Condo Media - March 2019 - 39

units have garages fronting onto alleyways, so if the snow
gets piled up, the residents can't see safely out of their
roadways. The blower allows us to put the snow where we
want. We take all the air out of the snow so it compacts
down, and that really gives us an unlimited amount of
room to blow it away. We just blow it to smithereens, and
it's gone." He adds that snow is often blown onto lawns,
where it does no harm, or onto a common green, where
more space may be available for snow storage.
Smith points to the record-breaking winter of 2015
as an example of the savings associations can realize.
In many associations, unit owners were getting special
assessments for snow and ice management, compounded
by hauling fees. "The great equalizer with a blower is, if
you're a really good operator, it would take a dire winter
before you needed to get into hauling. We can almost
always cut most if not all hauling costs, which saves
these homeowner associations a lot of money," he says.
"Our goal is to make them happy and to cut costs as
much as possible and make sure our clients are more
than satisfied."
A PREDICTABLE BUDGET
IN AN UNPREDICTABLE BUSINESS
Of course, for association boards, a primary focus is the
budget-and it can be challenging to budget for something as unpredictable as the weather. Plowguys helps
to meet that challenge by operating on a subscriptionbased system, giving customers reliable service at flexible, transparent pricing.
"We're looking for a long-term relationship," says
Smith. "It's a totally different look at how this is done.
Rather than paying per time or by the inch or some
confusing metrics, we offer a reasonable, subscriptionbased seasonal contract. There are no surprise charges
and no charges for return trips."
According to Yeh Diab, Plowguys' CEO, snow and ice
management is a year-round business, and the subscription model is beneficial to both sides. "Our business
doesn't stop," he says. "We have sales and marketing
efforts, hiring, equipment to buy and maintain, and the
annual Snow & Ice Management Symposium-our industry's tradeshow-which takes place over the summer.
Think of it from the insurance perspective. Insurance
is a year-round business, but they only pay out when
there's a claim. For us, we operate year-round, but we
deliver when there's a storm."
"It helps for sure," says Gary Thorp of the subscription service. "It works out well for the HOA's budgeting
and also works out for Plowguys, as far as knowing what
they've got for the coming year."
Thorp was one of the directors of Southfield Neighborhood Association, one of the multiple homeowner
associations at Union Point. Before Plowguys came on

the scene, Union Point's snow contracts were based
on a per-inch, per-storm metric, and when the region
got walloped by a storm, the costs were very high. To
make matters worse, when the numerous piles of snow
became too much for the alleys, it became necessary to
haul snow offsite-adding tens of thousands of dollars in
added costs for the HOAs. Unit owners weren't happy,
hiring three snow contractors in successive years.
Thorp and fellow director Alison Craig took it upon
themselves to do the research. "I was looking for a company that had machines to throw snow, because of our
very small alleyways," says Thorp. "Plowguys had
a couple of the machines I was looking at and liked.
Four HOAs got together and gave them a chance.
This property has been a challenge, and they've done
a very good job. Of all the companies that we've dealt
with, they've been the best." Plowguys is now Union
Point's long-term snow-removal contractor.
STAYING UP TO DATE DURING A SNOW EVENT
Another way that Plowguys adds certainty to an unpredictable business is by communicating with customers
throughout a storm-and even beforehand. When a storm
is expected, all homeowners along a particular route receive an email or text alert telling them how much snow is
predicted and when snow operations along their route are
expected to begin and end. "Every storm is unique; there
isn't a cookie-cutter, template storm," says Diab. "We send
out alerts the night before to give people a little peace of
mind about what our plans are."
Updates are also sent throughout the storm, and
Plowguys is even testing an automated, real-time estimated time of arrival system connected to their operators' mobile devices. "Historically, you have no sense
of when your snow operator is going to show up," says
Diab. "This will layer the event with a nice experience
for consumers: information and then service."
Ultimately, service is what drives Plowguys, earning
the company designation as a "Top 100" North American snow contractor, according to data published by
Snow Magazine.
"We're not landscapers or excavators; we're simply a
snow and ice contractor," says Smith. "It's a professional
service, and it shouldn't be an afterthought. When it's an
afterthought, people spend a lot of money on a poor level
of service, whereas if they deal with somebody that's
set up for it, it's a different experience altogether. Their
money can go a lot further. If you're a condominium
association and you're going around in November or
December shopping for a snow contractor, you're late.
You've really got to start preparing for it now."
For more information about Plowguys of Greater Boston,
call (888) 978-8403, or visit plowguys.com.

Condo Media - March 2019

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