Pierre Gagnon, the former chief executive of Cypress-based Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc., has switched from marketing cars to tackling “interior decontamination.”
Gagnon is the new chief executive of Costa Mesa’s Prompt Care Inc., which offers a service to workplaces and homes to rid indoor air of dust, mold and other contaminants.
The Quebec native took the job last week, replacing company founder David Brandmeyer, who now has the chairman’s slot.
Gagnon, who has been known for marketing, brand development and product launches, said he was tapped to expand Prompt Care’s products and services nationally.
According to Gagnon, company founder Brandmeyer told him, “We’re now ready to take it nationally, and I really need somebody like you with your CEO experience to take it.”
Prompt Care mixes hydrogen and oxygen in a solution designed to lower or eliminate mold, allergens, bacteria, viruses, odors and other contaminants within indoor environments.
The company charges by the square foot. The cost for a 2,000-square-foot house is $445. A 5,000-square-foot office is $800.
Gagnon said Prompt Care’s solution for purifying air is unique. The company competes with a range of cleaning companies, many using chlorine, he said.
Privately held Prompt Care is 4 years old and doesn’t disclose revenue. It has fewer than 10 workers. The company is financed through private investors right now, “and we are looking at some more substantial investors to take us to the next level,” Gagnon said.
The move is a switch for Gagnon.
He was at Mitsubishi, the U.S. arm of Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors Corp., from 1997 to 2003, including as chief executive starting in 2002.
Prior to Mitsubishi, Gagnon headed up consumer marketing for General Motors Corp.’s Saturn unit.
At Mitsubishi, Gag-non oversaw heady growth in U.S. sales. He also turned the automaker profitable here.
But things started to turn in 2003.
Mitsubishi’s strategy of easy credit and marketing to younger drivers backfired in the form of slowing sales, bad loans and leases.
The automaker still is struggling to right sales here. In May, Mitsubishi’s sales were off 30% from a year earlier.
After leaving Mitsubishi in late 2003, Gagnon said he did some consulting.
Earlier this year, he became president and chief operating officer for Visionary Vehicles LLC, a venture that was supposed to import Chinese-made vehicles to the U.S.
Visionary is a project of Malcolm Bricklin, the automotive entrepreneur who cofounded Subaru of America.
“I did that for 90 days and realized that was not a good fit for me,” Gagnon said.
Going to Prompt Care, Gagnon said, wasn’t a step down,he said that he wanted to do something different for a while.
“There’s not really a lot more for me to do in the auto industry,” Gagnon said. “This area really excited me because I am an allergy sufferer.”
As for Mitsubishi’s woes, Gagnon said, “What happened was far bigger than me.”
The automaker also saw a damaging recall in Japan and wasn’t spending as much on development as its competitors, he said.
“So there were a lot of factors that all came together at the same time, and, as the CEO, guess what? You’re accountable,” Gagnon said. “It was a great experience working for Mitsubishi. I enjoyed every minute and I was ready to pass the baton and move on.”
