Yes, Dave, I'm hoping someone knows someone that is a contract climber or looking for part time work, be it because they are running their own business, or a part time parent, or relocating, or only want to work part-time, so long as its not because they have to serve a sentence with work release for stealing from their boss, or have rehab 3 days a week.
There are lurkers that don't post, as well.
I'm fine to hire someone, as opposed to being a contract climber, extending and paying for the insurances (w/c, unemployment, commercial auto, gen liability) and taxes, or hire them as a sub, if I can do it legally where we are all protected.
What I can say is that I'm figuring out what I need and what I can/ will offer on a case by case basis.
If someone is a solid safe spur climber, I can readily teach them spurless DdRT/ SRT. Pruning is teachable, too, starting with the more basic things, working up to more advanced.
If someone wants to get their CA, I'll support it/ fund it as I can, CEU's likewise. If there is a longer term commitment and they want T.R.A.C.E., its possible. I can't fork over what now sounds like thousands for a CDL training, especially since I don't have a CDL rig.
Last year's revenue was under 100k with 2 guys, in my third (and a half) year of business, so I'm not at the point of med/ dental, 401K, now.
If they are selling jobs, it would be either as no commission/ getting hourly pay/ work vehicle/ work gas/ work insurance, or would work something out as a %. I'm inexperienced with having someone else selling jobs. I've been training Erik on some bidding up to this point. In the past, there has been a finder's fee for work. Erik go 5% for bringing in his neighbor's job this past Friday. I still bid it/ sold it. I felt like this was fair. You all??
Had I not been taking this job with the state, I would have been working toward a mini-skid grapple, with a rental machine to start, seeing where that tool helped or not, then looked into a used mini. Also, on the list would have been working toward a Wraptor.
Right now I have a sub with two tractors with grapple buckets, and a small knuckleboom for loading, small crane jobs. A local crane op has a 22T Manitex, and the Snell Crane has the big boys. I haven't worked with Snell before, as I wasn't awarded the jobs that would have necessitated bigger crane power and allowed bigger crane set-up space.
I like the idea of getting more machine power to do more of the work. Its a work in progress.
If its possible to have a 2-3 person crew running full-time, then there would be more options for having someone become (and be compensated for) more of a manager than climber overseeing the jobsite/ climber-foreman.
At this point, I'm not looking at getting someone to relocate from across the country, putting all their eggs in my basket. If someone were to want to move from out of the area, I'd be willing to call a few people that I know to see if they need a PT climber to fill out the new hire's week, but don't know of anything like that being available now.
Pay/ comp is negotiable. I'm not looking to get something for nothing.
