The walls of Midwest Tinting house friendly rivalries.

There’s something special about a team of tinters that supports each other like family. For Midwest Tinting in Kansas City, there is an extreme emphasis on growth, learning, support and approaching all things as a team. In the case of the International Window Film Conference and Tint-Off™ (WFCT), things are no different, as Midwest is sending six members of their crew to compete in categories across the board.

The batch of attendees from Midwest Tinting varies in both industry and competition experience. Some of the lot have competed more than twelve times dating back to 2006, while for others this will be their second or third time competing. There are no requirements from Midwest as to who from the team can attend the event, other than a desire to learn and experience everything the International Window Film Conference and Tint-Off (WFCT) has to offer.

While some may be more experienced or faster at the job, everyone at Midwest has full confidence in all the tinters on their team, with everyone holding the mindset that they could send anyone at the shop and have a great chance of bringing home a win. This year, though, there was a big emphasis on sending those who haven’t had the pleasure of attending many events, as the experience gained from WFCT is priceless to most of the team.

Midwest Tinting encourages its tinters to attend the event and compete.

The general consensus from the more experienced few attending this year’s event is that going with, and competing against, so many people that they work with each day makes it feel even more like another day on the job. The pressure is up a bit, due to the fact that everyone wants to perform well in front of those who support them, but generally speaking, the competition veterans of the group feel that competing is competing, no matter who it’s against.

The less experienced hold a different opinion, though, seeing it as an opportunity to prove their skills to their mentors, hoping to provide a “proud parent” moment to those who taught them most of what they know. Regardless of experience, everyone shares an excitement of enjoying a “work vacation” and having the chance to bring prestige back to the shop in the form of a win. The prize money is not bad either.

Everyone is supportive and full of good intentions at Midwest Tinting. Caleb Silkett and Eric Lessard, two experienced tinters on the team, often find themselves racing in front of the whole shop to see who can tint the same car faster. Although WFCT is not a test of time, this practice fuels the friendly competition.

Tinting veteran Eric Lessard has only recently started competing and is referred to as a “beast” around the shop when it comes to paint protection film (PPF). He hopes to blow the competition out of the water in the PPF category, and the rest of the crew seems to think he will.

New tinter Mary Murphy has competed once before and impressed her team with her ability to correct mistakes under pressure and pick up tricks quickly. These two, along with the rest of the team competing at WFCT 2022, will be there in force.

Register your team for the event here.

Tyler Jubar is a staff writer for Window Film magazine.

This article is from Focus on Film, the weekly e-newsletter that covers the latest news regarding window film and related products, including paint protection film. Click HERE to sign up—there is no charge. Interested in a deeper dive? Free subscriptions to Window Film magazine in print or digital format are available. Subscribe at no charge HERE.

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