Education, what do you have.

[GeoffD]

I went and looked at a residential drive today, a good customer gave someone my name. They started asking me about my company, and were surprised about everything we did. Then they asked me what i had for education, as well as my crew.

I guess they think ya don't need any brains to plow snow, however i believe that statement is untrue (to just move the stuff, yea no brains, to make money, ya need brains). So what about you guys what do you have?

Me:

AS Electronics Technology, AS Industrial Electricity, AS in Building Construction. Once you get one of those degrees it only takes about another 2 years to get the other two.

My Crew:

1. Electrical Engineer BS
2. Business Admin degree (BS), the guy would rather run an exevator.
3. 2 Guys with electronics technology degrees
4. 4 Guys with industrial electricity degrees
5. 3 Guys with building construction degrees
6. 2 Guys with Computer Technology degrees
7. 1 Mechanic
8. 1 Mason

Some of these guys have multiple degrees, two guys has as electronics/industrial/building construction.

Geoff

 

[Chuck Smith]

The only certificates hanging on my wall are a "Mayor's Award For Outstanding Community Service", a "Skillful Angler's Award" from Fish & Game, and a "NJ Black Seal Low Pressure Fireman's Liscense" (boiler operator liscense).
The rest of my certifications are the scars from the "school of hard knocks". The "been there done that school".

No offense intended, but I laugh when I think of some of the local tech schools (automotive) around here. One kid who graduated in the top 5 of his class, was amazed when I used a pop rivet gun to fix his jet ski. He said it was "cool", and he "never saw one before". Top 5???

When I worked in a shop, there was a kid who was only weeks away from graduating tech school (automotive) who called me over because a zerk fitting just "wouldn't take grease". Turned out the moron was trying to grease a bleeder screw on one of the front calipers!
I knew something was wrong right away, when it was a Nissan that he was greasing. Not many imports at that time had ANY fittings on the front ends. We didn't charge them for grease as a result. So instead of an "L.O.F" they got an "O.F.".

~Chuck

 

[GeoffD]

Chuck there are many a days when i would rather have the award from the Mayor. After all the time i spent in Tech School, 4 years, i still make mistakes.

Ya know what is like trying to return 5 miles of cat 5 cable, when ya ment to order 5000 feet.

However, i believe that some people regard snowplows, as someone that had no brains. Yes there are a few out there, like the guy i saw once, whoe plowed snow right in front of someones door. I had 3 things cross my mind, the guy thinks they only use the front door (hard to tell when it is the first snow of the year), 2 he was drunk, or 3 he really had no brains.

Geoff

 

[Snow Pro]

I have a B.S. in Accounting which helps with the financial end of the business.

As far as education in snow plowing, get the training video from SIMA. It's excellent for learning practical parts of the business. Order it from http://www.sima.org. (Can you guys link this?)

I'm writing a book and a series of newsletters that will be ready for publication this winter. We need more edummucation round here!

 

[Chuck Smith]

That's exactly why I started my newsletter (Chuck's Snwplowing Newsletter), and wrote my book in 1998 (The Snowplowing Handbook). Always adding to it and editing it too. I consider it an ongoing project.
For those of you that don't get my newsletter, you can subscribe at my website, or mail me and ask to be addded to the subscriber list. You can also read back issues at my website. The last issue of my newsletter (Sept. 28, 2000), will have the first part printed in next month's issue of The LANDSCULPTOR (http://www.landscape.org)

You're right Snow Pro, we need educational resources in this biz. Landscaping has a ton of them, and it's seasonal in many parts of the US, just like plowing is.

I was hoping to write another book in the future, with other authors. To give a better overall view of all the aspects. I was thinking each chapter could have three different views of everything. Also a FAQ part, that readers could get 3 different opinions from.

Finally, Dino mentioned to me tonight that we could use a FAQ here on this forum. I agree. We revisit issues a lot here, and although things change, some of the basic questions could be answered by a FAQ. In fact, I think all the forums here at LS could benefit from a FAQ section. The rate at which posts and replies appear though, it would be no easy task to create!

~Chuck

 

[yardsmith]

good old fashioned common sense & being mechanically inclined.
If someone seriously asked me, though, I 'd tell them I have tool & die/machinist/fabrication background since high school in the mid 80's, (I can modify most ANYTHING!!! Tim Taylor style).
In JVS, I was top 2 in my Entrepeneurship class & got to attend entrep. leaders conference-what a blast!
I am also an Eagle Scout; so if they really need to know all that, my price will go UP for "skilled labor"

 

[Snow Pro]

How much more could I get for being an Eagle Scout.

 

[Snow Pro]

Chuck -

Are you so humble that you linked my response to SIMA.org immediately, but you didn't provide a link to your own web page landscape.org? I'm going there after I post this.

Tell me more about this 2nd book you're writing. You're much more of a gearhead than me. I could probably give a good business perspective, that's the angle I'm taking with my book. It's what I know best. Not to say you're not a good businessman, but I think we could compliment each other. I'm not sure where the 3rd angle would come from.

I'm going to check out your web site.

 

[Chuck Smith]

Snow Pro,

I don't have my site linked in my signature, but you can copy and paste it. I don't want to "force" it on everyone with every post I make by having it in blue. Anyone interested can copy and paste it into their browser.
For the record, my sites are:

http://www.chuckschevytruckpages.com
and
http://www.snowplowing-contractors.com
oh, and http://www.snowplowing.tv
is mine as well, just have to get a site up there. Right now, there's a "place holder" only. I think to start I will have it take visitors to my snowplowing-contractors.com site.

The website http://www.landscape.org
is the official website of the Metropolitan Detroit Landscapers Association. They asked me to use one of my articles in their magazine, The LANDSCULPTOR, in their Dec. 98 issue, and I have been writing articles for them "here and there" ever since. I've written 4 for them so far. Next month will be my 5th.

~Chuck
csmith669@aol.com