Recycled oil change comes to Pit Stop

News and notes from a short holiday week on the Business Desk…

One of Helena's oil-change places is offering what the owners are billing as a recycled oil change.

Last month, Ben Abrahamson, co-owner of Helena's Pit Stop on North Last Chance Gulch, began offering an oil change using 100 percent refined used motor oil.

"Everyone's caught up in the green movement, buying green products, and we thought we'd jump on the bandwagon," Abrahamson said.

He said the oil change costs $5 more than a job with traditional motor oil, and that the recycled stuff, which comes through a distributor in Great Falls, meets all the government's specs for engine oil.

"Helena is the kind of community where people are really environmentally conscious, and that's why we decided to start selling it," he said.

Green pump: Meanwhile, the Town Pump chain of convenience stores sent word around this week about a number of changes to its stores aimed at reducing energy and water use.

Among them: Timers for outdoor lighting systems; energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs inside the stores; LED technology for lots of the display lighting, including replacing most of the remaining neon lights; and installing energy management systems (EMS's) at larger properties that adjust usage to more accurately accommodate demand on larger systems like refrigeration, air conditioning and lights.

Jet all set: The upgrade first mentioned last week to Helena's daily nonstop to Minneapolis became a reality on Thursday. The previous jet, a 50-seat regional jet operated by Pinnacle Airlines for Northwest, was replaced by a 76-seat jet operated by Mesaba and flying with Delta colors. (Delta and Northwest are in the process of merging.) The new plane includes a dozen first-class seats that are currently the only first-class seats serving the local market.

Theater boom: The Myrna Loy Center is looking for a part-time business manager to help develop a business plan for the center's store, oversee the concession stand and work in the box office, among other tasks.

The 20-hour-a-week position is possible thanks to an $89,000 grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, which works to enhance the quality of life in the Pacific Northwest. The grant will fund the business manager position for the first three years.

E-mail your Open for Business ideas to john.harrington@helenair.com.