Hiring Snow Contractor

In our service area of Grand Rapids & Lansing, Michigan, business owners are no strangers to large snow storms. We can wake up one morning to find a foot or more of snow on the ground. If you have a large parking lot at your business’s location, keeping the equipment on-hand and the staff trained to quickly and properly do snow removal is not cost efficient. There’s more to snow removal than scraping away the snow. So as Winter 2016 wraps up and you start to think about what you might do differently next year, here are 6 questions to ask yourself if considering snow removal services in 2017.

First, it’s important that you get a company that specializes in commercial snow removal, and not just residential. Commercial jobs are typically much larger, and as such residential snow removal companies are not equipped to handle it. Larger commercial snow removal service providers also invest in their team’s training and certifications to keep your property from being damaged and to lower your risk of slip-and-fall lawsuits.

Here are 6 questions to ask yourself when trying to decide if you need a professional commercial snow plowing service.

1. Will you have 24/7 snow removal? If a big storm hits during the night, will you have a snow removal emergency plan in place to make sure it’s cleared by the time your business opens? Professionals make sure you get that plan in writing.
2. Is the job too big for one person? Big storms take big equipment and ice melt knowledge to make sure you have exactly what is needed for that day’s specific mix of snow, ice and cold. If you just have one person running a snow blower or snow plow on your property, will they have the knowledge and time to get the job done right?
3. What’s the best efficiency? Is moving snow the best use of your employee’s time? Would their time be better spent doing work that is more pertinent to your business? Think about the time it will take for your employees to do the job, and whether or not this is a good use of their time.
4. Do you really want to store and maintain equipment? Snow removal equipment takes up a lot of space and needs regular maintenance. Does it really make sense for you to take that all on yourself? And what if you break down during the storm? You won’t have back up like a professional snow removal company would have.
5. Is there a potential for injury? When the ground is covered in snow and ice, this can make for dangerous conditions. Are you willing to be held responsible if someone slips in your parking lot because you did not clear it properly? Or if an employee injuries themselves while clearing the snow? You can avoid a lawsuit by letting a certified professional snow removal service handle it for you.
6. Do you have experience with the right ice melt chemicals? Removing ice isn’t as simple as finding some rock salt and spreading it across your parking lot. You need to know which chemicals should be used based on the moisture in the air and temperatures – and how much ice melt is needed. Using too much ice melt is bad for the environment and your landscaping, using too little is dangerous.

After taking in all of these considerations, you should have a good idea if you need to hire a professional snow removal service. If the answer is yes and you are located in the Grand Rapids or Lansing areas, we would love to work with you! You can contact us at any time, and we can tell you about the services we offer.