Anyone who has been in the Snow and Ice Management industry for even a short while is familiar with SIMA, the Snow & Ice Management Association. This week we had a chance to chat with SIMA CEO Martin Tirado about SIMA and how SIMA adds value to the Snow and Ice Management Industry.
We asked, “Why Should Anyone Pay to be a Member of SIMA?”
Snow management professionals are not charities. They work hard to protect the public during and after winter events and their income is hard earned. That means money spent needs to add value to your organization. We wanted to know how SIMA brings value to your organization.
Tirado understood instantly where we were coming from and pointed out a long list of items that come with SIMA membership, including:
- Training for employees
- Training for snow management business owners
- Safety Training
- Access to an extensive list of best practices
- Access to templates for your business like contracts, checklists, HR forms, estimating forms, and timelines
- Discounts on various products
- A special resource for insurance
- And More
Just the free training and updates on best practices is worth the annual membership, yet there is more to SIMA than a list of stuff that you get.
SIMA as a Trusted Source
Tirado pointed out that with all the noise out there, SIMA is the organization you can trust to provide quality, reliable information to keep you knowledgeable and informed. SIMA stays on the cutting edge, investigating practices people are testing out, seeing which ones are widely adopted by stakeholders to know which practices truly are “best practices” for today’s snow management professional. Then SIMA shares those best practices with you so you can stay on the cutting edge of the industry as well.
SIMA Promotes Industry Relationships
To advance your company, SIMA promotes relationship building between snow and ice management professionals. These relationships are doorways to help those in the industry reach beyond their current “box” and find solutions needed both inside and outside your company.
SIMA is Your Advocate
Unfortunately, the world is not fair, and SIMA is able to stand up for the industry, representing the group better than most in the industry can on their own. With the combined voice of many in the industry, SIMA can approach government officials on the state and federal level to ensure the Snow and Ice Management Industry gets the respect and fair shake it deserves, and therefore local contractors have the opportunity to get treated fairly by our governments.
What does Tirado See as Trends in the Industry?
“Data tracking and data validation have come a long way,” Tirado shared. “Mobile Apps and GPS tracking are now affordable for the average contractor.” That means what used to be technology for only the largest 10% of snow management companies is now affordable for even small contractors. These programs provide routes, give specs for jobs, and even help with documentation of what is going on while making a client site safe for vehicles and pedestrians.
Other trends Tirado expects to continue are the use of liquids, either for pre-wetting of salt or wet application of brine directly to surfaces. The equipment that used to be available only to governments has come down in price and become much easier to use for snow and ice management companies allowing companies to use these options to lower their overall costs by reducing salt consumption during the winter season.
Mission and Not a Mission Statement
If you visit SIMA’s “Discover SIMA” page, you will notice they do not have a “Mission Statement” but instead there is a “Mission.” The SIMA mission is “Empowering snow & ice management for success.” You will notice a difference between organizations that have a “mission statement” and those that are on mission. Talking to Tirado, it is apparent SIMA wants to live out its mission instead of just keeping a pretty “mission statement” plaque on their wall.
Tirado wants to see the whole industry, and especially snow management contractors, succeed in their work. We talked about how the industry is really about protecting people. You could tell that Tirado feels snow & ice removal teams on the streets after a winter storm are fulfilling a noble calling no less important than police, fire fighters, and ER doctors in ensuring people are cared for. Tirado would like to see SIMA do everything it can to empower those teams toward success.
Are you a SIMA member? Hop on over to our Facebook page and tell us what your favorite part about SIMA membership is.
This article is by Staff Reporter Jeff Serafin who has been following the industry since 2006.