, but then when we started putting so much equipment got bigger and bigger and bigger I had to shut down the runway and And then I could no longer keep my plane here. I had to bring it to an airport But what it is is our runway is almost a mile we have equipment lined up from one end of this runway all the way to the other end of the runway and
00:50:22
Randy Strait
Well, now we ran out of runway, so we went for the taxiways. They're in all the hangers. We had green belt. We ripped that up. We put down pavement for that. So, you know, when you go to look at it, you can only appreciate it through a drone, you know?
00:50:39
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:50:39
snowjobspodcast
It's incredible.
00:50:40
Randy Strait
And um it's gone to ludicrous speed, but there's some great advantages to this because when that blizzard did hit, we got about a good three-day forecast because it was coming out of the West, right?
00:50:42
snowjobspodcast
Hmm.
00:50:44
RICK JAMES
ah
00:50:54
Randy Strait
So with that said, um we went ahead and we had about 60 wheel loaders sitting on the runway we weren't even using.
00:50:58
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yeah.
00:51:04
Randy Strait
So what we did was we distributed them around around all of our properties, right? Not put them in groups. We just started stacking the deck on our properties.
00:51:14
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:51:14
Randy Strait
And then now I needed pushers for these 60s. So I called the factory and over the weekend they built me 60 pushers.
00:51:20
RICK JAMES
Jesus.
00:51:22
Randy Strait
So then I own my own semis, the low boys, so all my truckers got all got them all delivered. Now for operators, we just utilize the salt truck guys because nobody's spreading salt during a blizzard, right?
00:51:29
RICK JAMES
see
00:51:36
RICK JAMES
Right.
00:51:37
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
00:51:37
Randy Strait
and And the beautiful thing is all of our machines are identical. So when you put them in one, they know how to operate them all. No surprises. Every machine we order is identical for that reason. So with that said we've we had no problem with that storm 8 a.m. We were done and a very very good client of mine at the time my very ah Still my oldest client ah been with me since this the first year he had an apartment and I had a blazer and And now they had umpteen shopping centers around the country.
00:52:14
Randy Strait
And I'm in the middle of all this. so And he called me up. He goes, hey, we just want to say great job, Randy. ah Good news, bad news. and He said, that's the good news. Bad news is get a pen and a pen and paper. ah We have a list of shopping centers.
00:52:26
RICK JAMES
Two.
00:52:28
Randy Strait
He said, Randy, we have so many snow contractors that need 24 hours just to catch up where you're at. He said a lot of them never made it to their other properties because they were routing. They were routing. They were overbooked. They were thin. They were thin. And so we went ahead and knocked off a bunch of shopping centers for them.
00:52:45
snowjobspodcast
Hm?
00:52:50
Randy Strait
And it really worked out good today. Loaders are so fast. You could just drive them down the road. You got ride control, Bluetooth, heat, every everything you need. So it's not it's not tough to ask a guy to drive something 30 miles an hour ah you know to another property and and start digging his way out of it. But that was an exciting time.
00:53:16
snowjobspodcast
It pays to be a winner.
00:53:17
RICK JAMES
so Sounds like a tough problem to have.
00:53:17
snowjobspodcast
It definitely pays to be a winner.
00:53:20
RICK JAMES
I got 60 loaders sitting in.
00:53:21
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
00:53:22
Randy Strait
But i think i was I will tell you this, though.
00:53:28
Randy Strait
it Amazon.
00:53:32
Randy Strait
I don't even think they have a clue what danger zone they are in. Let's go back to Amazon. During that Blizzard 2011, I don't think there were any distribution centers. Weren't they just selling books?
00:53:47
RICK JAMES
I think so.
00:53:47
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, I don't think they were even around yet.
00:53:47
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:53:48
Randy Strait
At that time, if that Blizzard hit what I see guys have on these sites, I pass an Amazon near my facility.
00:53:49
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:53:58
RICK JAMES
All right.
00:53:59
Randy Strait
A major huge Amazon. Guy has three skid-sters and a compact loader. I said, where's the three or four wheel loaders? If that blizzard hit that facility, Amazon would be dead in the water.
00:54:18
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
00:54:19
Randy Strait
dead in the water. And if they think, well, we're just gonna get somebody else to show up and help us out, who's gonna show up and help out? That's like trying to buy a generator down in Texas one when that hurricane hit. You're gonna go Home Depot and buy a generator?
00:54:31
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
00:54:32
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:54:33
snowjobspodcast
Nope.
00:54:34
Randy Strait
Not gonna happen.
00:54:35
RICK JAMES
no
00:54:35
Randy Strait
And what it really amazes me though, because there's three things that can shut you down in the Midwest.
00:54:41
RICK JAMES
Mm
00:54:42
Randy Strait
Fire, tornado, or a blizzard.
00:54:43
snowjobspodcast
Mm
00:54:46
RICK JAMES
-hmm. heard
00:54:47
Randy Strait
Now, a blizzard may not only happen every 10 years, but if a fire or a tornado hit an Amazon every 10 years, they would be shitting in their pants.
00:54:47
snowjobspodcast
-hmm.
00:54:58
Randy Strait
They would be scrambling.
00:54:59
RICK JAMES
but
00:54:59
Randy Strait
They would be, what can we do to prepare for this?
00:54:59
snowjobspodcast
ah
00:55:02
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
00:55:03
RICK JAMES
yeah
00:55:03
Randy Strait
But I honestly think they don't know.
00:55:06
Randy Strait
i don't I think they don't know because so many of these big national companies have signed them, making themselves look really big and important. They hand them off to somebody, but the big scary thing is it's all they're they're being handed off, not only Amazons, there's so many of these box stores, everything across the boards on the no snow business model theory.
00:55:18
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:55:21
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
00:55:25
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:55:28
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
00:55:31
Randy Strait
You make money when it doesn't snow. Now what's wrong with that? You know what I mean? If you can get away with only putting three skids in a and and a compact, if it doesn't snow, But if it does snow, and what amazes me twice today so far, Amazon came to my house.
00:55:45
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
00:55:55
Randy Strait
Everything is Amazon. It's amazing.
00:55:57
snowjobspodcast
Yeah. Oh yeah.
00:55:58
Randy Strait
No, I mean, I won't even go buy a tissue. I just get it through an Amazon.
00:56:02
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:56:02
Randy Strait
You think I did it? I just got a box of six Kleenex tissues, the hand towel ones, right?
00:56:03
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
00:56:08
Randy Strait
Why go to the drill? I'll just Amazon. They got them right there. and And that's, but that's the way things are going. Don't get yourself.
00:56:14
snowjobspodcast
Sure.
00:56:15
Randy Strait
But the issue is they have so much at stake. And when I even go back and I talk about that blizzard of 2011, we had another client, she called up and it was the Honda distribution center in Burr Ridge. I didn't plow it. She goes, Randy, we did another distribution center for her. And she goes, can you get out there and help us with this?
00:56:37
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
00:56:40
Randy Strait
We show up, all the docs, every door on the West, the snow was almost all the way up the doors because the drifts just hit it hard, right?
00:56:50
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
00:56:54
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
00:56:55
Randy Strait
um On the backside, just as bad because you know, when the the that wind blows and everything just settles, right?
00:57:03
snowjobspodcast
yeah
00:57:03
Randy Strait
They were just destroyed. So when I pull up, we sent six wheel loaders there and we got them there probably about 9.30 AM. And we had six wheel loaders. We all bought pushers. We had buckets. We had a bunch of salt trucks with the bigger you know salt trucks with plows, 10 foot plows on them and some skids. And we went to town on this place. They had all the semis parked down the street. Nobody could get in and out of this place. Then the facility manager came up and he said, you saved my ass.
00:57:45
Randy Strait
He goes, I signed this account with a buddy. I had a pickup. He had a pickup. His pickup blew the trans one in the morning and it's just been me. You know what I mean? Obviously, right? Nothing's going to happen. Two to four inches.
00:58:00
snowjobspodcast
No.
00:58:01
Randy Strait
It's all fun when there's snow down by 10.
00:58:02
snowjobspodcast
Yeah. It's all fun and games.
00:58:03
RICK JAMES
you
00:58:04
Randy Strait
Right.
00:58:04
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
00:58:05
Randy Strait
But he, he told me, he said, this is Honda's distribution center. Everything comes in and comes out of this hub. Everything.
00:58:14
snowjobspodcast
And it's getting done by two pickups.
00:58:15
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:58:16
Randy Strait
Yep.
00:58:16
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
00:58:17
Randy Strait
What is, what is their revenue loss?
00:58:18
RICK JAMES
This is normal.
00:58:20
RICK JAMES
Oh, it's unbelievable.
00:58:20
Randy Strait
What is their revenue loss?
00:58:23
snowjobspodcast
Oh, God.
00:58:23
Randy Strait
And we, we dug that thing out for 24 hours.
00:58:29
RICK JAMES
Jesus.
00:58:30
Randy Strait
Yeah, I know.
00:58:31
snowjobspodcast
Wow.
00:58:31
Randy Strait
Crazy, right?
00:58:32
RICK JAMES
Wow.
00:58:32
snowjobspodcast
That's insane.
00:58:32
Randy Strait
But yeah, so, you know, when I see that, I'm thinking if this ever should happen to Amazon, that I, I, I can't even fan them their loss.
00:58:45
snowjobspodcast
Well, they learned last winter.
00:58:45
RICK JAMES
Right.
00:58:46
snowjobspodcast
they they um Amazon learned last winter.
00:58:46
Randy Strait
What's that?
00:58:47
RICK JAMES
Yeah. Yep.
00:58:49
snowjobspodcast
they yeah they're They're doing some things differently this year.
00:58:51
Randy Strait
yeah right What did they learn on, two to four inches, maybe eight? I seen it, I heard.
00:58:56
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
00:58:57
RICK JAMES
Yep.
00:58:57
Randy Strait
you know Honestly, no, they didn't learn shit. ah wait they They learned because it was an inconvenience is what they learned, right?
00:59:04
snowjobspodcast
Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's true.
00:59:05
Randy Strait
No, way to that place gets shut down that nothing goes in and out of there.
00:59:06
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
00:59:14
Randy Strait
they're They can't make a shift change. I don't think they have a clue. And I've seen it. I've witnessed it. I've done it. And when I look at these accounts, I shake my head and I'm thinking, you know, you're all on this no snow business model and and everything like that.
00:59:30
RICK JAMES
ye
00:59:32
Randy Strait
You know, There's no replacement for displacement. You've got to have the iron. you got And you've got to have just not the iron.
00:59:39
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
00:59:41
Randy Strait
You've got to have the depth. I mean, you're going to go around the clock, then you better have resources to have ah repairs happening.
00:59:43
RICK JAMES
help.
00:59:49
Randy Strait
Or um you know like I said, we have service trucks, even though we have brand new stuff every year.
00:59:53
RICK JAMES
Mhm.
00:59:55
Randy Strait
But you still have issues that we'll go ahead and just fix it. You know what I'm saying?
00:59:58
snowjobspodcast
Yes, sir.
01:00:00
Randy Strait
and And so forth. But you can get super, super cold weather, and you better have your service trucks out there keeping that stuff running and and so forth.
01:00:09
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:00:10
Randy Strait
But you need depth. And that's where I always say Arctic has always excelled, is we have a lot, a lot of depth.
01:00:13
snowjobspodcast
Yes, sir.
01:00:19
Randy Strait
that, you know, this office is open 24-7 during a snowstorm.
01:00:19
snowjobspodcast
Yes, you do.
01:00:25
Randy Strait
There's, you know, the couch is turned into a bed. Every, the men's room, ladies room, they all have showers in them. You know what I mean? So if they had to go a long run, they could tag team it. You know, matter of fact, we learned a little lesson. We had power out. And we didn't have a generator. I'm thinking, oh, I'm going to order a generator immediately, because what had if that would have been in the winter.
01:00:47
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:00:50
snowjobspodcast
Oh, yeah.
01:00:50
Randy Strait
yeah i mean So I'm all over that one. But um you know having depth and everything, you know that's what you know that's what these accounts. Now, not every account demands that kind of service. right ah But when I look at it Amazon or an airport, international airport, they demand it, right?
01:01:10
snowjobspodcast
Sure.
