(This first appeared as the Dealer Spotlight in the November 2021 issue of Dealer E-News.) In 1978, Thom Schultz was living in Florida. During his time there, he noticed people getting window tint installed on their cars. This was not something he had seen before.

Inspired, Thom went back to Chicago and discovered that no one else was offering automotive window tinting in the Chicago area. A year later (in 1979), he launched his business, then called Midwest Glass Tinters, Inc (which later became trademarked as MGT Films™). While the company first started out as an auto tint shop, it later transitioned to include residential and commercial film.

Now, MGT Films™ is one of the largest 3M dealers in the United States. The company specializes in commercial and residential window film and currently covers 12 states, including Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.

Over the course of 25 years, MGT Films™ has been a 3M™ Authorized Dealer. “We are proud to put our name with 3M,” said Tyler Newman, director of marketing for MGT Films™. “Everyone has used a 3M product in some form or another – whether it be Post-It® Notes, Scotch-Brite™ scrubbing pads or sandpaper. 3M is a brand that people know and trust.”

With 35 employees and 15 installers on staff, the family-owned-and-operated business has a goal to be the largest 3M™ Authorized Dealer in the United States, Tyler said. The company’s corporate headquarters remain in Chicago but it has southern headquarters in Mississippi and offices in Missouri, South Dakota, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Tyler said there are plans to grow to be in even more states.

Growth is something this company is not afraid of – both in territory as well as services. Over the course of the last year, MGT Films™ has focused on a new business strategy – architectural finishes. Its sales team and installers spent the last several months learning about 3M™ DI-NOC™ Architectural Finishes. They have installed finishes on both residential and commercial properties throughout the midwest.

“We worked heavily with Accent Distributing to do that,” Tyler said. MGT Films™ sent its lead installers to Sarasota to attend Accent Distributing’s DI-NOC™ training and to earn the 3M™ Architectural Finishes Preferred Installer credentials. Those installers then returned and trained other staff. Earlier this year, Accent Distributing’s chief design offer, Brent Williams, assisted their installers on a large residential job to refurbish a kitchen.

“At trade shows, the public is interested in learning more about DI-NOC™ products, and architects are asking for copies of the DI-NOC™ catalog,” Tyler said. “It’s a slow process to introduce a new product, but we are excited about the possibilities,” he said.

For more information about MGT Films™, visit MGTFilms.com or call (847) 487-8777.