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Western suburbs, IL —
Like it or not, snow is coming and as the saying goes, one man’s ceiling is another man’s floor.
Snow removal companies are gearing up for the winter season, and business may be good.
According to a National Weather Service winter outlook, Northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana can expect above-normal precipitation, with a higher probability of above-normal snowfall. The average from December to February measures 28.3 inches.
Nate Zappo, foreman for Extreme Landscaping & Snow Control in Woodridge, said he can’t complain about business over the past couple years, but competition is increasing.
Each year, the white stuff starts to look like money to more and more entrepreneurs.
“This year we got most of our clients back,” Zappo said. “A lot of contractors I know end up losing a lot of work because of the competition. There’s a lot of undercutting this year. We’ve never seen such silly bidding. I think after a few big snow falls these guys will be done. They will overbook on how many jobs they can get done.”
Zappo emphasized the need to find a reputable company to do the work.
“You definitely want to make sure they have insurance, find out how long they have been in business, how new their equipment is,” he said. “If you hear about someone from word of mouth, that’s better than picking someone from the phone book. The cheapest bidder is not always the best. A lot of times they might not show up when you want them to show up.”
Gary Mitchell is owner of Diamond Home Improvement and Handyman Service in Lombard. Snow removal is a seasonal sideline for him but no less important to the overall home improvement business. Instead of commercial sites with parking lots, his clients are purely residential — people who want driveways and sidewalks cleared when two-inches or more falls.
Mitchell’s crews use only snow blowers equipped with rubber paddles, no trucks with plows, to accommodate those clients with paving brick driveways and walks.
“We have a lot of people call us because they have paving stone driveways and plows tear up the paving stones,” he said.
There is another advantage to using snow blowers over plows, he said.
“
We’ve had trucks before,” he said. “You spend $20,000 to $30,000 on a truck and get it set up. If it doesn’t snow much that year you’re still stuck with that $20,000 to $30,000 truck.”
Like it or not, snow is coming and as the saying goes, one man’s ceiling is another man’s floor.
Snow removal companies are gearing up for the winter season, and business may be good.
According to a National Weather Service winter outlook, Northern Illinois and Northwest Indiana can expect above-normal precipitation, with a higher probability of above-normal snowfall. The average from December to February measures 28.3 inches.
Nate Zappo, foreman for Extreme Landscaping & Snow Control in Woodridge, said he can’t complain about business over the past couple years, but competition is increasing.
Each year, the white stuff starts to look like money to more and more entrepreneurs.
“This year we got most of our clients back,” Zappo said. “A lot of contractors I know end up losing a lot of work because of the competition. There’s a lot of undercutting this year. We’ve never seen such silly bidding. I think after a few big snow falls these guys will be done. They will overbook on how many jobs they can get done.”
Zappo emphasized the need to find a reputable company to do the work.
“You definitely want to make sure they have insurance, find out how long they have been in business, how new their equipment is,” he said. “If you hear about someone from word of mouth, that’s better than picking someone from the phone book. The cheapest bidder is not always the best. A lot of times they might not show up when you want them to show up.”
Gary Mitchell is owner of Diamond Home Improvement and Handyman Service in Lombard. Snow removal is a seasonal sideline for him but no less important to the overall home improvement business. Instead of commercial sites with parking lots, his clients are purely residential — people who want driveways and sidewalks cleared when two-inches or more falls.
Mitchell’s crews use only snow blowers equipped with rubber paddles, no trucks with plows, to accommodate those clients with paving brick driveways and walks.
“We have a lot of people call us because they have paving stone driveways and plows tear up the paving stones,” he said.
There is another advantage to using snow blowers over plows, he said.
“
We’ve had trucks before,” he said. “You spend $20,000 to $30,000 on a truck and get it set up. If it doesn’t snow much that year you’re still stuck with that $20,000 to $30,000 truck.”
There are certain questions potential clients should ask when they are soliciting a snow removal service. At the top of the list is finding out if the service provider is insured.
“I’ve seen a lot of garage doors come down by guys not knowing what they are doing; a lot of grass torn up,” he said.
It is also a good idea to get a contract that guarantees the provider will be there when it snows, he added.
The snow removal end of his business has been very good over these past few years, he said.
But there’s still a lot of competition and an overall weak economy to deal with, Mitchell said.
“We’re competing with a lot of high school kids who are out there needing quick money,” he said. “There’s a lot of guys out there with plows, but they don’t get out of their trucks and do sidewalks.”
And some people are tightening their belts as well.
“We usually come out when there is two inches or more, but I have had people call me and say: “Don’t come out, I’ll take care of it myself.”
Those who are not so thrilled at the snowy prospect need only to look at another prediction.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, winter in the Chicago metropolitan area will be colder than normal, with the coldest weather coming in late December, mid- and late January, and mid- and late February.
Snowfall and precipitation will be below normal, with most of the snow coming in mid-December, January, and mid-February.
