Moran Industries Eyes Nashville

This past March, Moran Industries announced it was officially entering the window film arena as a franchise provider. The Midlothian, Ill.-based company was already well known for its successes as an automotive aftermarket franchiser and had been exploring the idea of launching an automotive and flat glass window film franchise for approximately 12 years, according to Barb Moran, chief executive officer. Since that time, the company's first two franchise locations have opened for business in Little Rock, Ark., and its next stop is slated to be Nashville, Tenn.

"Nashville's climate and demographics make it an ideal market for the SmartView concept and services," says Pete Baldine, chief development officer of SmartView Window Solutions.

Baldine says the company's goal includes establishing as many as 13 locations in the Nashville area and as many as 500 franchises nationwide. Moran says she believes the green movement will help make this goal a reality.

"There has never been a better time to be in the window film business thanks to architectural trends and advancements in technology," she says. "Our concept is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the shift toward a greener economy."

She also cites an enormous amount of untreated glass, including more than 15 billion square feet in residential buildings in the U.S. alone, with 300 million square feet added each year, according to Smartview officials. In addition, more than 10 billion square feet of glass has been installed in commercial buildings since World War II, according to the company's estimate, growing by 190 million square feet each year.

Smartview's mobile concept will roll into Nashville in the coming months, according to Moran. The company offers franchisees the opportunity to run a home-based mobile window film business, and touts low startup costs, low overhead, minimal operational costs and the flexibility to make your own schedule as perks for the concept.