August 18, East/West Schedule Updates

We have been getting some calls and emails from potential clients saying we should  try to BLOG our travels in advance a little better once we know we are headed in a certain direction to give them a bit of a heads up. This way they will know we might be getting close to them. Clients comments that they have been to the website, visited the blog, and though interested do not book or contact us right away. Then reviewing our site, or contacting us a week or 2  later  find out that we had just been through there area,  just days after they were first on the web site. They comment  " had we known how close you were going to be, we would have booked a survey". Instead, when they do contact us a little to late,  they either have to wait till we get a group of surveys again in the area,  or face mileage surcharges to get us there. We will try to get a little ahead of the "wagon"  in an effort to correct this.  We do want to save clients (as well as our own) travel costs when we can.

We always maintain  a list of clients that call or email us of their interst in a survey and use email notification or calls to keep them in the "loop" which is still the best. Up till now we have not really tried to do that on our blog.  This is in part because in spring most of the time we have committed to a travel schedule that is laid out for when the the ground thaws. Added  to that, the spring schedule fills the first 8-10 weeks of our season and so not always easy to fit in surveys.  That said we can do this later in the year and at times, even in spring as we allow for some flexibility due to an allowance we make in the schedule.(for 2 bad weather days each week). In a "good weather" year or early spring, this can allow us to fit in additional surveys without effecting completion dates we have committed to on early bookings.

So our travels the next while...

The next few days will be focused on completing  surveys in Southern AB.  We expect to be headed down HWY 1 as far south as Regina  later next week (maybe as far as Virden, MB) . On our return  home we may do a couple of surveys in central AB, and will stock up and head west into BC in the first part of September. Right now we will had as far west as as Kelowna and from there back home on the south route for surveys on route thru Creston and Castlegar. Mostly like direction for travels  in mid September will be to N. AB. and possibly NE BC.

Mid-August 2012, Color in the Leaves

This summer has been full of surprises with dramatic changes in weather and with our summer bookings. Between the hail and hard rains,  and with color in the leaves in some areas even a couple of weeks ago,  I prefer to think it’s the hail damage rather than fall.  

The spring and early summer bookings kept us hopping right thru Stampede and up till early August.  Usually by late July we are a little quieter, waiting on crops and hay to get cut,  but it was pretty steady.  We are now at the time when some farmers want us to wait a couple of weeks till their less busy but its offset somewhat by an increase in acreage development again..

With all the international news and stress for most of the world on avoiding and worrying about recession,  from our business perspective things improved a fair bit in Western Canada this year compared to the last 2.

We did notice the real estate slow down the last couple of years mainly due to less acreage development. There seemed to be less demand for acreages or maybe an oversupply,  so with less development, less wells needed,  so less surveys. On the other side farmers and ranchers demand did improve during this same period which continues though more in in the beef sector. Ranchers were enjoying a healthy market with many seeming to plan for improvements on  water supply so it  would not be a limiting factor on increasing production. Now given the drought in the USA the market should stay up for some time.

We have done  3 loops to date this year thru most areas of Western Canada, covering sites located as far east as Lake Winnipeg to as far west  as Ashcroft BC and as far north as La Crete, AB. We expect to hit most areas in the west at least once with 2-3  loops into our busier areas. As always, especially off the beaten track, book early to avoid mileage charges.