Sterling Heights, Michigan
When a member of the council in the Detroit suburb of Sterling Heights, Michigan expressed concerns to City Manager Mark Vanderpool about seniors in the community struggling with snow removal, they weren’t expecting a digital revolution. But that’s exactly what happened.
Until recently, the only way a citizen in Sterling Heights could receive guaranteed snow removal was to sign a contract with a company, spending hundreds of dollars up front for a service they may need only a few times a year. With most seniors in the community on a restricted income, signing an expensive contract is not an option. Vanderpool and his staff met with a large snow removal company to see if they could work out a “pay as you use it” program, but they were quite frank in explaining that such a service would not be beneficial to the company’s profits.
Determined to find a solution, Vanderpool and his staff didn’t give up. They began researching alternatives and stumbled on the app Plowz & Mowz. Created by two young entrepreneurs from Syracuse University, New York (a city that knows its snow), the app offers an on-demand platform for delivering snow removal and lawn services. App users summon a contractor, pay for a service and have a photo of the cleared driveway or mowed lawn sent back to their phone.
Vanderpool saw a lot of potential in working with a start-up company that was trying to get into the Detroit market. Soon they were on the phone with the Plowz & Mowz founders and CEOs Wills Mahoney and Andrew Englander discussing a potential partnership.
“Mark Vanderpool’s vision and passion for his community enabled us to create a program geared toward the individual needs of the city of Sterling Heights. He recognized a key issue facing many of his residents, and worked tirelessly to remedy. He was a true partner in every sense of the word, and was a pleasure to work with” explained Andrew Englander.
Plowz & Mowz worked with Vanderpool and his staff to structure a service model for all Sterling Heights residents, including seniors. An Internet-based service can pose a challenge for seniors who do not have access to a smartphone or computer. As a solution, the company enabled the Sterling Heights city staff to access the service on behalf of seniors in the community who are unable to use the internet. The staff is available to input orders and to answer any general questions residents may have.
Vanderpool and his staff reviewed the service with their legal team to make sure the city can’t be held liable for any service performed by the company. They emphasized that residents who pay for this service are paying a private company, and any customer service issues are directed to the company itself.
Additional benefits they incorporated include public sidewalk snow removal (required by city ordinance), and assistance for residents who have snow removal warnings/violations or grass cutting warnings/violations. Sterling Heights residents can now have their snow removed or grass cut for a fraction of the price it would cost them for a city contractor to perform the service. A typical “Mowz” service is around $40, whereas a city contractor can charge upward of $100.
The Mayor and City Council were very pleased to be the first municipality to partner with Plowz & Mowz and to finally tackle a long standing issue in the community. As of December 2015, 1,400 Sterling Heights residents had downloaded the app. The landing page on the city’s website is full of testimonials from citizens raving about their experiences, and that’s all thanks to the vision, hard work, and leadership of City Manager Mark Vanderpool.
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