Caruso Snow Group: How Brenna Tovar turned a family business into a woman-led empire

By Isabel Papp

Brenna Tovar grew up around snow. Her father spent more than 30 years in the snow removal industry, and some of her fondest childhood memories are of freezing nights out on the job with him. When he sold his company to private equity six years ago, she never expected she’d go on to build one of the biggest snow-removal companies in the country — alongside her older sister.

“We were in car seats in the back of his truck when he would go plow at night, taking a little nap,” Brenna said. “So I really just spent my whole life in the industry.”

Caruso Snow Group primarily serves airports, railyards, and shipping terminals. When snow season ends, the real work begins: coordinating logistics and locking in contracts for the following year. Snow removal remains a male-dominated industry, and Brenna takes pride in leading a woman-run business as its CEO.

As the company continues to grow, Brenna says her priority is building strong relationships — with her clients, within her team, and with the people who make the work possible. Although not everyone at Caruso is related by blood, she wants the company to feel like one big family.

“We were in car seats in the back of his truck when he would go plow at night, taking a little nap. I really just spent my whole life in the industry.”
— Brenna Tovar

 

“We want to bring a culture that’s about the people we take care of,” Brenna says. “It’s not about money or status — we’re here for the people, and I think that sets us apart.”

Keeping It in the Family

A few years ago, Brenna approached her sister, Kya, about starting a snow removal company together. The sisters hadn’t always been especially close, but once Kya agreed and the two began working side by side, their relationship transformed. Brenna now calls Kya not just her sister, but her business partner and best friend.

Today, the company’s two co-leaders split responsibilities: Kya focuses largely on the numbers, while Brenna oversees day-to-day operations and the business as a whole. It’s a division of labor that works for them.

Their father also remains closely involved. While Brenna and Kya run Caruso, he helped shape their early ideas and now runs an equipment company that partners with Caruso. Many of the company’s current employees were introduced to Brenna through her father — connections that, once brought into the fold, made the business and its relationships even stronger. What might have remained a small startup instead scaled quickly, powered by the experience and passion of a team that already trusted one another.

“It’s always been instilled in us by our dad that nothing’s going to get in the way of family,” Brenna said. “We’re a small family, so we always have to have each other’s back. If there’s an issue, you figure it out — you work it out. You don’t ignore it.”

How It Feels to Be a Snow Queen

Despite Caruso’s success, Brenna is candid about the challenges of leading a woman-run business in an industry still dominated by men. She says people are often slow to take her seriously — because she’s a woman, because Caruso is woman-led, and because of her age.

Her remedy has been time and consistency. Showing up reliably, again and again, has earned her credibility that titles alone couldn’t, she says.

“I’m 24 years old, so I’m the age of everyone’s children,” she said. “But I think that allows me to bring a perspective that people don’t have, and I think people respect that because they see it’s something new in the industry.”

Caruso is expanding rapidly, with hopes of eventually operating across the entire country. Brenna credits her team’s combined experience — along with the capital the company has earned through its success — with allowing Caruso to deliver quality work quickly, building both its client base and its reputation as it scales.

“When we see one woman doing it, we’re like, ‘Oh, she can do it, I can do it,'” Brenna says. “So it’s empowering to be that for other people too. It can be a big responsibility, but it’s very special.”

“But I think that allows me to bring a perspective that people don’t have, and I think people respect that because they see that it’s something new in the industry.

The company is expanding rapidly, and Caruso hopes to work across the entire country, scaling up to match. Brenna says that the combined experience of her employees, as well as the capital they have to work with due to their success, allows them to produce quality work quickly, building their client base and reputation.

“When we see one woman doing it, we’re like, ‘Oh, she can do it, I can do it,'” Brenna says. “So it’s empowering to be that for other people too. It can be a big responsibility, but it’s very special.”