The culture shift occurred after 15 years in business, when owners Gary and Patricia Walker decided to stop cleaning with toxic chemicals. Magic Touch cleans 27 Commerce Bank facilities and another 18 banks across the metropolitan area, as well as medical facilities, car dealerships and theaters. The company also does specialized cleaning, including post-construction cleanup.

Because bio-based products can be more expensive, the couple decided to invest back into the business to keep the cost low enough to make a choice of moving to the safer protocol easier for their clients.

“We didn’t want it to have to be a choice for our clients. We went to them and said the cost to you will be the same, but we want to increase your service,” Walker said.

As the Walkers looked at the issue, they formed partnerships with national manufacturers that produce bio-based chemicals. Because of the quantity of products Magic Touch uses, they have substantial buying power and could negotiate with suppliers. They invested in equipment and specialty products and created their own Green University, where they retrained their employees on new products and new procedures.

The Walkers hope Project Greenlight will have effects beyond the office-cleaning regimen. Their hope is that as building owners embrace this shift, they also will move to recycling, energy efficient lights, water conservation and other facets of environmentally friendly facilities.

“We made a corporate decision— a culture shift,” Walker said. “It’s the responsible thing to do. It’s the right thing to do.”

Magic Touch plans to open a retail outlet for residential customers later this year to make environmentally safe products more readily available to homeowners.

The Walkers are creating the International Green Cleaning Association with the goal to bring together like-minded small businesses across the nation in a notfor- profit organization. The plan is to accept no funding from any vendors.