HARRISVILLE, Utah — With a storm that could bring some snow to lower elevations in Northern Utah, businesses that rely on that accumulation are prepared and anxious to see what Mother Nature brings.
"Oh, I’m so excited, I’m ready for snow,” said Blake Noseworthy, a manager at Overland Lawn and Landscape. “I actually like plowing, I think it’s kind of fun, and it gets hard when it gets day in and day out nonstop, but I’m ready, I’m ready for some snow."
The company's trucks with snowplows have salt loaded and are ready to respond to commercial properties the company contracts with to remove snow.
"We have 14 trucks that we operate, and each one, every time we load a salter takes about 2,000 pounds of salt, and so we can burn through quite a bit,” said Carson Linsley, the owner at Overland Lawn and Landscape.
Depending on the storm, they can remove snow at 125-150 commercial properties in a few hours around Ogden.
But this winter has been slow for business so far. "Fortunately for us, we're in a position where we can put most of our guys on salary, so they get a base pay,” said Linsley. “But I remember starting out, having no winter, you’re counting on that. And so, it can impact you as a business owner and also your employees' lives."
Linsley said a slow winter like this doesn’t just reduce business when it comes to snow removal, but also brings challenges to the landscape side of their company in the summer. “So if there's less snow in the winter, then we have less water to work with in the summer, so it’s challenging on all fronts,” explained Linsley.
For now, Linsley hopes Mother Nature works in his favor. "We're crossing our fingers hoping for a little more snow here, January and February,” said Linsley. “But there are just so many variables that go into it. So, it’s definitely challenging; all we can do is prepare and wait."
