Taylors, S.C. – When Wayne Staley launched Commercial Window Shield in 1985, he had no idea that a business that initially focused on sun control and energy conservation would expand into an entirely different type of window film installation business. Security.

The defining moment that changed an entire industry happened on April 15, 1995. A bomb planted by Timothy McVeigh in a rental truck detonated in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City, killing 168 people and injuring 680.

A number of those killed and many of the injured were the result of flying glass shards from the federal building and buildings located blocks away. As a result of this horrific incident, film companies began developing security films that, when properly installed, keep glass in place during catastrophic terrorist and weather events.

At the time, Staley’s company, known then as Mid-Atlantic Service and Supply, had found relative success in sun control installation, landing a number of significant building projects in the Washington, D.C. area. But the company quickly entered the security film installation business, where it found quick success securing a project to protect all the glass at FBI headquarters in Washington and soon after a similar project for a number of windows at the Pentagon.

“That’s what got everything going in security,” Staley said. “Once we had those projects on our resume, we knew we could compete with anyone.”

The second defining moment in the industry - and Commercial Window Shield’s history - happened on Sept. 11, 2001. Within a few days after the tragedy, Staley received a call from Donald White, superintendent of the U.S. Capitol, who was aware of the company’s work at the Pentagon and FBI.

“He asked me how long it would take to install security film on all the windows of the Capitol, all the U.S. House of Representative buildings and all the Library of Congress buildings,” Staley said. “I told him we would get it done fast even though I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it.”

Staley recruited installers from all over the country. To the astonishment of government officials, the project was completed in 40 days.

Donald White’s response?

“The only thing I’ve seen that rivals this as a project coordination of this magnitude is a presidential inauguration.”

This project firmly put Commercial Window Shield on the map as one of the leading security film installers in the country. Within the next decade the company’s list of projects read like a who’s who in buildings: Grand Central Terminal; Energy, Veterans Administration, Transportation, Agriculture, Interior, EPA and FEMA headquarters; Merrill Lynch Towers; O’Hare International Airport; the Willis [Sears] Tower; and Philadelphia and Denver mints.

Along with its government work, the company developed close working relationships with some of the country’s leading property management and construction companies, such as HITT, Boston Properties, Vornado/Charles E. Smith and the JBG Companies.

As a result, Commercial Window Shield has completed scores of commercial building projects involving both security and solar control film.

“Solar control is still an important part of our business since energy savings are very important to building owners and their tenants,” Staley said. “There are now films being made that cover both security and solar control.

Commercial Window Shield also has developed a reputation for handling difficult projects that others decline that go beyond window film installation. At Grand Central Terminal, the company removed decades of dirt and grim from old windows before installing the film and fabricated and installed stainless steel mesh screen to skylight interiors. Some projects, such as O’Hare International Airport, require creative use of scaffolding and other equipment to access hard-to-reach glass. The company also is expert in dealing with historic buildings in which usual film installation methods have to be tweaked to meet historic building codes.

A third event, the shooting of 26 students and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. in December, 2012, unfortunately has led to a more recent market for security film installation: School districts. Since 2013, Commercial Window Shield has protected the glass in hundreds of school buildings in nine states.

Other emerging markets for the company have been hospitals, museums, convention centers and military bases. The company also has completed a number of decorative film installation projects for interior office spaces.

Staley marvels at the journey. “When I look back at where we started and where we are now, it’s been an amazing story of evolving opportunities and growth,” he says. And he’s optimistic about the company’s future.

“We’re fortunate to be in a niche market and the hundreds of projects we have completed successfully have given us a sterling reputation in the industry. So I’d like to think we’ll be able to continue our success.”

About the Company:

We began during the energy crisis of the late 1970s, when solar control window film emerged to help slash utility bills in buildings with considerable glass. After the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, in which scores of people were killed or severely injured from flying glass, safety and security film was developed to hold glass in place during violent terrorist or weather events.

Commercial Window Shield quickly became the country's leading security window film installer. To learn why we've been successful for so many years, watch this video.