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Reaching New Heights

SMOA’S HISTORICAL RENOVATION

ACHIEVING A SUCCESSFUL WINDOW INSTALLATION

EXIT PLANNING & SUCCESSION: PART 4

Published by the National Glass AssociationJune 2016 | Vol 66 | Num 5 | GlassMagazine.com

2016 TOP 50 GLAZIERS

26 Glass Magazine® • June 2016

In the face of notable challenges, Glass Magazine’s Top 50 Glaziers continued their growth trend in 2015. Seventy-seven percent of Top 50 Glaziers

reported an increase in year-over-year sales in 2015, marking the fourth consecutive year that more than two-thirds of Top 50 Glaziers reported gains.

Those gains reflect a continued increase in construction activity, along with the trend toward more glass and glazing inside and outside of the building. However, several Top 50 Glaziers report they struggle to meet demand and manage back-logs, while facing an array of challenges.

“The biggest challenge in 2015 was making sure we did not sell more work than what we could manage,” says Mark Hogan, president of Vision Enclosure Walls Inc., vewus.com, ranked No. 28 on the Top 50 Glaziers list.

“Although growth is certainly desirable for most any company, being able to manage growth's little side effects—larger payroll burdens plus overhead, and generally greater risks assumed from larger contract amounts—became a central

Top 50 GlaziersU . S . G L A Z I N G C O M PA N I E S G R O W, W H I L E M A N A G I N G B A C K L O G S A N D A C O N T I N U I N G L A B O R S H O R TA G E

B Y KAT Y D E V L I N

A striking 10-story point-supported glass wall fronts the new office building at 601 Massachusetts Ave. in the heart of Washington, D.C. Harmon Inc., harmoninc.com, served as the installer, and W&W Glass LLC, wwglass.com, was the system supplier for the 113-foot-tall point-support atrium wall—the Pilkington Planar system with ½-inch Pilkington, pilkington.com, Optiwhite low-iron monolithic tempered glass. The wall is supported by stainless steel tension rods and 86-foot wide horizontal painted steel trusses bracing the system at each floor. The architect for the project was Duda Paine Architects, dudapaine.com; the developer was Boston Properties, bostonproperties.com; and the contractor was Clark Construction, clarkconstruction.com. TriPyramid Structures Inc., tripyramid.com, fabricated the trusses to very tight AESS tolerances, according to W&W Glass officials.

“Some of the unique aspects of the project were the high degree of engineering for the back-up structure by W&W Glass, the fabrication and engineering of the glazing by Pilkington, and the shipping and installation of the massive, one-piece horizontal trusses. The horizontal tube steel trusses provided wind load support for the glass while the stainless steel tension rods transferred dead load of the glass to the top of the system,” according to W&W officials.Continued on page 28

www.GlassMagazine.com 27

Photo courtesy of W&W Glass LLC.

No. 3 Harmon Inc.

No. 6 W&W Glass LLC

601 Massachusetts Ave.


focus for us throughout 2015,” says Kathrine Greenberg, administrative manager for No. 29/30 Horizon Glass & Glazing Co., horizonglass.net. “Our approach to this problem was not just to hire more people, but more highly skilled people, and to invest in products and new approaches that helped improve our efficiency and track our projects more accurately than ever before. By managing our day-to-day workload more effec-tively, we believe these factors will help lead and sustain our current growth into long-term suc-cess down the road.”

The most-cited challenge among Top 50 Gla-ziers was the shortage of labor—a top concern of Top 50 Glaziers for several years.

“Our biggest challenges in 2015 were sustaining quality of work during growth and training new hires to meet our high expectations,” says Barbara Kotsos, director of marketing and PR for Giroux Glass Inc., girouxglass.com, ranked No. 18 on the Top 50 Glaziers list. For more on the labor short-age, see the chart on page 48.

“Our biggest challenge was finding and training field installers while managing a larger backlog,” says Courtney Little, president of No. 45/46 ACE Glass, aceglass.net.

