Sunday, April 22

Education Sessions

Kick off the Snow Conference by attending one of these three power-packed sessions that will energize you for the rest of the week! Experts will discuss best practices for snow and ice control, creative staffing solutions for operator shortage, and anti-icing strategies. These sessions will engage a high level of audience interaction, so come prepared with your questions and experiences to share.

Key Elements of Snow and Ice Control: Roads, Money and the Environment
Speakers: Andrew Kubista and Kathleen Schaefer, Minnesota Department of Transportation, St. Paul, MN
This highly interactive session will focus on the recently produced Snow and Ice Control Field Handbook for Snowplow Operators. The handbook was developed to promote understanding of tools, best practices, and limitations for snow and ice control. The presentation will be broken into three segments. The first segment will address Roads, and audience members will have a chance to share best practices and circumstances unique to their particular region. The same sequencing will be repeated for the topics of Money and the Environment. Come prepared to share!

Who's Minding the Plow? Staffing Solutions
Speakers: Norm Ashfeld, Minnesota Department of Transportation, Roseville, MN; Mike Kennedy, City of Minneapolis, MN; Peter Joneth, City of Milwaukee, WI and John Maczko, City of Saint Paul, MN
Moderator: Thomas Eggum, TKDA, Saint Paul, MN
Due to shrinking budgets and workforce, many agencies are experimenting with creative ways to supplement their plow operator line-ups. Solutions range from looking around the maintenance shop for additional drivers, to going as far as using such non-traditional staff as engineering technicians. Have these ideas worked? Find out in this interactive session, where "thinking outside the box" is a must. So come prepared to share your questions, ideas and experiences on how to best utilize the workforce.

Anti-Icing Strategies
Speakers: Dennis Burkheimer, Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames, IA; Layton Lamb, City of Charlotte, NC
Whether you are just starting an anti-icing program, or you are looking to improve your existing one, join this session to hear the success stories and challenges from the experts. This session will cover three main areas of anti-icing: starting an anti-icing program; choosing a deicer liquid; and pushing anti-icing to the limits. So, start your day off right by sharing, listening, and learning about anti-icing!

Opening General Session

Dynamic Leadership is No "Sleight of Hand"
Speaker: Dave Horsager

Click here for a description of Dave Horsager's presentation.