Snow Boot Camp: Field Day for Sidewalk Equipment Introduction

When the wintry snow is pounding the pavement, we have no time to acquaint ourselves with our machines. By then, it’s too late. Everyone knows the panic that sets in when a blizzard overcomes our communities, and we are looked to as a company that’s supposed to assuage the panic while providing steadfast commitment and support.

That’s why, as part of our Snow Boot Camp, we require team members to acquaint themselves with equipment, out in the field, before the winter sets in. During these next months, that’s exactly what we’ll do, substituting mulch for snow to simulate the impending wintry conditions.

Field Day

We kick off our field day training with educational classroom sessions. First and foremost, we make sure all TeamX members have downloaded the tech apps we use to coordinate properties and winter weather clearing services. During these classroom sessions, we go over basic practices and implementation of the apps with new hires, ensuring they have a total understanding of the technology.

Once the classroom portion is complete, it’s time to go out into the field. We go out into our property yard for hands-on training: which is the most important part of the training. First, we cover the sidewalk equipment, like ventracs and snowrators, going over how to operate it safely on any sidewalk.

Next, we cover:

Shovels/Shoveling: A lot more goes into shoveling than you might think. We go over proper shoveling practices, how to shovel, and what types of shovels to use with different kinds of snow.

Snowblowers: We have two different kinds of snowblowers here, requiring our staff to practice using them in a safe way.

Safety First: We require hires to demonstrate they know how to use all of the equipment safely, from start to finish, during these field day trainings.

For individuals that can’t make it to all of the classes, we offer two makeup sessions in the fall. It’s critical that our team undergo this rigorous training, both inside and outside the classroom, to be on par with the rest of us during the trying winter months. We use these off season months as times to catch up with everything else, training our team and onboarding new members, so we’re able to function as one well-oiled machine when the winter winds blow at our backdoors.

We look forward to another successful season of field day training with our esteemed TeamX.

Xtreme Snow Pros Among Few Companies Picked to Try Left Hand Robotics Sidewalk Machine

We had an exciting opportunity this week. The Xtreme Snow Pros team was one of the few in the entire country that has handpicked by Left Hand Robotics to try out a new and innovative invention: the Automated Sidewalk Machine.

SnowBot PRO

Called the SnowBot PRO, Left Hand Robotics has released the world’s first self-driving, commercial-class snow clearing robot, now operating at pilot custom locations across North America. The bot clears snow from sidewalks, dramatically reducing labor expense for snow management operators while producing better overall results. Additionally, leveraging such technology will help everyone to diminish the amount of slip-and-fall accidents that are attributed to snow and ice on sidewalks.

State-of-the-art technologies enable the GPS-navigated robot to operate autonomously to clear snowy sidewalks with down-to-the-inch accuracy. The bot comes with five types of sensors, including LIDAR and thermal sensors for safety. Customers can then monitor the robot’s progress in real-time from the web or mobile phone apps that are synced with the service.

Automating what was once a tedious, repetitive, and physically taxing snow clearing task, the robot is showing us that you can take something time consuming and make it a non-issue with a little technology. The company has already experienced great success with the amount of interested users, Xtreme Snow Pros definitely being among that list.

Based in Longmont, Colorado, Left Hand Robotics works hard to utilize technological resources and new ideas in the creation of their automated products. They work with innovative automation and advanced technology solutions to outdoor industries, thus allowing businesses to scale by reducing costs due to labor. They’ve been in the game for over 50-years. Happy to have collaborated with Xtreme Snow Pros, the two teams took some photos together as our winter clearing company enjoyed the full suite of benefits that come with the SnowBot PRO.

Our Technological Commitment

Being that we always leverage cutting edge technology to expedite our processes while providing better service to each and every one of our clients, we are constantly open to testing out new products, tools, and software that makes us the #1 winter weather clearing operation. This is how we stay ahead, which is why we had a great time collaborating with Left Hand Robotics. Technology is the way of the future, and we are open to integrating any and every new machine into our operation. Automated sidewalk clearing machines will become more popular in the future, and we plan to be an integral user in the coming years.

Xtreme Snow Pros Receive First Line of New Ventrac SSV Sidewalk Machines

We’re not happy unless we’re ahead of the pack, which means getting our hands on brand-new, never-before used sidewalk machines, straight out of the Ventrac Compact Tractors warehouse. We’ve been working with Ventrac for years, as a trusted provider of dependable and quality machinery we use to keep our clients and their properties safe. Uniquely superior, there isn’t any other tractor company out there that we would want to work with when it comes to these types of machines.

The Drop Off

Ventrac came by with their new line, red painted and squeaky clean, for a monumental drop-off at our New Jersey location. They even custom fitted our logo on the machines too! Working with Chris Marino and his input into what these new tractors should look like/offer users, we couldn’t believe our eyes when the finished product was brought to our doorstep. Four SSV Ventracs in total were delivered to us, with Chris happily in attendance, observing the finished product after months of collaboration between our entity and Ventrac. These four tractors were the first ones from their new line, which will now be made available to other interested patrons.

During the drop-off, a YouTube video was recorded, documenting Ventrac and Chris, as well as the drop-off and the features of the brand new machines. The YouTube video was recorded for their site, and will be used to highlight the kind of service and support they can provide winter weather clearing companies and entities today.

Our Commitment

We want to thank Ventrac for working hard alongside our company, always striving to achieve perfection. That is certainly the standard that we live up to as an operation, and we couldn’t make it possible without the companies that innovate and design the products we leverage and master on behalf of our clients. Winter weather is no joke, and we want to keep our clients’ commercial properties as safe and properly managed as possible.

Although the winter season is (hopefully) coming to an end, we are a year-round operation, constantly designing new services, stocking up on top performance equipment, and collaborating for new inventions that will help us make winters as navigable as possible for our clients.

Chris Marino Tours Sidewalk Management Ventrac Factory in Ohio

There’s a lot that goes into our comprehensive winter weather management services, and one big part of that is our ability to keep sidewalks clean and clear during snow and ice storms. Clients are most likely to slip and fall on the sidewalks leading into buildings, which is where the costly personal injury lawsuits can come from. As a snow and ice management company, we do everything in our power to ensure a lawsuit never befalls our commercial clients.

As such, we are always traveling, reading, and learning about best practices that withstand the Northeast’s brutal winter weather.

Ventrac

Last week, our owner, Chris Marino, went out to the Ventrac’s Factory in Orrville, Ohio to take a factory tour and learn more about their sidewalk management equipment line. Planning to discuss sidewalk management practices, optimized equipment, and future inventions that will improve the entire industry.

Xtreme Snow Pros relies heavily on Ventrac’s equipment for sidewalk management today. Ventrac is a reliable, American-made producer that offers site preparation, lead management, material loading and moving, aeration, brush mowing, sidewalk snow management, tractor management, and slope mowing solutions. Notable product advantages include turf distance, American-made, comfort and controls, weight transfer, powerful finish, and reliability that can withstand winter after winter.

Xtreme Snow Pros Commitment

We’re always preparing for the worst winter ever ahead, and that starts with understanding the equipment we own and how we can best prepare it for what lies ahead. Marino and other members of our executive team are constantly traveling to exhibitions, conferences, classes, and facilities to inspect the equipment we use and how it is officially assembled. Marino is on a mission to observe the entire assembly process from start to finish, as well as learn more about what truly goes into the development of sidewalk maintenance and management equipment.

A reliable snow and ice removal business is more than just a company with weather monitoring equipment. We need our product developers too for the most innovative snow fighting equipment designs.