EP#225: Sailing into Sustainability: Bill Henriques' Voyage from Navy Veteran to Eco-Friendly Power Washing Pioneer

What makes Bill Henriques with Green Earth Powerwashing of The Treasure Coast a good neighbor?

When Navy veteran Bill Henriques exchanged his sea legs for a power washer, he didn't just start a business; he sparked a green revolution in the cleaning industry. Our latest Good Neighbor Podcast episode features the compelling story of how Bill's love for the ocean inspired Green Earth PowerWashing, an eco-friendly enterprise that's rejuvenating the power washing scene. He delves into the technical wizardry behind using hot water and safe chemicals to combat grime and algae, all while sharing touching moments from his life that have steered his entrepreneurial voyage.

As your host, I had the privilege of exploring Bill's innovative techniques that not only elevate cleaning standards but also protect our cherished environment. Revel in the tales of a man who, when not wielding his power washing wand, finds solace in the waves through body surfing and sailing. Plus, we open the floor to our listeners, inviting you to shine a light on local businesses that resonate with your heart, just as Bill's story has with ours. Connect with your community, embrace the power of change, and join us as we celebrate those who make a difference with every drop of water they save.

To learn more about Green Earth Powerwashing of The Treasure Coast go to:
https://greenearthtc.com/

Green Earth Powerwashing of The Treasure Coast
772-239-7900

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Garfield Bowen.

Speaker 2: 0:14

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a great power washing company? Well, one may be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, bill Herenkes, with Green Earth. Power Washing Bill, how are you doing today?

Speaker 3: 0:33

I'm doing great, garfield, how are you?

Speaker 2: 0:35

I am fantastic. Listen. We're interested and excited to learn all about you and your business. Tell us about your company.

Speaker 3: 0:44

Well, it's a franchise of a company in West Palm Beach that's been around for over 20 years. Green Earth Power Washing takes a unique perspective on power washing. We typically do communities, large residential communities. It could be individual businesses or even things like garage parking, decks, those types of things. But one thing I wanted to say is, for much of what we do it's all truck mounted and we use very, very hot water, 200 degree water and chemicals that are more friendly to the environment.

Speaker 2: 1:36

You got green earth in your name, right, so you're into protecting the earth, right? Yes, so, bill, how did you get into this business? Tell us about you.

Speaker 3: 1:47

Well, I am a 25 year veteran of the Navy and I retired. Oh, thank you. I retired in 2013. And after watching every streaming program on television and doing a lot of volunteer work, I decided to come back to Fort Pierce, where I lived for over 20 years Back around 2001, to run 2020. And I just always missed it. So I decided to take advantage of an opportunity I heard about. This company is really amazing and I decided to take on a franchise from my favorite area, the Treasure Coast.

Speaker 2: 2:36

I don't want to think of power washing. I can tell you a story. I can tell you a story my brother. He told me about this power washing equipment that was on sale at Lowe's. I picked up one of those devices and I tried to power wash my long driveway and it was cleaning like a quarter size at the time. It took all day and it didn't look that good. So tell us what are some of the myths and misconceptions of power washing?

Speaker 3: 3:16

Well, one thing that sets power washing apart from typical pressure cleaning or pressure washing is that we use different types of surfactants, soaps and other cleaning agents before we actually do the pressure washing. For example, if we do what they call a house wash, we will use a solution to help remove some of the grime, to help remove some of the grime, kill the algae and other types of things that are living on the surface that typically, if you just use water, they will grow back. Well, not if we treat, pre-treat it and then use the high-pressure rinse, hot water rinse, to remove the residual and it will stay away for much longer than if you were just to use water, for example. The whole intent is to do not only high pressure, but we also do hot water. We use surfactants and other agents to help break down the the dirt. The other thing is we have this the dirt.

