Company: New England Sun Control, Enervations, Inc., Guardian Bastille
Principal: Richard P. Eannarino
Number of employees: 25
Type of business: Sale, installation and distribution of window films
Location: Thurber Boulevard, Smithfield
Year founded : 1975
Annual revenues: $5 million (combined)
Richard P. Eannarino remembers the early days. The company was born out of his home in Greenville. It was a simpler time. But no less stressful.
Rhode Island's Market Has Changed. Developers, Builders, Investors and Sellers Must Change With It.
By Emilio DiSpirito IV License Partner | Engel & Völkers Oceanside Leader | The DiSpirito…
Learn More
“Our son was one, we were living off credit cards,” Eannarino said.
It is nearly 25 years later and much has changed. The baby (Richard M.), works for his father and is very successful. Like the son, the company has grown.
New England Sun Control, in fact, has spawned two other companies. All three represent a different niche. New England Sun Control, a retail arm specializing in sun control and energy saving window films, Enervations, a distribution arm, and Guardian Bastille, a company that specializes in safety and security window film. Guardian Bastille also markets CEIA Access Control Systems — high tech metal detector systems used by government agencies and commercial customers.
The products – which include 3M Scotchtint Plus and 3M Scotchshield Ultra Safety and Security Window Film – are selling at a pace that puts Eannarino among industry leaders.
Overall, Eannarino’s companies are on a roll. Last year, for example, he enjoyed a 31 percent jump in revenues.
Not one to sit still, Eannarino established Guardian Bastille just five months ago. The idea is to target the safety and security market with a company unto itself. Its potential for growth, Eannarino said, is unlimited.
All three of Eannarino’s companies are closely aligned with the 3M Corp., an industry giant. The name recognition of a 3M, said Eannarino, is a strong selling point.
“We’ve been teamed with 3M right from the start,” he said.
The potential for Guardian Bastille lies in the increasing demand for safety. On one end, you have commercial businesses more concerned than ever about protecting their employees.
The Oklahoma City bombing may be an extreme example, but the demand for security in the commercial sector is real. As a direct result of the bombing, federal buildings across the country have contracted for increased security measures.
In fact, it is in a letter from an Oklahoma City businessman to the 3M Corporation that may best illustrate just how much of a concern safety has become:
On April, 19, 1995 at 9:02 a.m., 4,800 pounds of explosives were detonated in Oklahoma City. Our building is six blocks from the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. When the bomb went off, one un-tinted window over the entry door was shattered by the pressure and blown into the reception room. One tinted window in my office withstood the initial pressure but was blown out by the resulting vacuum. Had I not had the 3M film on the windows we would have lost more windows to the blast the window in my office would have been blown into the building instead of being sucked out onto the patio.
John T. Spalding
(From a 1998 letter to the 3M Corp.)
“In an explosion, most people are killed or injured by flying glass,” Eannarino said. “Unprotected glass in an explosion flies out at about 300 feet per second. It’s a dagger.”
The FBI, Eannarino said, has staggering statistics on bomb blasts – some 14,000 in the last five years.
Guardian Bastille products also offer protection to small business. For example, the company has signed on with Golf Day, a retailer of golf clubs and equipment.
“It’s a hot area for people now to smash and grab,” Eannarino said.
New England Sun Control’s Scotchtint product is designed to reduce sun glare and lower energy costs. It also protects against the fading of furnishings, draperies and carpets. Perhaps, most importantly in the business world, however, is its ability to battle heat imbalance – that phenomena that has some employees complaining that it’s too hot, while those on the opposite side of the building are searching for sweaters.
“The primary reason we sell to commercial buildings is comfort,” Eannarino said. “The energy savings gives management a reason to make the investment.”
Whether the primary purpose is comfort or security, Eannarino is finding clients. Textron, BankBoston and CVS are all major clients. There are small clients in office buildings all over New England.
“It’s all about good people,” he said. “In any of my businesses, my philosophy has been to pay people well. That’s good business. That’s how your business grows.”
