Pick a Vendor…Any Vendor

 

There have been many times I have potential clients talking about how difficult finding a “worthwhile” vendor for their lawn care and snow removal needs is.

In my 8 years of experience in dealing with residential and commercial lawn care, I have found far too many clients who in the past have had negative experiences with their vendors that could have been prevented with a little bit more consideration into their decision process. In the following paragraphs I hope to better educate you on how to find a vendor for your property that will fit not only your needs, but hopefully, also your budgets.

A.) Find a reputable vendor.

In today’s electronic age it is not hard to find out information about a potential vendor. There are many websites online that operate solely on the idea of helping you find a service provider. Read the reviews and more importantly, look to see if there is a vendor response to them. Of course you can also contact the BBB or the state to find out if there are any past or current issues.

Do not forget to also look into how long they have been in business, have they changed their company name for any reason? If so, pay attention to how many times they have changed their name, over three times in 10 years should be a red flag. And most importantly of all, make sure they hold all of the licensure and insurance requirement mandated for our industry

B.) Get EVERYTHING in writing.

I am surprised at how many clients are willing to work with a vendor on a hand shake or verbal agreement. Make sure there is a detailed agreement drawn up between you and the vendor as to what services will be performed and when.

Also pay attention to the quality of the paperwork they submit to you. I always tell clients that the more detailed that the paperwork is, the more attention to detail the service provider will give. If you are signing a 12 month contract that is a one page document, think for a minute and ask your self “Can everything I want done on my property over the next 12 months really be condensed into a one page document?”

C.) Be specific, very specific.

More often than I find comfortable, I am approached by an client to provide a proposal for service on their property and when I inquire as to their needs and specifications the response I tend to receive is “What ever you think we need” or “I am not sure, just go with what the last guy did”. A few important variables that can change your contract price dramatically are the following:

-         Turf Applications (how many per season)

-         Irrigation (do you want monthly inspections)

-         Shrub and  Hedge Trimming (can range from once a season to monthly)

-         Snow Trigger Depth (at what amount of snow do you want service)

-         Lot salting ( who will decide if you need salt on your property)

All of these things can mean the difference of thousands of dollars a year in your costs. Make sure you have very strong specification set for your vendors.

D.) Who will be on your property?

In many cases during the warm months, your lawn care vendor will be on your property on a weekly basis for mowing. If the vendor you are choosing does not have strict hiring guidelines it could lead to some major issues should something go wrong? Make sure that your vendor’s employees are properly trained for one, if the job requires it; make sure they are licensed through the proper authority at local and state levels.

Another item that is more and more prevalent lately is the use of subcontractors. From my personal experience, I am unwilling to use subcontractors on my job sites because I have found it is hard to control the quality of work to ensure the necessary results. It also means to me that the vendor that uses a subcontractor is nothing more than a middleman. And I am doubtful that the middleman is paying the subcontractor the same price that he is charging you. I will leave it to you to make your own decision, just keep in mind that you have all the right to require your vendor not use subcontractors to service your property.

E.) Communication is the silver bullet!

When ever I hear about a failure on the part of a snow removal and lawn care vendor, it can often be traced back to a collapse in communication between the vendor and the client. I once had a client give me a 2 paged typed list of all of the “issues” they had with their last vendor. When I inquired if they ever brought these up to their prior vendor they told me they saw the vendor when they signed the agreement but after that day never saw him on the property, the client rarely ever received responses to their emails or phone calls, and only ever heard from him when they held payment on their bill.

Make sure that your vendor has an open and available communication program set up for you. This is one item that I myself am very aware our industry has not been the best at. I personally believe that as a lawn care and snow removal vendor, we need to be available to our clients. Ask if there is a 24 hour line for emergencies, inquire as to how often a member of management will be on site, and find out how often they perform quality audit checks. If any of the answers they give are not the amount you think your property requires, ask them to change them. The vendor that will not be on site when you want them to be might not be the vendor you want on your property in the first place.

There are many other little items here and there that make one vendor stand out from another but I only have so much room for this article. Overall, when deciding on a lawn care and snow removal vendor, sometimes your “gut” is one of the best tools to use. If something just does not seem right or sound right, there is a good chance that feeling is something worth putting stock in and you might not want to go further with that vendor.

