More vehicle services manufacturers are going green in California

American manufacturing company, BendPak, which specialises in vehicle services and equipment, have announced a move to a new global headquarters in Agoura Hills, California. The administrative building the manufacturer is moving into is 22,256-square-foot in capacity and was originally built for the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation in 2012.

The new headquarters in Agoura Hills is located across 12 acres of land in the Santa Monica Mountains Region, which is to the west of Los Angeles and is regarded as a great place to be based due to the suburban nature and open space. BendPak is lined up to leave its current headquarters in Santa Paula, California and move into its new headquarters by the close of the summer season.

The new headquarters was a suitable choice due to it displaying modern layouts, being sensitive to environmental matters and utilising energy wisely. This quality was demonstrated by the building earning a LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, which is the highest level attainable for sustainable buildings.

Founder and Chairman Emeritus of BendPak, Don Henthorn, voiced his pleasure at securing the new property in Agoura Hills. He said: "We are thrilled to own this landmark property. Our business is booming, and we've simply outgrown our current space. We believe this location will enhance our ability to serve our customers, while also providing our team with an uplifting and energizing work environment."

The administrative building set to be used by BendPak in Agoura Hills will be the home of its client and customer service, management, marketing, product development, engineering, human resources, information technology and accounting.

The services and products BendPak offer include car lifts, EV battery lifts, pipe benders, air compressors, tire changers, evaporative air coolers and much more.

This move to Agoura Hills will mark the opening of the third US-based campus-based for BendPak after already having operations in Santa Paula and in Theodore, Mobile County, Alabama. BendPak has recently been upgrading its facilities as its current headquarters in Santa Paula had a 50,000-square-foot expansion three years ago.

The campus in Theodore, Alabama was opened after the completion of a 100-square-foot distribution and administrative facility in 2020 and a new 90,000-square-foot building was also completed on the Theodore campus recently. The existing campuses belonging to BendPak will continue to be of use as operations will still be necessary across all of them.

COO of BendPak, Rudy Diaz, touched on the possibilities now that BendPak will have three campuses to operate out of. He mentioned: "With three strategic campus locations across the United States, we'll be even better positioned to provide our customers with the highest quality products and services, while also increasing our capacity for further growth and innovation."

With BendPak operating out of two campuses in California it will be interesting to see how matters play out and how the company possibly adapts considering the state is set to ban new fossil fuel cars apart from plug-in hybrids from 2035 onwards.

The new headquarters will ideally encourage creativity and innovation from employees due to the break-taking scenery surrounding the campus which includes incredible mountain sightings and plenty of organic light.

The elements around the facility include a waterfall, brook, and koi pond plus many outdoor spaces for unwinding and meeting. This is all aimed at fostering and strengthening the staff's thought process for offering ideas.

President and CEO of BendPak, Jeff Kritzer, clarified how the new headquarters will aid the company staff. He stated, "Our new global command centre will enable us to provide a healthier, more comfortable and supportive work environment to help our employees thrive personally and professionally."

Kritzer also alluded positively to the future, saying: "We look forward to this exciting new chapter in our company's history and invite our clients and partners to visit us and experience the peaceful and inspiring environment for themselves."

BendPak is committed to running a sustainable business and making sure its operations are environmentally friendly whilst also reducing carbon footprint amounts. The new headquarters was designed by ZGF Architects, who specialise in incorporating sustainability into its builds.

Various sustainable elements are placed in the building such as water conversation systems, drought-tolerant native plants, an active shading system, a green roof plus solar thermal heating and passive cooling systems. Being a net-zero energy facility, the building relies on the sun to bring the power it requires through the solar photovoltaic panels which cover its parking canopy.

Elsewhere, France has recently opened up its first factory for electric vehicle batteries in Billy-Berclau as the European Union aims to phase out the sale of new fossil fuel vehicles by 2035.