This month, our teams are working on updating our property maps for snow and salt services to ensure that we have all the information we need ahead of the first snow or ice event.
We draw out maps of properties so that our production crews are equipped with the information they need in order to be successful. These maps note sidewalks, pavement, high-urgency areas, and any salt containers onsite. We've done these maps for as long as we've done snow removal, but this year we're putting a focus on consistency in how we create them.
This seems like a "no-duh" moment but as I frequently remind people who attend our Grunder Landscaping Co. Field Trips - we've been in business a long time, but we're not perfect.
In past years, the sales and snow management teams created these maps, but people chose different colors and just labeled the spaces. This year, we're updating our old snow maps and adding new ones with a consistent color scheme:
Sidewalks are red.
Pavement is blue.
High-Urgency areas are yellow.
Salt containers are neon green.
Now listen, the old way worked and at least we had a plan in place, but by creating consistency from plan to plan we're eliminating the possibility of confusion, simplifying our snow training, and making our team's jobs easier. This is especially important when you consider that many of our snow and salt runs happen during nighttime, sometimes our crews are working long hours, and we have some team members who speak different languages. Let's not add more to their plate!
Snow has become an important part of our business plan. It helps us earn revenue in the months that we can't do landscaping, enables us to keep team members on year-round, and is an additional service we can provide for our commercial clients. As we've done more snow, we've learned a lot, too.
That's what happens as we gain experience with a service, and we've also learned a lot from others in the industry who have been offering snow services longer than we have. In everything we do, learning from our peers is so helpful in moving our company forward, and we've relied on members of our ACE Peer Group Program to share experience. It's helped a ton - which is part of why I believe so strongly in the impact that program can have on landscaping companies. If you're looking for a way to work on your business more intentionally, I can't recommend this program more.
We'll be back here with more tips for you next week, have a great Sunday!
Marty Grunder
Founder & CEO
The Grow Group & Grunder Landscaping Co.