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About Mountain States Snowcats

25 Years in the Rockies. Still the Best at It.

Founded in 2001 and now led by Jeremy Straley and Mark Wallace, Mountain States Snowcats is a year-round heavy civil and snow management company with deep roots in Grand County and proven capacity across the Mountain West.

Jeremy Straley standing on a Bombardier BR275 snowcat in the Colorado high country

Jeremy Straley in the field — Bombardier BR275, Colorado high country.

How We Got Here

Built differently. On purpose.

Jeremy Straley founded Mountain States Snowcats in Colorado in 2001 with a simple operating thesis that has proven correct for more than two decades: in mountain terrain, the contractors who survive long-term aren't the ones who pick one season. They're the ones who stay active year-round — and build a team that does too.

The insight grew out of Jeremy's direct experience operating and maintaining heavy equipment in the Colorado Rockies. He understood something that seasonal contractors often don't: a pad graded in July behaves differently when the ground refreezes in November. Drainage patterns visible in late spring become buried assumptions by mid-winter. Operators who work the same sites across both earthwork and snow seasons don't just stay employed — they develop a quality of judgment that you simply cannot hire seasonally.

From that foundation, Jeremy built the company from the ground up — acquiring equipment, assembling a crew, and establishing the operational discipline that still defines how Mountain States Snowcats runs today. He's been hands-on through every phase of growth, from operating the machines himself in the early years to leading a team of experienced operators, certified diesel mechanics, and project support staff who have chosen to build careers here rather than seasonal stints elsewhere.

Over two decades, the fleet grew. The territory expanded. The client list deepened to include federal agencies, municipal contracts, and long-standing general contractor partnerships across the Front Range and Mountain West. Mountain States Snowcats now operates one of the largest private snowcat fleets in North America — a distinction built machine by machine, season by season.

Mark Wallace — Co-Owner
Business Development & Operations Leadership

Mark Wallace joined Mountain States Snowcats as co-owner, bringing with him more than 25 years of experience building and leading high-performance organizations — most recently as a Senior Managing Director at a global engineering consultancy where he led portfolio operations, client delivery, and business development at the regional and national level.

Mark brings systematic, relationship-driven growth he's honed in his previous roles to Mountain States Snowcats. Over the last two decades, he's progressed from client-facing delivery leadership to territory-level executive leadership — overseeing teams, client relationships, and complex engagements at scale. He's built practices, led acquisitions, opened new territories and delivered results in environments where execution quality is the only differentiator that matters.

What Mark brings to Mountain States Snowcats isn't a course-correction — it's an expansion. The operational foundation Jeremy built is proven and disciplined. Mark's experience adds strategic reach: structured business development, expanded client relationships, and the organizational experience that allows a company with strong roots to grow without losing what made it worth growing.

Together, Jeremy and Mark lead a crew of experienced operators, mechanics, and project support staff who have chosen Mountain States Snowcats not because it was the easiest option — but because it's the kind of place where careers get built. That combination of technical depth and leadership rigor is what clients experience on every project.

What Sets Us Apart

Four things that separate us from other contractors.

25+
Years of Continuous Operation
No ownership changes. No rebrands. No restarts. The same leadership, the same operating model, the same territory — refined over 25 years of unbroken experience in the Colorado Rockies.
0
Seasonal Layoffs, Ever
Our cross-season employment model retains experienced operators and mechanics year after year. No retraining cycle. No quality variance between summer and winter crews. The team you meet in June is the team on your winter job.
#1
Largest Private Snowcat Fleet
We own, maintain, and operate one of the largest privately held snowcat fleets in North America. The fleet is serviced by our own mechanics, operated by our own people, and ready to mobilize on your timeline — not a rental company's.
100%
Self-Performed Core Work
We do not subcontract our core services. When Mountain States Snowcats commits to a project, our equipment and our people deliver it. Owner-operated. No markups. No intermediaries.
Where We Work

Grand County is home. The region is our territory.

We self-haul our equipment and are willing to travel for the right project. Our crew has worked across six states.

Primary Territory
  • Tabernash
  • Fraser
  • Winter Park
  • Granby
  • Kremmling
  • Hot Sulphur Springs
Secondary Territory
  • Summit County
  • Clear Creek County
  • Routt County
  • Steamboat Springs
  • Evergreen (Jefferson County)
Extended Reach
  • Wyoming
  • Nebraska
  • Kansas
Government-Ready

Federal and government contracting credentials.

Mountain States Snowcats is registered and credentialed for federal and government contracting work. Our credentials are current and we actively pursue public-sector site work and infrastructure contracts alongside our commercial client base.

SAM.gov
UEI: S1L2B43AQLE6
Registered federal contractor
NAICS
238910
Site Preparation Contractors

Federal clients include USDA Forest Service and municipal agencies. Agency procurement officers: contact us directly at office@mountainstatessnowcats.com or (970) 447-6005.

Ready to work with us?

Let's talk about your project. We respond within one business day.