01:01:11
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:01:11
Randy Strait
ah they But they also demand it through specifications, what equipment you're going to put on it, everything about you.
01:01:19
Randy Strait
They make sure that you're going to do it. I've never been in Amazon. I don't know what their criteria is. I mean, are they saying you've got to have? Do they even say you have to dedicate or can you just route it? There's a night and day difference. There's a 35% price difference between routing and dedicating.
01:01:32
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:01:37
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:01:38
RICK JAMES
Yeah, there's, I know they're dedicated. You got to have stuff dedicated to Amazon. So.
01:01:43
Randy Strait
Yeah, no, I know Josh Gomez. He's starting to hit the Amazons.
01:01:46
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:01:46
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:01:49
Randy Strait
I like Josh and the fact that he's boots on the ground. I never met him up until a couple of weeks ago. and um But I seen his videos, not of him doing squats. Yeah, I seen that one too.
01:02:02
RICK JAMES
but
01:02:04
snowjobspodcast
oh
01:02:05
Randy Strait
ah But I tease them on that one later.
01:02:05
RICK JAMES
Nah.
01:02:07
snowjobspodcast
No, you shouldn't.
01:02:08
Randy Strait
But the bottom line is, when I see in this about boots on the ground, doing this job, and and and stuff like that, I thought, I got to meet this man. Because that has always been my philosophy, my theory. And you know what, guys? Out of all this national and all this subbing it out to third party, and you name it bullshit, of 47 years, you can only imagine the opportunities I had. I passed.
01:02:37
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm. Oh, yeah.
01:02:39
Randy Strait
I even did it right on day one when I did a ah target. And I remember there's a target in my local town, Orland Park, and um I ah went to bid it, and I bid it in May. And I was kind of very impressed that the store was requesting
01:03:01
snowjobspodcast
Hey, man, yeah.
01:03:02
Randy Strait
in May. So I went there and i I met with him and his name was Frank. He was the maintenance manager. and And I said, you know, Frank, i i when you came out to the cafeteria, we sat down. He had a bunch of stack of other contractors' folders. And I seen that some of them had no business bidding the job, just like I had no business bidding it on day one. yeah i I worked my way up.
01:03:29
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm. Yep.
01:03:30
Randy Strait
By the time that was, that was like 95. So look, from 79 to 95, say I'm working my way up the right way.
01:03:42
snowjobspodcast
Yes, sir.
01:03:42
Randy Strait
So and I told him, I said, you know, Frank, before you make your final decision, why don't you go visit all their sites? I said, don't visit their website, visit their site and you'd be amazed at the difference.
01:03:55
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
01:03:56
Randy Strait
So and I gave him my address and he had it. And then that was it. So it was a long summer and I never really gave it a second thought. And ah in September, almost October, I get a knock and my assistant said, ah Randy, there's a gentleman by the name of Frank here from Target, would like to see you. I'm Frank, Frank, Frank. Oh, Frank, you know, it hit me. It it was so long.
01:04:24
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:04:24
Randy Strait
it It passed by me. And I walked in. He said, hey, he said, thank you for the invite. And I took you up on it. I'd like to see what you got. So we jumped in a golf cart, we drove around and and we looked at everything. And he said, Randy, he said, thank you for the advice you gave me. He said, some of the people I were considering, I probably would have lost my job.
01:04:48
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:04:48
Randy Strait
He said, because I went out there and they had like a lawnmower with a plow on it.
01:04:48
snowjobspodcast
yeah
01:04:54
Randy Strait
you got the sir Yeah, he said all the things they had on their website did not exist.
01:04:55
snowjobspodcast
Uh
01:05:00
Randy Strait
And he said, there's no way that they could handle that this property. So anyhow, I signed it, but I signed it on a seasonal. And at that time, they didn't know what a seasonal was. Nobody in the industry knew what a seasonal was. I called it a seasonal.
01:05:19
snowjobspodcast
huh.
01:05:20
Randy Strait
I didn't know what to call it. And I said, you know what, it's a seasonal, I based it on five equal payments, but it's still across the boards for six months in November through April, but based on five payments.
01:05:30
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:05:34
Randy Strait
So I went ahead and plowed that lot that year and it was very successful, so successful that they put it on in their email And, um, he, he put it out there to all the store managers said, if anybody's looking for a good snow contractor and a unique way to stay in your budget and pay for the snow, you need to call Randy over at Arctic Snow and Ice.
01:05:45
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
01:05:59
Randy Strait
Well, I did get a phone call and it was from corporate target on a Minneapolis. And the gentleman there, he asked, he said, he said, can we meet? where we Can we meet at Fesit Run? It's a resort. And I said, yeah, sure. So we went there and we were up in one of the rooms. And so he started, and he bought his head maintenance guy, his chief engineer for maintenance. And he said,
01:06:32
Randy Strait
He said, what can you tell me you know about snow and our snow program and what we're doing? And I said, I can tell you, you're getting fucked. And he's like, oh, it's going to be one of these meetings, right? And he calls down for a cart full of liquor. They come wielding it in. And we all started commencing, being honest with each other, right?
01:06:56
snowjobspodcast
Mhm.
01:06:56
Randy Strait
And he goes, okay, you have a lot to say. And I said, Rodney, all I'm trying to tell you is this. You put it out on a T&M. And I said, I said, let me guess, the cheapest hourly guy costs you the most at the end of the year. He goes every time.
01:07:12
snowjobspodcast
Mhm.
01:07:13
Randy Strait
I said, Rodney, do you think, I said, they're out there at two in the morning.
01:07:16
snowjobspodcast
Yup.
01:07:16
Randy Strait
Who's doing the counting? ah you know and I said, you're just making it so the guy who's honest and fair, they never get the work. And and I said, so what do you really think? why I said, if I'm getting paid by the hour, why should I have a four-wheel-drive truck? Why don't I just use a two-wheel-drive truck and take twice as long? You know what I mean?
01:07:37
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
01:07:38
Randy Strait
I said, why should I have dual batteries? I'll just have a single old battery and let my other truck jump this one in the back of the store all night long while the guys sit together and pow wow, right? But it's on the clock. And I went down the list and I said, now let's talk about salt by the ton. And I said again, I said, look at, I said, it doesn't take 12 to 14 ton of salt, Rodney, to salt a target.
01:08:08
snowjobspodcast
to Yeah.
01:08:09
Randy Strait
Well, they were convinced that, right? But when that's because, well, you start changing the numbers.
01:08:11
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:08:14
Randy Strait
Well, we all know oh it's a game and and everything like that. So he said to me, he said, well, listen, and he said the way you charge Orland, though, was just a flat rate, a seasonal. And I said, yeah, I call it a seasonal contract. And he goes, well, what concerns us about that is what happens if it snows a lot? And he goes, you're going to quit. And I said, well, Rodney, I said, let me explain something. I said, the way I do it is like a good stock portfolio.
01:08:48
Randy Strait
You don't put all your money on one stock. You you put your stock here, some here, some's aggressive, some non-aggressive.
01:08:55
snowjobspodcast
Yep. ye
01:08:58
Randy Strait
If you can average 15% a year on your money, that's a home run, but it's safe.
01:09:01
RICK JAMES
Okay.
01:09:04
Randy Strait
And I said, what I'm doing is very similar, Rodney. I said, let's say all my home depots are per push and per salting. And then all my targets are a seasonal. I said, so essentially, let's just say half my work is per push occurrence. The other half is ah seasonal. And I said, I kind of keep it like that. And I said, that way I'm safe. I don't let one overlap the other. I try to balance about. I want to take that average every year. I said, but you need to understand that
01:09:40
Randy Strait
and Well, he said, but so if you have, we have a bad winter you can afford to service. I said, yes, because Home Depot is paying your bill because I'm making more and more money on Home Depot.
01:09:50
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
01:09:51
Randy Strait
I said, but you need to understand this.
01:09:51
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:09:54
Randy Strait
If we have a very mild winter, you are paying Home Depot's bill to have that equipment sit on Home Depot's lot. I said, if you could live with that, I said, then you can solve your problem about never being able to stay in budget. um They also had a problem with managers telling the contractors, oh, don't salt to save money.
01:10:16
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:10:17
Randy Strait
That's where they're slipping balls. And he said, that will fix that problem, Rodney. And he looked at it. He said, and I said, one thing about it, Rodney. I said, this only works with a contractor who cares. you know I said somebody who is smart enough.
01:10:32
RICK JAMES
Correct.
01:10:33
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:10:36
Randy Strait
to give you that service when it snows out like a bitch, don't charge ah chase opportunity, it will happen. You get phone calls, hey, can you come out and plow our place? You can charge them triple that night, right? Don't break rank, stay. I see guys all the time, I'm watching the news. So and so's snow service going to New York to help out. I'm thinking, if I was a property manager watching that, I'd say, wait, he's my snow contractor. Wait, if he's going to New York to help out, who in the hell is watching over my store if that happened?
01:11:10
snowjobspodcast
Yeah,
01:11:11
Randy Strait
Right? And and it kind of brings me to ah something that really happened, that that blizzard that came in.
01:11:12
snowjobspodcast
absolutely.
01:11:20
Randy Strait
My son said, hey, dad, I have a guy out of Virginia. He needs a hand. You can make a lot of money. And I said, no. I said, son, we don't ever leave. We don't ever leave. Sure enough, what happens? Bam, the blizzard. Wouldn't have been great if I was caught there.
01:11:39
snowjobspodcast
Wow.
01:11:40
Randy Strait
Yeah, absolutely. So you got to be true to yourself and you got to stay on it. But you know getting back to the the target thing, and staying true and staying smart is then they said, okay, we want you to go ahead and do ah these ah these stores. And I looked at them and I said, you know, I could do them all, but seven, because I did not want to go out of my zone, my geographical footprint, because I knew in my heart, I couldn't do what I said.
01:12:07
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:12:07
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:12:11
Randy Strait
I couldn't be on time. I knew I
Industry Issues: Greed, Innovation, and Insurance
01:12:14
Randy Strait
couldn't do it. I did not allow greed. I always say when greed and stupidity intertwine, you have a sure disaster.
01:12:21
snowjobspodcast
100%.
01:12:22
Randy Strait
You will fail. You will fail.
01:12:24
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely.
01:12:24
Randy Strait
And it is tempting. It is so tempting. But anyhow, I looked at it and I said, you know, I know a very good snow contractor modeled very much like mine, and they're called Snow Systems. ah Jim B. Brock, ah the owner of the company, at the time, his son is very fundamental in the business right now, ah Trevor B. Brock. But at the time, I think ah Trevor was probably right up there with my son, Lucas, maybe a couple years older. So they're probably helping out, ah driving. No, hell, they wouldn't even been doing that at that age. and Probably taking the short bus at that time.
01:13:02
Randy Strait
you know but
01:13:04
snowjobspodcast
now
01:13:04
Randy Strait
With that said, ah I remember though, i and I called up Jim and I said, hey, Jim, I'm doing this deal with Target and I'm going to pass on on these stores and just treat them right, be smart, do a great job. It's a great opportunity because see Target was just coming to town.
01:13:20
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
01:13:22
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
01:13:22
Randy Strait
Well, we went ahead and by the way, I should mention, part of my sales pitch was I did ask ah the gentleman with Target and his name is Rodney. and i And I said, Rodney, I said, you're talking about slip and falls. He said, yes. He said, we're getting I said, well, what do you, what does it cost you for a slip and fall? They were paying them out of their pocket. He said, our smaller stores are getting about two a year and our bigger stores are getting about three.
01:13:50
snowjobspodcast
Oh.
01:13:58
Randy Strait
And I said, so what's that cost? And he said, roughly it costs us about $38,000 a slip and fall. And I said, the bigger stores, now a bigger store here for Target is they had a babies or us attached to them, or they had a Dominic's food store.
01:14:13
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:14:16
Randy Strait
so they were So they were larger. So I looked at it and I said, Rodney, I said, so if if I could do your store, your smaller stores for the 78,000 you're paying out for your slip and fall, and your larger stores for 135,000, you're paying out.
01:14:32
RICK JAMES
Thank
01:14:37
Randy Strait
And if I could do those stores for that amount of money and you had no slip and falls, would your snow removal not be free?
