Bridgestone Commercial Solutions today announced that its Company-Owned Operations (COO) in Tampa, Fla., received Green Star Certification from Hillsborough County’s Environmental Protection Commission (EPC). Hillsborough County commissioners presented Bridgestone’s area GCR Tire Centers and Truck PM Plus with the award at their joint retail store location on East Adamo Drive. Green Star is an industry-friendly program designed to encourage auto repair facilities in Hillsborough County to go beyond environmental compliance through the use of Best Management Practices and Pollution Prevention strategies.
“We are very proud to achieve Green Star Certification for our joint GCR Tire Centers and Truck PM Plus location in Hillsborough County,” said Pat Driscoll, General Manager, GCR Tire Centers. “Sustainability is one of our core values at Bridgestone, ingrained into every aspect of our business. The entire GCR and Truck PM Plus team has worked very hard to achieve Green Star Certification because we want to be a good corporate citizen of the greater Tampa community. Being sustainably minded is the right thing to do, and we want our customers to feel good about doing business with us.”
Dewitt Bruce, an environmental specialist with the EPC of Hillsborough County, presented the Green Star Award to the GCR and Truck PM Plus team during a special celebration recently held at their joint location.
“The Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission is proud to welcome GCR Tire Centers and Truck PM Plus to our Green Star program,” said Bruce. “We appreciate their efforts for continuous compliance and the willingness to go above and beyond to qualify as Green Star facilities.”
The EPC utilizes a compliance workbook and self-audit checklist developed by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection specifically for the auto repair industry. Once a facility completes the checklist, it is submitted to the EPC for review. After review, a certification inspection is performed to ensure what is on paper is actually being practiced. Only 40 automotive businesses have been named Green Star facilities in Hillsborough County, including Bridgestone’s COO location
