DETROIT (WXYZ) — A retiree, Ron Gregalit has lived in Lincoln Park all of his life. And over the years, Ron has seen the worst winter storms.
"Sometimes, me and Mike, we've struggled to do these four houses, it takes us way over an hour with snow blower, it been that bad," said Gregalite.
But due to health issues, Ron now prefers to outsource the snow removal task. That's where the owner of J & R landscaping, John Rogers and his team, step in.
John has been in the landscaping business for over 15 years. But this is John's first winter offering snow removal services, all thanks to the Green Pal app.
"I have about 50 snow customers," said Rogers.
Known as the Uber of lawn care and now for snow removal services, John says homeowners can list their properties with their service date and snow removal needs through the app.
"The customer receives five bids within an hour, and they can pick through who they want and what services they offer?" said Rogers.
The founder of Green Pal, Gene Caballero, says it's also a gamer changer for vendors.
"Not only do we handle their demand creation, but we also handle their routing and their payment processing," said Cabellero.
Currently, the app is only in Michigan. There are 930 vendors offering lawn care and snow removal services, of which 250 are within metro Detroit.
"You have to be 18 years of age, you have to have professional-grade equipment, and you have to have a valid driver's license and a valid bank account. So, it's not as easy as saying 'hey, I'm going to start snow plowing.' There is a vetting process these individuals have to go through," said Cabellero.
"I'm a 5-star vendor on the app and number one in the state of Michigan," said Rogers.
Meanwhile, after seeing the demand for snow removal services, John aims to upgrade next season and offer commercial plowing like other vendors on the app.
"Right now, we are using the shovels. The snow is so thick it didn't want to come out of the snow blowers. (When) they use Green Pal, they don't need to be home, they don't write anyone a check or put a credit card on file. We show up, we do you snow or grass and we leave," said Rogers.
For more details, visit www.yourgreenpal.com.