01:14:38
RICK JAMES
you.
01:14:48
Randy Strait
And he goes, well, yeah, if you could achieve that, I go sign me up. I said, sign me up. I said, I'm telling you right now, And I said, you know, not setting me up for failure. You don't call me two weeks before the contract starts. Give me some time here.
01:15:03
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
01:15:04
Randy Strait
I said, I will put that business model I did for Orland across the board on those stores. And that's when I told them, seven of them will go to snow systems because I didn't want to grow too quick.
01:15:12
RICK JAMES
Mm
01:15:16
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
01:15:16
RICK JAMES
hmm.
01:15:16
Randy Strait
So fast forward. That was a five year contract in five years. At the end of five years, I had 47 stores, because they kept adding stores.
01:15:30
snowjobspodcast
Wow.
01:15:31
Randy Strait
And every time they built a store, they'd call me up, and I got it. At the end of five years, I called Rodney. I said, Rodney, the five-year contract's up. How did things go? He said, phenomenal. You did everything you said you would.
01:15:44
RICK JAMES
Thank
01:15:44
Randy Strait
And I said, I know I had two slip and falls. He goes, trust me. that's not I said, well,
01:15:50
RICK JAMES
you.
01:15:50
Randy Strait
Two slip and falls that should not have happened. One, it really technically happened on Cole's parking lot, but we got caught up in the lawsuit because there was a curve that separated Target's parking lot and Cole's. The people said, I was shopping at Target. Yeah, they were on their way shopping at Target, but when they what they did was they parked on Cole's side.
01:16:11
snowjobspodcast
Uh...
01:16:13
Randy Strait
Technically, they fell on Cole's side. And the other one, they had a concrete sidewalk in the front, it heaved. So it heaved up about an inch and a half, that's what they tripped on.
01:16:21
snowjobspodcast
Mhm.
01:16:24
Randy Strait
But you get caught up in a lawsuit, they'll look at it and say, you know what, let's just get out of this thing, pay him some money, right or wrong, right or wrong, that's what they'll do, just pay him the money, right or wrong.
01:16:25
RICK JAMES
We hope.
01:16:33
snowjobspodcast
Yup.
01:16:35
Randy Strait
So he looked at it, he said, Randy, that was phenomenal. And I said, well, Rodney, what I like to do is I like to extend it for an additional five years. And 15% increase, that's 3% a year. I said, I think that's fair. He said, absolutely it is. And that's what we did. So 1995, five year brings us to 2000. In the year 2003, I'm down at my lake house, Lake of the Ozarks with my family in July. And I get a call from my office.
01:17:12
Randy Strait
And my office said, my assistant Charlotte, her name was, and she said, Randy, I got a certified letter cancellation from Target. Really?
01:17:25
snowjobspodcast
Wow.
01:17:25
Randy Strait
And that was the beginning of the end for the snow removal industry. The beginning of the end right there. So I said, you gotta to be kidding me. Okay, it is what it is, right? So then, and I didn't see this coming yet, right? So then in October, I get a phone call. Some perky little girl out of Florida.
01:17:54
snowjobspodcast
a Florida All
01:17:56
Randy Strait
I don't know her name. I could care a less, but we'll just call her Sally.
01:18:03
snowjobspodcast
right, Sally works
01:18:04
Randy Strait
So Sally goes on with her little pitch.
01:18:04
RICK JAMES
Sally it is.
01:18:07
Randy Strait
Hi, this is Sally with XYZ. And we just would like to say what a great job you did and congratulations being such a preferred snow contractor for Target. You came so highly recommended by them that we want to offer you back the work. That was her little spill. And I so i said, you want to you wait, I said, I'm not working. Well, you'll be doing the same stores, but you'll be working from us. I said, well, who pays me? Oh, we'll be paying you.
01:18:38
Randy Strait
I said, well, then why didn't Target just hire me? Well, because we're a national um and we're this of that. We had presence across the country. We could bring things that other snow contractors can't with our expertise and all, here it's unbelievable.
01:18:52
snowjobspodcast
Bullshit.
01:18:54
Randy Strait
It's unbelievable, right? And so she's going on and on and on. And then she says, um I said, okay, fine. And I said, Uh, well, then do I give you the contract? Well, no, you'll sign the contract with us. And I said, well, for the same amount of money that we were making before she goes on, no, it it will be a little, it'll be a little different this time.
01:19:18
RICK JAMES
oh no
01:19:22
Randy Strait
She goes, I said, is it a seasonal? She goes, no, it's per per push. And I said, so you're paying me per push. And she goes, yeah, I said, and how much is that?
01:19:31
RICK JAMES
Sounds
01:19:34
Randy Strait
$300 for the big, no, swear to God, $300.
01:19:38
RICK JAMES
about right.
01:19:40
snowjobspodcast
oh Jesus oh my god Oh God
01:19:40
Randy Strait
And that was for the big Orland Park store that I was getting 135,000 for. And she goes, $300.
01:19:47
RICK JAMES
sounds more right
01:19:50
Randy Strait
dollars And I said, you got to be effing kidding me. And she's like, what? What did you say? I said, never mind. and And I said, and then I said, well, what about the sidewalks? Because, well, that includes the sidewalks. Well, I am not shitting you. i And so it goes on and on and on.
01:20:08
snowjobspodcast
It gets better.
01:20:09
RICK JAMES
ah Wait, there's more.
01:20:11
Randy Strait
And I and i said, and were you out of Florida? And I said, wait, how are you going to know when it snows up here in Chicago. You ready for this one, guys? We have a very sophisticated program that ah that will let us know how many inches are on every street in Chicago and Illinois.
01:20:35
snowjobspodcast
Oh, okay.
01:20:35
RICK JAMES
Oh.
01:20:35
Randy Strait
And I said, really?
01:20:36
Randy Strait
Then you might want to share that with the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois, because they themselves would like to know.
01:20:43
snowjobspodcast
oh my god
01:20:43
Randy Strait
And I said, let's just let's just get past that bullshit. And she goes, you don't have to be like that. And I said, what about drifting snow? She goes, say what? I go, drifting snow.
01:20:56
snowjobspodcast
like
01:20:57
Randy Strait
I said, that's when all you guys are partying up, having a great time on New Year's Eve. And then up here in Chicago, it's two degrees.
01:21:02
RICK JAMES
And.
01:21:05
Randy Strait
The wind shifted and all the snow that was on the cornfield is now on the front door of these targets.
01:21:07
snowjobspodcast
Oh my god. Yup.
01:21:11
Randy Strait
I said, but it's not a forecast. It's not nothing. It didn't come out of the sky. It came out of drifting snow. I said, so how's your little program going to know about that? She goes, well, I guess you would tell us about that, right? I go, oh no, no, no, no. I said for $300, I mean, for $300, I said, my fat white ass is still in bed and my yellow Hummer still parked in my driveway.
01:21:30
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:21:32
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:21:36
Randy Strait
I said, I'll get out of bed and as we do. And clients don't know this, a good contractor all winter long, We go look at these properties. We go home and go to bed. they We did nothing. We didn't look at it. They didn't know that the money they're paying the right contractor is for six months of monitoring and watching it and and getting ready to load a salt truck and and so forth.
01:21:54
snowjobspodcast
yeah
01:21:59
Randy Strait
so ah This is all part of it, but so when I talked about so the at the end of it I said listen and you guys could go jump screw yourself everything else. im I am this is crazy Lose my phone number that was the beginning of the end because guess what now we all know, right?
01:22:18
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:22:19
Randy Strait
I and across the boards and ah all these national companies, all the things, all the damage they have done.
01:22:19
snowjobspodcast
Oh yeah.
01:22:28
Randy Strait
And I call them like locusts with leaves on the trees.
01:22:32
snowjobspodcast
They definitely are locusts.
01:22:33
Randy Strait
A locust will come to ah to a town with all these new leaves.
01:22:34
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah.
01:22:37
Randy Strait
And once the locusts eat all the leaves, they leave and they leave everything bare and destroyed.
01:22:40
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
01:22:41
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:22:44
Randy Strait
That's what they've done. They'll come into a town and they'll eat. They'll take all the work and they get fired. Then they leave and they've interrupted everything where guys had to work for 15 years and then they don't end up getting it back.
01:22:55
snowjobspodcast
Yup.
01:22:58
Randy Strait
But you know, I even had stole contractors say, well, you know, Randy. i just don't I don't do any of those national accounts, so it doesn't bother me. And I said, it's not going to stop there. I said, because of Google Earth, they're going to go down every road.
01:23:11
RICK JAMES
No.
01:23:15
Randy Strait
They're going to put more people. They're just going to go down every street. And and they're they're just sending out bids. And I said, today you can send out a bid so cheap you don't have to put a stamp on it. You just send an email. You just send an email.
01:23:27
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:23:29
Randy Strait
And is so it's just gotten crazy like that where there's bidding and everything and and bringing down the prices that aren't realistic to really service. But here's the real problem with this is it's driving up slip and falls.
01:23:40
snowjobspodcast
No.
01:23:46
Randy Strait
It's huge. It's so bad.
01:23:47
snowjobspodcast
Oh yeah.
01:23:49
Randy Strait
There's these carriers, not your insurance company or your insurance agent. The carriers, the people who do the insuring that back the money, the insurers are dropping like flies. They are out of the industry.
01:24:02
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
01:24:05
Randy Strait
because they're losing their asses because of all these nationals hiring guys to do this work that should not be on these lots plowing. Of course, you're going to have slip and falls. You're going to have them left and right.
01:24:23
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:24:23
Randy Strait
But remember earlier I told you when Target did say they were paying these slip and falls?
01:24:27
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
01:24:29
Randy Strait
What did they learn since then?
01:24:30
RICK JAMES
Mm-hmm. Move.
01:24:31
Randy Strait
They're not paying these slip and falls.
01:24:33
RICK JAMES
Where?
01:24:33
Randy Strait
They're utilizing the Snow Contractors Certificate of Insurance and an additional insured, hold harmless agreements and all of that.
01:24:42
snowjobspodcast
Oh, yeah.
01:24:44
Randy Strait
Oh yeah, that was never ended. They used to sign my contract. Today, my son Lucas, my first son, he doesn't know this.
01:24:50
RICK JAMES
Well...
01:24:51
Randy Strait
He's not mine anymore. I gave him away because one of thoses and but of those contracts said we get your first born.
01:24:54
RICK JAMES
ah
01:24:59
snowjobspodcast
but ah
01:24:59
Randy Strait
You know what I'm saying? So the bottom line is, no, it's it got that crazy.
01:25:00
snowjobspodcast
Oh, my God. it's great
01:25:04
Randy Strait
So because of that presence, so what do you think a lot of people are thinking? Well, then why should we hire Randy? Oh, we don't necessarily need that protection that we were paying for. We got it.
01:25:17
snowjobspodcast
Sure.
01:25:18
Randy Strait
but You know, they're being taught by certain guys running around the country that play two ends of the middle.
01:25:20
snowjobspodcast
Well, ah yeah
01:25:24
Randy Strait
I'll show you how to build a snow business. Then they run over to the national ah bigs box store say we'll show you how you've been paying too much we'll show you how to save money and well and why should you be paying for that insurance or a slip and fall get a hold harmless do this contract blah blah blah blah so yes i'm seeing the evolution
01:25:34
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:25:34
RICK JAMES
Mhmm.
01:25:46
Randy Strait
of everything on the service side. So how did I you know begin to fight back is essentially building a business model that I had new equipment every year that I could trade it out and then sell that equipment through my leasing company and then also building my own snow plow attachments that are just so much more efficient. and and less time on the lot because I'm plowing for a lot less than I used to.
01:26:11
snowjobspodcast
They are.
01:26:17
Randy Strait
But yeah, we changed our business around and things like that. But it and you I look at the sectional and I'm thinking, Dan, that's been a long run. And you know a lot of people will ask me, what made you think of it? What made you think of that sectional?
01:26:38
snowjobspodcast
Mhm.
01:26:38
Randy Strait
and And I used to plow, I mentioned Dominic at local chain to grocery stores.
