Jacques Andres’ shop in Oakland, Calif., has possibly the greenest name in the industry.
Clean Green Collision, a 7,000-square-foot shop with seven employees that makes about $700,000 annually repairing three or four cars a week, proudly boasts its environmental investment before customers walk in the door.
“I thought it was important for the industry to take responsibility for the emission of pollutants,” Andres says about the development of his business.
His shop incorporates waterborne paint (mandated in California), an advanced air filtration system, a recycling program and a strategy he calls “cockpit protection,” which involves sealing a vehicle’s interior to prevent exposure to metal particulates and paint residue. The strategies haven’t been a huge customer draw, but Andres says they’ve paid for themselves by improving shop efficiency and creating a healthier environment for employees, customers and the community.
“This is more of a quality-of-work and ethics issue for me,” he says.
