Solar Gard® and local industry experts partner to launch the nation’s first branded Solar Gard retail store in Richmond, Virginia
Entrepreneurial team recognizes outstanding business opportunity in window films for local market
April 8, 2013 —Solar Gard® launched its first North American window film retail store on Friday in Richmond, Virginia, in partnership with industry experts Brian Sexton and Jim Bundick. The store and business model represent an exciting direction for Solar Gard as it seeks to partner with more entrepreneurs to roll out similar ventures in the future.
The new Solar Gard retail store in Richmond specializes in providing the highest-quality window film products for cars, homes and businesses. Brian and Jim, who own and operate the store independently from Solar Gard, were so impressed with the brand and the retail store model that they chose to partner with Solar Gard and be the first to launch the concept in North America.
The store boasts an upscale, state-of-the art design, complete with a contemporary, brightly lit showroom featuring a customer lounge, large automotive film display wall, and unique displays showcasing Solar Gard’s innovative window film solutions for the home and business, including the premier line of Panorama® architectural window films. The store will also feature on-site automotive installations utilizing Solar Gard’s proprietary computerized film cutting software system, ComputerCut.
“It is incredibly exciting to announce the first Solar Gard store of this kind in North America. The Solar Gard retail store concept has been around for many years – with great success in other countries such as China, Malaysia and the Middle East –and now Brian and Jim have made it a reality in Richmond,” said Kathryn Giblin, Solar Gard’s Director of Global Marketing and Technical Services.
“As seasoned management executives and business entrepreneurs they are the ideal businessmen to launch this concept, and we are delighted they have chosen to partner with Solar Gard. We provide a turn-key package to support the Solar Gard Retail Store including, world-class window film products, innovative marketing and sales tools and apps, a 24-hour virtual back office and access to a fully certified training program. It is a great business model and we look forward to partnering with more savvy entrepreneurs as we grow this network across North America,” added Lawrence Constantin, Director of Sales for the Americas, Solar Gard.
Brian and Jim both bring over 30 years of experience in the automotive industry to their roles as owners of the new store. Brian was previously Division President for CarMax in Virginia, while Jim has held roles including VP & Automotive GMM at Sears and CEO at Tire America, before they joined forces to create AutoTech LLC, an automotive aftermarket consulting service. After a thorough consultation and joint research with Solar Gard on the local market needs for window film, Brian and Jim decided to combine their business and local expertise with Solar Gard’s branded retail store concept and open their own.
For Brian and Jim, the Solar Gard store is a “dream come true.” As Brian explains:
“This partnership with Solar Gard enables us to provide our local area and community with the world’s top window film products, installation techniques and certified advice for their car, home and business needs. It’s truly a great business opportunity we just couldn’t pass up, given the first-class marketing and technical support, window film range, training and certified sales specialists that Solar Gard can provide. Our store aims to provide customers with a best-in-class retail experience – they can come in, relax, and take their time to view all our different products and work with our expert team at a time that suits them.”
“Brian and I were both born and raised in Virginia and we’ve been in the Richmond area for some time now as well. It’s truly an amazing area bursting with creativity and entrepreneurialism, so we’re proud to open our store here and be a part of this community. We want to provide the best service possible to people in the area and educate them on the different window films available, and more importantly on their many benefits – be that safety, energy savings or skin protection from sun damage,” concluded Jim.
For more information on the new Solar Gard store, visit http://www.sgrva.com. To inquire about business opportunities with Solar Gard, contact dealermarketing@solargard.com.
For any press, spokesperson or image requests, please contact:
Sophie Coleman
TEN
347-280-5440
sophie@agencyten.com
About Solar Gard
Solar Gard positively impacts lives with products that protect, save and renew. Headquartered in San Diego, California, Solar Gard makes industry leading architectural and automotive window films, photovoltaics and custom coatings.
A division of Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, the world leader in the habitat and construction markets, Solar Gard’s architectural solar control window films are proven carbon negative and reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Solar Gard products are sold in more than 90 countries under the Solar Gard®, Panorama®, Quantum® and Solar Gard Armorcoat® brands. For more information, visit www.solargard.com.
About Saint-Gobain
Located in 64 countries and with nearly 193,000 employees, Saint-Gobain, world leader in habitat, designs, manufactures and distributes building materials, providing innovative solutions to meet the challenges of growth, energy-saving and environmental protection. World leader in high performance plastics, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics is headquartered in Aurora, Ohio (USA). The company employs 4,500 employees in 16 countries. Its product offer includes films, foams, coated fabrics, bearings, seals and fluid systems. For more information, visit www.saint-gobain.com and www.plastics.saint-gobain.com.
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