01:26:41
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
01:26:46
Randy Strait
And um he had that store manager, he was calling the property manager trying to get me fired because I was using too much salt on the front of his store And he is telling me it's tracking in his store. And I came in. I tried talking to the guy and make reason. I said, I understand. I understand. I get it. But a slip and fall is far more costly than having to a wax on a floor.
01:27:18
RICK JAMES
Mhm.
01:27:18
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:27:18
Randy Strait
He didn't see it that way because he had a different budget, his budget. Outdoors was the landlord's budget, right?
01:27:25
snowjobspodcast
ah
01:27:25
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:27:25
Randy Strait
But I explained to him, I said, here's the level of difficulty. I said, in front of your store to the first set of islands, it dips down in the middle. I said, I'm trying to scrape it up as much as I can before I salt. And I said, now I plow it with my dump truck with the 10 foot plow. But I told my guys before they salt in front of the store, plow it with the pickup with the seven and a half foot, you don't pick up plow.
01:27:54
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
01:27:54
Randy Strait
and So in theory, we all know the more narrow you go, the better job it's gonna do.
01:27:54
snowjobspodcast
Mm-hmm.
01:28:00
Randy Strait
It's gonna get down into those dips. And then he told me, he said, listen, Before you are ready to salt, we did a dumb plowing. Come in and let me know. So next time we serviced it, I came in there and I said, listen, ah we're done plowing. We're getting ready to salt. He came out with six stock boys. and they all had ah like a 32-inch snow pusher. Back in those days, they had a wood handle, they made a light aluminum, they were anodized like green, whatever.
01:28:31
snowjobspodcast
yeah steel yeah um um
01:28:33
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:28:36
Randy Strait
And what he did was he lined these guys up side by side, all six, and he had a whistle. He blew his whistle and they scraped that bit of snow that we couldn't get up. And then he went all the way to the islands And then he backed up and he shifted them from left to right, actually right to left, now I think about it, south to north.
01:28:55
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, steel. Yeah.
01:29:00
Randy Strait
and And then he lined them up again and they did that procedure again. And then he blew his whistle and they moved over and they did it in unison again across the whole front of that score. And then he looked at me and he's looking at me like in disgust. And I'm thinking, dude, you know, I've been up, I've been up for 20 hours.
01:29:17
snowjobspodcast
but
01:29:20
Randy Strait
I'm doing my best. And you're looking at me like I'm some loser that I just woke up out of bed two hours ago. Right. And then I started thinking about it. I thought, you know what? If I could just put those six shovels on front of my machine or in front of my truck, and And they would work together in unison and go up and down like that. I could get this jackass off my ass because he was relentless, right? And that stuck with me.
01:29:52
Randy Strait
That stuck with me.
01:29:53
snowjobspodcast
There it is.
01:29:53
Randy Strait
And every time I go out plowing, mostly at nighttime, you know, doing cleanups, you know, you're listening to Bachman turning overdrive.
01:30:01
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
01:30:02
Randy Strait
Yeah. yeah And you just listen to music. You're doing cleanups. And i I couldn't get that out of my head. I kept thinking about, well, I could take you know six mold boards. I could put them on a mainframe. And they would move up and down. But how would I mount them on a mainframe? How could I get them to move up and down? Well, I put them on a hinge. Well, we all see what happens when ah the wind catches the door on your truck on a hinge. It bends that hinge and it won't close.
01:30:33
snowjobspodcast
Mm-hmm.
01:30:34
Randy Strait
So I'm thinking that's not going to work. And then I started thinking about rubber, which turned out to be the poly blocks.
01:30:36
RICK JAMES
Mmhmm.
01:30:43
Randy Strait
So this went on for years and I was married at the time and she was very much involved in my, in the business. ah Her plates actually said Mrs. Snow, Mrs. Plow.
01:30:54
snowjobspodcast
Oh, there's some flour.
01:30:54
Randy Strait
And mine was Mr. Plow. And we ran the business together. So she encouraged me about 95, she said, why don't you build this plow? And that was like in 95. And I thought, you know what? Let's do it. So what I did was I took a corner of our maintenance shop. I hired a full time guy to work under her my direction and I give him drawings and I would come in and I'd say, Hey, how do we do today? Nah, that's not at all what I wanted. And I kind of do it myself if I want it done right type attitude.
01:31:26
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
01:31:26
Randy Strait
But the bottom line is we built it.
01:31:27
snowjobspodcast
yeah
01:31:29
Randy Strait
But the first the problem with it's it's almost like a football team. Hey, you have a bad quarterback. Well, guess what? You got to run with it. And then you over the summer, you change it. and And then like the Bears famously every year. Right. But so the bottom line is that was what made it so slow is I needed snow.
01:31:43
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:31:48
Randy Strait
to try it out. So if I made a mistake and if I didn't have it repaired by the end end of winter, it sat there all summer, not knowing if that mistake was a good one, a fix, or I even made it worse. So it moved the process very slow. But in the 2000s, I really had something that was plowing. But if I looked at my first one, to today's. It's like Neanderthal man. It's like the man coming out of the swamp.
01:32:18
RICK JAMES
Mm
01:32:19
Randy Strait
Yeah, I mean like swamp man with a tail with his knuckles dragging.
01:32:20
snowjobspodcast
ah get ah
01:32:24
Randy Strait
You know, it can't talk. It just, oh, and and on stuff like that. That was my first one. And then it had a generation of men. And now with the thing is upright, running full force. When I look at my plows, that's exactly what they look like. But what amazes me about the plow, the very first one that was patented and it was sold in 06.
01:32:44
RICK JAMES
hmm.
01:32:49
Randy Strait
I had that plow and it still works and it works just fine. And I have a lot of snow contractors across the country. and We sold tens of thousands of these. And they're still running the very first ones. They're still going.
01:33:01
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:33:03
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
01:33:03
Randy Strait
And and what's what's nice about it is we make all the parts identical every time. And a lot of the parts that will fit on the very first one. So the very first ones didn't have trip edges. Now they do.
01:33:19
snowjobspodcast
Okay.
01:33:20
Randy Strait
So you could take the trip edge, put it on the mobile, you could retrofit, right?
01:33:24
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:33:25
Randy Strait
But it's so important what we do is we manufacture and we're with a lot of CNC machines. So every part is a replacement part. So it will fit and the beautiful thing about the plow is if you're on site and if you break it You do not have to weld anything together You don't have to if you want to bolt something on you get there and say oh damn three times The bolts don't line up now i'm out there with the drill trying to hone them out.
01:33:53
snowjobspodcast
Oh yeah.
01:33:54
Randy Strait
We've all been there or a toward no guaranteed every one of these are going to fit right up because all the parts
01:33:55
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:34:01
Randy Strait
are are made, and ah they're all made CNC. And that's the beautiful thing about it, because the the unlike Kenny that would always die, this thing, this thing, this plow won't die, because you can keep repairing this plow. I was at a car wash, and a guy seen my shirt. He goes, oh, you work at Arctic? And I just tell people, yeah, I work there. And then it's just easier.
01:34:27
RICK JAMES
ah
01:34:28
snowjobspodcast
but Bob.
01:34:30
Randy Strait
it's seems It's easier, it's easier. and then um And they're like, man, they make a great plow. I said, yeah. And and I said, you have them? He goes, yeah. He said, I love them. And I said, yeah. I said, you know what's really good about them? I said, you can repair them. I said, if you really took these plows, And after 10 years old, if you sandblasted them, and if you put all new wear parts, you put new polys, new springs, and new edges, new fasters, new, you know, all of that, and and painted it, technically you would have a new plow again.
01:35:05
Randy Strait
He goes, yeah.
01:35:05
RICK JAMES
All
01:35:05
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
01:35:06
Randy Strait
And I said, there's a guy that does a Meijer store, Meijer, I don't know if you have them, but they're like, ah they're like Walmart. I said, there's a guy who plows a Meijer store, and he's, I noticed this here,
01:35:14
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:35:17
Randy Strait
He completely refurbished all of his artworks and and did them up. and And he goes, yeah, that's me.
01:35:23
RICK JAMES
right.
01:35:26
Randy Strait
I go, son of a bitch, small world, right?
01:35:27
snowjobspodcast
Nice.
01:35:28
Randy Strait
But that's exactly what he did. Those plows were so old, he completely revamped them. Because you know you try that with most other plows, once you twist them, once they tweak, if you don't have the original jig that they were made on, you will never get that plow.
01:35:40
snowjobspodcast
ah Forget it
01:35:46
Randy Strait
to lay flat. You'll never get that plow to plow again. and But with the Arctic, you can always rebuild it to factory specs. So that that sold it for me.
01:35:55
RICK JAMES
you.
01:35:56
Randy Strait
i mean When I started building the plow, ah I can't tell you what it did for me because ah again, that Orland Park target I was talking about, we were out there plowing it. We had an inch of snow. And the problem with all the other box pushers that were used on the market, it would leave an inch of snow behind.
01:36:18
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:36:19
Randy Strait
So when we had an inch of snow, we had a 17 footer out there with a Volvo L70, and that's it by itself plowing. There was a guy up across the street He was plowing and he had five pickups and he's doing a big box store. But he also had a John Deere and he had a box store chained, a box plow chained on it with the rubber edge. But he let it sit because he knew that it wouldn't get the inch.
01:36:49
Randy Strait
So why bother? Well, anyhow, that guy ended up knocking on my door.
01:36:51
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
01:36:55
Randy Strait
and And he introduced himself. And he said, Randy, I sat there and watched you plow a whole target with that loader and scraped it to the yellow lines. He said, I'm across the street with five pickups and my machine sitting. I'm like, oh, that was you? And he said, yeah. He said, where can I buy one of these plows? Well, I started selling them plows. Then the word got out in Chicago. More and more people were starting to buy the snow plow for all the same reason. It got so bad, I could not get my own plow. I could only build 100 a year in the back of my shop. That was it. Actually, that's a lot, but that's all I could build. It was to a point where I could not get my own plow. So,
01:37:52
Randy Strait
I opened a factory in 08, quarter million square feet. and I solved that problem. So we're fully automated there and we're even getting better. We had a ah paint line that was all wet paint, took 15 guys. ah We put up a three and a half billion dollar powder line. It's all fully automated. Now you just two guys hang the part and two guys take it off. It sandblasts it, what? Bead blasts it with shot. It's like a small shotgun shot.
01:38:22
snowjobspodcast
ye
01:38:22
Randy Strait
blast it then it turns the corner and then it goes through a five stage uh five chemical wash ends it with phosphate to help uh keep it from rusting corrosion goes through drier ovens goes through uh a laser guided uh
01:38:33
RICK JAMES
Bye.
01:38:39
Randy Strait
automated powder booth, is sprayers, goes through UV ah to gel it. ah Not UV, but infrared, big difference, yeah.
01:38:50
snowjobspodcast
here Yep. Yep.
01:38:51
Randy Strait
Infrared, and then it goes through a conventional oven, through a cool off oven, two guys take it off. I can get done now with two four to six guys in two days that it took 15 guys, two shifts, seven days. It's just, yeah.
01:39:06
snowjobspodcast
Nice. That's awesome.
01:39:07
Randy Strait
it'ss So things are, we're picking it up, but it's, it's important though, when you do high production like this, you still maintain that quality because every part needs, needs to be, needs to be fixed.
01:39:18
RICK JAMES
um
01:39:23
Randy Strait
But you know, the sectional has been a great run. It still is. Uh, I'm being told that it's the number one pusher, uh, in the nation. I actually,
01:39:31
snowjobspodcast
Well, we'll tell you that.
01:39:32
RICK JAMES
Oh. Yeah.
01:39:33
snowjobspodcast
We'll definitely tell you that. We both use them and love them.
01:39:36
Randy Strait
I was told that by that by a major snowplow manufacturer and ah no names, but they called me up when I was at the trade show in Indy and they said, hey, are you down there?
01:39:41
snowjobspodcast
Nice.
01:39:47
Randy Strait
We'd like to send some guys down for marketing. They came down and They said, we'd like to take you to dinner. And I said, OK, great, thanks. And I said, hey, what's up? I appreciate the steak.
01:39:57
snowjobspodcast
if
01:39:58
Randy Strait
And they're like, well, we just wanted to say congratulations. You did a phenomenal job. We did a research, marketing research. And we found out that the Arctic sectional pusher is the number one pusher in North America. And I said, really?
