o Each week, The Columbian offers a brief snapshot of an interesting Clark County business. Send ideas to Mary Ricks: mary.ricks@columbian.com; fax 360-735-4598; phone 360-735-4550.
Business name: Quail Homes.
Owner and builder: Jon Girod.
Address: 4501 N.E. Minnehaha St., Suite 200.
What the business does: Quail Homes is a builder of green homes, a term that means different things to different people, said Jon Girod, the company’s owner. Girod started in the field by working on Southwest Washington’s first Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, or LEED, platinum home. The couple that had the home built were concerned about costs for operating the home over a long period, Girod said. By average homebuilding standards, a 2,200-square-foot home uses 1,500 kilowatts of energy per month, Girod said, while the 4,000-square-foot LEED platinum home is using 650 kilowatts per month.
With that project, Girod said he became passionate about energy savings. He continues to look for ways to incorporate more efficiency measures. “Once a construction team learns that green is not that hard, and once homeowners experience living in a green home, they never go back,” Girod said.
What steps are you taking to build your business as the economy recovers: Quail Homes is using new software technology that assists the company’s ability to create energy modeling, make effective use of daylight, and improve water efficiency. These technologies have given Quail Homes the capability to provide a detailed examination of a home that was not available 10 years ago.