To re-cap, make sure to do your research, be specific in your needs, ensure any promises and agreements are in writing, find out whom and how often they will be on your property, and make sure there is an open channel of communication with your vendor. If you follow those five guidelines, everything else should fall into place and you will have a snow and lawn care vendor that is a great addition to your team.

It’s Coming!!!

For those of us that have not been living under a rock over the weekend, we all are aware of the frenzy the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area meteorologists have been in. One in particular that I have been keeping track of very closely over the past 3 days has me worried about his mental state. Never could I imagine someone being so back and forth on what their final decision is (except maybe a politician).

No matter how the next 72 hours play out, we will be getting a plowable snow event larger than most of what we have seen here in the metro this year. This season has been fairly mild when it comes to snow falls, last year on today’s date we had over 65 inches of snow to date we are barely over 15 inches of the white stuff.

It takes a lot to surprise a snow contractor, we have seen and been through a lot of different snow events. But we are always amazed at the level of disregard for the elements we see on the roads every year as we are driving from site to site and seeing tail lights in every ditch along the way.  With that in mind, Green Stuff Outdoor Services would like to give you some vehicle tips on how to handle a large accumulation snow event. Your safety is of importance to us, and some simple vehicle and driving trips can make a huge difference during a snow event.

If you have not already, make sure to prepare your car for winter.

• Check the ignition, brakes, wiring, hoses and fan belts.
• Changing and adjusting the spark plugs.
• Checking the air, fuel and emission filters, and the PCV valve.
• Checking the battery.
• Checking the tires for air, sidewall wear and tread depth.
• Checking antifreeze levels.

Your car should have a tune-up (check the owner’s manual for the recommended interval) to ensure better gas mileage, quicker starts and faster response on pick-up and passing power (which comes in handy when trying to avoid being part of an “incident”).

An emergency situation on the road can arise at any time and you must be prepared. In addition to making sure you have the tune-up, a full tank of gas, and fresh anti-freeze, you should carry the following items in your trunk: Properly inflated spare tire, wheel wrench and tripod-type jack, shovel, jumper cables, bag of salt or cat litter, tool kit.

It is also a safe idea to make sure you have a preparedness kit put together in case you are stuck in your vehicle for an extended period of time. According to the National Safety Council here is a short list of a well stocked vehicle emergency kit:

• Working flashlight and extra batteries
• Reflective triangles and brightly-colored cloth
• Compass
• First aid kit
• Exterior windshield cleaner
• Ice scraper and snow brush
• Wooden stick matches in a waterproof container
• Scissors and string/cord
• Non-perishable, high-energy foods like unsalted canned nuts, dried fruits, and hard candy.
• In addition, if you are driving long distances under cold, snowy, and icy conditions, you should also carry supplies to keep you warm such as heavy woolen mittens, socks, a cap and blankets.

And most importantly of all if you become stranded pay attention to the following tips:

• Do not leave your car unless you know exactly where you are, how far it is to possible help, and are certain you will improve your situation.
• To attract attention, light two flares and place one at each end of the car a safe distance away. Hang a brightly colored cloth from your antenna.
• If you are sure the car’s exhaust pipe is not blocked, run the engine and heater for about 10 minutes every hour or so depending upon the amount of gas in the tank.
• To protect yourself from frostbite and hypothermia use the woolen items and blankets to keep warm.
• Keep at least one window open slightly. Heavy snow and ice can seal a car shut.

We can not emphasize enough the importance of staying with your vehicle. During “white out conditions” it is difficult to see a pedestrian walking on the side of the roads, and if it is a major highway, it is even harder to see you due to speed and the pure fact that our brains are not accustom to seeing pedestrians on highways in the first place. As my father says to me all the time. “Be prepared, and more importantly, be alert. We need more lerts in this world.”

Love Your Lawn

Valentine’s Day, the one day a year that we shower those we care about with gifts and adoration. Americans will spend on average $48.00 each on this holiday alone between chocolates, flowers and cards all to prove to those we love that they are our “one and only”.

Last year I made the mistake of believing that my better half was okay with us “skipping” Valentine’s Day. I bought no card, no chocolates and no flowers. I thought everything was fine, until I heard her talking with a girlfriend about how sad she was that she was not celebrating Valentine’s Day because I was “being a humbug” about what I consider a “strictly commercial holiday”. I made up for it plenty this year because I was smart enough not to make the same mistakes twice. For some of us though, the proverbial ball will be “dropped” and we will have to suffer the wrath of our loved one’s reminding us for weeks to come about our shortcomings.

