Snow Fighters Institute

Snowfighters Youtube Channel

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Episode Chapters

00:22 - Welcome & Guest Intro

01:41 - Joel’s Early Roots

04:23 - The First Snow Removal Hustle

07:25 - Overview of Emerald Companies

09:02 - Why Exit HOA’s?

11:00 - Going All In on Brine

13:01 - Scaling Brine Production

15:01 - Mentors & Brine Support

17:06 - Can You DIY Brine?

18:09 - Technology & Forecasting

20:16 - Joel’s Equipment Setup

24:23 - Cycle Times and Routing

25:59 - Industry Events & Education

28:56 - Peer Group Insights

30:06 - Advice for Newcomers

32:00 - Pride & Customer Referrals

33:15 - Please Like, Share & Subscribe!

Key Learnings

Referrals Beat Being the Biggest - Customer referrals create more excitement and satisfaction than being the largest company in town because they prove you're doing good work people want to recommend.

Daily Learning Compounds Over Time - Listen to podcasts, YouTube, and educational content every day instead of just music because there are valuable lessons available everywhere.

Problems Are Perspective Issues - When your truck transmission fails, remember you have a truck to repair while many people don't have that problem to worry about.

Wave at Competitors Regardless - Keep a positive outlook by waving at competitors driving down the road, even if they don't wave back, because attitude matters more than their response.

Nobody Is Smarter Than Anybody Else - Everyone has something to teach you, so keep your ears open and pick up lessons from whoever is willing to share.

Fancy and Shiny Doesn't Matter - Focus on doing good work and getting positive customer feedback rather than having the biggest, fanciest, or shiniest equipment and operations.

Figure It Out as You Go - You don't need to know everything before starting; Joel didn't know how to spell "retaining wall" when a customer asked him to build one, but he figured it out.

Original Customers Prove Longevity - Still having customers from 28 years ago demonstrates the value of consistent service and relationship building over time.

Peer Groups Provide Monthly Value - Regular peer group calls with contractors from different regions offer insights about equipment, routing, brine, and techniques you wouldn't hear otherwise.

Industry Education Never Stops - Attend conferences like SIMA, engage with Snow Fighters Institute, and participate in educational opportunities to continue growing your knowledge.

Simple Marketing Can Work - Hanging flyers at senior centers and creating colored handouts with your life story can generate business when you're starting out.

Plan Equipment Logistics Better - Think through how equipment will load and transport before buying it; Joel learned this lesson loading snowblower tractors 15 times per storm.

Reflection Questions

Are you focusing more on being the biggest company in your market or on doing work that generates genuine customer referrals and recommendations?

What are you listening to during your work day - music for entertainment or educational content that could help you learn something new about your business?

How do you handle setbacks and expensive repairs - do you see them as disasters or as problems that prove you have assets others don't?

Contact Joel

Website: myemeraldlawn.com

Email: joel@myemeraldlawn.com

Snow Fighters Institute

Snowfighters Youtube Channel

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Episode Chapters

00:19 - Welcome and Cam Roberts Intro

01:26 - Laser Pavement Solutions Overview

02:47 - Moving North & BC Life

03:59 - Early Background and Roots

05:14 - Facility Maintenance Lessons

08:21 - Glass Trade and Accident Pivot

11:21 - Starting Line Striping Business

12:38 - Why Snow Wasn’t the Plan

14:40 - Snow Business Today and Fleet

17:23 - Tech and Customer Communication

19:31 - CRM That Scales Sales

21:28 - Fast Growth vs Profit

22:46 - Hiring an Accountability Leader

24:38 - EOS Self Implementation

26:31 - The Power of Snowfighters Institute

29:46 - Cam on Starting His Podcast

32:50 - Leadership in the AI Era

35:12 - The CEO’s Role According to Cam

38:25 - Visionary vs Integrator

Key Learnings

Unprofessional Contractors Create Market Opportunities - Seeing unprofessional contractors making good money in small markets can reveal business opportunities for those willing to operate with higher standards.

You Cannot Outsource Leadership to AI - While AI can handle administrative tasks, leadership ability and solving human issues cannot be abdicated to technology regardless of company size.

Exceptional People Are Essential for Growth - Natural talent and owner mentality will get you to a point, but you need exceptional people to help grow your business beyond what you can do alone.

Protect Culture and Find Future Talent - Business owners should focus on two main things: protecting and reinforcing company culture, and actively seeking talent needed 2-5 years from now.

Prime Future Talent with Regular Contact - Meeting with potential future hires quarterly keeps them engaged and ready when you need them, allowing you to grow with confidence knowing people are lined up.

Working in Today Prevents Tomorrow Focus - When owners get pulled into daily operations, it creates internal frustration because their time needs to be spent worrying about tomorrow, not today.

