“I wanted a group that was made up of dealers that we could come together as one,” said Chris Robinson, founder and CEO of Atlanta-based The Tint Guy.

And so he—and other window film dealers representing major metro areas—came together in Chicago last week to form not just a “group,” but a dealer-focused association with the end-goal of “moving the industry forward.”

What started as Mike Feldman’s (president of Tampa, Fla.-based Advanced Window Solutions) idea for a national network for lead-sharing evolved into an all-out effort to “increase the professionalism of our industry,” according to Robinson.

L-R: Michelle Minardi, John Clark, Lyle Hill, Bill Valway, Chris Robinson, Mike Feldman, Brent Williams, Keith Garwood.

Hence, the Professional Window Film Dealers Association (PWFDA) was all but formed (the official paperwork will be filed this week).

Who Was There?

In attendance at the meeting were Robinson, Feldman, Bill Valway, owner of Baltimore-area-based Absolute Perfection Window Tinting, Brent Williams of Knoxville, Tenn.-based Archteva, Charlotte, N.C.-area-based Michelle Minardi of Carolina Premier Window Films and Raleigh, N.C.-based Keith Garwood, president of AllPro Window Films. Lyle Hill, managing director of Keytech North America, a glass-related research firm, was also there serving as a consultant.

For their first in-person meeting, the group made significant progress.

What’s it About?

Besides settling on a name, the tagline “moving the industry forward,” also was chosen after significant discussion, reflecting what’s meant to be the heart of the association: professionalism.

“We want to move to that point where people trust the name,” Valway said, stressing the need for the world “professional” to be part of the name.

“We have to be a team—no matter what film we sell. We’re all here to make our industry better,” Minardi said.

Part of that goal could include membership and installation standards, lead generation and all-around services related to best business practices.

Who Will Join?

Membership structure will consist of two types. Dealer members, being the primary focus, will be the voting members and affiliate members, interested parties including but not limited to manufacturers, distributers, architects, etc.

Who Will Lead? (For Now)

It was also agreed that the initial board would be the six individuals in attendance as well as a seventh West Coast representative who will be decided upon at a later time. At this time, Robinson will serve as president, Valway as vice president and Minardi will be the secretary/treasurer.

Despite the initial seven-member board, contributions won’t be limited to just them.

“There are a lot of very talented dealers, once they catch wind of this, they are going to have a lot of ideas we didn’t think of,” says Feldman. “It’s going to be something the dealers are going to have involvement in—that’s how we’re going to do it.”

More information will follow further meetings in the coming months. The association will also attempt to coordinate interest meetings at the upcoming International Window Film Conference and Tint-Off in Reno, Nev.