Gerald has been running liquids for close to a decade, starting from a simple thousand liter tote and spray bar in the back of a truck with no way to track what was going down, to a fully controlled system today with a GPS controlled boom that adjusts application rate on the fly.

Gerald walks through how Clear Cut uses liquid mostly as a pre-storm, anti-icing measure, the real education gap with longtime salt guys, what happened when a client pushed back on the look and smell of liquid, and his advice for any contractor thinking about getting into it.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• How Clear Cut's liquid program evolved from a manual hose reel and on/off spray bar to a fully automated, GPS controlled boom system
• Why Gerald treats liquid mostly as a pre-storm preventative measure, spraying ahead of the storm on a clear day instead of scrambling after
• Why crews used to straight salt tend to over-apply after a site's already been pre-sprayed, and why that wastes material
• How to handle a client who pushes back on the color and smell of liquid product
• Why Gerald thinks the salt shortage is making liquid more attractive now than it was a few years ago
• His advice for any contractor getting started: begin with walkways, and don't move to parking lots until you can actually track and measure what you're applying
• What's next for Clear Cut's winter program this year

TIMESTAMPS

00:01 Intro and welcome to Gerald Mulhall, Clear Cut Group

00:49 Gerald's earliest liquid setup: a tote, a spray bar, and no tracking

01:31 About Clear Cut Group: history, services, customer base

02:47 The origin story: a private school client's walkways started it all

04:28 The biggest driver for getting into, and staying in, liquids

06:13 What a storm event actually looks like for Clear Cut today

07:37 The hybrid method: pre-spray, then less granular on the back end

08:24 The education gap with longtime salt crews

09:39 Billing liquid as a value-add vs. a paid service

11:35 When a client pushes back on the color and smell of liquid

13:07 Gerald's advice to a contractor just getting started: walkways first

15:40 Salt shortages, pricing, and why liquid is more attractive now

18:54 What's next for Clear Cut's winter program this year

20:10 Final thoughts: it's an education process, give it time

GUEST BIO

Gerald Mulhall runs Clear Cut Group, a residential and commercial maintenance company based in Mississauga, Ontario, in business since 2012 or 2013. Clear Cut handles summer softscape work (grass cutting, sod, and mulch installation) and winter plowing, salting, and liquid application, with liquids used primarily on the commercial side of the business.

LINKS

The Liquid Network: theliquidnetwork.ca

Clear Cut Group: https://clearcutgroup.ca/

Jay walks through how a salt shortage six or seven years ago pushed him to start researching liquid de-icing, what it looked like to jump in with both feet and run into early setbacks, and how Rembrandt is now building a real hybrid program that pre-sprays before storms and finishes with rock salt.

He also breaks down the real cost comparison between salt and liquid equipment, what he wishes he'd believed sooner, and where Rembrandt is headed this winter.

What You'll Learn

• How a salt shortage six or seven years ago sent Jay to a SIMA trade show in Cleveland to start researching liquid de-icing
• Why Rembrandt's first attempt at going all in on liquid didn't stick, and what changed the second time around
• How client reactions shift from confusion (why is there brown liquid on my parking lot) to full buy-in once they see it work
• The real cost comparison between loading a salt truck and running a liquid sprayer, including what corrosion and repairs actually cost each side
• Why Jay calls patience the biggest lesson of the whole process
• What a realistic hybrid program (pre-spray plus post-treatment salt) looks like day to day
• How this year's salt price swing (roughly $85 a ton to $125 to $150 a ton) is shaping Rembrandt's planning for winter

00:00 Intro and welcome to Jay Price, Rembrandt Landscaping 00:52 About Rembrandt: family owned since 1985, maintenance focused

01:37 What sparked Rembrandt's move into liquids: the salt shortage

02:45 Rembrandt's liquids journey from day one to today

04:05 Are clients asking about environmental impact yet

04:48 How client buy-in has grown over time

06:25 Pre-spray versus post-treatment: building a hybrid program

08:12 The real cost comparison: loading salt versus running a sprayer

09:38 Jay's advice to a contractor just getting into liquids: be patient

11:12 Addressing the "snake oil" skeptics 12:12 What's next for Rembrandt's winter program

13:50 Salt shortages, pricing, and whether this is the new normal

15:53 Final thoughts: liquids as an industry wide responsibility

16:25 The Liquid Network and Eco Solutions' fill stations

Jay Price is co-owner of Rembrandt Landscaping, a family run commercial and industrial maintenance company based in Milton, Ontario, in business since 1985. Jay and his mother have run the business together for the past twenty years. Rembrandt handles summer and winter maintenance for commercial and industrial clients, with some summer construction work as well.

Links The Liquid Network: theliquidnetwork.ca

Rembrandt Landscaping: rembrandtlandscaping.ca

Dan studied environmental science and computer science at the University of Waterloo, then spent three years at Environment Canada researching how road salt affects freshwater ecosystems, years before he ever sprayed liquid deicer himself. Antonio discovered liquid deicing in the Pacific Northwest almost 25 years ago and brought the idea back to Canada. Together they trace that evolution and explain why they built the Liquid Network: a hub for the equipment, product, consulting, and education contractors need to get started with liquids.

What You'll Learn

• Dan's path from aquatic toxicology research at Environment Canada into the snow and ice industry
• Dan's first time spraying liquid deicer, and the honest mistake that came with it
• Antonio's origin story, from a family landscape company to liquid deicing almost 25 years ago
• Why the first ten years of Eco Solutions were an uphill battle, and how salt management plans changed that
• What ConSalt does for contractors: tech enablement, software development, and process automation
• What the Liquid Network is, and lessons from the first eco-filling station at Eco Solutions

In This Episode

00:00 - Welcome and introducing Dan Schissler

01:00 - Dan's background at Waterloo and Environment Canada

02:40 - The leap from science to snow and ice

04:45 - Dan's first liquid deicer spraying story

06:40 - Antonio's origin story

10:40 - How the industry reacted, and what changed minds

12:25 - What ConSalt does today

18:00 - What the Liquid Network is and the problem it solves

21:15 - A walkthrough of theliquidnetwork.ca

23:20 - The first eco-filling station: what worked and what they'd fix

26:55 - Where the Liquid Network goes from here

29:25 - Advice for contractors thinking about getting started with liquids

About the Guest

Dan Schissler is the founder of ConSalt, working with contractors and companies across the snow and ice, construction, manufacturing, and supply chain industries on tech enablement, software development, and process automation. He spent time at Environment Canada researching road salt's effects on freshwater ecosystems, and has partnered closely with Eco Solutions for almost four years.

Links and Resources

• The Liquid Network: theliquidnetwork.ca
• Eco Solutions: https://ecosolutionsproducts.ca/
• ConSalt: https://www.consalt.ca/

About the Liquid Network Podcast

The Liquid Network Podcast is hosted by Antonio Vacciari of Eco Solutions. Each episode is a real conversation with the people actually doing the work of winter maintenance, talking about what's working, what isn't, and where this industry is headed. No fluff, just real conversations.