A snow plow plows snow, a useful tool. A snow plower, or contractor, is a Risk Manager, steeped in policies and procedures that have been developed to provide a safe haven for those who work at and visit the properties that receive snow removal and ice control services. This snow business philosophy is part of the ongoing theme the Snowfighters Institute promotes as it improves the image and face of the snow industry. In late April, 2012, Frank Dedon, President of Abraxus Snow Inc. and Abraxus Salt LLC, attended this year’s Inner Circle event at the Snowfighters Institute in Erie, PA.

Communication and information sharing between snow industry Risk Managers is usually sparse, as in most cases it involves their local competitors. The Inner Circle is a 4-day conference that provides snow contractors a venue to share their business knowledge and real-world know how to increase operational efficiencies and improve bottom lines. To insure an open exchange of information without letting the competition know their business, Inner Circle sessions allow only one contractor from any given local business geographic footprint. 16 snow industry pros from large and small companies across the United States and Canada joined Abraxus’ Frank Dedon for this most recent event.

“For the property owners and managers that we serve, continuous improvement on our part improves our performance,” says Frank Dedon. “When I started in this business 40 years ago, it was tough to be taken seriously as a professional. The snow industry has come a long way since then, thanks to progressive thinking beyond the accepted norm. Large areas of snow used to be cleared using only plows and loader buckets, until someone dreamed up snow pushers, those big blades that are designed to be a bucket without a bottom that moves wide paths of deep snow all at once. It’s this kind of thinking and best-practices approach that led me years ago to find ways to improve the business, not just for my pocketbook, but for the safety and well-being of my clients and their customers and tenants. Property owners love it when you can come in and show them how to reduce and eliminate liability issues associated with slip and falls on snow and ice. If I was going to expect more respect for what I did, I knew I would have to find ways to grow and improve the service. Attending the Inner Circle again is another step on that path.”

John Allin, the leading snow industry consultant who created the Snowfighters Institute and hosted this year’s and previous sessions of the Inner Circle, was glad to see Frank attend again. “To those that Frank and his Abraxus team service across Northwestern Ohio, it’s no surprise that many of you have relationships that span decades. Frank shows up at these events and just lights the place up with his stories and anecdotes that reflect his years of experience in this business. As moderator, I have seen other snow contractors, many of which I have ongoing consulting relationships with, become attentive and entertained by Frank’s knowledge of the business, especially the younger guys just starting out.”

“I’m an old dog, but I refuse to think I’ve seen it all and can’t be taught new tricks,” Frank muses. “One of the things I saw at this Inner Circle is technology that is a year or two away from hitting the open market, but it will revolutionize the way the snow industry, and their clients, will be able to track performance in a way that makes similar, present-day breakthroughs look like nothing. Nothing. Already my mind is working on ways this will improve my service to my clients, being the Risk Managers my Abraxus team and I are.”