USGlass -2007 September

Volume 42, Issue 9 - September 2007

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For.El S.p.A. Inaugurates
New Italian Headquarters in July

More than one thousand people participated in the inauguration of For.El S.p.A.’s new headquarters located in Roncade (Venice), Italy, on July 14. The company was founded in 1976 by Fortunato Vianello and today is a manufacturer of machinery for flat glass and insulating glass production.

Among those who attended the ceremony were Marco Stradiotto, undersecretary for economic development, and the mayor of Roncade and Senator Mrs. Simonetta Rubinato. All of the company’s staff, their families and many suppliers and customers also attended. One of the special guests was Stefano Salvian, the company’s first employee, who started at the age of 15.

Vianello said his company symbolizes a Venetian (and winning) way of doing business. He explained that a firm grows up if everyone grows up, too: the entrepreneur, the territory and the workers.

The company’s new broad production area is split between two locations, Roncade (Treviso) and Meolo (Venice), and covers an overall surface of 19,000 square meters. It is equipped with modern processing machines and tools. The new production plant is also divided into different processing departments: set-up, coating, turning, milling, warehouse and prototype development.

The administrative area covers three levels and includes about 30 offices equipped with modern data sharing, transfer and processing technologies. The new technical office is divided into two areas, technical and electronic, where prototypes designed with 3-D CAD software are developed and machines are continuously improved and refined. www.forelspa.com

ASC Announces Hiring of Executive Vice President
Association Services Corporation (ASC), a Topeka, Kan.-based trade association management company owned by the Glass Association of North America (GANA), has hired William M. Yanek as its new executive vice president. Yanek, a former state issues advocate for the Washington, D.C.-based Real Estate Services Providers Council (RESPRO^®), will hold the position until March 1, 2008, when he will ascend to the position of president and chief executive officer of ASC. He will then replace Stanley L. Smith, who announced his retirement earlier this year.

Yanek, who graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1992, received his Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas in 2000. He is also a major in the United States Army Reserve, serving in the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps.

Yanek and his wife, Jacey, have two young sons and reside in Lawrence, Kan.

Is EFCO for Sale or Isn’t It?
While rumors started to heat up in late May and early June, the glass industry now is waiting expectantly for an announcement from Monett, Mo.-based EFCO about the company’s sale. In response to the rumors, EFCO chief executive officer Chris Fuldner revealed to the Monett Times that he had made an announcement to employees on July 30 that “very serious” talks were underway on the company’s sale to an unnamed suitor. When asked about the announcement, Fuldner told USGlass he cannot comment at this time.

Employees within EFCO have said that Pella, Iowa-based residential door and window manufacturer Pella Corp. is the most likely buyer. www.efcocorp.com