Volume 7, Issue 2, March - April 2003

The Woman in the Window
    Second Annual International Tint-Off™ Attracts First Female Entrant
by Penny Beverage

It may be 2003, but some professions are still male-dominated, and window film is no exception. So, in a crowd of window film applicators, it’s not hard to pick out Alice Wilson of Round Rock, Texas. 

Despite her petite, 5’6” stature and meek, quiet nature, Wilson fits right in. She was one of 35 to compete for the title of World’s Best Tinter at the 2003 International Tint-Off™, which was held January 25 in San Antonio.

Wilson is a film applicator for Austin Car Protection in the Austin suburb of Pflugerville, Texas. A native of Amarillo, she originally learned to apply window film eight years ago at Auto Trim Design at the encouragement of her husband, Allan Wilson.

“He had some friends that were window tinters and he thought I’d be good at it, too,” Wilson said.



Wilson, 31, agreed, and found her niche in the tinting market. The San Antonio competition was her first tint-off, and while she didn’t finish first, she hopes to compete again in the future.
“There were some good tinters there,” Wilson said.

Right now Wilson is the lead installer for her company, but she hopes to add more car-detailing skills to her repertoire.

“I’d like to learn to do more car accessories,” she said.



In regard to tinting, Wilson said what makes her a successful tinter is her attention to detail and cleanliness—not to mention her rapport with her customers.

“I just like to please customers and do a good job,” she said. “I like to have good word of mouth and a good reputation.”

Wilson does believe that women are more particular tinters, as many in the industry have commented.

“I have been told that we’re cleaner and maybe a little bit quicker with our hands,” she said.
For this reason and others, Wilson said she’d readily encourage other women to get into the business. She currently knows one other female tinter well, but has encountered very few overall.

“There are not a lot of women in the field, and I think it’s just as good of an opportunity for women as it is for men,” she said.

Despite Wilson’s success as a window film applicator, she says her real passion lies outside the shop. That passion is her family: her husband, Allan, and three sons: Allan, 18, Tyler, 9, and Jeremy, 7. 



Penny Beverage is the editor of Window Film magazine.

WINDOW FILM