GETTING AN EDGE - PaintSquare

GETTING AN EDGEby Pamela Mills-SennStanding Out from the Green CrowdWith the eco-bandwagon overflowing, how do you make your claim?Cthrough search engines with keywordsthat would draw customerslooking for a green contractor. But heall it the “new black,” but“green” is everywherethese days—a word nowtied so tightlyto the environment thatpeople might forget itwas once just a color.For painting andwallcovering contractorswho want to promotetheir company aseco-friendly, the seepingof green into thepublic consciousnessprovides an opportunityto differentiatethemselves from conventionalcompetitors.But the effort can also workagainst them if they’re not careful.With more and more companies (deservedlyor not) proclaiming themselvesgreen, the distinction is losingits meaning among consumers whoconsider it a mere advertising ploy.There’s also the risk of turning offprospects—especially homeowners-—if they feel they are being coercedor preached to.Do clients care?Not every prospect stands poisedto grill you about your company’sgreenness. Customers don’t bring itup to Daniel Macris, says the LEEDaccreditedprofessional and presidentof GreenWave Solutions, anAtlanta painting company. (Thenagain, he adds, this could be becausethey already know he’s green, givenhis company name and website.)What prospects do bring up, andpretty quickly, is price.When Macris started his companyin 2007, he marketed himselfMake sure you know more than your clients, advises Peter Yost.soon decided that he wasn’t gettingenough hits and went back to keywordsassociated with more traditionalpainting contractors.“There just wasn’t the awareness,”he explains. “People arenot typing ‘environmentallyfriendly contractor’into their search engines.”Similarly, DouglasHoward, owner of D.Howard Painting in Valparaiso,Ind., markets hiscompany as “moving towardsan eco-friendly future.”The motto appearson uniforms, companyvehicles and paperwork.Only about five percent ofHoward’s prospects ask him aboutbeing eco-friendly, although moreinquire when he’s in front of themand they see his logo.Other contractors tell a differentstory. Kate Morrison, co-owner of El-ement Painters (motto: “Green is theColor of the Future”) in Toronto,Canada, gets many inquiries abouthow eco-friendly the company is.“A lot of people call us about it,”says Morrison. “They also want toask about the differences betweenenvironmentally friendly and traditionalpaints.”Many customers check out T. PaulSek Eco-Friendly Painting in SantaCruz, Calif., because of green awarenessand health concerns, says coownerDebbie Sek.“Green is on peoples’ minds,” Seksays. “But because of the economyover the last two years, people havebecome more budget-minded.” So,clients are weighing their eco-concernsagainst their financial realities.Changes aheadConsumer environmental awarenessmay be lagging, but it won’t be“The more I talk to people, the more I learn,” says contractor Jon Ray.for long. As of April 22, the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency’s“Renovation, Repair and PaintingRule” requires that painting contractorsnotify clients in pre-1978homes, schools and day-care centersSee EDGE on page 1210 PWC MAY/JUNE 2010

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EDGE from page 10of lead risks before remodeling. (See“The New Lead Rules: What YouMust Know Now,” page 24.)The rule requires that contractorsof any trade become trained and certifiedin lead-safe work practices iftheir work will disturb a minimalamount of paint in these buildings.Violations can bring fines of up to$37,500, and the EPA is launching amajor public awareness campaignabout the rules.Publicity about the new rules offersan excellent opportunity forgreen contractors to tell and selltheir story. But it may also intensifythe competition as more contractorsearn their certification and are inspiredto make their companiesmore eco-friendly.Being greenIt’s beyond the scope of this articleto discuss what makes a companygreen. Every contractor mustdetermine how green he or she canafford to be. And the process is ongoingfor each company.PaintGreen, a San Diego-based residentialand commercial paintingcompany, is among those evolving.“The more I research, the more I talkto people, the more I learn,” saysowner Jon Ray.That’s why, although some contractorsmay misrepresent their company,most should hesitate to pointfingers at someone else’s efforts andlevel charges of greenwashing (see“Avoiding Greenwashing,” page 16).Better to promote your own effortsand let them speak for themselves,the experts say.Resources and educationEducation and networking areboth critical to promoting your greencompany, advises Peter Yost, directorof residential services for Vermont-basedBuildingGreen LLC(www.buildinggreen.com). Themember-supported company is anindependent source of green buildinginformation.“Get educated,” says Yost. “Makesure the client doesn’t know moreabout this than you do.”Resources for contractors abound.BuildingGreen produces thenewsletter Environmental BuildingNews and the GreenSpec product di-Keeps Paint Out.Keeps Lines Sharp .FrogTape ® is the only tape treated with PaintBlock ®Technology. PaintBlock forms a micro-barrierthat seals the edges of the tape, preventing paintbleed. This means less time spent prepping andtouching up, and more time for other jobs.Visit FrogTape.com to see PaintBlock in action,get painting tips and more!877-FROGTAPE(376-4827)FrogTape.com©ShurTech Brands, LLC 2010/42115Circle No. 31 on Reader Service Card12 PWC MAY/JUNE 2010

