An Experienced Eye on the Sky

By Linda Cruse

This entrepreneur knows when to pull out the umbrellas versus when to slap on the sunscreen.

While most entrepreneurs are busy weathering storms, Sara Croke makes her living predicting them.

The owner of Weather or Not, Inc., a Shawnee, Kan.–based weather consulting business, Croke’s company provides life- and money-saving weather information to Midwestern public works departments, recreational organizations, construction companies and others.

Whether a high dollar construction project is completed on time, or little leaguers safely finish a game, or public works crews avoid costly mistakes can hinge on localized weather forecasts from Weather or Not.

“While we can’t control the weather,” said Croke, “we can accurately predict it, so that our clients can make efficient decisions.”

Started with little forethought and no financing, Weather or Not has grown from one woman with one $230-a-month client to four full-time meteorologists serving an array of users. By monitoring weather information around the clock in a computer-equipped center, specific, accurate and up-to-the minute forecasts have resulted in a more than 90 percent client return rate.

The company’s growth was recognized in 1995 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which named Weather or Not the Kansas State Winner of the Blue Chip Enterprise Initiative. Last year Croke was selected to participate in the ATHENAPowerLink program, which links women business owners with a panel of advisors specifically chosen to help them meet their business goals.

And with high-tech advances on the horizon, the forecast is bright in the months ahead. “We’re looking at other applications for our proprietary wireless product, On-Site Weather®, which keeps our clients one step ahead of Mother Nature.”

The Business Climate

Even though her expertise is predicting bad weather, Croke is also adept at weathering her own challenges. Sixteen years ago she parlayed the end of a broadcasting career into the start of successful business ownership.

A 1979 graduate of Fitchburg State College, with a master’s degree from Bowling Green University in Ohio, Croke got her start as a teaching assistant in meteorology.

She later interned with Harvey Leonard, the chief meteorologist at WNAC-TV in Boston. “I learned a lot from him and I loved being in the middle of the newsroom. He gave me a lot of support and encouragement.”

After a stint at an NBC affiliate in Chattanooga, in 1984 Croke landed a meteorology job here at KMBC-TV. While at KMBC, she began following the Kansas City Royals and made a valuable networking contact: the Royals groundskeeper, George Toma.

“I asked George if it would be helpful for me to provide weather information for rainouts and he said yes,” Croke said. “I did it informally for the Royals, and then they became one of my company’s first clients.”

After learning that her broadcasting contract would expire in six months, Croke decided to start her own weather consulting business. “I was tired of moving around, and I loved the Midwest. It’s a hubbub of meteorology, with the National Weather Service Training Center and National Aviation Center here, so I made the decision to stay.”

She first turned to experts at the Rockhurst Small Business Development Center. “I worked with Jay Allen, a small business development consultant, to investigate whether private companies, municipalities, sports organizations and others would have a need for my services.”

Business experts then worked with her to help create a business and marketing plan. “Like so many small business owners, I had a craft but no skill for business,” Croke said. “By guiding me through the basics, the SBDC showed me how to maneuver my expertise into the budgets of my clients.”

She then developed a strategy to compete effectively against national firms. “Customer service and attention to details that matter to your client gives you an edge,” she said.

A Silver Lining

In 1990 KMBZ-AM contracted with Weather or Not to design an in-house weather center. “This was a great opportunity because it was a low-cost way to incubate my business,” Croke explained. “I was able to operate my own business while still making KMBZ my primary client.”

Smooth sailing gave way to storm clouds in the mid-1990s, when the Weather Channel took Weather or Not’s place; Croke was forced to acquire office space and build a high-tech weather center. And despite those obstacles, “(the following year) we increased in income and profitability, despite the fact we lost our largest client.”

What sets Weather or Not apart from other weather services is the company’s ability to localize forecasts to clients’ locations and job sites. “Knowing that there’s a 30 percent chance of storms doesn’t help our clients—they need to know exactly when inclement weather will begin, how long it will last and whether it will impact them.”

During bad weather, Weather or Not stays in constant contact with clients, providing timely information targeted at a specific location. Localized precipitation outlooks include starting and ending times, anticipated amounts and future predictions.

Croke’s clients range in size from major municipalities to small business owners such as Kathi Krouch of Uncommon Grounds, a Kansas City–based landscape company.

“I’ve found Weather or Not’s forecasts to be amazingly accurate,” said Krouch. “They’ll tell us we’re going to get wet in 30 minutes, and just as we finish loading up our trucks, it starts to rain. Their services consistently save me time and money.”

By knowing when and where rain will strike, Krouch can keep workers busy throughout the day. “If they tell me one location will receive rain … I can then send my crews to other locations instead of sending them home.”

Pre-Emptive Strikes

Knowing that severe weather isn’t going strike can also save a client money. For example, Jefferson City once received a forecast from the National Weather Service for six to 12 inches of snow. “We told them they would get one to two inches at the most. Because of our information, they didn’t add on extra crews, saving them enormous overtime costs,” Croke said.

Bob Pryzby, director of public works for the city of Prairie Village, said using Weather or Not’s services for the past eight years has made the city more responsive to changing weather conditions.

“The information enables us to use our resources more efficiently,” he said. “We make better use of our trucks, people and materials. (Previously) we relied on the television and radio reports that were geared to the entire metropolitan area. Now I know specifically when weather is going to impact our city.”

Jim Hook, superintendent of facilities for Blue Valley Recreation, said Weather or Not’s services have enhanced his organization’s use of other information. “We use as many resources as we possibly can because we want to keep people as safe as we can,” he said.

A Weather or Not client for four seasons, Blue Valley Recreation relies on constant updates during inclement weather. “We used to rely solely on a radio alert system and a satellite dish/computer system,” Hook said. “But sometimes those updates only come every 15 to 20 minutes.”

Weather or Not’s team of professional meteorologists can provide not only more timely information, but better interpretations of data. “They are the professionals, so they provide professional advice,” Hook said. “The information is up-to-date and specific to our area.”

Based on information from Weather or Not, the organization has canceled and delayed games and advised people to seek shelter.

Future Forecasts

To market and enhance its services, Weather or Not has added informational sessions for clients regarding weather topics, and Croke predicts more such additions in the future.

“About four times a year we produce an informational piece that simply positions Weather or Not as experts,” Croke explained. “We’ve provided information on emergency preparedness issues, lightning, the new wind chill formula and other topics.”

Weather or Not has also become known for its daily SkyCasts, air pollution forecasts that predict the region’s potential air quality. Started through Heartland Sky, a public education program sponsored by the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), the green, yellow and Ozone Alerts forecasts promote voluntary efforts to keep Kansas City’s air clean.

The company is also active in the American Meteorological Society, with Croke serving twice as president of the Kansas City chapter.

In the future, Weather or Not hopes to add more weather-related products, and the ATHENA panel has made recommendations designed to solidify the company and put it in a greater position for growth.

“My goal is to grow into more of a CEO, and the ATHENA panel is helping me take that step,” Croke said. “The timing couldn’t have been more perfect for me and my company.”

Linda Cruse is a freelance writer in Lenexa.

Success Summary   

Entrepreneur: Sara Croke

Company Name:

Weather or Not, Inc.
 6342 Long, Suite D
Shawnee, KS 66216
(913) 722-3955
www.weatherornot.com

Type of Business: Weather consulting

Year Founded: 1986

Number of Employees: 7

Keys to Success: “Do what you do best, so that clients become so confident in what you’ll deliver that they can spend their time on what they do best.”—Sara Croke