SHOP: Curt’s Service LOCATION: Oak Park, Mich. OWNER: Curt and Andy Massoll
SIZE: 15,000 square feet STAFF: 15 MONTHLY CAR COUNT: 425 ANNUAL REVENUE: $2.2 million
1) When family-owned Curt’s Service started making plans for an 8,000-square-foot addition on their building in March 2012, father-and-son team Curt and Andy Massoll knew they wanted to create a space with as little outgoing waste as possible.
The no-waste shop floor includes using repurposed oil to heat the facility through a radiant heat system. Curt’s Service stores all of the petroleum, which is then put through a filter and purifying machine, turned into repurposed heating oil, warmed and sprayed into a Clean Burn boiler system, which heats the water that goes into the radiant heat system.
Andy Massoll says the system makes for a warm working environment without drafts or changes in temperature when the doors open. He also points out that any snow and salt that is trekked in during the winter evaporates quickly.
2) The shop floor is equipped with nine Aquavantage water pneumatic lifts, which use compressed air and tap water instead of electrical motors and hydraulic oil.
“All of our tools are already air powered,” says Massoll. “We eliminate having a separate motor for each hoist. That’s electrical savings.”
The in-ground hoists also help avoid a potential EPA problem. Since most traditional in-ground lifts hold up to 60 gallons of hydraulic oil underground, over time, those lifts are prone to leaking and soil contamination.
3) During construction, the shop also opened a hybrid- and electric-vehicle repair division. To do that, all of the bays in the shop floor are pre-wired for electric-vehicle charging stations, two of which are already up and running.
4) Among the other green features is high-efficiency T5 lighting, which is on individually controlled circuits, allowing the shop to turn off the lights when the ambient lighting from the numerous skylights and all-glass garage door is sufficient.
