In 1986 I had a small auto detailing business on the west
side of Indianapolis. One day a regular customer came in with a new Mustang for
me to apply a no wax finish. He also wanted me to get the car tinted. Since window tinting was something new to me, I did some research and found a trim shop
offering that service. I asked the trim shop owner if I could watch the film
being applied to the new car. As I watched I was intrigued and thought this was
something I could add to our product line. It took me six months to figure it
out. Back then there wasn’t You Tube or social media to help you along.
In 1989 our window film rep contacted us and asked if we were willing to install film on a commercial building. I never knew you could do this.
Once I applied the film to the building, I was hooked! I was amazed on how much
of a difference it made for glare control and heat rejection.
It was then I decided to change the company. I brought in my
wife to help manage the company allowing me to focus on applying film to homes and commercial
buildings. Business kept growing, we expanded to larger facilities. Eventually
we grew to three locations within Indianapolis. We had managers at each
location which allowed me to expand the business on the window film side. Our
business was still 80% automotive including detailing, window tinting and auto
accessories.
1997 we decided to sell the business. It sold in 1998 and
the family pulled up stakes and moved to Texas. With my passion for window film
still strong, I decided to start a new window film company that specialized on
residential and commercial application only. That business grew exceptionally
well becoming one of the top 10 window film installation companies in Texas.
2009 I felt it was time for me to sell the business and
possibly leave the industry. After a short while the industry pulled me back
in. I worked for an energy saving company offering many services including
window film. I also did contract work for people I knew in the industry around
Texas.
Working for someone was not something I was used to. The entrepreneurial
bug bit me again. Hill Country Tinting was established in 2014. Our focus is
commercial and residential applications. We also install on autos, boats, and RV’s.
In 2022 we decided to move to a different state. Our children are now settled with their families around the country and Tennessee was in the middle of everyone.. We chose Lawrenceburg and moved the business. We are really excited about this move and are working on being involved within the community.
With this move we have decided to no longer do automotive installations. To be quite honest, the cars are getting smaller and I am not.
Throughout the years I have had some great experiences with
window film. I have met many famous people, been in their homes. My
fingerprints are on many well-known buildings such as the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway, Circuit of the Americas, LBJ Library, LBJ Texas Whitehouse. I have
applied blast mitigation film on many government buildings and anti-intrusion
film on many schools. In 2022 alone I have installed anti intrusion films to 12 schools throughout Texas. Anti Intrusion films are designed to keep people from forcibly entering a building to create havoc. It is all about protecting the children.
With over 30 years in the industry I am constantly looking
for more information. I am an accredited installer for many window film brands.
The International Window Film Association has an accreditation program and I am
a Master Installer through the IWFA.