By Phil Harwood

If you’ve ever been on steroids, you probably remember it because they are amazing. I’ve only been on them a few times in my life. Each time was a game-changer in terms of how they made an immediate impact. Each time, I was having a fairly serious medical condition and the steroids provided not only immediate relief but changed the future course toward healing and recovery. 

Steroids come in different forms. My first encounter was with a steroid shot in the shoulder. I had messed up my shoulder playing hockey and the pain was unbearable. The shot was even worse when it was being administered. But the healing started immediately and soon afterward I was back to normal. It was like a miracle. 

In this blog, I am going to make a bold statement: attending a Snowfighters Institute event is professional development on steroids. Our post-event attendee surveys confirm this to be true. 

If one of the most pressing issues in our industry today is holding onto talented people, I would highly encourage you to send your people to the Snowfighters Institute for training and professional development. We know that this leads to higher levels of engagement, productivity, and retention. 

There are three more in-person Snowfighters Institute events for 2024:

• Operations Management, July 24-25, in Milwaukee, WI, hosted by Western Plows
• Forum for Sales, August 14-15, in Novi, MI, hosted by Hot Pink Deicer
• Operations Management, September 11-12, in Leesport, PA, held at Storks Plows, and hosted by Western Plows

Registration for all events is open at snowfightersinstitute.com. 

OPS Management in Milwaukee is in two weeks but it’s not too late to register. We still have a limited number of spots available. 

OPS Management is a two-day deep-dive into all things related to snow operations. Attendees will learn:

• How to prepare for upcoming snow or ice events
• How to more effectively manage events
• How to handle post-event procedures
• Which operational metrics are most important
• How subcontracting may be optimized
• How to select and manage equipment
• Better strategies for recruiting 
• How to be a better leader
• How site planning may be optimized  
• How to better understand weather information
• How to conduct a mock storm
• How to integrate special operations 
• And more!

Who should attend OPS Management? Anyone involved in the planning or management of snow events: operations managers, account managers, field supervisors, area managers, snow commanders, site captains, owners, etc. 

If you’re unsure about attending, or sending your people, let’s talk. Shoot me an email at phil@growthebench.com. I’ll walk you through what the experience is all about and answer your questions. 

Now go forth.