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Two environmentally minded entrepreneurs launch an auto-detailing business that stays green while it cleans.
You would think that two smart guys with new college degrees — one in finance and one in public relations and advertising — would be interested in a more bankable kind of green.
But Josh Hamilton and Mike Morgan decided to go the environmentally “green” route when they launched Auto Haven Mobile Detail. Instead of customers coming to them, they travel to customers’ homes or workplaces, where they use an all-green process to detail cars and trucks.
The two co-founders were first teammates on the Oral Roberts University Golden Eagles basketball squad and then worked together for a local detailer. That’s where they saw a need and developed a niche to blend the convenience of a mobile detailing service with the environmental aspects of a green business.
Research was the first order of business for this specialty concept, which was launched in July 2008. The two entrepreneurs chose a San Diego company as their training ground and supplier for equipment and products. During their West Coast orientation, they realized they had a lot more to learn about creating a green detailing service.
For one thing, going green meant adding about 20 to 30 percent to their start-up costs.
“That was the price of getting the quality and environmentally focused equipment,” Hamilton says. “We have no problem with that. We see it as a necessity, not an option.”
Auto Haven’s mobile unit has a self-contained water system. It’s stingy from the first drop, rationing only about five gallons of H20 for each exterior wash. Auto Haven uses short, angled strokes to push the dirt off more efficiently.
“It’s all in how you use the power washer,” Morgan says. “Regular sprays waste a lot of water, but every spray out of our power washer has a purpose.”
About 25 percent of the water used evaporates. The other 75 percent drips onto a containment mat. Auto Haven uses a vacuum to reclaim the water and then disposes of it responsibly — into a sanitary sewer, not a storm sewer. The system also reclaims the hot water used to clean the car’s carpets.
Supplies are another green aspect of the business. Auto Haven uses 100 percent biodegradable waxes, cleaners and protectants.
“Acid-based chemicals are bad for the vehicles, bad for the environment,” Morgan explains.
In California, environmental practices are the law. In Oklahoma, Hamilton and Morgan want to set a precedent.
“It’s important to our clients here, too,” Morgan says.
The founders of Auto Haven Mobile Detail hope to reform the industry, not just by being green, but also by being professional.
“We strive in every area to be the best and most efficient,” Hamilton says. “We dress professionally and do everything with precision.
“Most of our work is extra elbow grease. People appreciate that.”
Morgan says he hopes the extra effort put into launching the company results in long-term success.
“This is an extensive process, and we plan on being here a long time,” he says.
Repeat customers and referrals are the bread and butter of their business. Expansion plans call for putting another mobile unit on the road within the next two years.
“We wanted to start a business, to knock down a door on the investment side of things,” Hamilton says. “We guarantee that you will never get a better detail or be treated better anywhere.”
With that approach, their green business could ultimately shower them in the other, more bankable kind of green.