ectory. The latter lists residentialand commercial building productsand components that BuildingGreenhas vetted with quantitative andqualitative data.“Manufacturers don’t pay a fee tohave their products reviewed,” saysYost. “They can only provide uswith information.”BuildingGreen is also behindGreenBuildingAdvisor.com, billedas a “complete source for building,designing and remodeling greenhomes.”Many organizations and companiesoffer education and certification.For example, says Sek,everyone in her company is a CertifiedGreen Building Professional, adesignation offered by the nonprofitBuild It Green (www.builditgreen.org).The Regreen Residential RemodelingProgram (www.regreenprogram.org),mounted by the AmericanSociety of Interior Designers and theU.S. Green Building Council, offerscase studies, an interactive tool(“Green My Project”), guidelines, educationand certification.Another resource is Intuit’s GreenSnapshot (http://intuitlabs.com/experiments/intuit-green-snapshot),asoftware program that makes personalizedrecommendations on howa business can save money by goinggreener. This program sparkedHoward’s eco-friendly changes.with eco-friendly networkinggroups, and many consultants offeradvice on making your businessgreener. (See also “Going BeyondGreen Coatings,” May-June 2009See EDGE on page 15NetworkingEstablishing relationships withlike-minded contractors can alsohelp, as can reaching out to businessesoutside the industry that havegreened up their processes. Talk topaint reps and attend classes, seminarsand environmental events likeEarth Day, suggests Ray.Ray also recommends connectingCircle No. 33 on Reader Service CardWWW.PAINTSTORE.COM PWC 13

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EDGE from page 13PWC, and “Growing Greener” onpage 18 of this issue.)Reaching outOnce you are up to speed, attendto customer communication and education,says Yost.“Make sure before you start theproject that you and your customeragree on what green is,” he explains.“There is the opportunity for thecontractor to be proactive on this: ‘Iknow what green building is to me;what is it to you?’ This will differentiateyou from other contractorswho either don’t know or didn’t discussit.”It’s fine to tell people about yourinitiatives and to discuss the differencesbetween green and conventionalcoatings/materials, but treadlightly until you discern the client’slevel of interest, says Howard.“You want to feel the situationout,” he explains. “You can’t get onyour soapbox and be an environmentalist;you’re there to get thejob.” (One exception: For interiorprojects, Howard always mentionslow- or no-VOC paints.)If clients are obviously green-oriented,Sek will focus the conversationon that, providing detailedinformation about the company’sproducts and processes. Otherwise,she’ll steer the discussion toward attributeslike durability.This is smart, says Yost. The moreyou can turn the green value propositioninto something performancebased,the better.One caveat, experts advise: Avoidmaking health claims. People varygreatly in their reactions to differentmaterials.stand out from competitors whosimply talk the green talk. One greatway to gain attention for your effortsis to become a thought leader inyour community, says Paul Nutcher,See EDGE on next pageKeeping it realWalking the walk will help youCircle No. 24 on Reader Service CardWWW.PAINTSTORE.COM PWC 15

EDGE from last pagepresident of the Green Apple Group (www.greenappleconsult.com),a green consulting and advertising companybased in Winter Park, Fla.“For example, go out and talk to kids at schools aboutgreen building,” he says. “Or be the one who meets witharchitects or designers about why low-VOC paints areimportant. Or host ‘lunch and learns’ to talk about greenefforts.”Nutcher suggests becoming involved, even voluntarilyor as an apprentice, with green or LEED projects: “Askto come to meetings where they discuss how to make abuilding green.”Letting your actions speak for you with a clear, consistentmessage will validate your green effort. Make sureall company materials, website, uniforms and signagesupport your brand. Show customers you’re seriousabout being eco-friendly (for example, Sek knocks 10percent off the labor for green projects).And don’t hold back on blowing your own horn. “Weplace next to our job-site signage a secondary pamphletbox with literature on What is Green Painting?, What isIndoor Air Quality? and What is Green?,” says Sek.The literature, with the company’s logo and contact information,serves as both education and advertising.“If you are the real thing, you have to tout it,” Sek says.“And the best way I can see is by offering as much educationas possible. I believe that the degree to which youor your company has the ability to do so, speaks to—orshows off—your level of green.”Contact Pamela Mills-Senn at pms@charter.net.Avoiding GreenwashingMost manufacturers don’t intend to deceive consumersabout a product’s eco-friendly attributes, saysgreen consultant Paul Nutcher.“But there are misperceptions about green,” he allows.“There’s a lot of confusion among manufacturerswho think they know what constitutes green,but they don’t.”Manufacturers may not have read the standardsclosely enough, or they have misunderstood themand thus made inaccurate environmental claims.In any case, you want to ensure that the productsyou use meet your standards and that what you aretelling customers is accurate, warns Petie Davis,business manager/sustainable services with NSF International(www.nsf.org), a Michigan non-profitwhose services include writing standards and auditingcompany sustainability claims.NSF is currently developing the first sustainablewallcovering standard (NSF Draft 342), at the behestof representatives from that industry. This will enablewallcovering manufacturers and distributors tocertify their products to that standard.Contractors should not just take a supplier’s ormanufacturer’s word about a product, Davis says.She and Yost both advise asking whether productclaims have undergone third-party testing or certification.Third-party certifiers include the GREEN-GUARD Institute, Green Seal, Scientific CertificationSystems, and the Master Painter Institute, which alsoverifies performance standards for green paints andcoatings.Circle No. 57 on Reader Service Card16 PWC MAY/JUNE 2010

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