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— Property Management Quarterly — July 2016
W
hen I started in the snow
and ice industry almost 19
years ago, snow removal
was all about price. How-
ever, like all things in life,
it’s evolved. Savvy property manag-
ers and owners now recognize there
are value-added aspects beyond
price, and the contractors out there
that have more to offer are the wel-
comed difference.
It is generally accepted that
anyone can push snow. It’s not
complicated. What makes the
industry complicated, now and in
the future, is its litigious nature.
Additionally, the rise in the level of
expectations from tenants, wherein
those demands move their way up
through property managers and
ownership, is placed ultimately on
the contractor.
If someone had told me a few
years ago that I would be audited
yearly, I’d welcome it and, to top it
all off, I’d be paying for it, I would
have told them they were crazy.
Yet here I am in 2016, and it has all
come to pass.
It’s been three years since we met
the challenges of the International
Standards Organization, which is an
international organization that pro-
vides independent third-party veri-
fication for businesses, government
organizations and social entities
to certify they are meeting certain
common standards. SN 9001 was
subsequently created to work in
conjunction with ISO 9001, specific
to professional snow and ice man-
agement contractors.
One might ask, why are compa-
nies drawn to ISO
certification? The
answer is simple,
snow and ice
management in
commercial real
estate is important
and we desired to
be more than “a
contractor with a
plow truck.” We
follow and abide
by approved safety
and procedural
process designed
to keep vehicular
and pedestrian traffic as safe as
possible. By achieving ISO certifica-
tion, companies not only change
the mindset of employees and cli-
ents, but also the industry itself.
Ladies and gentleman, the bar is
raised. Yet what I propose is to raise
it even higher. How is this achieved?
You don’t have to work with a certi-
fied snow vendor, although it can
help. But it starts through educa-
tion and realizing there is more to
pushing snow. The standards have
changed, the expectations needs to
be raised as well.
• Expectation considerations.
There are many aspects to ponder
when examining your current snow
removal company. First, consider
if your vendor uses a map for the
management of your site(s), and
whether he adheres to it. The ven-
dor should be mindful of parking
spaces that are premium to your
tenants. Handicapped spaces must
be clear and accessible at all times.
The site should be cleared prior to
the tenants and visitors arrival and
the curb lines should be cleared
completely end to end.
Your property should be staked
to help prevent hardscape damage,
and snow should be pushed away
from than building, rather than
toward it. Make sure regulations
are being upheld, including fire
hydrants that are open and clear,
the amount of snow staged on your
parking deck is safe and that overall
site safety is a priority. The vendor
must maintains viable recorded
documents for snow removal and
the accounting and documentation
should be able to be upheld in the
court of law.
The customer service should be
easy to reach and responsive, the
vendor should track your issues
of concern and, at season end, he
should remedy all issues he caused.
Your vendor should look out for
your interests and alert you to
ongoing conditions of concern at
each site and be efficient in the way
he is spending your owner’s money.
His staff must be well trained
with recordable documentation, and
his insurance must be valid, current
and easily verified. Consider what
type of equipment he uses to clear
the property – plows, larger equip-
ment, an all-terrain vehicle or by 30
hand-removal employees.
These are by no means all the
aspects to consider, but it’s a start.
As property managers preparing for
the upcoming snow season, seek
out contractors who are qualified to
handle all aspects of snow and ice
management. Don’t settle on price
alone because there is no need to
settle in today’s world.
There is an army of snow warriors
ready to protect you on all fronts.
Aim high and expect a difference.
As Michelangelo said, “The greater
danger for most of us lies not in
setting our aim too high and fall-
ing short, but in setting our aim too
low, and achieving our mark.”
s
Vendor Relations
Kimberly Jewell
General manager,
Snow Management
Services LLC,
Denver
As property managers preparing for
the upcoming snow season, seek out
contractors who are qualified to handle
all aspects of snow and ice management.
