Stormy weather: Plowing companies work around the clock
Dwindling snow blowers in high demand as region prepares for Tuesday's storm
The phones were ringing off the hook and customers were lined up outside the door at John Bare's store.
Bare, owner of HB Duvall in Frederick, which sells winter storm equipment such as salt spreaders, tire chains, snow blowers and repair parts for snowplows, said early Monday that his store had been open at 6:30 every morning since last week.
Snowfall totals this weekend around the state ranged from a foot or so in Southern Maryland to upward of 40 inches in the western part of the state. And with anywhere from 5 to 12 inches more in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, Bare and others in the snow-removal business can expect no let-up.
The record-breaking storm prompted Ruppert Landscape of Laytonsville to shift its employees and subcontractors in and out 24 hours a day, according to branch manager Edward O'Brien.
The company, with other locations in Frederick, Baltimore and Forestville, plus nationally, has about 30 plows in Laytonsville and 115 employees and subcontractors combined, O'Brien said.
Ruppert provides snow removal services for commercial buildings, including offices and hospitals, plus complexes, charging $125 an hour per truck. This is the company's second major money-maker of the winter, O'Brien said, with December's storm also generating substantial revenue.
Bare said he is "running low" on inventory, especially snow blowers.
"It's been crazy," Bare said.
Employees at JB Kline Landscaping Inc. in Woodsboro worked "straight through" the first 30 hours of the weekend snowstorm before reducing their shifts to 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to president Kevin Kline.
The company, which provides snow removal services in the winter to supplement its landscaping, lawn maintenance and masonry services in the warmer months, has 16 employees and uses five snowplows.
Kline Landscaping provides snow removal services in Frederick, Carroll and Washington counties, with its biggest service areas in Walkersville and Frederick.
The stormy weather has put other company projects on hold, he said, including the construction of patios and retaining walls for homes.
"We have work to do but can't do it," he said, citing the company's current focus: snow.