A Window into a Family
Family-owned AllPro Window Films, Inc. thrives through customer service
Since starting his company AllPro Window Films, Inc. in 1991, Keith Garwood—the founding partner and President of the film products and services provider—has grown the company while increasing his family’s participation in the business. Andrea Garwood, Keith’s wife and Co-owner of the company, has been involved with the business since 1997, and the couple’s two sons, Hunter and Tyson, are poised to assume greater roles in the future. Hunter joined AllPro as the Sales Manager in 2013, while Tyson became Lead Automotive Installer in 2013.
A Family Affair
Along with serving the local direct market within the Raleigh–Durham metropolitan area, AllPro competes for large commercial projects throughout North Carolina, northern South Carolina and southern Virginia. The company currently has nine employees.
Although the Garwoods had not set out with the goal of turning their company into a multigenerational business, the move aligns with the close-knit nature of their family. After two decades of working together, Keith and Andrea continue to hear statements from others to the effect of, “‘I could never work with my spouse,’ or ‘I could never work with my family,’” Keith says. However, the two have worked well together by remaining focused on the goal of serving the customer.
Although obviously familiar with their parents’ enterprise, Hunter and Tyson “didn’t grow up working in the business,” Keith says. As adults, the sons approached their parents about working with them. “They both joined the business voluntarily,” Keith notes. Today, Hunter and Tyson primarily handle the automotive side of the business, while Keith and Andrea focus mainly on large commercial and residential projects.
“Eventually, I see [our sons] either just completely taking the automotive [business] off our hands,” Keith says, “or coming over to the commercial and residential side of the business and just taking everything off our hands.”
Serving a Wide Array of Clients
AllPro serves a wide array of customers across the various markets in which it competes, Keith says. Small and large businesses alike, as well as individual homeowners, turn to AllPro to meet their needs regarding architectural window films. For example, large commercial customers often employ the window films as a way to reduce high-energy costs and reduce their carbon footprint. Homeowners typically use the window films to improve the comfort of their residences and protect contents from the sun’s damaging rays. In some cases, customers who are sensitive to ultraviolet rays require special window films that protect them while still allowing sunlight to enter their homes.
In other cases, jewelry or clothing stores and similar retail establishments rely on the use of thick, clear security films to deter criminals from breaking glass doors and windows as part of “smash-and-grab” attempts. On the other end of the security spectrum, government agencies turn to AllPro for security films for windows to protect life and property in the event of terrorist activity.
Within the automotive realm, AllPro works with customers who run the gamut from 16-year-olds with their first car to “soccer moms” looking to shield their small kids from the sun. “Some of our best customers on the automotive side are young children who are in the back,” Keith jokes. “They can’t really communicate, but they can definitely tell you that they don’t like the sun in their eyes.” For AllPro, comfort and safety go hand in hand. “We make things not only more comfortable, we make things safer,” Keith notes. As an example, he mentions a customer whose minivan was rear-ended by another driver, shattering the back window. “The window film helped that glass stay together instead of flying through the vehicle and cutting up the occupants,” he says.
A Passion for Customer Service
For AllPro, the secret of its success comes down to two key factors—passion for the window film industry and dedication to customer service. Anyone can enter a market and sell a product, Andrea says. However, more is needed to connect with customers and gain their trust. “Passion changes everything,” Andrea affirms. “We do love what we do.”
AllPro’s devotion to the customer has helped the company stand out over the years, Andrea notes. “What truly sets us apart is that we do have our customers’ best interests at heart,” she says. “It is a true benefit to help the client.”
Beyond simply helping customers decide what they want, AllPro aims to help them understand the options available to them and why they might want to use them. “We are in the education business,” Andrea says. “We want to educate our clients on what their options are.”
Keith agrees. “We’re not high-pressure,” he says. “We’re more service-oriented. We’re not trying to talk customers into getting something they don’t need. We’re here to inform and to let the customer make an educated decision regarding what type of product to go with, based on the information we provide.” AllPro’s “number-one and foremost value is that we are here to serve the customer,” Keith says. “We know that without customers, we don’t exist.”
Andrea works closely with residential customers, in particular, visiting their homes to help determine their needs and how best to meet them. People’s homes are “very personal spaces,” Andrea notes, “and customers expect these spaces to be treated well during installation and to be protected by the final product.” During her visits to client homes, Andrea frequently hears “horror stories” about contractors that failed to live up to their promises or didn’t take the necessary precautions to protect the premises during construction. For AllPro, the way to avoid such problems is to make customer service a “top priority,” she says.
Service also means tending to clients’ needs beyond the initial consultation phase of a project, Keith says. “We’re here for the customer for the long haul,” he says. “That’s how we build a lot of repeat business and referral business.”
More Than Just a Living
Part of the Garwoods’ approach entails taking the extra steps to understand every facet of their sector. “It’s not just about earning a living,” Keith says. “It’s about knowing our industry from the top down.” As examples, Keith cites the importance of maintaining good relationships with manufacturers and dealers and their representatives. Keith’s commitment to the window film industry has taken many forms, including serving on the board of the International Window Film Association and helping to found the Professional Window Film Dealers Association.
During its 26 years of operation, AllPro has experienced its share of ups and downs, including difficult financial times during the recent recession. However, the company has achieved consistent growth since 2010 and is well positioned to continue to move forward in its efforts to meet the needs of its customers.
For the Garwoods, owning AllPro Window Films means doing all they can to excel. “This is not something we take lightly,” Keith says. “We’re all in.”