OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) – With Nebraska experiencing its third lowest snow total on record, landscape businesses rely on this time to conduct snow removal and prepare for spring.

This gives companies a little extra money while the ground is still hard from winter temperatures.

However, with no snow on the ground, some businesses are looking elsewhere to pick up extra jobs.

“Work all the way through spring to fall with all of our green season stuff,” said Owen Kobe, Owner of Owen’s Mowing. “Trying to build up a little nest egg to make it through the winter and hope the snow will come as well.”

On Tuesday, Owen along with four other contractors like Yard Market, and Al’s Construction, drove over 430 miles from Valley, Nebraska to Bentonville, Arkansas.

“Colleagues that we were working with in the past and still work with, they have some contracts in Arkansas,” explained Kobes. “Big snowstorm to the south from Texas stretching out to the east coast and up coming through here and he was looking for some help.”

Bentonville is expected to receive up to eight inches of snow by Saturday, an amount they don’t typically see.

“Local police officer that we had run into while we were out having dinner. He thought maybe 2 inches is about the most that he sees typically,” said Kobes. “Usually kind of a wet, slushy event, and this is a little bit different.”

9 trucks, 12 plows, salters, a skid loader, and over 30 crew members made the over 6 hour trip. Owen says the focus is commercial buildings like retail, grocery stores, or restaurants.

“We will start as soon as the snow starts. Keep most things open, make sure people can get in, get out and stay safe,” said Kobes. “Then from there we will move on to more commercial properties.”

Owen says crews are on site until Friday but could linger into the weekend if snow continues to fall. He tells First Alert 6 he is thankful for the opportunity to pay his crew during a slow part of the season.

“Tuesday this whole thing transpired, and everybody was onboard 100 percent right away,” said Kobes. “Thank you to our wives and families back home that allowed us to go and do this.“

Owen tells First Alert 6 he plans to look outside the state for work again if snow totals are low next year.

Two other Omaha businesses Kurtz Concrete and BCS left Nebraska to help with snow removal in Kansas City, Missouri this week.

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