Snow business keeps the lights on for some

EASTHAMPTON — While schools and businesses shuttered their doors for Thursday’s snowstorm, local landscaping companies warmed up their trucks for one of their most lucrative workdays of the winter season.

“It keeps the lights on in the winter, they say,” said Shim Washburn, 46, owner of Elite Concrete and Paving in Easthampton. “It’s very tough on us in the winter because this is the only thing we do.”

Washburn estimates that snow control accounts for about 20 percent of the company’s business, and can yield anywhere between $5,000 and $8,000 per storm. His company services about half a dozen commercial properties, including Eastworks in Easthampton, the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst and Florence Savings Bank’s main office in Northampton.

“In the winter, what else are you going to do but plow?” said Justin Pelis, the 39-year-old owner of North Country Landscapes and Garden Center in Westhampton. “It’s a necessary evil.”

Lawrence Johnson “LJ” Bara works part-time for North Country Landscapes. He woke up at 7 a.m. and waited for enough snow to accumulate before starting to shovel sidewalks at the Rockridge Retirement Community.

“I love this,” Bara said. “We spend the whole day out here. I’m making good money, and being out here with all the guys, it’s fun.”

Bara said he would work over 12 hours for the duration of the storm, go over the same spots two to three times, and make a “decent” amount of money. He said he knows many landscaping companies supplement their income with snow removal, because the winter is a dead season for most outdoor companies.

“It’s definitely good for jobs and people who don’t necessarily work all the time or get laid off in the winter,” Bara said. “Without it, you’re not getting as much cash flow.”

Pelis said winter storms provide his company with an opportunity to retain employees in the landscaping business off-season. By advertising as an all-season landscaping service, he said, his company can offer a more reliable and appealing way for commercial properties to handle their snow removal needs.

“It definitely helps pay the bills, that’s for sure,” Pelis said. “This business wouldn’t be here — it would be impossible without the snow.”

North Country Landscapes takes care of about a dozen commercial properties, working several hours after the snow stops to clear the last of it and finish it off with salt.

Washburn’s company employs six to 12 people between full-time, part-time and seasonal employees. Eight employees were working all day Thursday tending to some of their half-dozen commercial customers.

“It’s all hands on deck in this kind of weather,” said Andrew Mortimer, 50, owner of Advanced Small Engine Sales and Service in Florence.

The snow and cold can take a toll on company trucks and equipment, Pelis said, which is good news for Mortimer’s specialty business.

“We are very weather-dependent,” Mortimer said. “I need it to snow. I need machines breaking down.”

In the days preceding a snowstorm and immediately afterward, Mortimer said, his specialty business is in high demand. A snowblower tune-up costs about $100, with extra charges for pickup and delivery as some customers don’t have the trucks to transport them.

“Although you’d be surprised what people jam into a Subaru Forester,” Mortimer said.