It's Easy Being Green (Page 2)

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“Our green efforts started with simple things like recycling paper, cardboard, plastic, metal and glass,” says Moore, who is also a past president of the Automotive Service Councils of California. The shop has since moved on to handling used oil in accordance with hazardous-waste regulations and reducing chemical solvents, among other things.

“We used to hand-clean parts with solvent,” Moore says. “Not only was it bad for the environment, but it damaged people’s hands.” Today, the shop uses a parts-washing machine that cleans them with soap and high-temperature water. “The machine paid for itself in just 45 days and continues to save us a large sum of money,” Moore adds.

He suggests organizing monthly meetings with other local shop owners to compare notes and share tips on what’s working and what’s not regarding all aspects of running a shop — from business issues to environmental concerns to technician training opportunities.

“Our industry moves very quickly, and there’s so much we can learn from each other, but we have to be willing to get together and speak up,” Moore says.

Keeping Import Owners Happy

Moore says about two-thirds of his business is either Japanese or European vehicles, which is no surprise considering his shop’s location. In 2006, 69 percent of Californians were import owners, according to industry analyst R. L. Polk & Co.

“ACDelco seems to always be updating its lines so they can provide great coverage for shops with a heavy emphasis on imports,” says Moore, who co-owns the business with his wife, Laurie, and their daughter, Tiffany.

He adds that he turns to ACDelco for its quality parts, availability, and on-time delivery – all offered at a fair price - and his local ACDelco sales representative, Sue Heimann, for support.

“More than half our stock is ACDelco,” he says. “But it’s not just because of the large number of import parts they offer. It’s also because of their world-class training. Technology continues to advance each year, so you either continue to learn, or you risk losing customers.”

He’s set up a pay incentive plan based on his six techs — who are all ASE master technicians — attending a minimum 50 hours of training annually. In fact, he believes so strongly in the importance of continued learning that he’s created an in-house training room that holds 25 people.

“I was flying by the seat of my pants when I started out,” Moore says. “The good news is, today’s shop owners don’t have to. Now there are classes available for the business, technical and environmental sides of running a shop. But it’s up to each owner to become educated — and to educate his or her staff. That’s the real key to success.”

LARRY’S AUTOWORKS
WHERE: MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF.
SIZE: 13,500 SQ. FT. | 15 EMPLOYEES
WHEN: OPENED IN 1972