Four mechanical and collision shops from around the country have varying but successful approaches to going green. Execs from the four shops — which vary in size and number of locations as much as in their environmental plans — say it’s not that difficult to start, and financially beneficial when you do.
In a panel discussion at ASRW on Wednesday, the four owners shared their experiences as part of “Green — It Benefits People and Businesses.” Trish Serratore with ASE moderated the panel.
Solar panels are a popular way to lower energy costs and become more environmentally savvy. The multi-shop operation Keenan Auto Body in Pennsylvania and the one-shop location Hawthorne Auto clinic in Portland, Ore., both use solar power at their shops.
Yes, even in the great Northwest you can take advantage of the sun and its energy.
Jim Houser, co-owner of Hawthorne, says about 80 percent of his shop’s room is covered with solar panels, which provide power to about 35 percent of the shop. They see a $2,000 a year saving, in addition to rebates and tax incentives. They also have hydropower, so their power costs are lower than in other parts of the country to begin with, he notes.
Across the country, Mike LeVasseur, president and COO of Keenan, says his company went solar, utilizing both federal money and having the solar provider pick up a greater portion of the installation costs. By doing this and other research, they were able to see a 65 percent reduction in electric costs. Between the savings and selling renewable energy credits, they’ve seen a great return on investment (ROI), LeVasseur says.
But why implement any environmentally friendly processes, let alone something as large as solar panels? Panelist Rebecca Kirchdorfer, co-owner of Downing Street Garage in Denver, says it comes back to your shop values.
She suggests aligning your environmental processes with whom you deal with as suppliers and employees, and you’ll also attract this kind of customer.
Kirchdorfer’s one-location shop has implemented a cradle-to-cradle concept instead of cradle-to-grave process. One example of this is with motor oil.
“A waste oil furnace is a great business opportunity because you can have thousands of dollars in energy savings depending on the climate you live in,” she says. She adds that at her shop, they recently started offering refined oil changes, which she calls the “ultimate cradle-to-cradle-to-cradle.”
Dan Lajoie, vice president of store administration and construction, Sterling Autobody Centers, notes that if you are creative and look at your business, you can find ways to go green.
“There are ways you can be green and it won’t cost you any money,” he states.
Sterling has adjusted daily operations and closing (such as turn off the lights when not in use), reset their timers, changed from water bottles to plumbed-in units, implemented an electronic payroll check process that has saved the company $20,000 annually, and more. He shared other examples of how Sterling has worked to be green, such as finding abandoned buildings to use as shops and refitting lighting in shops.
In the end, it doesn’t matter what size your shop is, you can go green and get an ROI.
“A key component to green is to have the buy-in from your staff. They’ll come up with ideas that will surprise you and they’ll run with them,” LeVasseur notes, though.
But looking around the shop, budgeting for it and taking the time to do some research can save you time and resources.