Companies also noted growing complexity in the scope of work for many projects, the additional workload of design-assist projects, and

$3.03 billionN O R T H A M E R I C A N S A L E S F O R T O P 5 0 G L A Z I E R S R E A C H E D $ 3 . 0 3 B I L L I O N I N 2 0 1 5 . T H I S I S U P 1 7 P E R C E N T F R O M $ 2 . 5 9 B I L L I O N F O R T O P 5 0 G L A Z I E R S I N 2 0 1 4 .

T O P 5 0 G L A Z I E R Sa general compression of construction schedules. “Our biggest challenge in 2015 was trying to keep up with the pace of bidding and design assist proposal being requested,” says Jeff Haber, managing partner at No. 6 W&W Glass LLC, wwglass.com.

“Our biggest challenge was meeting sched-ules, since the owners and [general contractors] want it faster and faster,” adds Mark Gampper, president of No. 44 Denison Glass & Mirror Inc., denisonglass.com.

Several Top 50 Glaziers also reported concerns over supply. Bill Wilson, president of No. 35 Spec-ified Systems Inc., specifiedsystems.com, said one of the company’s greatest challenges in 2015 was coping with “changes in the supply dynamics, [specifically] corporate mergers affecting product availability and forcing relationship changes.”

“Lead times for product have improved on some supply fronts and have increased on others,” adds Bob Massey Jr., CEO for No. 13 Massey's Plate Glass & Aluminum Inc., masseysglass.com. (For advice from suppliers on how contract gla-ziers can best face these challenges and more, see Supplier Solutions on page 50.)

Despite those challenges, Top 50 Glaziers as a whole expanded in 2015. North American sales for Top 50 Glaziers topped $3 billion in 2015. This is up 17 percent from $2.59 billion for Top 50 Glaziers in 2014.

Several glaziers announced acquisitions or expansions. Notably, No. 8 Binswanger Glass, binswangerglass.com, acquired Signature Glass of Houston, in September 2015. No. 50 Pike’s Peak and City Glass Cos., cityglasscompany.net, opened a Denver location, adding 20 employees. Addi-tionally, Giroux Glass’ Fresno, California, location relocated to a larger office; No. 48 Key Glass LLC, keyglass.com, announced a 17,000-square-foot addition to its existing office; and No. 40 Wind Ready, windready.com, purchased a new facil-ity in Miami-Dade County that includes 10,000 square feet of office and warehouse space. “The much needed additional space will allow us to accommodate additional full-time estimating, engineering and sales staff,” says Dan Sandoval, principal at Wind Ready.

The following Top 50 Glaziers annual report presents an in-depth look at the U.S. contract glazing market, including:

30. The List: Top 50 U.S. glaziers, according to sales volume.

44. The Market: Statistical representation of the U.S. glazing market.

50. Supplier Solutions: Top challenges and solutions, from glass and glazing suppliers.

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01Permasteelisa North America

www.permasteelisagroup.comWindsor, CT

Previous rank: 1Sales: Up 74.8%U.S. locations: FiveSales for fiscal year 2015 (April 1, 2014-March 31, 2015), as reported by parent compa-ny Lixil, www.lixil-group.co.jp.

02

Enclos Corp.

enclos.comEagan, MN

Previous rank: 2U.S. locations: 15Full-time employees: 700Total employees: 800

$500+ million

$300-$400 million

The List

T he annual Top 50 rankings present what Glass Magazine editors believe to be the United States’ 50 largest contract glazing

firms, based on sales volumes. The glazing firms are ranked within nine sales categories.

Information from 49 of the Top 50 comes di-rectly from contract glazing firms or from financial reports from publicly traded parent companies.

We understand the sensitivity of releasing sales figures; however, we do not omit any firms simply because they ask. In cases where a company de-clines to provide information, we use independent sources to determine its ranking.

If your company belongs on the list, or you would like to update its information, please contact us. It is only with the cooperation of individual companies that Glass Magazine’s Top 50 Glaziers rankings can be as accurate as possible. Ques-tions or comments about this year’s rankings, and requests to be included next year, can be sent to Katy Devlin at [email protected].