Not much different than our loved ones getting on our case is the way our lawns remind us of our failures of last season. Some of us did not mow at the right height or water enough, or apply the right combination of fertilizers and weed control. As we see spring coming up on the horizon, we should all be planning on what we are going to do with our lawns this year to avoid the mistakes of last year. An easy way to combat last year’s shortcomings is to remember the 2-3-4 rule. Your turf should get TWO inches of water each week minimum, it should be mowed to be kept of a height of THREE inches, and you should be applying a fertilizer and or weed control product to your lawn a minimum of FOUR times per season.

If you adhere to the 2-3-4 rule you can guarantee that your lawn will be happy, vibrant and healthy all because you took the time, paid attention to it, and showed it a little care.

For more information or questions, please feel free to contact any of the Green Stuff Outdoor Services employees. We would be more than happy to help in improving the relationship you have with your lawn. As we always say, when your property looks good, we both look good.

The snow has arrived… now for the ice dams.

The snow has finally arrived here in the Minneapolis and St. Paul metro area and it is of this individuals belief that it is here to stay for the rest of the season. With that in mind there are certain little nuances of a Minnesota winter we all need to be aware of. The first of which are ice dams.

According to Wikipedia, here is an short explanation of what an ice dam is and how it builds:

An ice dam can occur when snow accumulates on the slanted roof of a house with inadequate insulation. Heat conducted through the insufficient insulation and warm air from the attic bypasses warms the roof and melts the snow on those areas of the roof that are above living spaces, but does not melt the snow on roof overhang. Melt-water flows down the roof, under the blanket of snow, onto the eave and into the gutter, where colder conditions on the overhang cause it to freeze. Eventually, ice accumulates along the eave and in the gutter. Snow that melts later cannot drain properly through the ice on the eave and in the gutter, resulting in leaks to the roof space resulting in damaged ceilings, walls, roof structure and insulation.

Here is a quick diagram to help you visualize the scenario:

Now that is a “short and sweet” explanation of ice dams, but there is nothing sweet about them if you end up with them on your home this season.

There are a couple different ways to prevent and manage ice dams on your roof. The cheapest and easiest way to prevent the build up of ice dams on your roof is to ensure that all of the snow is removed from the edges of your roof. Investing in a quality roof rake should only set you back between $30-60 which is small potatoes compared to the cost of replacing your roof, or dealing with water damage in your home. Most big box retail home improvement centers and hardware stores have them on hand.

Another way to prevent ice dams is a little bit more labor intensive, and much pricier, but can be a huge time saver.  Electric gutter and roof heating cables could be a worthwhile investment ($45 per 100 feet) if there are portions of your roof that are no reachable with a rake or you do not want to bother with raking your roof after each storm. They should be installed in the fall after you have “winterized” your home and will provide season long control of the snow on your roofs.

Now should you not head this warning and down the road you notice ice dams on your roof, take them seriously! Call a professional to come out and “steam” the ice off. It is the safest and fastest way to address the issue. If not properly taken care of, it could lead to thousands of dollars in costly repairs if you end up with water damage in your roof, attic, or walls. There are many reputable companies for ice dam removal here in the twin cities, just make sure to do your research before hand.

Welcome to A Snow Drought

It should come as no surprise that this has been a very different year than last year in regards to the snow fall amounts. As of the date of this post, in 2011 the Minneapolis and St. Paul Metropolitan area had an average of 60.4 inches of snowfall*, this year for 2012 our area is at approximately 10.3 inches of snow fall*. Our average snow fall amounts for a season (November to March) is approximately 46.3 inches of snow fall*. That being said, we are more than 3 feet of snow short of where our region normally sits.

As a snow removal contractor, I feel the pain of lack of snow this year and I sympathize with the ski resorts, snowmobile riders, winter sports shops, and those trying to maintain backyard ice rinks. But my heart goes out to the farmers and the nurseries because my friends, we are in a sever snow drought.

Many people only attribute droughts to summer and fall, and those can be very serious when it comes to the agricultural industry. However, a snow drought can be just as, if not more, painful on our farmers and nurseries in this state.

Let me share and exerpt from an article I read on accuweather.com:

The lack of snowcover across portions of the Midwest might spell “big trouble” for winter wheat yield later this year.

