Snow removal business gets creative after warm Nebraska winters

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Snow removal used to be the wintertime focus for Yard Boss, which serves around 1,900 customers in the Lincoln and Crete areas.

But after a lack of snow in the past few years, the owner, Steve Delaney, said it’s not something the business can fall back on.

“We’re reliant on Mother Nature, and for the last few years, it’s been a pretty poor business to be in,” he said.

So instead, he improvised.

“In 2019, we started doing Christmas lights,” Delaney said.

In November and December, his employees put the lights up on houses.  Then, in January and February, they take them down and store them for customers.

And while it might seem like a slow time of year, Delaney said they can pick up other yardwork jobs.

“In the winter, when it’s tough, we’ll do some leaf cleanups and things like that,” he said.

In February, even without snow, there’s plenty to get done.

“We are literally going through every piece of equipment,” Delaney said. “Every flat tire, bearing, pulley, belt that just doesn’t look brand-new and premium and like it’s going to last gets replaced.”

For now, it’s a good time to catch up with customers and go over any changes in service for the busy months to come.

He said business typically picks up in March, with fertilization and weed control.