FILM STARS

Jonathan Longhurst, Autoshades
Jonathan Longhurst, company director of Autoshades in London, possesses the unique quality of not only being loved by his customers, but by his employees, too. Louise Morris, marketing executive at Autoshades contacted Window Film magazine to nominate her boss as a “Film Star.”

Morris says, “He leads by example and keeps the team focused and hard working. He gives 100 percent and expects no less from others, but is always ready to show his gratitude for your efforts.”

Longhurst got started in the tinting business more than two decades ago.

“I started by tinting my brother’s car in my Dad’s garage,” says Longhurst. “From then on I began to get approached by people who saw his car. My brother and I started a partnership and after two and a half years I started Autoshades, in 1992.”

For Longhurst, a day’s work always comes back to satisfying customers and working as a team.

“The knowledge that I’ve gained over the years and improvements in the film industry have spurred me into wanting to grow the business and continue in this industry. The satisfaction of seeing that my customers appreciate my hard work and gaining repeat business by word of mouth makes it all worthwhile. I’ve built up a great team that works alongside me and they all care about the business as much as I do,” says Longhurst.

Longhurst has always focused on automotive tinting, but is interested in expanding.

“I would like to move more into the residential and commercial side of the business,” he says. “I would eventually like to set up a UK network of true professional window tinting dealers to be able to offer a nationwide service,” says Longhurst.

Morris notes that Longhurst’s dedication to working hard for his customers is the key to his success.

“His attention to detail never fails to impress his individual customers and dealerships alike. He maintains a personal service of high quality and customer satisfaction,” says Morris.

Throughout his career Longhurst has worked on all kinds of projects, including tinting cars on film sets where time is of the essence. However, the one project that he dreams of being a part of is something much different than a film set.

“Having worked closely with schools, I would like to work on a project developing schools for the future where I feel window film could significantly improve the working conditions for future generations of students and teachers alike,” he says. “With ever increasing demands for the latest technology in the classroom such as interactive whiteboards, it is also important that the classroom is suitable for these developments, so that the schools can really benefit.”

In his free time Longhurst enjoys traveling, visiting theme parks, exploring the countryside with his dogs, running, and most importantly spending time with his two young sons.

Do you know someone who is a star among window film tinters? Then we want to hear from you with your nominations for “Film Stars.” E-mail Ellen Rogers at erogers@glass.com your nominations.

WINDOW FILM
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