Young entrepreneurs shovel for bucks
When it comes to winter storms, Sal Pidala and Caden Philippi strongly prefer snow over rain. The white stuff makes them money. Rain does not.
The entrepreneurs, who are both ninth graders at Haldane High School, established SDC Lawncare last summer, cutting grass, raking leaves and doing yard work for six or seven residents in Cold Spring and Nelsonville.
That customer base expanded considerably after the first snowstorm of the season this past weekend.
“We went out at about 6 a.m.” on Sunday (Jan. 7), Pidala said. By the time they finished just over eight hours later, they had shoveled or plowed snow at 25 houses, earning $30 to $50 per job.
Philippi said they took care of their summer clients first, adding customers as the day wore on, sometimes by knocking on doors. Their smallest jobs took 10 to 15 minutes, but having a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle equipped with a blade enabled them to handle driveway jobs that took up to a half-hour.
The work became a bit harder as the day went on. The light, fluffy snow became heavier as the temperature rose and it began to rain.
Weekends are the optimum time for snowstorms, Pidala and Philippi said, because they can work longer on Saturdays and Sundays when there is no school. Haldane snow days also work well; the teens closely track the forecast via phone apps. They expressed optimism that more snow is on the way.
Both hope to pursue a trade after finishing school, Philippi as an electrician or welder and Pidala as a mechanic.
SDC Lawncare can be reached by phone at 845-301-2421 or by email at [email protected].
Your article regarding the young people who used the snow to their profit brings back memories for us “old-timers” who many years ago used it for the same purpose. Until I read your story, I had thought kids were not interested anymore.
When I was a kid, the moment the first flake fell, we were all over the villages with our shovels (metal — no plastic in those days) knocking on doors or helping drivers get their cars unstuck.
One particularly profitable place was the intersection at the traffic light on Main Street. As cars stopped at the light, then attempted to resume when it turned green, the problems with rear-wheel drive made it clear that we had a client in hand (almost nobody had four-wheel drive). After spinning their wheels for a moment or two, the drivers saw us ready, willing and able to help, for a slight remuneration. With those big heavy old cars, sometimes the efforts of numerous people were needed. Then it was off to help the snowed-in homeowners.
Growing up, I ate a lot of Cold Spring pizza and bought a lot of trading cards and jerseys shoveling snow in the village. [via Facebook]