T O P 5 0 G L A Z I E R S



03

Harmon Inc.

harmoninc.comBloomington, MN

Previous rank: 4Sales: Up 3.9%U.S. locations: 11Full-time employees: 571Total employees: 671

04

Benson Industries Inc.

bensonglobal.comPortland, OR

Previous rank: 9U.S. locations: FourFull-time employees: 525Total employees: 525

05

Walters & Wolf*

waltersandwolf.comFremont, CA

Previous rank: 3U.S. locations: FiveFull-time employees: 700+Total employees: 700+ *estimate

06

W&W Glass LLC

wwglass.comNanuet, NY

Previous rank: 5Sales: Up 28.6%U.S. locations: OneFull-time employees: 175 Total employees: 175

07Architectural Glass and Aluminum

aga-ca.comLivermore, CA

Previous rank: 6Sales: Down 3.4%U.S. locations: ThreeFull-time employees: 73Total employees: 399

08

Binswanger Glass

binswangerglass.comMemphis, TN

Previous rank: N/ASales: Up 17.5%U.S. locations: 66Full-time employees: 955Total employees: 955

09Kovach Building Enclosures

kovach.netChandler, AZ

Previous rank: 10Sales: Down 3.4%U.S. locations: TwoFull-time employees: 300Total employees: 300

10Alliance Glazing Technologies Inc.

allianceglazing.comRomeoville, IL

Previous rank: 15Sales: Up 54.1%U.S. locations: ThreeFull-time employees: 320Total employees: 320

1 1

Karas & Karas Glass Co.

karasglass.comBoston, MA

Previous rank: 10Sales: Down 6%U.S. locations: TwoFull-time employees: 79Total employees: 94

$200-$300 million

$100-$200 million

$50-$100 million

T O P 5 0 G L A Z I E R S 12

Admiral Glass Co.

admiralglass.netHouston, TX

Previous rank: 11Sales: Up 4%U.S. locations: TwoFull-time employees: 450Total employees: 450

15

TSI Corp.

tsicorporations.comUpper Marlboro, MD

Previous rank: 17Sales: Up 12.5%U.S. locations: OneFull-time employees: 200Total employees: 200

16/ 17

Haley-Greer Inc.

haleygreer.comDallas, TX


13Massey's Plate Glass & Aluminum Inc.

masseysglass.comBranford, CT

Previous rank: 12Sales: Up 5.3%U.S. locations: ThreeFull-time employees: 150 Total employees: 250

16/ 17

David Shuldiner Inc.

davidshuldiner.comBrooklyn, NY

Previous rank: N/ASales: Up 33.3%U.S. locations: OneFull-time employees: 70Total employees: 90

14

Cupples International

cupplesinc.comSt. Louis, MO

Previous rank: N/ASales: Down 42%U.S. locations: FourFull-time employees: 22Total employees: 22

$40-50 million


$50-$100 million

No. 23/24 LCG Facades

Snowbird Hidden Peak Restaurant

LCG Facade, lcgfacades.com, installed the entire exterior skin for the Snowbird Hid-den Peak Restaurant, at the top of Hidden Peak in Snowbird, Utah. “The project eleva-tion is 11,000 feet, and access was via the Snowbird Tram or a steep mountain double track trail. At that elevation we had to take special precautions to avoid altitude sick-ness and still work safely and efficiently,” describes Ted Derby, business develop-ment manager for LCG. “The mountain sloped off the end of the building with a 70 degree slope. The site conditions changed daily with sun in the morning and rain and snow flurries during the day. High winds

slowed or stopped the work nearly every day. The project had a mandatory work stoppage in all lightning storms. … In spite of all the challenges, our crews worked with skill and dedication to complete this unique project on time and within budget.”