01:40:11
RICK JAMES
There you go.
01:40:12
Randy Strait
That's all you want?
01:40:12
snowjobspodcast
there it is
01:40:13
Randy Strait
You don't want to whack me or anything?
01:40:16
snowjobspodcast
ah
01:40:17
Randy Strait
So you know what? It is. It's kind of nice when you get it. I always tried it my very hardest. Snow contractors, friends with them all. You know what I mean? I book out every year. I'm not turning around and saying, oh, I need to get lock and horns. You know, like I said, when Josh Gomez came to town and I met with him, I said, Josh, man, I welcome you.
01:40:34
snowjobspodcast
There it is.
01:40:38
Randy Strait
I welcome somebody that wants to keep and do the job right. Because if you're going to do the job right, the price is associated with it.
01:40:45
snowjobspodcast
Yup, they're going up.
01:40:45
RICK JAMES
Yes.
01:40:45
Randy Strait
I had my worst nightmare. We had a snow contractor here. He sold out. He had like 23 salesmen on the street. And and he just destroyed our market, literally destroyed it. No matter where I'll give him this man, he did his due diligence as far as getting salesmen on the street. No matter where we went, that brochure was sitting on the credenza behind that property manager everywhere. But the problem is, once I seen it like, why am I here?
01:41:10
snowjobspodcast
Wow.
01:41:13
Randy Strait
You know what I mean?
01:41:13
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
01:41:14
Randy Strait
Why am I here? Because my bid is going to be double.
01:41:19
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:41:19
RICK JAMES
oh yeah yeah
01:41:20
Randy Strait
And I looked at him like, how? How can this possibly be these prices and stuff like that? And then I had a guy tell me, he goes, well, one of his tricks, it's called rolling for dough. And I said, rolling for dough? He said, yeah. He said, that's when you get like a Home Depot. And what you do is you just, when you get an inch of snow, you just plow the curb line with the pickup, which we all know would probably take what, two minutes, right?
01:41:41
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah, yeah.
01:41:49
snowjobspodcast
Mm
01:41:49
RICK JAMES
Mm-hm.
01:41:50
Randy Strait
Run the curb line. He said, then when the store manager comes and then you salt the rest. And then when the store manager comes in, they see, oh, look, they plowed it because they see the snow rolled on the curbs and the salt of the rest. And I said, OK, that makes sense. That makes sense. Why my $850 bid? lost out to a $300 bid. Now it makes sense. So it's that kind of antiques and things like that that contractors would do is why I like to see Snow Systems bid on that desk.
01:42:16
snowjobspodcast
-hmm
01:42:23
Randy Strait
And I'm welcome to see Josh's bid on that desk. There's other great snow contractors that I welcome. But when I see stuff like that, It's bad for the industry. And and unfortunately, ah it ah destroyed pricing that to a point where it was down to half and so forth.
01:42:44
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:42:45
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
01:42:45
Randy Strait
So we're must lean through it, you know what I'm saying? But what really concerns me, though, and I mentioned earlier about you know insurance, is you know the slip and falls. And I'm being told, I believe, New Jersey and and New York you know insurance company won't even insure a Walmart or something like that.
01:43:03
snowjobspodcast
Forget it.
01:43:07
Randy Strait
I'm never seeing the documentation that that says that's true, but I've heard that many time over. But my beef though, with all this that's happening, all these nationals, all these box stores joining on board with the nationals, my beef is this, snow contractors are paying money to support them saving money.
01:43:31
snowjobspodcast
Mm
01:43:32
Randy Strait
And that's through insurance. And a good example is this. When I had my lake house, I had a van. I kept my van inside my hangar. I'd fly my plane down, get the van, and I'd do my thing and put it away. We sold the lake house. I drove the van back to Chicago. I called up my insurance company, and I said, oh, by the way, I am now back in Chicago, and I replayed it Illinois, not Missouri.
01:43:57
snowjobspodcast
hmm.
01:43:58
Randy Strait
My insurance more than doubled.
01:44:01
snowjobspodcast
I bet.
01:44:01
Randy Strait
Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep. I call my agent. I go, what's this? It's it's the same van, just a year older. It's worth less. I'm the same driver. Why did it more than double? Well, you're in Chicago now.
01:44:15
snowjobspodcast
Yup.
01:44:16
Randy Strait
Chicagoland area. And I said, okay, I'm the same guy. They go, no, now you have to pay for all the uninsured motorists.
01:44:23
snowjobspodcast
Yup.
01:44:26
Randy Strait
You see that?
01:44:27
RICK JAMES
ah
01:44:27
Randy Strait
So i had I had to pay money in my premium so other people can save money and not buy insurance.
01:44:28
snowjobspodcast
Welcome to New York.
01:44:37
snowjobspodcast
yep
01:44:37
Randy Strait
Now, how does that translate into the same thing with snow? My rates keep going up because the carriers keep dropping out of the industry because of all the slip and falls that are happening.
01:44:50
RICK JAMES
Hmm. Hmm.
01:44:52
Randy Strait
I had every every time I get canceled because of this, we go out to bid and it probably costs us on average $125,000 more for the same identical premium, same identical coverage because I got canceled.
01:44:52
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:45:04
snowjobspodcast
Mhm.
01:45:10
Randy Strait
So I'm looking at this and I'm talking and I'm thinking, you know what, somebody's got to start reaching out and letting these carriers know what the hell's happening here. And to tell them, hey, you better watch who you're insuring because a lot of the guys you're insuring may not have any business on some of this work because it's just way too cheap. And I'm telling you for these kinds of dollars, slip and falls are inevitable. They are going to happen.
01:45:35
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:45:36
Randy Strait
So I call my insurance carrier. And I'm talking to her and I said, hey, I'd like to talk to you about a multi-billion dollar scam being played on the insurance carriers. She goes, what are you talking about? And I went on to explain it. I said, all these box stores, they damn well know that these national companies are paying these guys fractions on the dollars. They damn well know that it's not enough money. They damn well know that they're gonna be slip and falls. They damn well know there's gonna be service issues.
01:46:08
Randy Strait
We can all agree to this. We've seen it happen.
01:46:11
snowjobspodcast
Sure.
01:46:11
Randy Strait
If they are so concerned about it, they would stop and change.
01:46:11
RICK JAMES
and
01:46:14
Randy Strait
But they won't, because they damn well know it's going to cost them more to do the job job right.
01:46:20
snowjobspodcast
him
01:46:20
Randy Strait
And I told her, I said, you need to stop insuring these guys or ah do something. And she goes, well, we just can't stop insuring people. We don't even know. I said, no, that's the problem. And she goes, what's your solution?
01:46:33
RICK JAMES
Thank
01:46:35
Randy Strait
And I said, well, maybe you shouldn't be insuring second generation contracts.
01:46:37
RICK JAMES
you.
01:46:41
Randy Strait
I said, that way you're hiring the guy who holds the contract and not the all these people down the line being passed on. And I said, so if a guy has been in it directly, then most likely, you know, you got yourself a qualified guy.
01:46:51
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:46:56
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
01:46:57
Randy Strait
I said, that's a good start to to vent it out. So she goes, well, Randy, are you available next week? And so I thought she wanted to talk about some sense. I said, yeah. She goes, we've been meaning to call you. I'm like, Oh, so they came down with the president of this is a big carrier with the president out of Wisconsin.
01:47:15
snowjobspodcast
ah
01:47:15
RICK JAMES
Haha.
01:47:27
Randy Strait
And he sat down, he said, well, Randy, we hear you. And we just want to say thank you for the business, but we're canceling you.
01:47:38
snowjobspodcast
We're out of snow.
01:47:40
Randy Strait
I said, it son of a bitch.
01:47:41
snowjobspodcast
but
01:47:43
Randy Strait
And he said, you're right. We are taking a bloodbath. He said, Randy, he said, this is how this is going to play off. We're canceling, we're dropping your, your general re liability on snow. We would love to keep your factory. It's so profitable. But you're not going to give us your factory if we drop your snow, right? No. He said, we know that.
01:48:07
snowjobspodcast
No.
01:48:07
Randy Strait
And they a go, we're prepared to lose that. He said, Randy, snow has been such a loss for us, a catastrophe loss.
01:48:17
snowjobspodcast
okay
01:48:18
Randy Strait
that we have to drop every good customer we have that does
01:48:21
snowjobspodcast
Cheers.
Adapting to Industry Changes
01:48:23
Randy Strait
snow.
01:48:23
Randy Strait
He said, we have one guy, he's a major role contractor in Chicago and I know who they are, major. He said, we have to drop them because they also do snow. We're going to lose a fortune. He said, we have a major pool company, and I know who they are, built in custom pools. They also do snow. He said, Randy, that list goes on and on. He said, we are going to take it up the shorts by this decision. He said, but if we stay in the snow business in the industry, we're going to take it even worse.
01:48:56
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:48:57
Randy Strait
Now, isn't that something to sum up? but
01:49:01
snowjobspodcast
A lot of them are doing that. A lot of carriers are getting out of snow.
01:49:02
RICK JAMES
Okay.
01:49:03
Randy Strait
Well, yeah, but every time they do, we have to pay more.
01:49:06
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:49:07
Randy Strait
So those those who say they're going to stay, they're going to say, okay, we're going to run the gauntlet, but we're just going to rate so much.
01:49:07
snowjobspodcast
Hell yes.
01:49:15
Randy Strait
We'll just make so much money at it. You know what I mean?
01:49:17
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:49:18
Randy Strait
So it is, it's crazy, but to me, the My only solution is how do I stay and compete with these dollars and so forth. So I start building attachments that enabled me to do it. The other one was the double down.
01:49:34
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
01:49:36
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
01:49:36
snowjobspodcast
All right.
01:49:37
Randy Strait
So the double down is something that I can service better, service faster. That I can put so salt underneath parked cars. And that is golden because so many times we've we've all been there. You salt the aisle way. and it's 10 in the morning, the sun is out, you salt everything you can, all except where all the parked cars are at, right?
01:50:00
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:50:02
Randy Strait
You come back that night, 2 a.m., and you're gonna do another salting, and you're like, holy shit, if I could have just gotten that salt underneath those cars, I would not have to come back out. But you look at it, and you got all this rut ice, and it's everywhere from the tires and everything, And so luckily I had the sectional, it would scrape up those frozen ruts, shave them right down to the yellow lines, and then I would have to re-salt. But that took a lot of time and money.
01:50:35
Randy Strait
was unnecessary if I could have gotten that salt underneath those parked cars in the morning when that sun was out. So that's where my mind started thinking about the double down because it's so low, but also too, the double down will spread about an 80 foot wide path. So if it's, if it salts a 30, 35 foot path left and right from the end of the each bucket, plus the eight foot width of the bucket, we'll just call it 80 feet.
01:51:08
snowjobspodcast
Yup.
01:51:08
RICK JAMES
Uh
01:51:08
Randy Strait
Now I can salt set and I can throw salt for 35 feet, not as much as the design of the bucket, but because of the capability of the hydraulic system that's on a machine.
01:51:13
RICK JAMES
huh.
01:51:16
RICK JAMES
Uh
01:51:21
Randy Strait
So a salt truck might only have, you know, 1500 PSI,
01:51:21
RICK JAMES
huh.
01:51:26
Randy Strait
and 18 at best gallons per minute, a machine might have 45 to 60 gallons per minute at four to 6,000 PSI.
01:51:42
snowjobspodcast
Yup.
01:51:42
Randy Strait
So we designed our bucket around the the power of hydraulics on machines, whether it's skid steers, compacts, or wheel orders, they all have similar. hydraulic capabilities. So when we designed it, we used hydraulic motors that would enable to operate these kind of speeds. I mean, this type of power ah in combination of psi and gallon per minute. So we did a lot of designing on it. But one thing we did with the double down is it does have two spinners, hence the name double down. But it also in size has two augers.
01:52:23
Randy Strait
So each auger goes from the center and brings it to the end to each ah spinner. But they also, they worked independently of each other. So I could have the left auger on setting number two and a spinner on setting number three. I could have the ah the right auger on ah number 10 and the spinner on number 10. Now, why would I do that?
