Ken’s Redmond Auto Body shop recently opened its doors to mentor other shop owners and government agency staff on a new water-borne vehicle paint system. The collision repair facility, located at 18138 Redmond Way, offered an inside look at how the state-of-the-art system works and answered candid questions about how other shops can transition to water-based systems.

The Redmond shop has already started seeing benefits. With changes in environmental regulations on the horizon, the new system:

• Reduces about 90 percent of the solvents used in a collision repair shop;

• Cuts final drying times to about three quarters the time needed before, saving energy and time;

• Trims base coat paint amounts by about 40 percent – going from four to six coats to only three – saving materials, while still meeting vehicle manufacturer’s quality standards; and

• Decreases the hazardous wastes generated enough to eliminate the need for a solvent still.

Despite the extremely challenging economic times for small businesses, owner Tim Campbell, recently chose to invest in his company and his employees’ future with new water-borne paint system technology.

“We are really proud to be on the cutting edge of preventing pollution, protecting our workers and contributing positively to our Redmond community,” said Campbell, a second-generation business owner. “EnviroStars certification helped us to think about our impacts more broadly and how to get started.”

Ken’s Redmond Auto Body has joined a growing list of businesses that have earned the EnviroStars certification. The nationally recognized EnviroStars Program was created by the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program in King County, Washington in 1995 and has expanded to include six counties in the Puget Sound region and across Washington State. For more information, visit www.envirostars.org.