MANSFIELD ─ DeLee Powell said she likes to overachieve. And that partly explains why her company, Baker’s Collision Repair Specialists Inc., has devoted efforts to make itself more environmentally-friendly over the past 10 years.
In January, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency recognized Baker’s Collision for achieving the Achievement Level of the Encouraging Environmental Excellence (E3) Program.
The agency honored Baker’s pollution prevention acts that eliminate 80-percent emissions from painting operations and other steps taken in energy efficiency, recycling and many different aspects.
According to Ohio EPA, the E3 program recognizes any business, professional organization or local government for its environmentally-beneficial activities. The program also presents Silver, Gold and Platinum awards.
Baker’s Collision started with a lighting fixtures upgrade in 2011 at its 18,000-square-foot facility. Powell said the project saved the company about $5,000 in electricity bills every year. The company kept updating the equipment and now only uses LED lighting.
In 2012, Baker’s Collision participated in the Mansfield Energy Efficiency Program and the Green Business Challenge. The city recognized the auto shop as a silver-level green business. Powell said Baker’s embraced multiple improvements such as adding motion sensors for lighting.
Even after winning the green business award, Powell and her team were thinking about what else the company can do. One of the recent actions was transitioning from solvent-based to waterborne paint.
Powell said the business was aware that the paint supplier had put efforts in developing waterborne products and solvent-based paint will eventually be phased out of use. Baker’s wanted to be proactive in response to the change.
Focusing on collision repair, the auto shop uses paint containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) every day. Powell said solvent evaporates and goes up in the air easily during the painting process, just like hair spray. But the waterborne paint can mostly stay on the car, which causes less damage to the environment.
With a boost from Ohio Air Quality Development Authority’s grant, Baker’s Collision bought an additional paint booth in 2019 and started the conversion in October.
Charlie Powell, Powell’s son and the shop’s sales manager, said the new booth is geared toward waterborne paint. The air comes from the top and gets sucked out at the bottom, reducing the overspray.
In addition, a “flash” cycle will turn on the ceiling fans in the booth and release some heat to help move the air and dry the painted car parts faster. Charlie said the function is essential in the humid summer conditions.
While Baker’s Collision still uses some solvent-based paint, Charlie said the business will “cook” the used paint in a recycling machine for hours to vaporizes and recondenses the solvent and make it reusable.
“Before that, we would just use it once and recycle it in a container,” he said.
The shop saves money by reusing the solvent. It also does not need to raise the service price as fast as others.
Recycling has been part of the shop’s culture for years. There are four dumpsters at the back of Baker’s Collision for trash, steel, aluminum and cardboard. Charlie said the business also recycles mechanic fluid and the jugs.
As for tires, they are picked up by a contractor and turned into playground mulch.
“We’ve been doing it since 2012. Nobody here thinks that we do anything extraordinary because it’s just part of our day in day out,” DeLee said.
The company might fill a pickup truck with cardboard and anything recyclable and only get $20 for it, she said. But they help the environment — that’s the point.
DeLee’s parents, Mervin and Esther Baker, founded the business in 1953. The name was Baker’s Body Shop at that time. In 2008, DeLee bought the company from her brother, Larry Baker. Her sons, Chris and Charlie, have also worked there.
Like many other businesses, Baker’s Collision was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. DeLee said the shop did not see the expected sales growth last year with the new paint booth. But it was able to weather the storm and maintain the same sales level of 2019.
During the slow months, the shop escalated its training. It is the certified repair center for more than 10 car manufacturers, including Fiat Chrysler, Ford and Cadillac. The shop sends its mechanics to multiple training courses and invests in equipment needed.
DeLee said that’s how Baker’s Collision stands out from its counterparts.
“We look at it (training) as what we need to do to make sure that we’re always fixing these cars safely,” she said. “I’m pleased that our culture is that the staff embraces education because they want to be the best.”
