industry insiders

C O M I N G S A N D G O I N G S
PGW Has New Chairman
Pittsburgh Glass Works (PGW), formerly PPG Auto Glass, has a new chairman and chief executive officer, James Wiggins, an operating partner of Kohlberg & Co. Frank Archinaco, formerly president and chief executive officer of the business, will continue for a transitionary period as senior vice president of strategy and planning.

The changes come with the completion of the sale of the business to Kohlberg & Co., effective October 1.

“Our first order of business will be to capitalize upon the synergies and market opportunities that are available to us as a broad-based, independent organization,” says Wiggins.

“We want to expand upon the leadership position these businesses hold in the automotive glass and services industry,” adds Wiggins. “As with other Kohlberg business acquisitions, our approach will be aggressive, yet smart. We purchased this business from PPG because of its leading position in the markets it serves and we believe in its continued success. To ensure that future, we’re willing to invest in the right areas of the business to accomplish that objective.”

SRP® Introduces
New Product Manager
Shat R Proof Corp. has hired Roger Olsen as product manager for SRP products. He will manage new product developments, analyze market opportunities, and provide technical and sales support to SRP sales force and customers.

Olsen also will participate in direct marketing activities for both new and existing customers, and will carry out the development and implementation of new training programs for all SRP products.

New Sales Manager
Joins GlasWeld GlasWeld has hired Dan Sayers as its newest sales manager. Sayers will be responsible for working with customers to manage the sales and customer service experience for GlasWeld equipment and services. Sayers has extensive sales experience, primarily in the telecom munications industry.

Prior to joining GlasWeld, Sayers was a regional customer service manager for Integra Telecom and had worked in the telecommunications industry for 15 years.

NOVUS Appoints New Operations Leader NOVUS® Glass has appointed Jeff Robinson to the newly created position of director of franchise operations. Robinson will be responsible for franchisee business development, contract enforcement, compliance and supervision of the training and preferred provider programs and be responsible for the day-to-day management and direction of NOVUS franchise operations for the United States. Robinson also will continue to manage NOVUS’s Western region.

Paul Schulte, previously vice president of franchising, will continue his role as vice president of sales for Shat-RProof Corp., and will now focus full-time on SRP’s North American sales efforts. He will continue to work in Seattle.

Belron US Adds Two
Belron US has appointed Carrie Browning to the position of recruiting manager in its corporate human resources department in Columbus, Ohio. Browning will be responsible for managing the recruiting and selection activities for the company to place managers, professionals and support staff. She also will enhance recruit ing strategies to source candidates from the local community and nationwide.

Browning comes to Belron US from the Waterfront Group in Charlotte, N.C., where she worked as a human resources manager. She previously worked for Fairwinds Credit Union as a corporate recruiter.

In addition, John Grimaldi has joined Safelite as general manager for the Tucson, Ariz., market, where he will be responsible for leading a team of 50 employees in five locations.

Grimaldi will be responsible for Safelite locations in Tucson, Sierra Vista and Nogales, Ariz.

K U D O S
Auto Glass Shop OwnerGives Something Back to Community with Good Deed Just like the rest of the industry, Dick Johnson, president of Johnson’s Auto Glass & Trim in Plattsburgh, N.Y., says his company is feeling the sting of the down economy and high gas prices. But recently, the company had a chance to help a customer out in a big way.

A local single mother was the victim of a rash of vandalism in the town, and came to the company seeking a backlite replacement on her Ford Taurus. But she didn’t have glass coverage, and the price of having it replaced was more than she could pay.

“This was the time to help someone out,” says Johnson. “You could tell just by talking with her the spirit that she has. She’s just really a highly spirited person, and she said these were just bumps in the road.”

Johnson said the woman’s two-yearold son, who has some heart problems and needs frequent medical attention, also struck him.

“She has some tough odds against her,” he says, “and it was just time to help her out.”

AGRR
© Copyright 2008 Key Communications Inc. All rights reserved.
No reproduction of any type without expressed written permission.