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Picking 2008as the year tolaunch a greenprogram was atimely decisionTEcoming,” he says. “They were energized about seeing green productsand then followed up with requests for changes to their ordering mixto incorporate the products we presented at the show.”The Green Product Show was held in May 2008; that marked thebeginning of Garvey’s green program. “We had the stock presentationthat we did at the show and we told customers that we wouldlove to do a presentation for their green committee,” says Garvey.“The Green Product Show gave us the opportunity to present greenproduct to a lot of people who might have been thinking about goinggreen,” he says. Those presentations stimulated interest in greenproducts and convinced many customers to change the mix ofproducts that they purchased.More Green EffortsUsing its Green Show as a platform, Garvey’s kicked off threeadditional green initiatives. The company would offer recyclingservices for batteries, flattened cardboard, and used toner cartridges.Garvey’s trucks were already stopping by on a regular basis; allcustomers had to do was set materials aside to be picked up.Only the batteries and cardboard were new, as Garvey’s had beenrecycling used toner cartridges from customers for some time. Manyresellers offer a similar service, but Garvey’s added its own uniquefeature. Every quarter, it donated funds generated by the program toa local charity. Customers who participate in the toner recycling programare encouraged to suggest charities to receive the contribution.The company is already six quarters into the charity program andhas seen its contributions range from $2,500 to a high of $5,500. Onerecent recipient of the donation was Jobs for Youth/Chicago, whichhelps young men and women from low-income families become apart of the economic mainstream.The impact of its green program can’t be tracked precisely, butGarvey is certain that it has been positive. While he can’t say thatmore product was sold because of the program, he knows for surethat some customers changed the mix of products that they purchased.“I don’t know if that added up to additional dollars, but itmight have cost us business if we didn’t do it.”“What I absolutely can say without hesitation,” says Garvey, “isthat we picked up customers based on the goodwill we generatedfrom the charity program and the recycling initiatives. There is nodoubt about that, and some of them have been very significant newaccounts.”A good portion of the net gain that Garvey’s achieved came in theform of improved public relations. By showing its commitment to allthings green, it was able to gain positive mindshare even with customerswho weren’t that interested in going green. “No one is goingto punish you for your green efforts,” says Garvey. “But people whoare enthusiastic about it will absolutely migrate to you for demonstratingthat you’re committed to it.”Garvey’s green program continued through 2009. All of therecycling efforts are still active, although the economic downturn hashad an impact on sales of green products as many customers arelooking at costs much harder and will sacrifice some green gainsin favor of less expensive options.Still, the green marketplace offers growth opportunities, andGarvey’s has responded by offering the United EasyFlip version ofits Green catalog on the home page of its Web site. Online visitorscoming to the site see instantly the commitment that Garvey’s hasmade to greening the environment. O|LOFF CEL NE29