PEOPLE PROFILE: Don Carpenter, snow plow driver

By Bill Wolcott/wolcottb@gnnewspaper.com
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal

March 15, 2008 02:14 am

— Don Carpenter, a Niagara County corrections officer, has a moonlighting job he loves — plowing snow.
The 29-year-old owner of Monster Snowplowing of Lockport likes to go out in the middle of the night to clear businesses and driveways. Sometimes he gets stuck and calls on his buddy, Eugene Laubacker, and they pull out the 1994 Blazer, along with a 1987 K-5 Blazer.
Monster has three businesses and seven residences under contract. Last weekend, folks were flagging down the plow-equipped Chevy trucks in order to get in, get out, or get going.
Carpenter started his business five years ago. He also does lawn care and landscaping in season.
“I did it before I got my full-time job. I enjoy it so much, I just continue to do it,” Carpenter said. “I had all the equipment before I got hired. I had thousand of dollars in equipment and put it to use.”
A graduate of Starpoint Central and Niagara County Community College, Carpenter worked with the state corrections department before landing the job with the county.
He needed a business name and chose Monster. “It sounds cool. It sounds bold. It gets people’s attention,” he said.
Monster got a lot of attention Saturday and Sunday. “People were flagging us down in the side of the street. Two trucks were running non-stop the whole weekend without a break. Four drivers were taking rotating shifts. We could not keep up with it.”
Monster got 10 to 15 calls from people who were not regular customers. “I told them to wait and I had to up the price a little bit because the snow was so deep,” he said.
The average price is $20. On real deep days, Carpenter charges $30.
The officer worked in the jail the whole weekend before getting to his part-time job. Both he and Laubacker got stuck during the night and had to pull each other out. The trucks have four-wheel drive.
“We talked a lot of trash to each other,” he said. “We laugh about it. That’s what you’ve got to do. You’re in the truck for a long time, 10 to 12 hours at a time.”
The drivers were using the extra money to buy gas, and Carpenter told them, “If someone flags you down, the money’s yours because you’ve been going all night. We had two to three hours sleep each. It was terrible. It was exhaustion.”
Carpenter likes the older trucks because it’s cheaper to get parts for repairs. He has a third truck that he uses just for parts.
Monster plows Milward Alloys on Mill Street, Allie Brandt AMF Bowling and two small apartment complexes. “I watch weather forecasts every night see what will dump on us. Channel 4 seems more up-to-date,” Carpenter said. “I try to do the commercial spots first because they have time limits, shift changes, people in and out.”
He had three days off this week and is ready for a St. Patrick’s Day storm. “I don’t care. Bring it on,” Carpenter said. “It’s fun. I like it. That’s why we do it. A lot of guys don’t. You’re riding in the truck, listening to music and smashing into snow piles. You can’t go wrong.”
Contact reporter Bill Wolcott at 439-9222, Ext. 6246.

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