Small Town Experience Teaches Business Lessons - Working in facility maintenance in small communities exposes you to both good and poor contractors, teaching valuable lessons about professionalism and service standards.

Podcasting Builds Authority and Focus - Starting with general content and evolving to focused education for specific audiences (pavement business owners under $1M) creates better results.

Team Unity Requires Constant Focus - Building a team moving forward in a unified direction should consume 50-80% of a leader's thinking, energy, and focus.

Know When You're in the Wrong Seat - Recognizing when you're doing work that isn't your proper role helps maintain clarity about where your time should be spent for maximum impact.

Help Others Avoid Your Mistakes - Creating content and education to help others reach milestones without making the same expensive mistakes you made provides value and purpose.

Staff Shortages Reveal Leadership Priorities - Being forced into daily operations due to staffing issues highlights the importance of having the right people in place and systems that don't depend on the owner.

Reflection Questions

What opportunities exist in your market where competitors are making money despite operating unprofessionally, and how could you capture that business with higher standards?

Are you trying to use technology to solve human leadership problems, and what aspects of leadership require your personal time and attention that cannot be delegated?

Who do you need on your team 2-5 years from now, and are you actively building relationships with potential future hires before you desperately need them?

Connect with Cam Roberts:

Podcast: "Stripe It Like It's Hot"

Company: Laser Pavement Solutions

Snow Fighters Institute

Snowfighters Youtube Channel

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Episode Chapters

00:44 - What Frost Solutions Does

03:06 - Hardware: Size, Mounting & Setup

05:05 - Dashboard: Live Data & Alerts

06:27 - Hyperlocal Pavement Forecasting

09:14 - AI Frost Vision and Computer Vision

11:42 - Why Property-Specific Data Matters

13:23 - Company Origin Story

16:18 - FS at Pitch Events

18:20 - Why Enter Snow Tech

21:11 - Frost Vision Camera & New Sensors

22:26 - Customer Bases for Frost Solutions

26:16 - Commercial Customer Scaling

28:33 - Slip & Fall Defense Strategy

32:47 - Slip and Fall Defense Strategy

35:38 - Founder Life & Side Investments

37:19 - Where to Find Frost Solutions

39:01 - Keep Evolving!

Key Learnings

Stop Night Property Checks - Stop driving around at night checking properties when weather stations can do it for you.

Property-Specific Beats General Forecasts - Property-specific forecasts beat general weather reports because different pavement types behave differently even on the same property.

Pavement Temperature Trumps Air Temperature - Deploy crews based on pavement temperature, not just air temperature, since snow won't stick if pavement stays above freezing.

AI Eliminates Constant Camera Watching - AI alerts can notify you when something important happens so you don't have to watch cameras constantly.

Customer Feedback Drives Better Products - Customer feedback drives the best product improvements, so manufacturers who listen create better solutions.

Minute-by-Minute Readings Prevent Misses - Taking temperature readings every minute prevents you from missing critical changes when conditions shift rapidly.

Burst Mode Shows Real Accumulation - Burst mode photo sequences show whether precipitation is actually accumulating or just passing through.

Five-Minute Forecast Updates Win - Forecasts that regenerate every five minutes using real site conditions are more accurate than static predictions.

Move Stations When Surfaces Change - Moving weather stations when properties change surfaces helps maintain accurate temperature readings and forecasts.

Evolve or Get Left Behind - Your competition is evolving, so you need to evolve too or risk being left behind.

Reflection Questions

Are you still making middle-of-the-night drives to check conditions when technology could eliminate those trips and let you sleep better?

Do you understand how different pavement surfaces on your properties behave in winter conditions, and are you making deployment decisions based on actual pavement temperature rather than just air temperature?

What feedback are you giving to your technology providers about what would make your job easier, and are you working with companies that actually listen and implement changes?

Contact Information

• Website: frostsolutions.io

Snow Fighters Institute

Snowfighters Youtube Channel

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Episode Chapters

00:22 - Intro and Welcome Jason Kane

00:46 - The History of Midwest Salt

01:38 - Jason’s Journey with Midwest Salt

05:31 - Customer Service in the Salt Industry

07:36 - Understanding Salt Logistics

08:54 - Regional Salt Sources and Types

12:33 - Challenges and Solutions in Salt Supply

14:34 - Bagged Products & Custom Solutions

16:29 - Liquid Deicing Solutions

18:33 - Government Contracts and Challenges

19:27 - Getting to Know Jason

20:56 - Availability and Client Engagement

23:16 - Industry Insights & Trends

27:08 - Things to be Mindful of in 2026

34:54 - Final Thoughts

Key Learnings

Midwest Salt Started as Bags in Basements - When owner Tony Johnson acquired Midwest Salt in 2008-2009, it was a smaller mom and pop shop delivering bags of salt into people's houses and basements, salt to water softeners, things like that. Tony came from a logistics background connecting dots with hub and spoke models, so when he saw the opportunity to acquire a company that fit his expertise, he took it. Midwest Salt is fundamentally a logistics company like many service providers.