The project features 7,625 square feet of high performance, laminated glass fabricated by Northwestern Industries Inc., nwiglass.com. The insulating glass units consistsof a piece of laminated glass—Op-tiview with 44 percent gray from Pilkington, pilkington.com; a .030 polyvinyl butyral interlayer; and a lite of PPG Industries, pp-gideascapes.com, Solarban clear 70XL—an

argon-filled airspace; and a clear, tem-pered inboard lite. EFCO Corp., efcocorp.com, supplied the curtain wall system. The company also installed glass handrail for the project, along with 9,650 square feet of composite panels from Swisspearl, swisspearl.com, used in conjunction with a support system from Knight Wall Systems, knightwallsystems.com. The architect was GSBS Architects, gsbsarchitects.com, and the general contractor, Layton Construc-tion, laytonconstruction.com. Photo by Joe Kalisz, LCG Facades.




No. 8 Binswanger Glass

Alliance One, NC State University Centennial Campus

20

Ajay Glass Co.

ajayglass.comCanandalgua, NY

Previous rank: 18Sales: Up 5.5%U.S. locations: TwoFull-time employees: 120Total employees: 120

21/22

Egan Co./InterClad

eganco.comChamplin, MN

Previous rank: 40Sales: Up 129%U.S. locations: TwoFull-time employees: 100Total employees: 100

23/24

SPS Corp.

spscorporation.comApex, NC


25

Progress Glass Co.

progressglass.comSan Francisco, CA

Previous rank: N/ASales: Up 4%U.S. locations: TwoFull-time employees: 100Total employees: 100

26R & R Window Contractors Inc.

rrwindow.comEasthampton, MA


21/22

Cherry Hill Glass Co.

cherryhillglass.comBranford, CT


23/24

LCG Facades

lcgfacades.comSalt Lake City, UT

Previous rank: 23Sales: Down 3.3%U.S. locations: OneFull-time employees: 180Total employees: 180

$20-30 million

18

Giroux Glass Inc.

girouxglass.comLos Angeles, CA

Previous rank: 21Sales: Up 39.1%U.S. locations: FourFull-time employees: 209 Total employees: 213

19

seele Inc.

seele.comNew York, NY

Previous rank: N/ASales: Up 13%U.S. locations: OneFull-time employees: 25Total employees: 105

$30-40 million

Binswanger Glass, binswangerglass.com, installed a range of glazing systems for the Alliance One building at NC State University’s Cen-tennial Campus. The building features the CW2500 TubeLock curtain wall and 2507S four-side structural curtain wall systems from FM/Graham, grahamwindows.com; high-performance VRE1-38 glass from Viracon, viracon.com; Crane revolving door from Dorma, dorma.com; glass canopy; and a C-Channel around the perimeter of the 5th floor and at the structural glaze curtain wall. One corner of the building features a unique glass architectural feature known as The Cube that provides dramatic views from each of the five floors and the lobby. The architect was Jenkins-Peer Architects, jenkinspeer.com, and the general contractor was J.D. Beam General Contractors, jdbeam.com. Photo by Michael Robinson, Binswanger Glass.



29/30Horizon Glass & Glazing Co.

horizonglass.netDenver, CO

Previous rank: 32Sales: Up 14%U.S. locations: OneFull-time employees: 112Total employees: 112

32/33

Zephyr Aluminum LLC

zephyraluminum.comLancaster, PA

Previous rank: 24Sales: Down 22%U.S. locations: ThreeFull-time employees: 72Total employees: 72

31

Dynamic Glass LLC

dynamicglass.comHouston, TX


32/33

National Enclosure Co.

nationalenclosure.comYpsilanti, MI

Previous rank: 26Sales: Down 7.4%U.S. locations: ThreeFull-time employees: 100Total employees: 100

27Tepco Contract Glazing Inc.

tepcoglass.comDallas, TX

Previous rank: N/ASales: Up 26.3%U.S. locations: ThreeFull-time employees: 110Total employees: 110

28

Vision Enclosure Walls Inc.

vewus.comDallas, TX

Previous rank: N/AU.S. locations: OneFull-time employees: 95Total employees: 95

29/30

Crawford-Tracey Corp.