01:52:48
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:52:50
Randy Strait
Let's say I'm coming down a road and I have a green belt. on off to my left. And I wanted to salt the aisle way to the right. You know what I'm saying?
01:53:00
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
01:53:00
Randy Strait
and I don't want salt on top of the green belt. So now I was able to manage my salting pattern and the amount of salt I'm saving because I'm not overlapping. I'm not doubling up my salt. Or if I went down, I went down to Walmart, we were shooting video. So I was the operator. I went down the parked cars on my right and I turned the spinner off on my left. And I got all the parked cars on my right.
01:53:24
snowjobspodcast
that's awesome nice
01:53:24
RICK JAMES
and
01:53:27
Randy Strait
Then I went over to the cars on my left. I turned the spinner and auger off on my right. I turned it on on my left and I did underneath all the parked cars. I backed up. And then what I did was I turned the augers on and I had spinners on low and then I did the complete aisle way right down the middle to give it that double dose, right?
01:53:49
RICK JAMES
Mm hmm.
01:53:50
RICK JAMES
Right.
01:53:50
Randy Strait
So I kind of looked at it and I thought at the end of the night, I thought I'd probably save myself a ton and a half by managing it that well.
01:53:57
snowjobspodcast
yeah
01:53:58
Randy Strait
So you know you if you pay, let's say $100, that's $150. You go out salting 42 times, but let's say only 25 times. Well, Walmart always has cars in the parking lot. But in the end, you look at it and say, if you're out that many times and if you're saving 150 bucks, if you're out, let's say 30 times, you look at it and say, man, it starts to pay for that bucket.
01:54:17
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:54:22
Randy Strait
ah very quickly. But what we do, is that that's the that's the deluxe version of the Double Down.
01:54:24
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely.
01:54:30
Randy Strait
It has the monitor inside the cab. But what we did though, we made a more simplistic version of the Double Down, which just recently came out. And what it is, is you can pre-select the spinner speed and the auger speed from outside the bucket. So, you know, most saltines you look at and say, you know what?
01:54:48
snowjobspodcast
That's awesome.
01:54:50
Randy Strait
I need X amount of salt. It's ah it's not a heavy saltine.
01:54:53
RICK JAMES
Yep.
01:54:55
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, you know where you got to be.
01:54:56
Randy Strait
It's It's a medium saltine, right? So you would take your salt truck and you say, I'll set my auger on eight, my spinner on nine.
01:54:58
RICK JAMES
Great.
01:54:58
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:55:03
Randy Strait
And you know, those are the numbers. you You just do that. You just pre-select it. You get in the machine and then you just hit your on off button that's typically on the stick and it turns it on, turns it off.
01:55:14
RICK JAMES
choice trick.
01:55:18
Randy Strait
Now what you don't get that left and right But what you do get is a ah lot less money spent to get the job done Now there's been buckets out there years ago, but the downside of those you turn them off at a stop sign They just kept spilling out the bottom But not only though does this bucket though present a better job salting but it also does something that
01:55:36
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:55:47
Randy Strait
A lot of people don't think about, but it is so factual. And when I introduced this, when I first sold it, I took a snow contractor out to lunch and he's seeing it, he goes, I'll take five. Immediately he caught it. He goes, operator retention.
01:56:02
RICK JAMES
Yup.
01:56:03
Randy Strait
iceland I said, Tim, you just nailed it.
01:56:03
snowjobspodcast
Sure.
01:56:06
Randy Strait
He said, you just nailed it. What is operator retention? Let's say a typical year, November, you go out and salt maybe three times, you don't plow. December, you might you might salt six times, salt once before Christmas. I mean, plow once before Christmas, and maybe again after Christmas.
01:56:25
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:56:28
Randy Strait
So let's say by the time end of December comes by, you plowed three times, but you've already salted 12. I think that everybody might agree to that.
01:56:40
RICK JAMES
All right.
01:56:40
Randy Strait
On January, then all of a sudden,
01:56:40
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:56:43
Randy Strait
you start plowing, but maybe you don't, like last year. And a lot of like your equipment's sitting, but guess what you did do? You salted eight times. You salted, salted, but you didn't plow. We might not be getting our snow in inches, but we still are getting our saltings in, whether it's frozen dew.
01:57:02
RICK JAMES
Mm
01:57:03
snowjobspodcast
Mm-hmm.
01:57:04
Randy Strait
There's a lot of reasons that bring it in, right?
01:57:06
RICK JAMES
-hmm.
01:57:07
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:57:07
Randy Strait
So at the end of the year, you say you had such a mild year and you only plowed six or seven times, but your salt guys went out 38.
01:57:18
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, not fair to the operator.
01:57:18
Randy Strait
Now think about it. Now your operators could be out 38. Oh, that changes the equation when you want to keep guys.
01:57:23
snowjobspodcast
Oh, yeah.
01:57:26
Randy Strait
Nothing is worse than having a mild February and January like nothing. March, nothing really happens. Third week of March, you're approaching Easter and bam, you get hit with 18 inches of snow. Your operators already quit you. They're gone.
01:57:44
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
01:57:45
Randy Strait
Or worse yet, that equipment has set and it hasn't moved. Then you're paying guys to run around and start the equipment and just drive it around a little and park it. But at least when you had the double down, you kept your guys going all winter. You kept that equipment moving all winter. So when that big snow storm hits, they're they're in the machine.
01:58:03
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
01:58:08
Randy Strait
they're They're used to the machine. They're ready to rock and roll. But I guarantee it, when people find out
01:58:11
snowjobspodcast
Yes, sir.
01:58:16
Randy Strait
kind When operator operators find out how many hours my operators are getting, they want to work for this company. Like, how could this be? How can you, but you know, you're an operator, right? How can you bend out all this time? Because they're utilizing the Double Down. So the Double Down his has bought so much to the company for my profitability, because always remember, it's not how much money you make, it's how much money you keep.
01:58:42
snowjobspodcast
Yes, sir.
01:58:43
Randy Strait
That's the name of the game. And that's what we're doing here.
01:58:47
snowjobspodcast
100%. Mm
01:58:48
Randy Strait
We're just keeping more money in-house, not giving it away. But look at a double down though.
01:58:55
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:58:56
Randy Strait
It's not high insurance, not a a CDL driver.
01:59:00
snowjobspodcast
hmm.
01:59:01
Randy Strait
or ah the plate. i The registrations are well over $1,000 per truck. so it And also too, the service we're given, the worst thing that ever happened is a an ice storm.
01:59:16
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
01:59:16
Randy Strait
And an ice storm, a lot of people, and I was just telling this to the gentleman who corporate from Walmart, I see you don't understand. An ice storm is an ice coming down. It's actually warm water, warm rain hitting that subzero frozen ground. It could be below zero for a week. Then the next day, it's going to be 42 degrees or 39 degrees. And you had this rain hitting that. I said, it freezes on contact.
01:59:42
RICK JAMES
yep.
01:59:44
Randy Strait
I said, now you assault that. It keeps raining. That rain takes that salt down the drain. What do you do? You got to repeat the process again and again.
01:59:53
snowjobspodcast
Nope.
01:59:54
Randy Strait
I said, we call it taming the beast. You got to just keep salt in it.
01:59:58
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
01:59:59
Randy Strait
And I said, with the double down, I can continue to stay on it and salt it, salt it, salt it.
01:59:59
RICK JAMES
i
02:00:05
Randy Strait
I said, now when you got a salt truck, a guy has 125,000 into this truck. He can't justify or afford to keep that truck on your lot.
02:00:13
snowjobspodcast
100%.
02:00:14
Randy Strait
He has to route it. I said, just like your garbage company, what would your garbage service cost you if they bought a garbage truck just for your garbage can?
02:00:16
RICK JAMES
Yep.
02:00:23
Randy Strait
your hate You gotta use analogies, you gotta use examples, and and and that's right.
02:00:25
snowjobspodcast
Uh, no.
02:00:26
RICK JAMES
yeah
02:00:29
Randy Strait
But I said, but when you're routing, the problem is you have other properties to do. And I said, it might be five hours before you get back to that that ice storm that needed salt every 45 minutes. I said, so with the double down, you can stay on it. I said, but that presents another problem though with Walmart. They're not allowing salt piles on site. And I said, you are setting up your snow contractors for failure. I said, I challenge you. How about if we take the fire hydrants
02:01:03
Randy Strait
off and remove all fire hydrants ah off of a Walmart site. And then let's see the fire department put out a blazing fire that they had to run back and keep filling up the pumpers. I see because that's what you're expecting us to do.
02:01:18
RICK JAMES
Yep.
02:01:19
Randy Strait
You're taking this off site. And I said, you're setting us up for failure. And then you wonder why contractors are failing. I said, maybe you should participate in part part part of that blame. But I said, the double down is a solution. And if you can get salt on site, you get more salt, I mean, more snow contractors utilizing these buckets, it's only going to up the level of your service.
02:01:46
snowjobspodcast
Hell yes.
02:01:46
Randy Strait
When you know we did ah talk about my company as a whole, for the best service and the best profitability, I created a triangle. And that's my business model. My business model is a triangle. And when you look at three sides of a triangle, one side is the service, Arctic Snow and Ice Service. The other side of the triangle, a opposing side, is Dinesse Leasing. And the bottom of the triangle is Arctic Snow Products.
02:02:22
Randy Strait
And just think about a mirror inside the triangle, each one of those sides being a mirror, and you take a laser, and you throw it in there, just it zaps, it just bounces left and right endlessly, perpetual motion, and it keeps going against this triangle.
02:02:35
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
02:02:38
Randy Strait
That describes best my company. And I should also say my son's company, they're all equal partners, we're all equal in this.
02:02:42
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
02:02:47
snowjobspodcast
That's awesome.
02:02:47
Randy Strait
And and they are busting their asses and they are making differences like you wouldn't believe. But with the triangle, one side helps the other. So the service side buys 600, 700, 800 machines. They use those machines and we service our clients with these machines.
02:03:09
snowjobspodcast
Yup.
02:03:09
Randy Strait
We're gonna have the happiest operators. ah you know You still get a breakdown, but let's just say the likelihood is very slim. and we're doing ah an incredible job, plus our our clients. I had Craig Barrow come out like, we're just amazed. Every year you put brand new equipment on this site, you should have seen the other guy.
02:03:29
snowjobspodcast
Yup.
02:03:29
Randy Strait
And I said, yeah, i know I know that because I used to be the other guy.
02:03:29
RICK JAMES
yeah Right.
02:03:33
Randy Strait
So I'm not gonna lie too hard on that. Let's all be honest, right? ah So you got to service side buying all this equipment, which Dinesse owns. and leases it to arctic there's tremendous tax advantages there when you got llc's all lined up and oh yeah and uh i'm gonna i'm gonna kind of play the trump i'm gonna go with the trump thing yeah that's because that's because i'm smart you don't pay much in taxes yeah that's because i'm smart you know the bottom line is there's tremendous advantages but then dennis leasing then will sell the equipment
02:03:52
snowjobspodcast
Hell yes.
02:03:53
RICK JAMES
person from gar you Got to use it.
02:03:58
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely.
02:03:58
RICK JAMES
Yes.
02:04:01
snowjobspodcast
think Absolutely.
02:04:04
RICK JAMES
you Use.
02:04:08
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
02:04:13
Randy Strait
We also have a very large rental division of for rent rent and equipment ah for today's leasing. But um we'll rent maybe 300, 350 machines ah every winter, and which is a ah beautiful thing for snow contractors and myself. And then the other part of the leg is is the factory.
02:04:33
snowjobspodcast
yes
02:04:37
Randy Strait
So the factory builds attachments for the service. The service sells everything to Dinesse. Dinesse sells it and leases it and and and everything like that. So it is used, um and but it's lightly used. that The equipment's like unicorn.
02:04:55
snowjobspodcast
Very lightly used.
02:04:55
Randy Strait
And then a lot of times we take the equipment back that we just sold six months prior, and then and and there we are. So we we truly have all these unicorns sitting around. We could have a three-year-old machine with $100 on it. So, you know, if anybody wants to know more about that, just go to dennislesing.com.
02:05:11
RICK JAMES
Right.