From Craigslist to National Sales Manager - Jason joined Midwest Salt in late 2010 after responding to a Craigslist ad, having just moved from Colorado. What he thought would be a part-time job to get his feet in the industry turned into a 14-year career. He started managing warehouse stock, getting on trucks for routes, then evolved into an office sales position after two years of literally doing the heavy lifting.

Skydiving Taught Customer Service at Life-or-Death Level - Between 2012-2016, Jason spent summers as operations and customer service manager for a skydiving company while returning to Midwest Salt each winter to drive semis and deliver salt. In skydiving, customer service was literally about taking care of people's lives - ensuring planes were in tip-top mechanical condition, gear was the best available, and instructors were exceptional. This foundation taught him that no matter what you're selling, you're really taking care of people.

Customer Service Is Having a Revival - There's been a breakdown of customer service across industries, but it's starting to come back. People are seeing the value again. Companies thriving in customer service make the investment and create feedback loops - they're always asking for feedback through surveys and making it easy to provide input. Companies with terrible service make you dig to find a way to give feedback, then you never get a response - it's a black hole.

Salt Is More of a Commodity Than People Want to Admit - When it comes down to how salt moves and the cost it accrues getting from point A to point B to the end user, it's very much a commodity business. But the service layer on top of the commodity is what differentiates suppliers. It's not just about the product - it's about reliability, logistics expertise, and taking care of the frontline snow fighters who depend on having material when they need it.

Salt Supply Chain: From Mine to Truck - Salt is very abundant underneath the Great Lakes - basically anywhere the Great Lakes are. It comes from underground mines where it's extracted, crushed, and processed. The logistics process involves coordination between mines, transportation (rail, truck, barge), storage facilities, and final delivery to contractors. Each step in the chain adds cost and complexity, which is why understanding the full supply chain is critical for both suppliers and contractors.

Curiosity About How Things Work Drives Knowledge - When Jason came back to Midwest Salt in 2016, he was joining an established sales team that had been through a couple winters without him. He needed to reeducate himself. His curiosity about where all the salt comes from and how to get it to any destination in a tri-state area drove him to learn the entire system. That historical knowledge made him someone people can go to and ask questions, someone who can at least point you in the right direction.

Writing Bad Contracts Was the Best Teacher - Jason made two big contract mistakes in his career that cost money and let his team down. One was miswriting a section about terms and conditions for getting into or out of a contract - something he completely overlooked. Learning from those mistakes made him one of the main guys handling government contracts now. He focuses on writing contracts that are fair to both companies, not just falling in his favor if something goes wrong, working toward solutions that benefit both parties.

Making Mistakes Is the Best Thing You Can Do - As long as you're not making the same mistakes over and over again, making mistakes is probably the best thing you can do in any business. It's the best way to learn. The key is learning from those lessons and applying that knowledge going forward so you don't repeat the same errors.

Be Smart, Communicate, and Be Truthful - Jason's final advice: Be smart. Communicate with your suppliers. Try to be as truthful as possible and just be open to learning. The relationship between contractors and suppliers works best when there's honest communication and willingness to work together to solve problems.

Reflection Questions

How well do you understand your entire supply chain - not just who you buy from, but where the product originates, how it moves, and what affects availability and cost? Are you asking enough questions to truly understand the logistics behind what you're purchasing?

What feedback loops have you created with your customers? Do you make it easy for them to give you input, and more importantly, do you actually respond to that feedback? Or are you creating a black hole where customer concerns disappear without acknowledgment?

What mistakes have you made that you actually learned from and never repeated? Are you giving yourself and your team permission to make mistakes as learning opportunities, or are you creating an environment where people hide their errors instead of using them to grow?

Resources & References

• Midwest Salt

Snow Fighters Institute

Snowfighters Youtube Channel

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Episode Chapters

00:34 - Stephanie’s Background and Career Journey

03:02 - Personal Interests & Industry Involvement

03:58 - Challenges and Defining Moments

06:06 - Transition to the Integra Group

11:53 - Boss Software and Industry Solutions

13:09 - Importance of Professionalism in the Industry

22:10 - Unique Features of Boss Software

25:42 - The Realities of Software Implementation

26:56 - Ensure Successful Onboarding

28:39 - Commitment to Software Adoption

30:24 - Industry Involvement and New Developments

33:48 - Empowering Women in the Industry

37:49 - Promoting Trades and Workforce Development

42:55 - The Impact of AI on the Industry

45:25 - Personal Reflections and Career Advice

Key Learnings

Women Don't Work in the Industry - Prove Them Wrong – In 1993, when Stephanie told her female horticulture professor she had a job offer in the industry, the professor responded: "Women don't work in the industry. They do research." Stephanie held onto that for her entire career to be as successful as possible, always trying to be at top of her game. Now at 50, it's time to give back and help others so they don't go through the same things.

