Volume 35, Number 11, November 2000

ContractGlazing

ENR Releases List of Top Contract Glazing Companies Amid Criticism

Engineering News Record (ENR) has released its list of what it says are the top 20 contract glazing companies in the country. Those firms are listed at right along with their rankings for glass sales only, location, annual glass and total sales in millions of dollars.

ENR has come under increasing scrutiny of late for its ability to provide a reliable picture of the contract glazing industry. The weekly construction magazine solicits information from companies and reports the information it receives. “The survey sent specifically says that glass/curtainwall sales should be broken out separately from metals and other sales,” said one contract glazier who answered it. “Yet consistently only a few companies do so. It’s impossible to be in this business without doing some metal work, yet you can’t really see a true breakdown”

Indeed, a review of rankings reveal only four companies—Masonry Arts, Elward Construction, MTH Industries and BHN Corp—that show separate figures for glazing/curtainwall. “ It includes suppliers to contract glaziers and distributors,” said another, “so it’s very difficult to get a true picture.”

Sound Abatement Program Includes Windows and Doors
Several residents of Alameda, Calif., are getting new windows, doors and a quieter life. Nearby Oakland International Airport has embarked on the first phase of the installation of a sound insulation program for neighborhoods surrounding the airport.

Approximately 586 townhouses and 32 single-family homes, located on Alameda’s Bay Farm Island, are eligible to participate in the program.
The $2 million program includes the replacement of all windows and sliding glass doors with special acoustical, double-lite units; the modification of fireplace openings; and weather-stripping for exterior doors of the homes. A pilot program was conducted last fall among four different homes in the area.

“The insulation improvements to the homes in the pilot program met the expectations of the homeowners and the airport,” said Carole Wedl, noise management office for Oakland International Airport. “The homeowners tell us there is a noticeable difference in their comfort and quality of life.”

APM Survey Characterizes Typical Project Manager
The Association for Project Managers (APM) recently conducted a survey that revealed several facts to the construction industry. According to the survey, project managers are in greater demand than ever in the industry and due to this demand, project managers’ salaries are increasing continually. The association says that in 1999, the median salary for design and construction project managers was $50,000. In 2000, that figure rose 30 percent to $65,000.

In addition, the group discovered that the experience possessed by project managers has also risen. The survey, taken from 45 member and non-member firms, showed that the typical project manager has 13 years of professional experience, up from 12 years in 1999. The majority of project managers are an average of 40.4 years of age and range in age from 32 to 50 years, according to the APM. The survey also revealed that each of these project managers handles a median of four projects at a time.

USG