02:05:17
Randy Strait
ah My son Lucas, he does most of the selling of the equipment. I would give you out his cellular phone, but he would probably beat me with the sticks. up next one bit
02:05:28
snowjobspodcast
ah
02:05:28
RICK JAMES
I'll give it to everybody.
02:05:29
snowjobspodcast
Ahh!
02:05:29
RICK JAMES
I don't care at all.
02:05:30
Randy Strait
yeah he worked out I used to work out a lot. I used to be like Josh Gomez doing all those squats. but
02:05:35
snowjobspodcast
Hahaha!
02:05:36
Randy Strait
Hey Josh, if you're listening, do not beat me up.
02:05:37
snowjobspodcast
Josh in the squats!
02:05:37
RICK JAMES
now
02:05:39
Randy Strait
I'm only trying to lift you.
02:05:39
RICK JAMES
yeah
02:05:40
snowjobspodcast
but
02:05:41
Randy Strait
I'm trying to lift you.
02:05:42
snowjobspodcast
ah but
02:05:42
Randy Strait
because I see great things on the horizon.
02:05:42
RICK JAMES
like
02:05:45
Randy Strait
So just stick with me. but So you know that's the story of how the sexual started. That's the story how the and Double Down really came about. And when you look at everything I'm building, I built it because I needed it the most. I did it for selfish reasons.
02:05:58
RICK JAMES
right
02:05:59
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely.
02:05:59
Randy Strait
Yes, I did it for selfish reasons. But if I need it, I guarantee it, other snow contractors need it.
02:06:04
RICK JAMES
So, yep.
02:06:05
Randy Strait
So now the last thing we're coming up with is um the Razorback.
02:06:05
snowjobspodcast
hundred percent 100%. And Randy, I want to, I want to hear about that because it incorporates to my last question. I want to let you get a drink first and we're going to do, we're going to do our 15 second commercials. And then I want to hear about the Razorback because I want to hear about Blake and and your three sons roles at Arctic. So.
02:06:25
Randy Strait
Oh, good girl.
02:06:25
snowjobspodcast
Let's take a quick break and then we'll ah we'll hear more from Randy.
02:06:29
Randy Strait
Okay.
Family Involvement and Entrepreneurial Advice
02:07:33
snowjobspodcast
All right guys, we're back. We had to let our guests of honor there get a drink and had to pay some bills, talk to our partners there, let you hear from them. So Randy's back with us. So Randy, you were getting into the Razorback and that's a perfect segue because I wanted to hear about the Razorback and how it pertains to your three sons because it is a family business for you. And I know that's super important that all three of your sons are involved in it. So why don't you wrap us up with that, the Razorback and and the three sons in the business.
02:08:00
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
02:08:00
Randy Strait
Okay, good deal. um Well, the Razorback was just another chapter where we have ah trucks. Now, we don't have the amount of trucks that we used to ah because of of skid steers now. They used to go from ah support, now they're primary. You know, they were good. You it put them around the back, clean around dumpsters. Now, you know, these skidsters are so phenomenal. Two speed, the heat, Bluetooth, you name it. All right. I could put it. I could put a 10 foot Arctic sectional and push all the way to the end of of ah of a target or I could put the Arctic wing plow on it and and do the same.
02:08:33
snowjobspodcast
Yes, sir.
02:08:39
Randy Strait
So I have more and more equipment, but I do have less trucks. But you know what? Trucks, there's still a purpose for trucks. So I sat back and I thought, our trucks that we had were running you know the typical straight blade power angle plows. The same plow that got me where I'm at ah did a ah good job. But I just, again, wanted to take it that step further. And so what I did was we took the same sectional technology and we put it on the truck. Now, I use the word we. Who am I kidding? I was home sleeping. My son Blake.
02:09:17
Randy Strait
My son Blake, he's a graduate of Bradley University. He has his engineering degree top of the class. He even was headed up the shell car. I think he got like 500 and some miles like out of this thing in a contest. But he sat down and he designed the Razorback. And it started off and he had these changes, but it's something we do very smart around here as we take and we use this stuff we we before we put it out there. ah The Razorback has been around for several years. We've been taking it up, beating it up. Dirt Monkey has seen it. He's beat it up.
02:09:53
Randy Strait
And we just keep beating this thing up and we make these changes and these changes and these changes till we get to the point we say you know what we're done it's going to market so right now Blake is up in upper UP working with a company to ah to get some harnesses made ah the Razorback right now the final production is On his truck now when I say final production
02:09:54
RICK JAMES
Thank you.
02:10:19
Randy Strait
is he had the Razorback Retrofit. and I thought that was pretty clever. What it is a retrofit is if you have a good truck, five years old, and ah your plow though is just tired.
02:10:29
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
02:10:32
Randy Strait
The hydraulics are good. The light's good. The rack is good. Your truck is just, I mean, the plow, the blade itself has seen better days. You can actually buy the Razorback Retro. unpin your plow from the rack pin on ours and So if you have a western white out great product, but ah let's just say just seen too many manhole covers and you know i mean and And just too many well you You can buy the retro kit utilize the western rack utilize their hydraulics which is all top of the line high quality highest quality you could buy and And then I utilize all that and your truck is still sporting around going.
02:10:52
snowjobspodcast
yeah Yep.
02:10:55
RICK JAMES
but It happens.
02:11:12
Randy Strait
It's got another five years in it. So then you could actually make your plow, your truck into a super plow truck, something it's never done before.
02:11:17
RICK JAMES
Yep.
02:11:21
Randy Strait
And that's proven. I mean, the thing that this plow is doing is unbelievable. Our first video was 62 million views. I mean, that was just like, it went ludicrous speed, right? But so anyhow, now we we put that out. We sold a lot of these, but My real mission was to make our own rack, our own hydraulics, our own lights and everything like that.
02:11:41
snowjobspodcast
Mm hmm.
02:11:43
Randy Strait
And it's done. And it's on Blake's plow, a truck. And he like you said, we have our own controller, our own hydraulics.
02:11:48
snowjobspodcast
Nice.
02:11:49
RICK JAMES
Let's go.
02:11:52
Randy Strait
And they're just finalizing the custom-made harness that it will be there. So this plow, ah this will be on ah his truck or the Arctic Razorback truck that you always see. We have it like at Simon Show. So you have what used to be called GIE.
02:12:06
RICK JAMES
We quit.
02:12:07
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
02:12:10
Randy Strait
Now it's called Equipment Expo. It's in Louisville.
02:12:13
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
02:12:13
Randy Strait
For those who don't know, it's a national show. It's like typically the third week. We'll call it maybe the 21st, 20th or so. It's in Louisville, Kentucky. If anybody has got some time, go see this show.
02:12:26
snowjobspodcast
We'll be there.
02:12:27
Randy Strait
It's phenomenal. I mean, a lot of, a lot of ideas are out there. about 40,000 people I think go cruising through those halls.
02:12:33
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
02:12:34
Randy Strait
ah We also have an outdoor booth that you can demo and you'll see the Razorback on the outdoor booth. You'll see the Razorback on the indoor booth. But what you are going to see is now the final product that is the rack. You don't have to buy anything ah that you'll get the whole complete kit in a box. so and that's really excited dealers oh my god we're getting dealers left and right saying we want this thing now ah yeah but what we do with our dealers though we make sure they don't step on each other's toe
02:12:52
RICK JAMES
It's cool.
02:12:52
snowjobspodcast
That's awesome.
02:13:04
Randy Strait
We like to keep the value of the product up and ah keep the ah so they're not overlapping it and things like that. so And that's a lot of work to to have hundreds of dealers that we service. and And it's just not putting a product out. You got to make sure all the manuals are there and all the support is there. We hired two more engineers who can support all that. So there's a lot behind the scenes. And luckily, my son Blake is is involved in all that. because he moves slow and he's precise. He's an engineer. I am not.
02:13:41
Randy Strait
but
02:13:42
snowjobspodcast
He's not a snow guy, he's just an engineer.
02:13:43
Randy Strait
yeah yeah i think so Let's just say, and and I know he's doing it the engineer way.
02:13:44
snowjobspodcast
but Sure.
02:13:48
Randy Strait
He's he's doing it right. and um And thank God he's in charge of this one. But there's a lot.
02:13:54
RICK JAMES
Yeah. me
02:13:55
Randy Strait
There's a lot going on. So um you'll be seeing ah the Razorback, like I said, in full bloom in October.
02:13:56
snowjobspodcast
That's awesome.
02:14:02
Randy Strait
And ah then all of a sudden, before you guys know it, blink your eyes. You'll see it on brand new Ford truck at your Ford dealers as you do the other manufacturers. It will happen. It will happen.
02:14:12
snowjobspodcast
Nice.
02:14:12
RICK JAMES
That's cool.
02:14:13
Randy Strait
So.
02:14:13
snowjobspodcast
Very cool.
02:14:14
RICK JAMES
One of the one of the cool things you talk about it.
02:14:15
Randy Strait
So but that's my son, Blake. ah He's our father now. He's 30 years old.
02:14:20
snowjobspodcast
Nice.
02:14:21
Randy Strait
He's got a beautiful, beautiful wife, Brandy.
02:14:21
snowjobspodcast
Congratulations.
02:14:23
Randy Strait
And they're just perfect together. they High school sweethearts, ah they're both in art class together. And and so they you couldn't ask for a better pair. But then then there's my son, Lucas.
02:14:33
RICK JAMES
That's great.
02:14:33
snowjobspodcast
That's awesome.
02:14:36
Randy Strait
He's my first. A lot of people seen him on the one against four, one against five of the dirt monkey videos.
02:14:42
snowjobspodcast
Yup.
02:14:43
Randy Strait
looks a hell of an operator i'll tell you that right now i just the hell the guy lukas and i like a man's man it you know i mean a good scotch and a cigar add you know the good story in a hot tub but he was plowing he loves plowing.
02:14:44
snowjobspodcast
Yup.
02:14:49
RICK JAMES
Yep.
02:15:00
Randy Strait
and he loves diesel trucks.
02:15:00
RICK JAMES
He
02:15:02
Randy Strait
ah hey you um and the
02:15:03
RICK JAMES
loved guns.
02:15:04
Randy Strait
yeah He's got he's got ah a Platinum that's got like 1,150 horsepower.
02:15:07
RICK JAMES
Yep.
02:15:08
Randy Strait
He's got over $100,000 in this thing. I say you can never sell it. You lose your ass because no, dad, I never will. he's He's got a building, he's got like seven, ah they're all silver, everything he owns is silver, even this Porsche is silver, but it goes on and on. But then there's my last son bringing up the rear, that's Spencer, he's 23, just graduated University of Iowa. And Spencer's heading up our marketing department, which you guys probably already know.
02:15:34
snowjobspodcast
Yup, it's awesome.
02:15:34
Randy Strait
And what better though, to have anybody involved in social media or anything like that as a young person.
02:15:40
snowjobspodcast
Yup.
02:15:40
Randy Strait
I still would prefer a Motorola flip phone, but they don't make them anymore.
02:15:44
snowjobspodcast
Hey man, Randy, the StarTac.
02:15:45
Randy Strait
yeah how was that That worked for me.
02:15:45
RICK JAMES
All
02:15:48
Randy Strait
But, you know, and no things are happening. And a lot of people always like, Randy, why don't you sell your business? And new why do you keep plowing snow? A lot of my clients, they know I've been around. We've been together for 40 some years, my clients and I. Like, Randy, when are you going to hang it up? I said, you know, A, no, never.
02:16:04
RICK JAMES
right.
02:16:05
Randy Strait
um We plow snow because the passion is there. We like to do it like right. We like to challenge it. But also, important more importantly, It keeps me informed. What do I need? What what what can I build?
02:16:17
snowjobspodcast
Amen.
02:16:19
Randy Strait
We've still got more ideas. They're going. We just need more engineers. We just put up more office to hire these engineers. But there we have more ideas that everybody's going to love seeing down the pike that we are going to build. And I think when we do, there'll just be a better version of what somebody else is doing. But that's what keeps us going. And my idea of retiring is send money. So I am kind of planning my escape, you know what I mean?
02:16:43
RICK JAMES
ah Yeah.
02:16:49
Randy Strait
But the bottom line is, when I have three sons, and just not my three sons, we have an incredible, incredible staff here.
02:16:54
RICK JAMES
Oh.
