Ground Floor: North Liberty man builds new business

Three years ago, Michael 'Woody” Bruhn confronted a situation that is not uncommon in dual-income families: the need to relocate for a spouse's employment.

In Bruhn's case, he had built a thriving business installing residential and commercial window film when his wife accepted a position with the University of Iowa. The catch was the new job required her to move from Tennessee.

'She told me she was moving to Iowa and I was welcome to come with her,” Bruhn joked.

Bruhn arranged to keep working as a window film installer for a Knoxville, Tenn., company, but that job required frequent travel. With a young daughter at home, Bruhn felt he was missing out on important family time.

On March 1, Bruhn launched North Liberty-based Energy Control of Iowa.

Energy Control of Iowa is an authorized dealer of 3M window film products for homes and businesses. The business installs window films specifically designed for any number of purposes, including heat and glare reduction, UV filtration, safety and security, privacy, and decoration.

'The first thing I ask my customers is what purpose do they want the film to serve - to reduce heat, fading or glare?” Bruhn said. 'I can offer a solution for whatever problem they have.”

Bruhn started working with window films more than a decade ago when he and a friend started a side business tinting car windows on weekends. They soon became so busy that it became a full-time job.

Recognizing the energy-saving benefits of window film, Bruhn decided to expand into the residential and commercial market.

Bruhn said one difference between his old and new businesses is that Iowans are less familiar with his product than his customers in Tennessee and seem to equate it with what is used on dark-tinted car windows. He has needed to educate people that residential and commercial window films are designed to maintain a building's exterior appearance and let in natural light.

'They're not like cars; they're not real dark or shiny,” he said.

Bruhn is relying in large part on word-of-mouth advertising to spread the word about his new business.

'It's a lot easier for me if someone sees what I've done at their neighbor's house and likes what they see.”

Know a manager or company in business for less than a year that would be ideal for 'Ground Floor”? Contact George Ford at George.Ford@sourcemedia.net

At a Glance

'Owner:

Michael 'Woody” Bruhn

'Business:

Energy Control of Iowa

'Address:

650 W. Cherry St., North Liberty

'Phone:

(319) 423-9663

'Facebook:

www.facebook.com/pages/Energy-Control-of-Iowa/168738733145769