Mike Hilborn could use one word to describe one of the worst winters on record: ka-ching!

“We are thrilled to death!” said Hilborn, shouting over the rattle of a steam machine as his crew blasted ice dams on a St. Paul house Wednesday. Thanks to the weather, his two-man crews are busy busting dams for $595 an hour.

“This winter is a gift for us,” he said. “I know, it sounds horrible, because everyone else hates it.”

Well, not everyone.

As the weather shatters records, some businesses are seeing profits pile up like snowdrifts on a windy road. Doctors, travel agents, auto-body shops, tow companies and ski areas are enjoying a surge in business that parallels the general misery of winter.

Last month’s 39 inches of snow blasted the previous February record by 12 inches, and made it the fourth-snowiest month ever recorded in the Twin Cities. The evil-sounding polar vortex of January crashed temperatures to 28 below zero, and they have remained low since.

Who is happy about this?

“We are making so much money,” said Dan Albrecht, co-owner of South St. Paul-based Minnesota Residential Snow Plowing. “But we aren’t sleeping. Last year we were sleeping a lot — with no money.”

His four plow trucks are running constantly, and he can’t find any new drivers. He isn’t accepting any new customers. “I would love to take on everyone, but I am not going to break my back for another buck,” Albrecht said.

TRAVEL, DOCTORS

Cold-smacked customers are limping into Admas Travel and Tours in Minneapolis. “They are flying anywhere that is warm, with sunshine,” said manager Teklu Admas.

Usually, that means southern states. But the entire nation is facing lower-than-average temperatures, so customers opt for destinations such as the Caribbean islands, Rome, Singapore or Australia.

“Go to Melbourne,” Admas said. “It’s 100 degrees in Melbourne.”

Doctors are also busy.

A three-fold increase in patients was seen at The Urgency Room locations in February, according to spokeswoman Becky Leagjeld. They are related to falls on the ice — head injuries, concussions, broken wrists and ankles.

Depressing weather is good for those who treat depression — like psychologists.

Complaints are increasing regarding depression and seasonal affective disorder, which is related to a lack of sunlight, according to Dr. Michael DeSanctis of St. Paul, a retired psychologist and sleep expert.

“People cope pretty well, but everyone has their limits,” said DeSanctis. People already suffering from mental health problems often find that a severe winter makes it worse, he said.

DeSanctis said getting seven to eight hours of sleep daily is essential. Also, he recommends getting as much sunlight as possible. “And do not be sedentary. Go to a mall. Go to a fitness center.”

TOWING, CAR REPAIR

Winter stress is up at Stress Less Towing of St. Paul, where business doubled in February. “We are very busy. I don’t want to say how many hours I am working,” said owner Greg Houke.

The company is prying vehicles out of snowdrifts everywhere — freeways, streets, even the driver’s own driveway. He said four-wheel drive vehicles are getting stuck, along with all other cars. Most common, he said, are “small compact cars.”

Slippery roads mean slipping cars, which means more business sliding into auto-repair shops.

Business is overwhelming at the Superior Service Center in Eagan, said owner Dan Sjolseth.

He is forced to turn away any damaged car that is still drivable. “We are really going crazy,” he said. “The only thing we can do is prioritize.”

Many customers are stunned to see bills for what they thought would be minor repairs. If air bags have been deployed, said Sjolseth, the repair costs often soar — and the vehicle is totaled.

Fixing even a single headlight can mean re-programming a computer. “That could be $2,000 for a headlight,” said Sjolseth.

“I just saw a late-model pickup that needed a couple of headlights, a grill and a fender,” he said.

The bill: $7,000.

Wayne Watson, owner of Auto Works Automotive Service in Woodbury, has a flood of skid-damaged cars in his garage bays — with busted ball joints, bent wheel rims and crooked alignments.

He said the easiest problems to fix are steering complaints based on ice build-up in wheel wells and rims. Often, he said, a good car wash will be enough to get the ice off.

SKIING

Business is pouring into Afton Alps ski area — but not for the obvious reasons.

The heavy snowfall isn’t needed, said marketing manager Pam Hoye, because Afton Alps can make its own snow. But the snowfall reminds people that they can have fun outdoors.

First-timers are coming in. “If they had a green or brown back yard, they wouldn’t necessarily try it,” Hoye said.

AND ICE DAMS

Along with the record snowfall, February could be a record month for America’s largest ice-dam removal company.

The 70-man crew of Hilborn’s RTD Ice Dam Removal is based in St. Paul but travels around the U.S. like migrant workers, following the trail of ice dam formation. Recently, they have worked in Boston, Chicago, Omaha and Oregon.

Hilborn was flabbergasted when he pulled up to a job on Crocus Hill in St. Paul on Wednesday. Almost every one of the historic mansions lining the street had a frozen waterfall plastered to its side.

His two-man crew hooked up hoses to a steam heater, and the hot tubes melted snakelike paths in the snow. Three stories up on a wet aluminum ladder, a worker waved the steam wand like a “Star Wars” light saber, slicing up the 8-inch wall of ice.

“That guy is working 13 hours a day, seven days a week,” Hilborn said.

The wages, he said, are very good — but the ice dam season is short. “This will all end in a week or two,” he said.

But in the meantime, he couldn’t help applauding what most people are cursing.

“How about this weather!” he exclaimed. “We are getting snow every three days!”