Alaska snow symposium: modernization of snow and ice removal.

• Author: Anderson, Tom
• Position: SERVICES

On any given winter morning, as snow lightly blankets the state, government employees and private contractors are likely hard at work plowing snow. From sidewalk to street, parking lot to highway, most of us don't pay attention to the process, nor consider the enormity of removing so much snow so swiftly.

While were inattentive to the minutiae of plowing, we surely enjoy getting to our destination on time because of a clear, safe road.

'Let It Snow'

When it comes to Alaskans who hope for snowfall, there's no one singing Sammy Cahn's "Let it Snow" louder than Jeannie Schenderline.

Raised in Anchorage and the daughter of electrical contractors, Schenderline grew up in the construction trades. She and her husband came upon an opportunity to enter the market in 1990, purchasing a grounds maintenance company named Jeffco. One of Jeffco's services was snow removal.

Things weren't easy for Schenderline back then. The market was tight, snow plowing was male dominated, and she was raising her toddler while performing the same work and hours as her crew. Distracted and overwhelmed, after the first season she lost several long-time clients cultivated by the previous owner. That was just the first year and it was an eye-opener to the realities of the fickle business of snow.

Schenderline was determined to succeed and thrive. "It took time and persistence. People in the snow plowing industry simply didn't believe in a woman doing this kind of work back in the 1990s. It was male-dominated for so long," she recalls. "I didn't care and kept pushing. Jeffco grew substantially. We've provided a quality service and products to our clients, which has been gratifying."

Schenderline started with a crew of four: herself and three employees. Fast-forward almost twenty-seven years and she now has twenty-five employees with satellite offices in Fairbanks, Mat-Su, and Soldotna and headquarters in Anchorage. Jeffco also has the largest fleet of arctic sectional snow pushers in the state.

"It was a slow-build centered on being reliable and dependable. Solid employees, engaged management, and me--someone who loves this industry--all made the difference," she says. The only element missing remained a source and venue through which to get updates on new technology, equipment, practices, and safety protocols. If a season or two experienced minimal to no snowfall, Schenderline wanted to stay current on other services and products to keep the snow businesses flowing.

Snow...