This Kansas City Day we’re proud to celebrate the people, businesses, and ideas that helped shape our city. For Midwest Tinting, that story started 50 years ago, long before window tinting was widely known or understood.
Founded in 1976, we are the oldest window tint shop in Kansas City and one of the five oldest continuously operating tint shops in the United States. As we approach our 50th anniversary, we wanted to share how window tinting made its way to Kansas City and how our company became part of that history.
The Origins of Window Tinting: From Space to the Midwest
Did you know window tinting did not start in automotive shops or office buildings? Its origins date back to the late 1960s, when NASA first created window film to help control heat and radiation to protect astronauts and sensitive electronics.
At the time, NASA’s engineers developed thin, reflective, multi-layer films that could reflect solar radiation, reduce heat transfer, and stabilize interior temperatures. Those early solar control films became the foundation for the window films that are now used in homes, businesses, and vehicles.
Although the technology existed back then, it was slow to reach the mainstream. It wasn’t until the energy crisis of the 1970s that awareness of heat control and efficiency started to grow, but even then, very few companies actually installed window film, especially in the Midwest.
Bringing Window Tint to Kansas City
Midwest Tinting’s story began when our founder, Brian Arnett, was working as a firefighter and EMT in the Kansas City area. During a patient transport, Brian asked about the patient’s occupation and learned, for the first time, about solar window film.
Intrigued, Brian traveled to St. Louis to see window film installation firsthand. That trip was all it took to get started. He made a $1,200 investment, learned everything he could, and brought window tinting to Kansas City at a time when there were no playbooks, no online tutorials, and no industry standards. Brian relied on his farming background, where problem solving was a daily requirement, and his medical experience, even using a scalpel for precision cutting when necessary.
Building an Industry from Scratch
Brian began by installing window film on commercial buildings, helping businesses reduce heat and glare long before energy efficiency was a common talking point. Residential window tinting followed soon after, as homeowners began to see the benefits of solar control.
As film technology improved, automotive window tinting became part of the business. Demand grew quickly, and it eventually became more expensive for Brian to keep his original career than to commit fully to window film solutions.
He chose to pursue tinting full time, confident in a product that delivered measurable results and was supported by real science. What began as a small operation grew steadily as more people in Kansas City discovered the benefits of professionally installed window film.
The International Window Film Association
In the late 1970s, window film was largely unregulated, and installers were free to apply any shade or configuration. As the industry grew, concerns began to surface, particularly around visibility and safety. In Florida, federal regulators and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began pursuing legal action against tint shops over the film being installed, raising the possibility that the entire window tinting industry could be shut down.
In response, a group of early installers and shop owners, including Brian, came together to protect the future of the industry. They pooled resources to create a legal defense fund and formed what would become the International Window Film Association (IWFA) in the early 1980s. The goal was simple: establish clear, measurable standards rather than allow the industry to be eliminated altogether. This effort led to the development of widely accepted guidelines for visual light transmission, reflectivity limits, and heat rejection performance.
Brian is a founding member of the IWFA, and Midwest Tinting has attended every International Window Film Conference and Tint-Off since its inception, remaining actively involved as the industry has continued to evolve.
Growing With the Technology
As new film technologies entered the market, Midwest Tinting expanded its services. Paint protection film was originally developed for military helicopters during the Vietnam War and later adapted for race cars. As the product evolved and became more installer friendly, it became a natural addition to our offerings.
Over time, the business grew into a full-service provider for automotive window tinting, residential window film, commercial window tinting, and paint protection film.
A Kansas City Staple Then and Now
What started as a one-person operation working out of a storage unit has grown into a company with 45 employees and three Kansas City–area locations. Today, we are trusted by thousands of customers and work with more than 100 local dealerships, body shops, and collision centers across the metro.
After fifty years in business, Midwest Tinting remains proud to be a Kansas City original. Our story is rooted in innovation, hard work, and a commitment to delivering solutions that do exactly what they promise.
This Kansas City Day, we’re grateful for the city that has supported us from the very beginning.