crawfordtracey.comDeerfield Beach, FL



$20-30 million

No. 38 Sunset Glazing

Lane Field NorthSunset Glazing, sunsetglazing.com, executed the glass and glazing installation for the 12-story Lane Field North in downtown San Diego, also known as the BRIC Phase One project. The mixed use building—a dual branded Marriott hotel, with restaurant and leased retail space—features aluminum glazing systems from Arcadia Inc., arcadiainc.com, with high-performance glass fabricated by Northwestern Industries Inc., nwiglass.com. The glass is Guardian Industries’, guardian.com, SNX 62 SuperNeutral Low-E and SNX-51-23 SuperNeutral Low-E. The systems relied on Dow Corning, dowcorning.com, 795 silicone building sealant. Photo: John Durant Photographer.


T O P 5 0 G L A Z I E R S 34H.J. Martin and Son Inc.

hjmartin.comGreen Bay, WI

Previous rank: 36Sales: Up 2.3%U.S. locations: OneFull-time employees: 600 (64 in glass and glazing)Total employees: 600 (64 in glass and glazing)

35

Specified Systems Inc.

specifiedsystems.comCanonsburg, PA


$10-20 million

36

Metropolitan Glass Inc.

metroglass.comDenver, CO

Previous rank: 29Sales: Down 20%U.S. locations: OneFull-time employees: 75 Total employees: 75


3 7AMG Architectural Glass and Glazing

amgagg.comMaplewood, MN


3 8

Sunset Glazing

sunsetglazing.comLa Mesa, CA

Previous rank: 34Sales: Down 16%U.S. locations: OneFull-time employees: 25Total employees: 35

3 9

AHC Glass

ahcglassinc.comHayward, CA


No. 49 A.F.I. Glass & Architectural Metal Inc.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

A.F.I. Glass & Architectural Metal Inc., afiglass.com, served as glazing contractor for the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in West Harrison, New York. The glazing scope include a wide range of products, including high-performance glass, curtain wall, skylights and panel systems. Viracon, viracon.com, was the glass fabricator, supplying its VE1-85 insulating coated glass with silkscreen, and VE1-2M insulating, coated glass. The project features aluminum curtain wall from Alumil, alumil.com/en/, composite metal panels from Bamco Inc., gobamco.com, aluminum entrances from Kawneer Co., kawneer.com, and automatic doors from Mackenzie Automatic Doors Inc., mackenziedoor.com. The exterior also features stone panel systems from TerraCore Panels LLC, www.terracorepanels.com, and a mesh panel system from Cambridge Architectural, cambridgearchitectural.com. Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope, obe.com, supplied ridge and single-slope skylights, and Unicel Vision Control, unicelarchitectural.com, supplied motorized vision control skylights with cordless louvers. Additional glass was supplied by Bronx Westchester Tempering, www.bwtglass.com, and additional metals by Tajima, a division of C.R. Laurence Co., crlaurence.com. The architect was EwingCole Architects, ewingcole.com, and the general contractor, Hunter Roberts Construction Group, hrcg.com. Photo courtesy of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.


T O P 5 0 G L A Z I E R S 40

Wind Ready Inc.

windready.comMiami Gardens, FL


41Palm Beach Glass Specialties Inc.

pbglass.comWest Palm Beach, FL

Previous rank: N/ASales: Up 104%U.S. locations: OneFull-time employees: 40 Total employees: 40

42Synergi/Accent Architectural

synergi-global.comHanover, MD

Previous rank: N/ASales: Up 2.2%U.S. locations: TwoFull-time employees: 30Total employees: 40

45/46

ACE Glass

aceglass.netLittle Rock, AR

Previous rank: 47Sales: Up 18.2%U.S. locations: TwoFull-time employees: 130 Total employees: 130

43Graboyes Commercial Window Co.

graboyes.comPhiladelphia PA

Previous rank: N/ASales: Up 120%U.S. locations: OneFull-time employees: 40Total employees: 57

45/46

Bacon & Van Buskirk

bvbglass.comChampaign, IL


44Denison Glass & Mirror Inc.

