Jacques Andres, owner of Oakland, Calif.-based Clean Green Collision, became interested in making the collision repair industry more eco-friendly as a result of a personal experience.
"I purchased a car that had a complete paint job and shortly after driving it, I was getting sick," Andres recalls. "Through the process of completing the paint job, paint dust and sanding dust was trapped in the headliner, the rugs, the heating and air conditioning systems and the air ducts."Just a year earlier, Andres had opened Bay Bridge Motors, a collision and mechanical repair facility. As a result of his new focus, he changed the name of the collision business to Clean Green Collision.
Andres attributes much of his success – including steady year-to-year growth – to the shop's eco-friendly approach. "The customer response has been great," he says, adding that some customers have left their previous body shop to go to a "green" shop.Before opening Bay Bridge Motors, Andres had a career in professional racecar fabrication and construction. "I wanted to provide service to a greater amount of people," Andres says of his career change.
Fortunately, his fabrication experience helped in minimizing the costs of converting to a green collision shop. "Over the last year and a half, I was able to remodel and implement tooling, processes and policies that would make this a greener body shop. With a limited budget and our own ability to craft tooling we were able to put additional filters on the prep station and to create an air re-circulation plenum for the paint booth."Clean Green's unique approach is evident from the moment a car arrives at the shop. "As soon as the car comes in, we close off the heating and air systems with tape and paper," explains Andres. "And any time a door or window is open or off, we pay great attention to put plastic on and tape the holes closed."
The company also uses 100-percent waterborne paint, which some local governments have made mandatory in an effort to reduce emissions from collision repair shops. Although waterborne paint is not required in Oakland, Andres says, "We pushed our paint supplier to put us on the front of the list on new waterborne paint technology."Clean Green's processes do not add significantly to the cost of repairing a vehicle, and Clean Green customers pay competitive rates for repairs, Andres says. "There is some added cost in paper, plastic and tape but not to a margin that really affects each job," he says. "In some cases, it's cheaper because of the way waterborne paints dry."
Some extra cost is involved in disposing of paint booth filters and waste, Andres says. But he adds, "I can't imagine it hurting the bottom line to the point where we wouldn't want to do it."
Andres hopes the next step in his quest to make collision repair more green will be to persuade insurance company direct repair programs to buy into the concept. "Insurance companies have the power to make the change," he says.
Andres would like to get on DRPs but has encountered difficulties because most insurers seem to have plenty of shops to work with already. "Insurance company marketing people and strategists need to make the change and demand that existing shops become green or start working with shops like ours that have put energy into being green," comments Andres.
Clean Green relies on other means of acquiring customers. The name "Clean Green" automatically attracts eco-conscious car owners. The shop also has had success in attracting referrals from local car dealers. Through some clever marketing, the company has gained a following among BMW and Mini Cooper owners.
"A good portion of our body work has come from the mechanical repair side," adds Andres. "When those customers get in a collision, they think of us first."
Andres' experience in racecar fabrication has helped provide another revenue stream for the shop; 20-25 percent of business comes from auto restoration work.
In the future, perhaps Andres' experience with Clean Green will lead him to yet another career move. Noting that the greatest expense in becoming a green shop is in the up-front costs of modifying equipment, Andres says he was able to reduce that cost substantially by crafting his own filter holders and other tooling.
Might there be an opportunity for him to act as a consultant to help other shops go green?
"That may be my calling in the future," he says.
