2 | news south florida business journal | noVeMber 16-22, 2012

By Shaun Bevan

Earth Friendly Products CEO Van Vlaha-kis’ Key Largo home relies on solar panels for power, much like his new $3.5 million manu-facturing plant in Opa-locka.

Like the name of his company, earth friend-ly is what Vlahakis has striven for at work and at home throughout his entire life. The Greek chemist came to the U.S. as a young man and built a company around the idea that only replenishable and sustainable, plant-based ingredients would be used in its cleaning products.

More than four decades later, consumers can find the company’s 150 products – in-cluding its flagship laundry detergent ECOS – on shelves at retailers including Costco, Pub-lix and Wal-Mart.

The Addison, Ill.-based company came to Opa-locka in 1986, but earlier this year moved into a 60,000-square-foot plant built to meet LEED Silver standards.

Architect Evie Giovannopoulou, of Los An-geles-based RevDesign, focused on designing a large manufacturing plant that took advan-tage of efficient power, water and lighting. On the rooftop, 260 solar panels in two rows sit on one side of the building – offsetting the company’s cost of power by 40 percent, Giovannopoulou said.

The building also utilizes low-flush toilets, high-efficiency faucets, compact fluorescent light bulbs and 85 percent recycled material for floor and ceiling panels. To manage waste, space throughout the factory is dedicated for recycling.

Giovannopoulou said her team approached the project with the question of how they

could reduce the environmental impact in every aspect.

Strategic locationSThe Opa-locka plant is one of five Earth

Friendly factories nationwide. The company has locations in Illinois, New Jersey, Califor-nia and Washington – strategically placed to cater to certain regions of the nation and sur-rounding countries.

For instance, cleaning supplies manufac-tured in Opa-locka will reach as far north as North Carolina or as far south as South America.

The Opa-locka plant makes up only about 12 percent of the company’s business – a small portion, Vlahakis said. With the new

plant, which runs three assembly lines and has room for several more, Vlahakis said he hopes to increase the amount of business to 15 to 18 percent.

Although Earth Friendly operates around the country, it teams up with local companies to produce its product, said VP Kelly Vlaha-kis-Hanks, Vlahakis’ daughter.

Companies in Opa-locka, Miami and Hol-lywood supply the boxes and plastic used for producing its cleaning products. Much of ev-erything else is made in-house with raw ma-terials, Vlahakis-Hanks said.

The assembly line, which is manned by a handful of people, can produce about 1,800 bottles of cleaning supplies in two and a half hours, said Zuliana Navarro, general manag-er of the factory. With the expansion, she has been able to expand her employee base to 30 people, and says there is definitely room for more in the future.

sbevan@bizjournals.com | (954) 949-7516

Earth Friendly Products expands to $3.5 million Opa-locka plant

PHOTOS BY MARK FREERKS

Zuliana Navarro, general manager of the Opa-locka facility, inspects products. Above right, founder Van Vlahakis shows the building’s solar panels.

Earth Friendly Productsn Founded: 1989n Headquarters: Addison, Ill.n CEO: Van Vlahakisn Parent company: Venus Laboratories, founded in 1967n Distribution: Worldwide n Website: www.ecos.com

_| THE DETAILS

They’ll love the taste, you’ll love the value.

SUBWAYCATERS™

Catering orders must be placed 24 hours in advance.©2012 Doctor’s Associates Inc. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor’s Associates Inc. SUBMIA-12131

1-877-360-CATER (2283) WWW.SUBWAYCATERING.COMPICK IT UP FROM YOUR FAVORITE SUBWAY® RESTAURANT

FREE Dozen Cookies

Free dozen cookies with a purchase of two or more sandwich platters

Redemption Code: DZCOOKIE15

Expires: 06/30/13 SUB

MIA

Catering orders must be placed 24 hours in advance. Available at participating SUBWAY® restaurants only. May not be combined with

any other offers, discount cards or coupons. One coupon per customer per visit. Void if transferred, sold, auctioned, reproduced or altered.

©2012 Doctor’s Associates Inc. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor’s Associates Inc. SUBMIA-12131

10%OFF Get 10% OFF Any Catering

order of $125 or more

Redemption Code: 10CATER15

SUB

MIA

Catering orders must be placed 24 hours in advance. Available at participating SUBWAY® restaurants only. May not be combined with

any other offers, discount cards or coupons. One coupon per customer per visit. Void if transferred, sold, auctioned, reproduced or altered.

©2012 Doctor’s Associates Inc. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor’s Associates Inc. SUBMIA-12131

Expires: 06/30/13

$5 OFF Get $5 OFF any Catering

order of $30 or more

Redemption Code: 5CATER15

SUB

MIA

Catering orders must be placed 24 hours in advance. Available at participating SUBWAY® restaurants only. May not be combined with

any other offers, discount cards or coupons. One coupon per customer per visit. Void if transferred, sold, auctioned, reproduced or altered.

©2012 Doctor’s Associates Inc. SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor’s Associates Inc. SUBMIA-12131

Expires: 06/30/13

LET US CATER YOUR NEXT EVENT!• Office Parties• Special Events• Birthday Parties

• Sports Parties• Business Meetings• Holiday Parties

- We cater corporate, personal, school, and church related events across the United States and Canada.- Dedicated to providing a convenient catering option for both small and large events.- Our team will provide a written proposal to key contacts to assist clients with budget requirements and manage the event from start to finish.

Monday-Friday: 8am-11pm ESTSaturday: 8am-10pm ESTSunday: 10am-8pm EST