“If there is an arctic cold outbreak with below-zero temperatures, that could cause big problems for winter wheat, which is planted in the fall and goes dormant in the winter. Subzero cold could cause stunted growth and reduce the production for this year’s wheat crop,” according to Expert Senior Agricultural Meteorologist Dale Mohler.

AccuWeather.com meteorologists believe that a changer in the weather pattern is on the horizon, and more cold waves might penetrate the U.S.

Snowcover actually acts to insulate winter wheat from arctic cold snaps, keeping the soil temperature closer to freezing rather than subzero.

Mohler said the lack of storms and mild weather are the factors that have left winter wheat vulnerable.

Most of the other crops of the Midwest should not be damaged by the lack of snowcover. However, many crops in this region rely on moisture from melting snow during the spring. If there is a snow deficit in the winter followed by a dry spring, that would be bad news for other crops as well.

Meghan Evans – Meteorologist Accuweather.com

Here is to hoping we some how find 30+ some odd inches of snow in the next 10 weeks.

* Snow fall data pulled from University of Minnesota Climatology Group Website

Apples to Cucumbers

The common phrase “comparing apples to oranges” does not even come close to explaining what a lawn care bid process is like for a property manager or owner who does not have set specifications to bid against. At least in the case of apples v. oranges, they are both fruits, so they are somewhat close. No, without specifications, I have seen too many home owner associations, property management companies, and other property owners struggle with comparing competing bids, more like comparing apples to a cucumber.

This time of year, many individuals responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of a property are starting the process to find an exterior maintenance contractor for the upcoming lawn care season. The start of that process is creating a list of qualified contractors, and requesting a bid from them. It is right there, in the bid request, that it seems to start becoming an arduous task for many. A large portion of frustration for these individuals is often that the competing bids have differing service levels, application amounts, and so on.

As an example, we had received a bid request via our website last fall for an association in the south west suburbs of the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area. The only thing the website inquiry stated was that this HOA was requesting a bid from us for a 12 month service agreement. I contacted the individual who submitted the request and inquired about the specifications for their specific property. Here is how that conversation went:

My Self: Thank you for the bid request, we would be happy to put some numbers together for you, do you have a second for me to ask some quick questions?

Board Member: Yes.

My Self: Do you have a copy of your association’s specifications I can build a  proposal off of?

Board Memeber: What do you mean?

My Self: Do you have a document that you are giving to all of the contractor candidates that details the level of service you want on your property?

Board Member: Oh…No… we just want the lawn mowed, and the snow removed.

My Self: Okay, do you want to include shrub trimming and spring and winter clean ups?

Board Member: Yeah, that sounds good.

My Self: What about fertilizing the turf and treating for weeds, how often do you have that done?

Board Member: How often should we get it done?

My Self: It is really up to each association, it depends on how much concern there is regarding color and weeds in your turf.

Board Member: Okay… well… just put down however many you think we will need.

My Self: Okay… well regarding the snow removal, what trigger depth would you like?

Board Member: What? I don’t get it.

My Self: At what snow fall amount do you want us to come out and clear the property?

Board Member: I don’t know, whenever it snows I guess.

This went on for around another 10 minutes with the board member continuing to tell me “just bid for what you think we need” or “I don’t know, what do you think?”.

After going through the same process with a couple other contractors all asking the same questions and receiving the same answers of “I don’t know” and “Do what you think is best”. The association ended up receiving proposals from 5 different companies ranging in service levels from a 3″ snow trigger to a 1/2″ snow trigger, 2 fertilizer applications to 7 fertilizer applications, no pruning to monthly pruning during the season. To top it off, because the service levels were all over the place, so was the pricing. The five bids they received ranged from $10k or 12 months to $35K for 12 months. The association board was dumbfounded and did not know how to go forward.

I am not sure exactly what the end results were, as Green Stuff Outdoor Services was not awarded the contract. But I can guarantee you that if that association does not change the way they bid their contracts, every year will get more and more difficult for them to decide which bid to go with.

If this is an issue that you worry about within your organization, contact me at Green Stuff Outdoor Services and I would be more than happy to assist you in creating a set of specifications for your property. There is no cost to you, and no obligation to even have Green Stuff included in your next bid process. We just want to help make the bidding process easier for you. Contact me today at either ridgley@greenstufflawn.com or 763.553.7711 and ask for Ryan Ridgley.