From the back of a Dodge Neon to STL Auto Defenders.

STL Auto Defenders began when owner Kris Shuman was 16 years old. Under the name Custom Auto Care, he traveled directly to customers throughout the Arnold and Imperial area with his detailing equipment packed into a Dodge Neon.

From the beginning, the goal was simple: deliver results people would remember. That same Neon became a rolling example of Kris's work, earning trophies at several car shows for its appearance and presentation.

While Custom Auto Care was still operating from the Neon, Kris secured the company's first dealership account with Palm Beach Motors in the Arnold and Imperial area.

That relationship gave him the opportunity to prove that a teenage mobile business could consistently prepare vehicles to professional dealership standards—well before Custom Auto Care had a permanent shop.

During his senior year at Windsor High School in Imperial, Kris served as president of DECA and was also a member of Future Business Leaders of America.

He represented Windsor in several DECA competitions and won the St. Louis-area competition with a written business plan for Custom Auto Care. The achievement helped him earn a $14,000 scholarship to the University of Missouri–St. Louis, where he attended from 2004 through 2007.

That same year, Kris and Custom Auto Care were featured on the front page of The Leader newspaper as its “Go-Getter.”

By the end of 2006, Custom Auto Care had moved into its Arnold shop and was working primarily with major St. Louis-area dealerships.

Those relationships included Boemler Chevrolet, Jim Butler Chevrolet, Sapaugh in Herculaneum, Twin City Toyota, St. Louis Honda, St. Louis Dodge Chrysler Jeep and Suntrup Kia.

Dealerships trusted us with vehicles that had to look their absolute best. We became known for mastering difficult black paint and producing interiors that were clean down to the smallest details. Working across thousands of vehicles became the foundation for the paint knowledge and finishing standards we use today.

One dealership regularly asked for “the Shuman special.” When they wanted a vehicle taken to the next level, they would say they wanted it “Shumanized.”

The name stuck. In 2015, Custom Auto Care became Shumanized, and the company expanded beyond detailing into professional window tinting, ceramic coatings, paint protection film, paint correction and wheel repair.

During the pandemic, maintaining a large detailing and installation crew became increasingly difficult and exhausting. We scaled back, stepped away from the high-volume dealership model and began working directly with vehicle owners.

Instead of trying to perform every appearance service, we focused on the work where our experience and attention to detail make the greatest difference: paint protection film, ceramic window tint, ceramic coatings, paint correction, windshield protection and interior screen protection.

That transition became STL Auto Defenders.