There's No Business Like "Snow Business"

By David Schultz

Workers with Katchmark Construction are using a tarp to remove snow from the roof of an office building in Chantilly, Va. They're shoveling snow onto the tarp and then dumping it onto the ground.

Steven Katchmark owns this roofing and siding company. They're received more than 150 calls for service so far this week, but Katchmark says he won't make a windfall profit this winter.

One reason: insurance.

"You know, it is generally good for our business. It does keep us busy during the winter months," says Katchmark. "But there's a lot of liability and a lot of safety concerns that no one gets hurt."

Then, there's the issue of finding people who are able to leave their homes and who want to shovel snow all day long.

"You end up having to have a massive amount of people in a short amount of time," he says. "So there is some confusion and organization that needs to get taken care of."

Katchmark says he's using all of his employees who are available, plus additional temporary workers. He says they're servicing 15 roofs at a time.