Colorado School District Selects 3M Safety and Security Film
Some schools in Colorado will soon be getting an additional layer of protection with 3M’s state-of-the-art safety and security film.
Texas-based Epic Security & Architectural Films was awarded a contract by a Colorado school district to install 300,000-square-foot of 3M™ Scotchshield™ Safety & Security Window Film S2400, one of the largest school security window film installation projects in 3M’s history.
In recent years, school districts across the country have been installing 3M™ Safety and Security Window Film on their glass to protect against active shooters and unwanted intruders. 3M’s safety films have been placed under a series of rigorous tests, including bomb blasts, explosions and against wind speeds of up to 170 miles per hour.
3M™ Scotchshield™ Safety & Security Window Film S2400 is the latest innovative breakthrough solution that has even greater tear strength and elongation (a key measurement of energy absorption) to prevent
unwanted entry. The film works by holding shattered glass in place after impact, helping to prevent flying shards from harming people and property and preventing or delaying entry. The new film has been proven to hold shattered glass intact for additional time – allowing an even longer opportunity for emergency response.
To keep up with the growing demand for breach-resistant film, the McKinney, Texas-based company has opened an office in Aurora, Colorado with plans on opening an even larger operations facility near Denver – which would be a secondary base of operations for the company within the United States.
Since its start in 2018, Epic Security & Architectural Films, led by president Kelly Eder, has focused on helping schools nationwide improve security.
As a mother of three, Kelly Eder was visiting her children’s Texas elementary school in 2018 with her husband, Chris, when he pointed out several aspects of improper installation of security film on the school’s glass. Chris had a long history in the window film industry and, as an entrepreneur, had patented window systems and tools that are now at the forefront of the security window film business. He explained to Kelly that when the film is not installed properly, it can cause it not to work properly and leave the facility and everyone inside vulnerable. “I was dumbfounded,” Kelly said.
“After going home unable to let the issue go and pondering over the safety issue of our children, I told Chris we are getting back into the window film industry with a focus on school safety.”
Seven years later, Epic Security & Architectural Films estimates it has installed more than one million square feet of 3M™ Window Film throughout Texas, with a primary focus on school systems. As a 3M™ Premier Elite Dealer, Epic Security & Architectural Films also installs 3M™ Window Film for commercial, government and residential clients throughout the nation.
“We wanted to work with 3M and offer the best product to help protect students, teachers and staff,” Kelly Eder said. “That is why my husband and I chose to carry 3M films for our customers and why we started approaching school districts to install the film on glass doors and windows as an added safety measure.”
3M™ Window Film solutions are designed to lower heat, reduce high energy costs, slow fading, add privacy and increase security.
As part of its operations expansion in Colorado, Epic Security & Architectural Films will be hiring and training installers to assist with the window film installation of the schools. Its current installers, certified in the installation of security film, will serve as trainers for the new team. The company also intends to hire office staff and other key employees for successful operations. “We do not hire subcontractors, but rather manage our own work,” Kelly Eder said. “We also aren’t buying window film installation companies, like another 3M dealer that may already be established in the area. We’re going to hire our own team. This way, we get the work done according to our exacting standards.”
It's those ‘exacting standards’ that make Epic Security & Architectural Films different from its competitors. “The one thing that differentiates us is our attention to detail. We are sticklers to get our
installations correct,” said Chris Eder, chief operating officer for Epic Security & Architectural Films. “We are not going to expedite the process and jeopardize the integrity of the film, and we tell our clients this. It is important to us that we take the time necessary to make sure that it is done right.”
As Epic Security & Architectural Films continues its expansion into Colorado, it also is expanding its headquarters in McKinney where the company has operated since 2018. The company is moving its national headquarters to a 15,000-square-foot, two-story facility in which the bottom floor will house operations, including a printing/graphics side of the company, and the second floor will house the administrative offices.
With 47 employees out of the McKinney location, Epic Security & Architectural Films’ team includes sales, customer service representatives, office staff and certified installers. At any time, installers could be in the field throughout the country.
Kelly Eder said she is most passionate about school safety films and ultimately keeping people safe. “School safety is what has driven me,” she said. “It’s what I love. I’ve found my passion in being able to keep our schools and everyone in them safe. We are really looking forward to working in Colorado to install 3M’s state-of-the-art security film on their schools.”