Richard D. Arlington III
Richard D. Arlington III
1986 – Present
President of Arlington Lawncare Inc.
1998 – Present
President of Upton Lot Sweeping Inc.
2000 – Present
National Account Manager of Affiliated Grounds Maintenance Group Inc.
2001 – Present
Consultant & Manager of C&K Logistics Trucking Company
2005 – Present
Snow & Ice Industry Expert Witness
2006 – Present
Certified Landscape Professional
Certified Snow Professional
For over 20 seasons I have directed snow and ice operations in Erie, Pennsylvania, which is one of the most unpredictable locations in the United States given its location on Lake Erie. Erie sits directly below the winter jet stream from Canada. This location has given me the opportunity to service my customer base in a wide variety of weather, from ice storms to 1 and 2 foot snow falls in 24 hours or less. My experience has enabled me to keep my customer retention rate at roughly ninety-five percent.
Erie receives on average 54 plowing events and 70 salting events per year. The average snowfall in a 15 mile radius can range from 90" to as much as 200". These wide fluctuations of weather and large size of this company has allowed me to become very qualified in dealing with issues regarding scheduling, routing, customer service and subcontractor relations. In the past 10 years I have dealt with over 160 subcontractors at a time. I am experienced with all aspects of record keeping, snow budgets, contractual language, and dealing with all types of subcontractors to ensure customer satisfaction based on specifications.
I am an expert on issues dealing with ice control with both rock salt and liquid calcium/magnesium products, which has resulted in 20 years of no at fault slip and fall incidents for my company while maintaining over 150 accounts from large retail plazas to small convenience stores.
My business practices and ethics are recognized and I am listed in the 2001 edition of who’s who in business executives.
- National Register’s Who’s Who in Executives and Professional, Edition 2000-2001 Page 25.
Certifications
- Certified Snow Professional (CSP), 2004- Present
- Requirements to become a Certified Snow Professional include testing in marketing, human resources, business, law, snow science and snow mechanics. There are less than 250 CSP’s in the United State of America.
- Certified Landscape Professional (CLP) 2006 – Present
Employment History
- Arlington Lawncare, Inc., President, April 1987 – Present
- Direct snow and ice operations in Erie, Pennsylvania.
- Service customer base for plowing and salting, from large retail plazas to small convenience stores.
- Supervise subcontractors.
- Knowledgeable in various methods and techniques in snow & ice management.
- Experienced with record keeping, snow budgets, and contracts, scheduling, routing, and customer service.
- Affiliated Grounds Maintenance Group, Inc., Consultant & Business Manager, January 2000 – Present
- National outdoor maintenance company with current contract management in 7 states (Georgia, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Texas). Contracts cover snow & ice, landscape maintenance, and lot sweeping services.
- Rich Arlington & Associates, Independent Consultant, 2005 – Present
- Litigation consultant relating to snow and ice removal. Provide case analysis, review, deposition testimony and court testimony.
- C&K Logistics Trucking Company, Consultant & Manager, 2001 - 2007
- Consultant on day-to-day issues, including payroll, dispatch, fuel tax, loading and servicing of vehicles.
- Upton Lot Sweeping, Inc., President, 1998 – 2007
- Consulted on snow and ice budgets, created estimates based on time and material, per push, per time, and seasonal contracts. Provided lot sweeping services to various clients.
- Wattsburg Area School District, PA, Vice President , School Board Director, 2001 - 2005
- Vice President and Finance Committee Chair for a school district with a 17 million dollar budget.
Military History
- United States of America Marine Corp, 1983 – 1987
- Electronics Specialist
Publications
- Columnist for Snow Business Magazine, 2006 - Present
Semiars Presented
- Snow and Ice Management Association (SIMA), Regional Training Seminar, Chicago, IL, July 2008
- SIMA, National Snow & Ice Symposium, Buffalo, NY, June 2008
- Liability and Contracts
- SIMA, National Snow & Ice Symposium, Milwaukee, WI, 2007
- Business Marketing and Pricing
- Effective Organizational Structure
- SIMA, International Lawn & Garden Expo, October 2006
- Business Ethics, Organization and Structure
- Contracts and Liability
- Wattsburg Area School District, Erie, PA, April/May 2006
- Seminar " Choosing a Career in the Real World"
- SIMA International Lawn & Garden Expo, October 2005
- Safety and the Snow-plow
- General Accounting Principals
- SIMA, National Snow & Ice Symposium, Louisville, KY, June 2005
- Estimating, Sales, and Business Marketing
- SIMA, Regional Training Seminar, Erie, PA, April 2005
- How to Build and Grow a Snow Business
- Mercyhurst College, Erie, PA
- Business Marketing and Pricing Seminar " Business and How It Works", January 2005
- Seminar, "Life as a Marine", May 2005
- Gannon University, Erie, PA
- Seminar "How to Run a Small Business", Spring 1992
- Seminar "Business Ethics", Fall 1992
- SIMA, Regional Training Seminar, Hartford, CT, August 2008
- Michigan Green Industry Association, September 2008
- Association of Landscape Contractors of Colorado, Denver, CO, October 2008
- SIMA, International Lawn & Garden Expo, October 2008
- Business Building
- Record Keeping
- Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association, Wintergreen Expo, Cleveland, OH, November 2008
- University of New York at Rochester & Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester NY "Snow & Ice Management all day training Seminar , December 2008
Upcoming Seminars for 2009
*TBA
Associations
- Snow & Ice Management Association, Milwaukee, WI, 2002 – Present
- Board of Directors
- Chair Person of Insurance and Safety Committee
- Chair Person of Special Objectives Committee
- Certification Committee
- Membership Committee
- Mentoring Program, Mentor
- Consultant for bidding, sales & marketing, financial accounting, record keeping, and job cost analysis
- Planet – A national trade organization for landscape and nursery businesses
- PLNA – a state trade organization for landscape and nursery businesses
- Erie, PA, Chamber of Commerce
- Small Business Alliance – a network of business-to-business working relationships
Awards
- SIMA, Volunteer of the Year (Rich Arlington), 2007
- For continued dedication to the snow & ice industry and business owners in the industry as a whole.
- SIMA, National Safety Award (Arlington Lawncare), 2005, 2006, 2007
- Planet, National Safety Award (Arlington Lawncare) 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
- C.N.A. Insurance & O.S.H.A. Safety Stars Award (Arlington Lawncare), 2005
Public functions and volunteer work
- Since 2003 I have been an active member of SIMA’s mentoring program, helping other snow plowing contractors around the country. I have been a consultant to numerous snow plowing and landscaping companies helping with issues such as bidding, sales & marketing, financial accounting, record keeping, and job cost analysis.
- I have helped numerous businesses’ establish their snow and ice budgets, consulted on estimating based on time and material, per push, per time, and seasonal contracts once information has been given. Some affiliated Companies are listed and there are more references available upon request.
- I have been Vice President and chaired the finance committee for a 17 million dollar budget Wattsburgh school district giving me a diverse knowledge of contracts and dealing with staff issues and vendor issues.
- In 2007 I was awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award from SIMA for his continued dedication to the industry and the business owners in the industry as a whole.