Speaker 3: 4:29

The other thing is we have this very large. They call it a hover. It's like an upside down water sprinkler and it sprays hot water in circles while someone drives around with it. It's four feet wide, so you can knock out a driveway or a sidewalk, for example, quite quickly. So you can knock out a driveway or a sidewalk, for example, quite quickly. So there's a lot of new tools that are out there that we're trying to take advantage of. We get into things that are a little bit less typical. We do the soft wash on these PVC or other types of fences, the soft wash on these PVC or other types of fences. We do swales, which are the gutters alongside the street in large community areas. So we're tailored to do large areas in a quicker amount of time. That's what makes us so unique.

Speaker 2: 5:25

Okay, Bill, let's put the business aside for a second. You know, when you're not busy running your business, what do you like to have fun?

Speaker 3: 5:36

I love the ocean. I just, yeah. I can do anything from just walking along it to jumping in it, to body surfing, to sailing. Just give me the ocean. That's all I need. That's my go-to place.

Speaker 2: 5:49

What branch of the military were you in?

Speaker 3: 5:51

I was in the Navy, in particular the Public Health Service, and I did mostly disaster response and humanitarian assistance. My last duty station was Southern Command in Miami and we provided a lot of post-disaster support to Haiti and I remember they had the earthquake in 2011,. And then there was a cholera epidemic that happened after that. But we did all kinds of different things natural disasters. I also participated in modeling the impact of bioterrorism back in the early 2000s. All kinds of fun stuff. But that's all pretty much behind me now, but lots of good memories.

Speaker 2: 6:51

We've got a lot of veterans here in the Port St Lucie area and everybody loves to support the veterans. Let's talk about some change gears a little bit. So talk about some Change gears a little bit. Let's talk about some hardships, some life challenges, something that you can look back today and say you're better and stronger because of it. What comes to mind?

Speaker 3: 7:17

I guess, the death of my parents my dad passed away about maybe 10 years ago and it was really hard on me and I ended up, as a result of that hardship, I became better prepared for when my mom passed away and it was a much easier transition, although my parents were my best friends. That was a very difficult time to go through, especially when I had pretty much tried to avoid, you know, participating in other people's family funerals and stuff, because I just didn't like it and it really it came up on me quite difficult and but yeah, I'm better for it. I think I learned that death is something that we need to take time and embrace and celebrate. But that was, I could say that was pretty much one of my most difficult times.

Speaker 2: 8:36

Yeah, I lost my father too a number of years ago, but you never really get past that. You know what I mean. But you always get resolved by you know when you're making decisions, think about you know what he would say. You know at the time. You know, so that's always a blessing. We're at that age now where people are dying. We know that. It shows us how precious time is. Every day is we try to really make the most of it. I want you to tell our listeners one thing. I know you said a lot about green earth power washing, but one thing they should take away from this interview in terms of what they should remember about your company.

Speaker 3: 9:23

Well, if you're a homeowner and you live in a particular community, that needs could need some spiffing up, whether it's the sidewalks or along the sides of the street, community areas like the pool and rec areas and around the clubhouse. If you notice that there is something that needs to be done in your community, if you would just reach out to me, bill at greenearthtcfortreasurecoastcom, and I can prepare a proposal for your community. The nice thing that I would like to also say is that when we do these communities, we offer individual homeowners the opportunity to have their sidewalks I'm sorry their driveways, back patios and even a house wash while we're doing the community. One thing I'm looking at is some sort of incentive for communities that we maybe do not serve right now, where, if I can get you to sign up 10 people, you would get your driveway done for free. If you have any questions about that or suggestions or want to investigate it, please just text me or email me at the same number. It's bill at greenearthtccom.

Speaker 2: 10:56

Okay, is there a for those that just want to press the number on the phone? Is there a number you'd like to share? Sure?

Speaker 3: 11:03

It's 772-236-7900.

Speaker 2: 11:11

Well, Bill, I really appreciate having you on the show. I wish you and your business the very best. I'm looking forward to it.

Speaker 3: 11:17

Thank you, garfield, I appreciate it. Thank you, frank.

Speaker 1: 11:19

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast Port St Lucie. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpportsaintluciecom. That's gnpportsaintluciecom, or call 772-362-3840.