How one Maaco owner never misses the chance to choose sustainability
Maaco franchise owner David Co shares the different ways he has implemented sustainable changes at his shop that benefit business and the environment.
David Co always looks for the next opportunity.
First, he saw one with Maaco. After an initial experience with the painting and collision repair shop for a dent repair estimate, he realized the Maaco business model of delivering a quality service at a fair price was something he wanted to be part of. David conducted research and opened his own franchise in Hayward, California, in 2007.
Since then, he’s continued to look for ways to better serve customers and the community. David takes the opportunity to do that through his work with local organization City Serve.
“It’s a nonprofit organization that primarily serves homeless people and senior citizens,” said David. “They do a lot to make sure our community is well taken care of.”
To David, taking care of the community involves more than writing a check. In addition to monetary support, he also provides resources to City Serve such as free paint jobs on cars when needed.
Now, David’s also seen the opportunity to make the environment better, too. Over the last decade, he’s made a commitment to taking the sustainability route whenever possible.
Saving water with an artificial lawn
Except for brief wet periods in the 2017 and 2019 water years, drought conditions have largely persisted in the last decade in California according to the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
Looking for ways to cut back on the store’s water use, David found an answer right outside the front window.
“Instead of having all this green grass in the front, we invested in an artificial lawn,” explained David. “Now my entire front ends look like a very nice golf course and doesn’t require any water to maintain.”
Saving energy with LED and solar panels
LED lighting is a more sustainable option compared to traditional lighting sources such as fluorescent or incandescent light bulbs. Three years ago, David decided it was time to make the switch to a less expensive and more environmentally friendly option and converted the entire shop to LED. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, this type of lighting can use up to 90% less energy and last 25 times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.
After making the LED switch, he decided to go a step further and save even more energy by investing in solar panels.
David quickly realized that this was not only a smart environmental decision, but a smart financial decision as well.
“The electric bill was going up every single month. It was non-stop,” David said. “I did my calculations and figured out that if I invest in this then after five years, I’d be paying almost nothing. So, it made sense for a long-term investment to do as well.”
Protecting indoor air quality with equipment upgrades
As a paint and repair shop, David’s team often found themselves breathing in dusty air every day from their traditional sanding machines. Plus, it required additional hours and energy to clean the shop.
David began looking for a solution and found a new sanding system, which also has an integrated dust extraction system to reduce cleanup and exposure to employees.
“We saw a 95% reduction in dust in the shop,” David said. “It gives us a cleaner facility and a better-quality working environment.”
Looking ahead to electric vehicles
The next opportunity David sees to grow the business is with electric vehicles (EVs). “Right now, we only have one EV charger,” said David. “As they become more popular, we plan to include more in the store to prepare to support those customers better.”
From artificial grass to solar panels, David never misses an opportunity to do the right thing – for his employees, his customers, and the environment.