SNOW AND ICE SYMPOSIUM

SIMA celebrates

BY CHERYL HIGLEY SIMA, Director of Education and Content

The Snow & Ice Management Association (SIMA) celebrated the 25th anniversary of its Snow and Ice Symposium June 21-24, 2022. The Symposium took place in the association’s hometown of

Milwaukee, Ohio, and featured over 25 education sessions, two facility tours, 140+ trade show exhibitors and a myriad of networking receptions. More than 2,200 people attended the four-day event.

The last traditional Symposium was hosted in 2019. SIMA navigated the COVID-19 pandemic with a virtual event in 2020 and four smaller “roadshow” events in 2021.

“It was great to be back together in our traditional symposium format for 2022,” SIMA CEO Martin Tirado said. “We missed seeing so many of our Canadian members over the past few years and were happy to have them back at the Best Show in Snow.”

Show highlights

Facility tours: A sold-out crowd weathered temperatures over 37 degrees Celsius for tours of two premier Milwaukee facilities: Winter Services, a snow-only service provider; and the manufacturing and distribution facilities of Western Snowplows.

Off-balance opening keynote: The event officially opened with a rousing keynote address from Dan Thurmon, who encouraged attendees to shift their mindset from fear of change to seeing it as an opportunity to lead, grow, and transform.

Strategic planning sessions: The show’s “out of this world” theme took shape at strategic planning sessions that encouraged people to define their “moonshots” and to work with their peers to create plans to make them happen. Education sessions: Workshops and education sessions were presented by industry experts and snow and ice peers on a variety of topics, including: leadership, sales, automation, liquids, recruiting and retention, operational efficiencies and more.

Trade show: The industry’s largest trade show for snow management pros featured nearly 150 exhibitors showcasing the latest products and services.

Networking: The symposium is an ideal space to make new connections and build relationships. This year’s event included two snack and chats, four role-focused roundtable events, three SIMA After Hours parties and an anniversary celebration. The week wrapped up with an outing to Summerfest, the World’s Largest Music Festival, on the shores of Lake Michigan.

The 2023 Snow and Ice Symposium is scheduled for July 13-16 in Hartford, CT. Learn more about SIMA at www.sima.org.

Best Companies to Work for in Snow and Ice Snow and Ice All-Star Office Professional of the Year

MARKHAM PROPERTY SERVICES

MARKHAM, ONT.

MONSTER PLOWING COMPANY

TORONTO, ONT.

ANAHITA REZAZADEH

MARKHAM PROPERTY SERVICES

Canadian companies and employees were among those honoured during the SIMA Snow & Ice Symposium’s awards ceremony.

The Best Places to Work in Snow and Ice Award recognizes companies that are focused on empowering their workforce and promoting our industry as one in which you can build successful and rewarding careers. This annual award is bestowed on companies that meet or exceed certain criteria related to company culture, leadership, training and personnel support and engagement.

The Snow and Ice All-Stars recognize team members who work behind the scenes and in the field to ensure their company’s success.

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