Snow Removal Success Starts with Equipment

Success in the snow removal business starts with good equipment. That allows everything else to fall nicely into place.

That’s the way Matthew Presti, owner of Prestige Paving, Halifax, Nova Scotia, looks at his prosperous wintertime enterprise. He owns four Bobcat® skid-steer loaders — a 751, 753, S185 and S220 — purchased from Bobcat Atlantic, along with several attachments including snowblowers and snow buckets.

The 27-year-old Presti purchased his first Bobcat loader while in high school. “I’ve had Bobcat equipment since my first day in business,” he says. “That’s because it’s the best by far. I have operated every piece of equipment on the market. Some have impressed me in some ways, but I always stay with Bobcat. A couple of years ago a competitive dealer gave me a machine to try. Four of my operators tested it and within an hour rejected it.

“Bobcat loaders keep getting better and better,” Presti continues. “I will spend a little more money every year to keep up with technology. I keep adding newer, more advanced Bobcat equipment. For example, the two-speed drive system helps me make more money because I can get work completed faster. Same with the snow buckets. By going to 88- and 100-inch buckets I have been able to cut snow removal time in half. That’s what keeps Bobcat No. 1.”

For Presti, Good Equipment Means:

More business.

“Our snow removal customers — nursing homes, shopping centers and small strip malls — evaluate all our equipment before we get a contract. Every year we have to provide a list of equipment, including name of manufacturer and size of machines. My customers want to make sure we can get the job done. They don’t want to hire someone who arrives with an old piece of equipment that is all beat up and barely running. The image we present — clean, dependable Bobcat loaders — plays a big role in getting snow removal contracts.

More hours out of operators.

“For snow removal you need operators who will get up at 2 a.m. If you are putting a guy in a beat-up machine or a machine that can’t do the work, he is not going to enjoy his job. And he will likely not show up or he will quit.

“With Bobcat loaders my crew actually enjoys coming to work. Some guys even leave other landscaping firms and come to work with me in the winter because of the Bobcat equipment. I order my machines with enclosed, heated and air-conditioned cabs, along with suspension seats. They are a pleasure to operate.”

In addition to snow removal, Prestige Paving’s 10 year-round employees do paving and landscaping. They are joined by another 5 – 8 employees in the winter.

When Presti adds to his equipment inventory he doesn’t look at dollars any more. “I know Bobcat equipment will make me money. I’ve seen too many people purchase less expensive equipment. Where are they today? Sitting on the side of the road with a broken machine or out of business.

“I expect my company to keep growing,” Presti says. “Dependable equipment and dependable employees allow me to take on more work. The key to success: if you have the right equipment you will have the right customers.”