GAR Labs

California’s GAR Labs, under the leadership of Tom Raffy, has deservedly achieved high recognition for the quality of their products and business practices. GAR Labs strives to go beyond producing the best contract beauty supplies, and help lead businesses into a sustainable future. Graced with a burgeoning product market, GAR Labs is devoting more resources to greening their operation. In a recent interview, President Tom Raffy spoke on behalf of GAR Labs and elaborated on this ambitious vision of total sustainability. Here is an excerpt of the Presentation Solutions interview with GAR Labs’s Tom Raffy.

Presentation Solutions: ‘Sustainability’ has becoming a real buzz word.

Raffy/GAR Labs: Yes, and overuse can obscure its meaning.

Presentation Solutions: What does sustainability mean?

Raffy/GAR Labs: Sustainability is simple. It means a system in which total energy production matches total energy consumption.

Presentation Solutions: That is quite general.

Raffy/GAR Labs: It is the underlying concept of balance in any enterprise. To implement the underlying concept of balance; that’s sustainability.

Presentation Solutions: So it means that a company has to make as much money as it spends? That doesn’t seem right…

Raffy/GAR Labs: No, sustainability refers to energy. Money is just one of the many forms of measuring energy. The rest depends on context.

Presentation Solutions: Can you give us an example?

Raffy/GAR Labs: Sure. Our GAR Labs as a private label cosmetic manufacturer needs a certain amount of electrical energy every year to operate. To achieve sustainability in the GAR Labs electrical sphere, we must reduce our consumption of electrical energy, while at the same time producing our own electricity. Over time, we aim to match our consumption of electricity to our production of electricity and achieve sustainability.

Presentation Solutions: I see. How have you reduced energy consumption?

Raffy/GAR Labs: By installing a comprehensive system of energy efficient equipment, by installing 100’s of LED and T-5 fluorescent lights throughout GAR Labs, to a state-of the-art efficient cooling unit that only uses 50% of it’s cooling power unless needed and to running all of GAR Labs on motion activated, next-generation lighting that keeps all warehouse and office lights off unless there is a person in the room.

Presentation Solutions: And how have you improved energy production?

Raffy/GAR Labs: I am proud to say that GAR Labs has finished installing a 100,000-watt solar energy system at our facility. By capturing the abundant ultra violet rays of California, GAR Labs is taking the final steps toward living independently off–the-electrical grid.

Presentation Solutions: Quite impressive.

Raffy/GAR Labs: Thank you.

Presentation Solutions: Aren’t these changes expensive? Many business owners are wary of the cost of greening their buildings and operations.

Raffy/GAR Labs: Now in the long run these changes saves – even makes – money. Sustainability is encouraged, for example the city of Riverside is offering many rebates to stimulate and support the investment in alternative energy and GAR Labs took advantage of that rebate.   GAR Labs and the city of Riverside are thinking about sustainability from a longer perspective. Imagine the day when your business no longer has to pay an electric bill. Imagine producing extra energy, which the electric company then buys back. Sustainability is as good for the bottom line as it is for the planet.

Presentation Solutions: Thank you so much for your time and your insights.

Raffy/GAR Labs: Thank you for the invitation.

For more information about GAR Labs, visit them online at www.garlabs.com

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About GAR Labs

Founded in 1982, GAR Labs has grown and now operates from a 133,000 square foot headquarters located in Riverside, California.  The GAR Labs facility meets or exceeds all health, safety, EPA and FDA standards and requirements, and is licensed for both alcohol filling and storage.  Using only purified water, GAR Labs can serve a capacity ranging from 55 gallons to 12,000 gallons per shift.

From 5,000 to 5 million pieces, GAR Labs can develop the formulation, fill and package your product.   GAR Labs is licensed and staffed to all personal care products which include sunscreens, face cream, body creams, hair care, body soaps, perfumes and alcohol related products.  In addition, GAR Labs is an FDA registered over-the-counter drug (OTC) products.

GAR Labs employs its own in-house chemists that work in a full-service laboratory and can quickly make test samples of the products you want.  Along with the development laboratory, GAR Labs offers clients peace-of-mind by having a fully equipped quality control-testing department.

GAR Labs works to ensure that ALL the ingredients AND the finished products are compliant by using three testing divisions:

• “Analytical Testing Lab” verifies the chemical finger print of each ingredient to guarantee compliance through Infrared Spectrometer (IR) and High Pressure Liquid Chromatograph (HPLC).
• “Quality Control Department” ensures all finished products meet customer specification.
• “Microbiological Testing Department” insures all ingredients and finished products are bacteria free.

As you can see with GAR Labs, ALL raw materials AND finished products are fully tested for both quality and compliance so that you can trust what you are selling and it will last a long time.

When it comes to processing your order the team at GAR Labs is committed to offering the best in project management.  Upon receiving a client purchase order, customer service reps have the ability to track the project’s progression.  Using a state-of-the-art computer system, GAR Labs customer service personnel enter your purchase order and then track the progress of the work and email their status every week until your order is complete.

Even after completion, GAR Labs can help you with the technical documents that might be needed to sell your product domestically or by exporting.

GAR Labs has received rave reviews from their customer base.  One such customer wrote that GAR Labs are “easy to work with” and “reasonably priced.”

For more information, visit GAR Labs online at www.garlabs.com or call them at 951-788-0700.