An Idaho teenager said he made about $35,000 during Seattle’s recent snowstorm by plowing snow.
David Holsten, 18, was already in the city visiting his mother, who had been there resting after undergoing a major operation. A friend notified him that a snowstorm was headed his way, so Holston decided to go home and grab his truck and plow snow before returning to be with his mother for her birthday.
“I was in the hospital when my friend Steve called me and gave me the idea of bringing my plow truck to Seattle,” Holston told CNN.
“I figured I would just bring my plow and if I picked up a job great, and if I didn’t it would still be ok,” Holston told KNDO.
Reporter @caseyworks talked to an 18-year-old entrepreneur from Idaho who is profiting off the #SeattleSnowpocalypse. In less than a week he’s gone from charging $500 per hour to $750 to plow parking lots in his big Dodge Ram. pic.twitter.com/MLDP6xnM6M
— KUOW Public Radio (@KUOW) February 14, 2019
After about a week, he had accumulated the $35,000.
Holston said his days started around 2 a.m. and included a commercial loop, which included warehouses, parking lots, and other businesses. The rest of the day, he’d answer his phone, which kept ringing, to take new business, including from homeowners.
“I’m getting calls every five minutes so I can’t answer them all,” Holston told KUOW. “I put them on speakerphone and talk to them while I’m plowing.”
The majority of his business came through an advertisement he posted on Craigslist.
BRILLIANT!!! KUOW – This Idaho teenager is making $50,000 on Seattle slush https://t.co/KGeHhJ99Iw
— Mike Griffith (@PhotogGriff) February 15, 2019
An 18-year-old made $35,000 in four days plowing Seattle’s historic snow https://t.co/YjozINpwqP pic.twitter.com/6WGEuHIL0d
— CNN (@CNN) February 20, 2019
“After the [birthday] party, I hit the road with jobs lined up until midnight. All during that time, I was answering my phone and adding new customers to my snow route for Monday,” he told CNN.
Holston charged rates of $500 to $750 an hour. In Idaho, he typically makes $100 an hour.
The days added up to 12 to 15 hours of work.
Holston said he plans on donating 20 percent of his earnings to his church. He also plans on buying some lawn equipment. The rest will go toward his first house.
“The Lord blessed me with the money for the sole purpose of advancing his kingdom. All of the glory goes to God!” he said.
Snowstorm
The snowstorm dumped an average of 8 inches across Seattle, with even more in some areas of western Washington state.
The storm crippled utilities, leaving tens of thousands of people without power.
At least four people died from exposure, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office told the Seattle Times. Barbara Arvidson, 74, died in Enumclaw from hypothermia brought on by exposure; Derek Johnson, 59, was found dead at a light-rail station in Seattle; Stanley Little, 84, was found dead from apparent hypothermia inside his house in Fall City; and Carl Soderberg, 53, was found dead outside a neighbor’s house.
A fourth snowstorm on Feb. 12 dumped more snow across the region. The storms added up to make February the snowiest month in more than 50 years.
The snow caused cancellations of classes and meetings at several universities, including the University of Washington in Seattle and Washington State University in Pullman.