02:16:58
snowjobspodcast
Yeah, you got a great team.
02:16:59
Randy Strait
Even our operators probably are on an average of 18-year flip. That's not bad for operators.
02:17:03
snowjobspodcast
and How many operators are you up to now, Randy, with Arctic?
02:17:06
Randy Strait
Well, we're running all in all about 1800 people during this war.
02:17:10
RICK JAMES
Oh, that's it.
02:17:10
snowjobspodcast
Wow.
02:17:11
RICK JAMES
That's pretty short.
02:17:11
Randy Strait
Yeah. We run full time, 9,200, $9,200. That's when I shoot myself.
02:17:17
RICK JAMES
but sir
02:17:18
Randy Strait
About 92 people is what it takes you around to keep Arctic, the triangle going.
02:17:24
RICK JAMES
Wow.
02:17:24
snowjobspodcast
Gotcha.
02:17:24
Randy Strait
Yeah.
02:17:24
RICK JAMES
And you said you still keep John around. That's something.
02:17:27
Randy Strait
Oh.
02:17:27
snowjobspodcast
but
02:17:28
Randy Strait
one you want to talk about ludicrous speed but you know here's the thing though know your people john is great ah for running snow because yeah of his uh his add or whatever hd what is it
02:17:34
snowjobspodcast
Mm
02:17:36
RICK JAMES
Hello, John.
02:17:37
snowjobspodcast
hmm.
02:17:44
Randy Strait
yeah but yeah and the thing is though because see john cannot organize he he no no he cannot organize and that's perfect for snow why you cannot organize no no if you think you can organize snow
02:17:44
RICK JAMES
ADHD.
02:17:49
RICK JAMES
This is chaotic. Yep.
02:17:59
Randy Strait
You can't. That's why he said, plan every storm being afoot.
02:18:00
RICK JAMES
No.
02:18:03
Randy Strait
That's how you do it. John can manage from the hip better than anybody in this world.
02:18:04
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
02:18:04
RICK JAMES
Yep.
02:18:09
Randy Strait
And he doesn't even need it. He remembers every phone number, every name, every face. He could go back 20 years and not forget a thing, but he manages from the hip. Now let's talk about Jeff Sexton that runs my factory. Jeff could never do what John does because Jeff needs to be very organized. Jeff will tell you how many days it will take to build 432 plows. What time on that day, the last one will go out. Jeff needs to be organized.
02:18:35
RICK JAMES
ah
02:18:38
Randy Strait
It drive him nuts. yeah So when you hire people, you just want to take their best personalities and run with it.
02:18:44
snowjobspodcast
Yep.
02:18:45
RICK JAMES
ye
02:18:45
Randy Strait
But John is unique. We love him. But honestly, God, the man's crazy. That's what we love him about him.
02:18:51
RICK JAMES
Oh, all the time, all the time with TikTok.
02:18:51
snowjobspodcast
ah
02:18:52
Randy Strait
ah you ever see his big daddy videos of that. ah
02:18:56
snowjobspodcast
ah
02:18:56
RICK JAMES
Big daddy.
02:18:57
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah.
02:18:57
Randy Strait
ah this time
02:18:58
Randy Strait
He's not doing it for show that's truly.
02:19:01
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah.
02:19:01
snowjobspodcast
yeah That's awesome.
02:19:01
RICK JAMES
Oh yeah. He's a hell of a cook.
02:19:02
Randy Strait
have them and
02:19:04
Randy Strait
Yeah, but he's been with us for a long time and he's still going, so we love him.
02:19:04
snowjobspodcast
Oh wow.
02:19:09
Randy Strait
But we have, like I said, we have a great staff here, great people, our general manager Rick Bell.
02:19:09
RICK JAMES
Anyway.
02:19:15
Randy Strait
ah He's a guy who'll come out here, you know, 72 hours. he'll He'll just dispatch and, you know, he might tag team and go and take a shower or something. But it's people like that. But, you know, the trade off is we try to do as much as possible in the summer months.
02:19:30
snowjobspodcast
Mmhmm.
02:19:30
Randy Strait
that we can. You know, we have fun Fridays where we, you know, pull out the trigger, make briskets and cook for everybody and that, or we cater out and stuff like that. Golf outings. My son Spencer put together a big golf outing, just simple ways that we could say thank you. ah Like we'll take a fourth of July and give them five days off for fourth because we can. But I just said, hey, they'll all say thank you for doing that. I said, but keep in mind, if it snows on Christmas, I can't. you have to You have to work.
02:19:59
RICK JAMES
Yep.
02:20:00
snowjobspodcast
Hahaha, yup.
02:20:01
Randy Strait
I can do it on these you know Labor Day, Memorial Day. I do it for all of that because we're able to.
02:20:05
snowjobspodcast
Yup.
02:20:07
Randy Strait
I said a golf outing summer and that we're able to. I said, but I'm going to tell you what I tell my clients. And I do. I tell my clients, they said from November 1 to April, end of April, you own me. You literally own me. I said, but come may lose my number because I'll be on my boat.
02:20:23
RICK JAMES
but
02:20:24
Randy Strait
I'll be on my boat. And essentially that's what I expect of our employees. You know, our business, our we're owned by our clients.
02:20:28
snowjobspodcast
you know
02:20:32
Randy Strait
We have a great gig. Let's just not mess it up because we have incredible great summers. So that's the story here at Arctic.
02:20:41
RICK JAMES
and's awesome
02:20:41
snowjobspodcast
That's awesome Randy, that's oh my god That's a lot of now the one the one note I did take that I was gonna tell you um You know, it's a shame that you didn't start Arctic like
02:20:42
RICK JAMES
free
02:20:52
snowjobspodcast
today or last week because if you were that eight-year-old boy on your block that you had all that competition from other eight-year-old boys trying to shovel driveways, you would own the entire town if you were willing to go out there at eight years old and then shovel a driveway.
02:21:04
Randy Strait
Yes, you know why?
02:21:06
RICK JAMES
That's awesome.
02:21:06
snowjobspodcast
They don't exist anymore.
02:21:07
Randy Strait
Because I wrote an app that would get it done.
02:21:10
RICK JAMES
ha There go.
02:21:10
snowjobspodcast
There you go.
02:21:10
snowjobspodcast
There you go.
02:21:11
Randy Strait
no No, no shit. No, you're not kidding. I mean, if any young person today is like in the snow business that starting out, my advice is just get out there and just do what I said. Be on time. Do what you say, because right now your competition, honestly, God does not exist.
02:21:28
RICK JAMES
right
02:21:28
Randy Strait
ah It's amazing.
02:21:28
snowjobspodcast
Yeah.
02:21:30
Randy Strait
I am so proud of of my three boys and, um, You know even when i met ah josh gomez his two sons and be proud of the right there were so similar like our parallels the gym with snow system is you know his son trevor i just will worker worker worker and and that and he should be sold so proud of that's what are common you know i have other guys i know too,
02:21:39
snowjobspodcast
Oh yeah.
02:21:56
Randy Strait
ah Greg Scharf out there in Iowa has a great son, Nick, and he's bringing him up the ranks.
02:22:00
RICK JAMES
Mm
02:22:02
Randy Strait
And it's great to see that, but ah that message it runs clear. Anybody young right now, I even told that to people during COVID, I'd say right now, man, I would get out and I would get into a company normally you would never, ever be able to knock on their door. because so many people are hiring.
02:22:18
snowjobspodcast
yeah
02:22:20
Randy Strait
Get in there. Entry level. Do what it takes. Prove yourself. How do you do that? Be on time. Do what you say.
02:22:26
RICK JAMES
hmm.
02:22:27
Randy Strait
and And work hard. Next thing you know, you could be in an upper management job. By the time this COVID thing is over, five years down the road, you're going to be in upper management. It's a six digit job. People can say, how in the hell did you get in? You don't have a college degree. Say, no, I don't.
02:22:41
RICK JAMES
Okay.
02:22:41
snowjobspodcast
Yeah Yeah Yep, I was on time and I did what I said I would do I
02:22:41
Randy Strait
But guess what? I'm your boss.
02:22:43
RICK JAMES
I did. I was on time. I did it.
02:22:47
Randy Strait
Yeah. Yeah. True that.
02:22:48
snowjobspodcast
ah Randy, this has been awesome.
02:22:49
Randy Strait
True that.
02:22:51
RICK JAMES
Great.
02:22:51
snowjobspodcast
Thank you so much for giving us the time. i mean This is is an honor for us.
02:22:53
RICK JAMES
Yes.
02:22:55
Randy Strait
Well, as it is, thank you very much.
02:22:55
snowjobspodcast
and the you no No problem, no anytime.
02:22:58
Randy Strait
Thank you.
02:22:58
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
02:22:59
Randy Strait
And and umm I truly am humbled knowing that so many people out there listening and they believe in my company or look at it and say what I did and might be able to look up and so forth. But I just want to say that I did everything I did was for the snow industry to keep the industry going. to keep it ethical, keep it right.
02:23:20
snowjobspodcast
Yes, sir.
02:23:21
Randy Strait
you know and And that's why I think about my products, everything that I build, and I really, really want to help anybody. because i And I know those there's guys out there freezing their hands, and I just want to let them know, next time they freeze their hands, remember me, down on my hands and knees, trying to find that damn battery.
02:23:39
snowjobspodcast
The battery.
02:23:40
RICK JAMES
from a battery. how
02:23:42
Randy Strait
that That sears die hard.
02:23:44
RICK JAMES
i
02:23:45
Randy Strait
i well you know So I've been there, done that, you know what I'm saying? And so has my kids, you know, they've done a lot, not nearly what I did, but they had their their share. Let's just say they never enjoy their Christmas vacation because we worked.
02:23:58
RICK JAMES
yeah
02:23:59
Randy Strait
That's it. They
Closing Remarks and Future Discussions
02:24:00
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
02:24:00
Randy Strait
knew it, you know, they knew it and they worked around the clock.
02:24:00
snowjobspodcast
ah
02:24:02
Randy Strait
But ah guys, thank you very much. I think you have a great podcast.
02:24:05
RICK JAMES
Yeah.
02:24:06
Randy Strait
Thank you. And I'm glad we could be part of it.
02:24:09
snowjobspodcast
ah Thank you very much we appreciate it Thanks for all you've done for the industry and the you know the future generations of the industry laying the groundwork that you did You know, we really appreciate it and I know everybody's gonna love here at the guy a lot of guys are waiting for this one to drop that
02:24:09
RICK JAMES
Thank you, Andy. Yeah.
02:24:20
RICK JAMES
Yeah, yeah, yeah. yeah well We got another guy we can bring on whenever he's got time to touch base on stuff.
02:24:26
snowjobspodcast
That's it. Whenever you want to talk, Randy, let us know. Whenever you want to talk, the mic is yours. We'll ah we'll set it up.
02:24:32
Randy Strait
Well, keep in mind, you also have Lucas could talk to or you want to know what's happening down at the factory or you want to know, hey, what's up with promoting a company and ideas, how to do it.
02:24:35
RICK JAMES
Oh, yeah, yeah.
02:24:36
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely.
02:24:44
Randy Strait
You got Spencer, but we're all on board.
02:24:45
RICK JAMES
Yep.
02:24:46
snowjobspodcast
or We're all about the family businesses.
02:24:48
RICK JAMES
All right.
02:24:49
Randy Strait
Yes, it is.
02:24:49
snowjobspodcast
So yeah, anytime we're we're here. But Jay, you got anything else?
02:24:53
RICK JAMES
I don't think so.
02:24:53
snowjobspodcast
We're going to wrap it up, brother.
02:24:54
RICK JAMES
That was a great show. Great show.
02:24:55
snowjobspodcast
Absolutely Randy. Thank you so much for take two. That was awesome. You nailed it And that's gonna do it guys boys and girls episode 80 snow jobs podcast That was a big one and we want to thank Randy and the whole Arctic family um For giving us the time and for everything they've done for the industry ah That was awesome. I can't think anything else to add All right, that was great, right?
02:25:15
RICK JAMES
That was great. That was great. Yep.
02:25:18
snowjobspodcast
So guys we can't add shit to that So we're out everybody have a great week or I'd be safe out there Keep pushing.