text: Sinéo Nancy : Washing cars without water - VINCI Foundation for the Community
  Sinéo Nancy : Washing cars without water
  Grand Est - Seichamps
  "I always wanted to create a rewarding business." So business school graduate Fabien Laloue threw himself into the fray in July 2008. After three years of serving as marketing and commercial manager of the Nancy basketball team, the young man was seduced by Sinéo, a car cleaning business. He accepted the offer of a franchise and moved to Nancy in northeast France.
  Sinéo's thirty-five sites across France, French overseas territories and Belgium are ecologically and socially engaged. The firm uses products made from essential and citrus oils that are completely biodegradable. No more than five litres of water per car are consumed while a traditional wash uses nearly a hundred!
  The franchises have the status of social integration enterprises. Fabien Laloue hires the long-term unemployed, young people in serious difficulty and repeat offenders. "It's a civic act," explains the young manager, "the idea is to jump-start their careers. They stay no more than two years in the business. We restore their taste for work and its values," he explains. To date, his business has ten employees: nine on social integration contracts and a permanent technical manager. "It's a rewarding challenge for me. The Lorraine enterprise network and Greater Nancy initiatives provide support. My employees are like you and me. They just had an accident along the way. I give them a helping hand, and they give back even more," exclaims the young man.
  Financial help and more
  In early 2009, Fabien Laloue met Pierre Villette, head of Optéor in Nancy (VINCI Energies). Convinced of the project's value, the latter quickly became its sponsor, "Together, we completed an application and submitted it to the VINCI Foundation." We ultimately received crucial support for purchasing equipment for starting up. "An example? The lack of space caused use to lose some bids. With the Foundation's money, I was able to buy tents!" exclaims Fabien, who continues to receive advice from Pierre on his security policy. Soon afterwards, Georges Stab, manager of VINCI Park's parking garages in Nancy (VINCI Concessions), made his own contribution to the project. He and Pierre help Fabien prepare for the future, "We're arranging for Sinéo to come wash cars in my garages. We're trying to find a fair compromise and the right site," explains the manager of 2,800 parking places in Nancy. "That's not all," adds the man responsible for cleaning 350 cars each month, "I just opened a new Sinéo franchise in Metz!"