Snowfighters Institute Podcast

Jason Kane, National Sales Manager for Midwest Salt with over 14 years in the industry, joins Phil to share his journey from responding to a Craigslist ad to becoming a logistics expert in the salt supply chain. From explaining why salt is more of a commodity than people want to admit, to breaking down the complex journey from mine to contractor's truck, to learning hard lessons from contract mistakes, Jason reveals why curiosity drives knowledge, why customer service runs everything, and why being smart and truthful with suppliers is the foundation of success in this industry. Snow Fighters Institute Snowfighters Youtube Channel ⭐️ Leave us a review! 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, logist...

Stephanie Leveling, Brand Ambassador for Boss by Integra with over 30 years in the landscape and snow industries, joins Phil to share her journey.  From discussing why snow contractors are professionals making massive investments before the first snowflake flies, to the importance of job costing data and supporting women in the trades, Stephanie reveals why proper software implementation is a marriage not a fling, and why turning into the storm instead of running from it has defined her career. Snow Fighters Institute Snowfighters Youtube Channel ⭐️ Leave us a review! 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...

Listen in as Phil Harwood interviews Jeen Stork from Stork's Plows about Snow Alliance, April 25-26, hosted by Stork's Plows at their Leesport, PA facility. If you're in the snow business, you will not want to miss 2025 Snow Alliance. 

Listen in as Phil Harwood interviews Nataly Mualem, an attorney specializing in employment immigration. She is the founder of the Mualem Firm (mualemfirm.com). Her firm provides employment solutions for businesses throughout the United States, including snow contractors. If you're in need of a new source of workers, you will not want to miss this episode. 

Listen in as Phil Harwood interviews Ted Lucia, President of Lucia Landscaping about his company's approach to snow & ice management, the snow industry, organizational culture, and more.   

Listen in as Phil Harwood interviews Levi Jett about Mock Storm Training, a methodology based on military principles and applied to our industry. Levi is the founder of Jett Facility Consultants and will be presenting in person at OPS Management, September 11-12, 2024 at Storks Plows. 

Listen in as Phil Harwood interviews Mike Cossins, President of The Integra Group and developer of Boss Software, and Tyler Johnson, Business Coordinator with Curbside Landscape & Irrigation, about using Boss Software for snow. By making significant investments in its capabilities and by engaging with Boss users involved in snow, Boss has developed a robust solution for snow contractors. This episode is insightful and fast-moving.  Enjoy. 

Join Phil Harwood as he interviews Jason Case, CEO of Case Facility Management Solutions. Listen in as Jason shares his inspiring story and perspective on a wide range of topics. 

Join Phil Harwood as he invites Tom Canete back for a follow up conversation about business strategy and more. Tom is the owner of Canete Snow Management and several other businesses. Based in New Jersey, Canete Snow Management is the provider of choice for MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and the New York Jets. 

Listen in as Phil Harwood interviews Tyler Jabaay from Priority Landscape & Maintenance, serving northwest Indiana, Chicagoland, and West Michigan.  Tyler's story is filled with timeless and enduring lessons about business, family, and living life to its fullest, along with some inspiring takeaways for your business. 

Listen in as your host, Phil Harwood, interviews snow business icon, Troy Clogg about his snow business, the snow industry, Hot Pink Deicer and Hot Pink Helpers, and, of course, Snowfighters Institute, as Hot Pink Deicer is a Platinum Sponsor and host of the Forum for Sales, being held August 14-15, 2024 in Novi, MI (Detroit area). 

Listen in as Phil Harwood interviews Jeen Stork from Stork's Plows (storksplows.com). With the world's largest inventory of new and used snow plows and snow plow parts, Stork's is truly an industry leader. On this podcast, Jeen shares his story about growing up in a family business, how the business has evolved over the years, and business succession. Also, learn about upcoming events at Stork's, including Snowfighters Institute OPS Management, September 11-12, 2024.   

Listen in as Phil Harwood interviews Lisa Rose of Allin / Rose Consulting (allinrose.com). Lisa brings a unique perspective, as she combines a legal background with years of experience in the snow industry. She will be a presenter at this year's SIMA Symposium in Hartford, CT. 

Listen in as Phil Harwood interviews Chris Pegnia, co-founder and Vice President of Busy Beaver Lawn & Garden, located just outside of Buffalo, NY about his experience with two massive snow storms that dropped 180" of snow in just these two storms. Here about Chris and his team managed their way through it and what they learned. 

Listen in as Neal and Phil discuss what's coming up in 2023 at Forum for Sales (May & July) and Operations Management (June & September). 

Listen in as Snowfighters Institute Managing Partner, Phil Harwood, interviews  Elizabeth Bonadonna, CSP, President of Busy Beaver Lawn and Garden of Buffalo, NY, about the history of her company, acquisition of retail market, hitting the speaking scene, and, of course, SNOW! 

Listen in as Snowfighters Institute Managing Partner, Phil Harwood, interviews Mike Hilborn, owner of RTD Snow Plowing and Roof-To-Deck Restoration, based in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Mike shares his story about starting his business and how it grew into a multi-faceted service business in both the residential and commercial segments, along with his perspectives about association involvement, professional development, and lessons learned along the way.  

Listen in as Snowfighters Institute Managing Partner, Phil  Harwood, interviews Levi Jett, CEO of Jett Facility Consulting, author of the book, Preparing the Snowfighter: a guide to SNOCON and the MSTS!, available at Amazon.com, and retired military veteran. 

Listen in as Snowfighters Institute Managing Partner, Phil Harwood, interviews Tom Canete, President & CEO of Canete Landscape and Snow Management, based in Wayne, NJ. In this episode, Tom shares about how he was inspired, how his values were shaped, and how he built his business at a young age.  As a snow industry icon with almost 40 years of industry experience, Tom also shares some great advice about the snow business and tells about what it's like to staff up to 400+ people to provide snow & ice management services at MetLife Stadium. 

Listen in as Snowfighters Institute Managing Partner, Phil Harwood, interviews David Lammers from Garden Grove Landscaping, based in Waterdown, Ontario. David and his brother, Paul, started their company in 1990 and have over 30 years of hands-on experience. In this podcast, we explore the topics of working in a partnership with a family member, building a culture based on values, and focusing on a clear strategic direction.