Snow Contractors Are Professionals, Not Helpers – Property managers have no idea what goes into snow removal. There could be an outlay of $250,000 to half a million dollars just in salt in July before anything happens. Mechanics start going through equipment in August, purchasing trucks and equipment - massive investment before serving clients. Stephanie: "We as the industry need to educate them. We need to remind the industry that you are professionals. You can walk away at any time."

Job Costing Is Everything – After a snow event you have a mountain of data - you need to know if you performed, if adjustments are needed, if someone put down too much salt. Boss's job costing is heads and tails above other products because you can get so granular without needing third party help. You can slice and dice it however you want to look at it - critical when the next event comes right on the heels of the first one.

Tech Stack Is a Trap – People tout how big their tech stack is, but the problem is none of them talk to each other. You still have a giant room of admin entering all that data which creates human error and delays getting actual data. Having everything in one place means if you go on a two-week cruise during winter (which nobody does), everybody has the information - not on somebody's desktop or piece of paper in a notebook.

Software Implementation Is a Marriage Not a Fling – It takes three years to fully implement any software platform. People bounce from one software to the next and undermine implementations because the team thinks "in six months this won't even be here, so why bother?" No buy-in from the team means it won't work. It has to start from the top - owner or whoever's running point has to be the champion and stay committed so everybody else buys in.

Discovery Process Prevents Failed Implementations – Even if you say yes to Boss, they go through the discovery process asking start to finish: show us your processes, your as-is today. Find any speed bumps that might occur - hard lines you absolutely need. Are you open to changing it to work with Boss? Need enhancement done your way? Or is this not going to work out? Better to find out now than in the middle of onboarding when money and resources are being spent.

The Snow App Changes Everything – New app (versus URL) means you can still record information when you go out of the area without service, then it populates when connectivity returns. Critical for snow removal because there's just no time - you gotta click in, click out, take photos and do the things. If you can't record information or suddenly don't have connectivity, you're dead in the water.

User Steering Committee Drives Product Development – Boss brings in their best users - top 50 to top 100 producers - for strategic planning on what they want to see in the solution. They're the users in heat of battle who speak on behalf of the entire Boss community. Everything done in Boss is the result of someone from the snow and ice or landscape industry saying "this is important." Developers don't know - they need to hear from people actually doing it.

Women Make Up Less Than 10% of Snow Industry – In the landscape industry women are probably 12-15%, but in snow and ice it's less than 10% of all employees. We have to support ourselves, but the men who support us are inspirational - younger generations owning businesses don't understand why things were the way they were in the past because it's a demographic of people that can work and want to work.

The Trades Are the Solution to Workforce Crisis – For every 10 retirees, we only have two available people to replace them in the trades. That generation was so big and we don't have enough generation to fill those positions. Parents think kids should go to college (Gen X mentality), but not everybody has to. Kids with ADHD who can't hold attention in school get a piece of equipment and excel - there are so many kids like that who just don't want to sit behind a desk.

AI Needs to Be Watched Carefully – AI is great and helping with technology, but it's not fully vetted. We use it for different things but need to be careful, especially with business management platforms. Think about how much banks and financial institutions use AI - they're super careful because it can be replicated. Chat GPT to write an email is fine for tasks, but be careful with how much you rely on it for critical business decisions.

Turn Into the Storm, Don't Run From It – Best advice: Turn to the storm and walk through it because you're going to get through it. Don't run from it, don't let fear take over. Don't second guess yourself. Stephanie has lot of regret from being fearful of "what if they think this or that." If she had to do it over: "I'm doing it." If you don't fail, you won't learn. When she's failed, she's learned and been successful the next time.

Reflection Questions

1. Are you treating your snow business like a professional operation or a side hustle? What investments are you making before the first snowflake flies, and how are you communicating that professionalism to property managers who may not understand the massive outlay required?
   
   
2. What are you doing with the mountain of data after each snow event? Can you analyze in real-time whether you performed, if adjustments are needed, or if salt application was excessive - or are you just collecting data without actionable insights?
   
   
3. Is fear or second-guessing holding you back from decisions you know you should make? Where in your business or career are you running from the storm instead of turning into it and walking through it?
   
   

Resources & References

• Boss by Integra
• Contact Stephanie Leveling