"My 4-year-old says one day, 'Dad, will you save the earth for me?'" Bishar recalled. "I don't know where he gets this stuff. But frankly I do think it's been a disaster, what we've done to the planet for the last 20 years."
Bishar could have answered his pint-sized activist with a pledge to pick up litter or put a couple motion sensors on the porch lights. Instead, he has spent the last few of years designing and implementing a more involved strategy. Along with his business co-owners, his brother, Ramsey, and his father, Bud, Mark has turned a recent new store construction into an opportunity to try out one of the more progressive "sustainable" ideas in retail store design today. Just like the new Apple Store in Chicago, the new Big George's features what's called a "green roof."
"It added another 10 percent to the project, but I love the whole concept," Mark said, "and I love the response we're getting from our customers about it."
The green roof is a simple idea, but one that includes a variety of practical and symbolic benefits. Instead of topping the 20,000-square-foot store with traditional roofing materials and drain pipes, the Bishars hired an architect to design both a patio and what at first appears to be a sort of large plant nursery.
"What we have, actually, are [hundreds of] 2-by-4 trays of soil which hold native plants that grow in the Michigan climate automatically.
They're basically pretty weeds. Some even have flowers," Mark said. "The plants keep the soil intact, along with recycled clay particles, which keep the soil from blowing out of the trays when it gets windy."
Those 4-inch-deep trays make up what could be called an artificial field and are excellent at retaining rainwater. That mean Big George's isn't dumping gallons of runoff into city sewers. And on bright or hot days, the moist sod reflects sunlight instead of absorbing it, thereby keeping the building far cooler than a sizzling black or silver roof would. The effect, essentially, is an extra four inches of insulation that's actually nice to look at.
The Bishars says the novelty of the green roof has had a marketing impact on customers in the Ann Arbor area. Local politicians have held fundraisers on the rooftop patio, happy to be associated with an eco-friendly business. Real estate groups have had mixers, complete with catering, up there.
Big George's, a new Nationwide Marketing Group member, sells patio furniture and grills along with a full selection of appliances and specialty electronics. The Bishars have put a few items on display on the roof, but they've never seen it as a direct extension of their sales floor, just an incentive measure.
"We let people use the space up there for free because we're just excited to have people in the store," Mark said. "Their foot traffic is priceless."
Ramsey Bishar, vice president of merchandising, makes sure there is plenty for rooftop visitors to see on their way through the new Big George's. He's happy to continue the green pitch by showing off energy saving products.
"We show people the benefits of a front-load washer and dryer and make it clear how much water they'll save," Ramsey said. "We'll even give them a breakdown on their bills, showing they how they can save money using less water and less energy because the machines spin faster and dry faster."
Behind the scenes, the Bishars have backed up their reputation for sustainability with other efficiencies like store toilets that flush with less water and an automatic lighting system. These touches not only make Mark feel better when answering his son's queries about the future of the planet, they differentiate Big George's in a slow yet more competitive Michigan economy.
"We'll maximize the customer experience any way we can," Ramsey said, "We are focusing now more than ever. We want to be in everyone's home and give them good ideas."