denisonglass.comDenison, TX

Previous rank: 42Sales: Up 11.2%U.S. locations: OneFull-time employees: 70 Total employees: 70

$10-20 million


No. 9 Kovach Building Enclosures

Scottsdale Quarter Phase III Kovach Building Enclosures, kovach.net, was the glazing contractor on the mixed-use project, Scottsdale Quarter Phase III. The combined office-retail space features unitized curtain wall, supplied by Kovach, OPG1900 thermal curtain wall system from Arcadia Inc., arcadiainc.com, and louvers from Construction Specialties, c-sgroup.com. The glass is high-performance Pacifica Solarban 60 and Pacific Gray Solarban 60 from PPG Industries, ppgideascapes.com. The architect was Nelsen Partners, nelsenpartners.com, the general contractor, IBEX Construction, ibexconstruction.com. Photo by Sam Pagel, Pelican Media.

4 7

Forno Enterprises Inc.

fornoenterprises.comTrout Creek, NY



$10-20 million48

Key Glass LLC

keyglass.comBradenton, FL


49A.F.I. Glass & Architectural Metal Inc.

afiglass.comPoughkeepsie, NY

Previous rank: N/ASales: Up 37.3%U.S. locations: OneFull-time employees: 48 Total employees: 58

50Pikes Peak and City Glass Cos.

cityglasscompany.netColorado Springs, CO

Previous rank: N/ASales: Down 6.5%U.S. locations: TwoFull-time employees: 80Total employees: 80


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This chart depicts the percentage of Top 50 Glaziers experiencing year-over-year sales increases and decreases from 2005 to 2015. (Only companies that provided exact sales figures are included). The percentage of companies reporting gains in 2015 expanded slightly from 2014, from 71 percent to 77 percent, continuing the market’s growth trend. Glaziers have performed much better than during the 2009 to 2011 downturn, reporting four consecutive years of stronger growth. The percentage of companies reporting an increase in 2015, however, remains below the peak years of 2006 and 2007 when 82 percent and 91 percent of companies, respectively, reported y-o-y gains.

The MarketA N I N - D E P T H , B Y T H E N U M B E R S L O O K AT T H E U . S . G L A Z I N G M A R K E T

A Decade of Sales Fluctuations

Sales Increase Sales Decrease No change


72%

91%

2005 06 07 08 09 10 1 1 12 13 14 2015

28%

9%

65%

33%

23%22%

2% 2%3%

76% 77%


23%How did Top 50 Glaziers’ 2015 overall sales compare to 2014?

A majority of Top 50 Glaziers reported an increase in sales from 2014 to 2015. Seventy-seven percent of companies reported higher year-over-year sales in 2015, with 23 percent reporting decreases in sales from 2014 to 2015.

Top 50 glaziers, by sales volume (in millions)

The majority of Top 50 Glaziers—28 companies—reported sales ranging from $10 million to $30 million in 2015. Additionally, the glaziers with the highest levels of sales volumes in 2015 once again reported strong years. Five companies reported sales topping $200 million in 2015, and one additional sales range category was added to this year's list: $500 million or more.

Change in sales for each company between 2014 and 2015

Of the companies reporting y-o-y sales increases, seven reported sales increases of 50 percent or more (indicated in white in the chart at right).Of those, three companies— Egan Company/InterClad, Graboyes Commercial Window Co. and Palm Beach Glass Specialties Inc.—reported sales increases of 100 percent or more. Nine companies reported sales increases of 25 to 50 percent, and 19 companies saw sales increase 0 to 25 percent.

Of companies reporting y-o-y decreases, seven companies saw decreases of 10 percent or less. One company saw sales declines of greater than 25 percent.

