Volume 48, Issue 2- February 2013
Volume 48, Issue 2- February 2013
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NewsMakers appointments Vaupel most recently served as vice president of business development for Koch Industries, which acquired a minority stake in Guardian. He also held a number of positions at Koch, including president of Koch Hydrocarbon Company LP. Trulite Glass & Aluminum Solutions LLC in Deerfield Beach, Fla., has a new CEO, Paul Schmitz. Schmitz succeeds Jeff Leone, whose plans were not disclosed at press time. Most recently, Schmitz, who has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Kansas State University, led ThermaSys Corp., a manufacturer of copper, brass and aluminum heat exchanger components and assemblies. Like Trulite (formerly Arch Aluminum & Glass Co.), ThermaSys Corp. was previously a Sun Capital affiliate company. promotions Johnson will have overall sales and operational responsibility for Hartung Glass Industries and its divisions, including Agalite Shower & Bath Enclosures, Holcam Bath Enclosures and Lami Glass Products in all ten locations. organizational changes Kirk Ratzel, director of marketing and sales, will lead the specification team. Alain Garnier (Central and Eastern Europe), whose past experiences include market development of photovoltaic solutions for buildings; Jean-Jacques Sanson (France), who previously provided glass expertise for major curtainwall contracts; and Jeff Upton (UK and Ireland), a former senior façade engineer for major façade projects, are also part of the team. The architectural solutions team will be headed by Alexandre Richard, former project manager of major dynamic glazing projects within Saint-Gobain. His team includes Julien Orillard, who has six years of market development and field experience with electrochromic dynamic glazing; Annabelle Andreau Wiedermaier, who participated in the development of dynamic glass solutions for Saint-Gobain; and Jean-Sébastien Chargé, who has technical knowledge in major photovoltaic installations. new hires He comes to McGrory with more than 30 years of experience in the glass industry. Most recently, he served as vice president of sales for General Glass International and prior to that as vice president of sales for Floral Glass. Thermal Industries, a Pittsburgh-based division of Atrium Corp., recently named Dave Steinberg as sales manager. Steinberg comes to Thermal Industries with more than 30 years of experience in the window industry. Accurate Perforating has added a new member to its team, naming Brett Sprietler as its continuous improvement engineer. Sprietler, who recently transitioned from the automotive industry to the metal fabrication industry, has a background in manufacturing operations. Sprietler is a graduate of Southern Illinois University and has a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology – manufacturing specialization. Most recently, he spent the last four years working for Northstar Aerospace as a continuous improvement engineer, and with the Chrysler Group as an industrial engineering supervisor on the Dodge Dart launch team. comings and goings “With more than 35 years experience [in] the glass industry, of which the last 20 years [were] at Albat+Wirsam, Günter Befort has created a large network and his know-how from the glass industry has been of great value to us,” says Arto Metsänen, CEO and president of Glaston Corp. “I want to thank him for his strong input and also for sharing his expertise with us.” kudos In 1973, then a 26-year-old veteran, Calhoun was hired at the first Glass Doctor shop positioning him as the longest-standing Glass Doctor employee; the company celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012. Former Glass Doctor of King & Pierce Counties franchise owner Michael Gai, who took over the franchise in 2003, says Calhoun is a “rare breed,” and he trusted him completely. “I didn’t know the glass business, but with Larry there, it didn’t matter,” says Gai, current vice president of system sales at the Dwyer Group Inc. “I knew he had the knowledge, the character and the pride to always do a good job. Larry is the epitome of a truly professional tradesman.” Calhoun says one of the highlights of his career took place on the day of President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993. But his reasoning has nothing to do with politics. On that day, what became known as the Inauguration Day Storm, a huge windstorm with winds up to 105 miles-per-hour struck the Northwest causing a power outage for two to three days. “It was awful, but it was one of the few times where everybody pulled together,” he says. “There wasn’t the griping about this or that. It was just get out there, kick butt and get the thing boarded up.” During Gai’s ownership, he moved Calhoun out of the field and into the office. Calhoun accepted the challenge. “Larry adapted,” Gai says. “He was always willing to adapt to help the company. He is the heritage of Glass Doctor.”
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