On September 4, 2002, Ford dealer Sellers-Sexton of St. Robert, Mo., set a precedent when it became the first car dealership in the U.S. to receive ISO 14001 certification, the international standard for environmental management. The award establishes a national benchmark for other dealerships to follow. GreenBiz.com's Emily Rabin asked L.V. Sexton, president of Sellers-Sexton, about his efforts to green all aspects of his operations, from the sales office to the repair shop.
Emily Rabin: In the absence of any ISO 14001-certified dealerships in the U.S., Sellers-Sexton was under little pressure to meet such strict environmental standards. Why did you decide to become ISO 14001-compliant?
L.V. Sexton: I serve on the board of the Missouri Technology Corporation, so I’d been involved in environmental efforts and was looking for ways to incorporate environmental concerns into how the dealership is run. I had also heard about a Canadian dealership that had recently received ISO 14001 certification, so I decided it was time for us to certify.
ER: What changes did you implement as part of your environmental management system?
LVS: Our EMS team established procedures for storage and handling of hazardous material; action steps for various what-if scenarios, including spills, fire, and tornado; and a management review schedule to insure compliance to established goals.
We do a lot of oil changes, so housing waste oil is a big issue. We constructed concrete berms around our 1,000-gallon tanks to contain spills. In addition, we installed four or five spill kits in different locations, each containing gloves, eye protection, an oil-drying agent, and fiber rings to circle and isolate any spills. In the winter we use the old oil to heat the repair shop.
We also worked closely with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the local fire department, which helped point out environmentally degrading products in use and suggested alternatives. We were almost always able to find an eco-friendlier alternative. For example, in the service department cleanup area we're now using non-phosphate detergent to clean the cars.
ER: Is cost a barrier when choosing environmentally friendly products?
LVS: Sometimes the products cost a little more and sometimes they don't. We try not to let dollars dictate too much. But the product has to do the job. If you can't get the car clean the first time with an inferior product you have to clean it all over again, so then you're wasting detergent. If it's an inferior product then we keep looking for an alternative.
ER: What about recycling?
LVS: One of our key directives was to reduce the amount of materials that went to the landfill. The first step was to examine the waste produced by the dealership and determine what items could be recycled. From there, we had to discover new avenues of disposal. For example, we use a lot of paper and cardboard, so we set up a system of collection, storage, and pick up with a local vendor. I would say we cut our solid waste by almost 50% with just those two items.
We now have recycle receptacles for both customers and employees for aluminum cans, paper, cardboard, used car parts, and oil. In addition, we built a separate facility to warehouse these materials in a weatherproof and tamper-proof location until pick up.
ER: How did you motivate your employees to participate in the effort?
LVS: Having no precedent made things more difficult at first, but the value of being the first dealership in the U.S. and being a trendsetter in the community seemed to be enough. Pride is an amazing motivator.
We also saw early on that the employees had to be included in the process. We formed an EMS team with representation from all departments, including service, office, etc. The EMS team was the key group that facilitated communication between me and the employees. I was giving the big picture, but they were really working down in the weeds, as they say.
As we started analyzing areas of improvement, we began having
dealership-wide meetings to educate everyone on basics -- not just telling them the procedure but also explaining the rationale behind it. Then we had departmental meetings where managers could explain specific changes that were going to be made. There was initial resistance from some staff, but as we gained some momentum we noticed more and more employee buy-in. We got feedback on processes that were not working and tried to find a better way.
ER: How did you keep track of your progress?
LVS: Our environmental management system depends heavily on the
Oxegen software program, a Web-based application that provides a framework for the organization of information, timelines, and reviews. The program helped us lay out a blueprint for the effort.
For the employees, we kept an EMS manual, a three-ring binder that listed all the processes and who was responsible for what by when. You have to have accountability if you're going to reach your goal.
ER: How has your certification affected your relationship with Ford? What kind of feedback have you been getting?
LVS: The Ford Motor Company and state Department of Natural Resources have given us plenty of positive feedback, and we're already getting positive feedback from folks in the area. We're definitely on the front end of this. We still have things to work on, but we're actively involved in finding more ways to improve.
ER: Being the first dealership to undergo this process, what is your advice to other dealerships that may be considering ISO 14001 certification?
LVS: Implementation of ISO standards should not be taken lightly. The stress of external auditors and deadlines can be aggravating to employees if not properly managed. First, establish a strong EMS team that is composed of management from every impacting department. Second, get plenty of buy-in and feedback from employees along the way. Don't forget to inform them of any upcoming changes and the reasons for them. Finally, train, train, train. For every process established there must be complete understanding by the employee required to do it -- not just the how but also the why.
ER: How do you measure your success?
LVS: [Laughing] It's the dumpsters. If the dumpsters are empty or close to empty we're moving forward in a positive way.
On a more serious note, success can only be measured by finalizing established goals and timelines. As we pass each quarterly and yearly review we will realize the success of our efforts.
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September 2002
GreenerBuildings.com