Higher

Up 6% From Last Year

Lower

77%$500 or more

$300-$400

$200-$300

$100-$200

$50-$100

$40-$50

$30-$40

$20-$30

$10-$20

$10 and below

1

1

3

2

6

4

5

11

17

0

0

1

2

5

4

3

4

11

18

1

Last year

Egan Company/InterCladGraboyes Commercial Window Co.Palm Beach Glass Specialties Inc.Permasteelisa North AmericaCrawford-Tracey Corp.Forno Enterprises Inc.Alliance Glazing Technologies Inc.

0

60

-60

120

23%

77%

41%

41%

18%

Renovation

New Construction

HIGHER

Higher

How did bid levels in 2015 compare to the previous year?

In 2015, glaziers reported a strong uptick in bid levels, with 75 percent of Top 50 companies reporting an increase compared to 2014. No companies reported lower bid levels.

How did competition for projects in 2015 compare to the previous year?

Competition for projects remained mostly unchanged from 2014, with 63 percent of companies reporting levels were about the same in 2015, and only 31 percent reporting that competition had increased.

How did profit margins in 2015 compare to the previous year?

Profit margins were also on the rise—56 percent of companies reported higher margins, with only 8 percent reporting lower margins.

75%

About the Same25% 31%

Higher

Lower 6%

About the Same Higher

63% 56%

Lower 8%

About the Same

36%

New construction vs. renovation

New construction continued to dominate work for Top 50 Glaziers in 2015. On average, 77 percent of jobs for all responding companies was new construction.

Commercial: Office buildings

Commercial: Hotels

Commercial: Retail

Institutional: Education

Institutional: Healthcare

Institutional: Government

Multifamily housing

Other*

Tota

lTo

tal

Tota

l

Institutional vs. commercial

On average, institutional and commercial projects constituted equal portions of work for Top 50 Glaziers in 2015 (both at 41 percent). The strongest building segments within those markets were office buildings (26 percent) for commercial work, and educational and healthcare (20 percent and 16 percent, respectively) for institutional. The multifamily market also captured a notable share of work in 2015, with 13 percent.

*Other includes transportation, civic projects, sports/entertainment and industrial

26%7%8%

20%16%5%

13%5%



Which geographic markets offer the most growth potential in the coming year?Survey respondents were asked to mark all regions that offered the most potential for growth. However, responses were mixed. A small plurality of respondents—29 percent—forecast the most growth in three regions, all along the coasts—in the Northeast, East Coast and West Coast. A slightly smaller number of respondents—24 percent—said the South offered the most growth potential, with 20 percent indicating the Southeast and the West. The regions with the fewest votes were the Midwest (13 percent), the Northwest (11 percent) and the Southwest (9 percent).

NORTH WEST

11%WEST

20%MIDWEST

13 %

SOUTH

24% SOUTHEAST

20%

EAST COAST

29%

SOUTHWWEST

9%

WEST COAST

29%

NORTHEAST

29%




The Labor ShortageContract glaziers continue to face a labor shortage. More than half of Top 50 Glaziers reported increased difficulty in finding workers in 2015 compared to 2014, with another 25 percent reporting that they had the same difficulty finding workers compared to the previous year. While Top 50 Glaziers reported challenges filling a range of positions, the most difficult position to fill was glazier (50 percent), followed by project manager (26 percent).

“Finding skilled installation labor continues to be a challenge,” says Kevin LaPoint, vice president, Commercial Glass & Entrance Divisions, H.J. Martin and Son

Inc., hjmartin.com, ranked the No. 34 Top 50 Glazier.

With a lack of qualified labor, many companies focused on hiring more unskilled workers and training them in-house.

“It was, and still is, a challenge to find qualified resources to supplement internal training and development, which has limited our ability to target certain projects,” says Thomas Cornellier, chief financial officer, building development, for TSI Corp., tsicorporations.com, ranked No. 15.

“Finding skilled Installers is our biggest challenge by far,” says Ted Derby, business development, No. 23/24 LCG Facades,

lcgfacades.com. “We have started our own in-house training program where qualified employees volunteer their time to learn the skills needed for our specific requirements.”

Despite the challenges in finding workers, most Top 50 Glaziers managed to add employees in 2015. Fifty-nine percent of Top 50 Glaziers reported higher numbers of total employees in 2015, compared to 2014. Only 9 percent reported lower numbers of total employees.

Did you have more difficulty finding workers in 2015 compared to the previous year?

What positions were the most difficult to fill?

How did employment levels in 2015 compare to the previous year?

Yes

54%50%26%26%18%

No

21%

About the same

25%

Glaziers

Project Managers

Other*

Estimators

*including apprentices, drafters, technical field mechanics, sales personnel, retrofit specialists

Higher

59%

Lower 9%

About the Same

32%

Supplier SolutionsA D V I C E F R O M G L A S S A N D M E TA L S U P P L I E R S A B O U T T H E C O M M O N C H A L L E N G E S FA C I N G C O N T R A C T G L A Z I E R S

CHALLENGE 1 FINDING LABOROne of the biggest challenges we’re hearing about from the glaziers we work with is the need for qualified labor. This is especially true for those working on high-end jobs. The increase in construction spending has led to buildings with more complex curtain wall, façade and window applications. Finding the laborers with the skillset for these specialized jobs is a real challenge in an industry that’s already spread thin and juggling demanding schedules.”

— Jeff Razwick, president, Technical Glass Products, fireglass.com, tgpamerica.com.

Solution: “Partnering with top-tier suppliers and manufactur-ers is one way to leverage your existing labor and effectiveness, particularly when things are busy. From prompt service and professional communication to quality materials made right the first time, first-class suppliers allow your project team to bring closure to a project more efficiently,” Razwick says.

CHALLENGE 2 LEAD TIMES

Lead time is an issue we hear come up time and again. Glaziers have reported long lead times of six weeks for [aluminum] doors, and over 12 weeks for windows. Unfortunately, product availability can significantly impact a glazing contractor’s competitiveness and overall reputation with the general contractor.”

— Brad Thurman, director of sales and marketing, CRL-U.S. Aluminum, www.crlaurence.com/ usalum

Some glaziers have also reported constrained supply and lengthening lead times for some glass products.

Solution: “To avoid these pitfalls, I recommend that glaziers partner with a manufacturer/supplier that has a strong distribution network, localized stock inventory programs for doors, and rapid customization capabilities for windows,” Thur-man says.

“For projects significant in size, it is also important for glazing contractor customers to reserve capacity with a high-quality architectural glass fabricator. Having flexibility in capacity management allows the glass fabricator to meet accelerated or delayed project schedules, and will help ensure architectural glass supply for your projects,” says Angela Beach, marketing lead/senior creative ser-vices designer for JE Berkowitz LP, jeberkowitz.com.



CHALLENGE 3 COMPRESSED SCHEDULES

We are seeing general contractors trying to compress the construction timeline and close jobs faster. The key to profitability is to get in and out quickly. Now if the glazing contractor has a delay it is compounded by the congestion of working around other trades.”

— Greg Galloway, ProTek brand manager, YKK AP America, ykkap.com

Solution: “Focus on logistics and staging. Get everything in order ahead of time, so you’re not hitting speed bumps down the road. On the product front, it’s important to minimize the use of different systems and configurations. One missing part can halt installation. Having fewer unique parts and pieces on the jobsite reduces the likelihood of a critical outage,” Galloway says.

CHALLENGE 4 RISING PERFORMANCE DEMANDS

In today's market, glazing contractor customers are faced with … educated owners, architects and consultants [who] demand higher levels of facade quality and performance.”

— Angela Beach, marketing lead/se-nior creative services designer for JE Berkowitz LP, jeberkowitz.com

Solution: “Glazing contractor customers should consult with a high-quality architectural glass fabricator as early as possible to discuss advancements in high-performing [low-emissivity] coatings, warm edge spacer technology and room-side low-E coatings to meet project energy requirements. Additionally, more project specifications call for tighter optical distortion and sightline aesthetic tolerances. High-quality architectural glass fabricators have the equipment and quality control processes in place, such as ISO 9001 certification, to meet evolving quality tolerances,” Beach says.


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