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With 2014 coming to a close this week, USGNN.com™ is again taking a look back at the top headlines of the past year. Listed below are our most-read stories on the web over the past 12 months.
1. Viracon Sold Out of Glass through April 1, 2015: In August, Owatonna, Minn.-based glass fabricator Viracon informed its sales reps it could not accept any new project bookings that require glass prior to April 1, 2015.
2. Creditors Recover More Money in Trainor Glass Company Bankruptcy Case: At the beginning of the year, USGNN.com™ reported that multiple creditors continued to pay back some of the money paid to them by Trainor Glass Co., which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2012. Among the largest creditors were United Architectural Metals of North Canton, Ohio, with a claim of $1.4 million Viracon with a claim of $1.1 million and Monett, Mo.-based EFCO with a claim of $1.1 million.
3. Texas Glass Association’s Jerry Wright of AAA Glass Passes Away: The industry lost a very popular man in Jerry Wright of AAA Glass and the Texas Glass Association in November. Wright’s passing led to an outpour of condolences and shared memories of him throughout the glass community.
4. Follow the Glass Up One World Trade Center: Photographer Benjamin Rosamond took approximately 30,000 photographs over a three-and-a-half-year period during the construction of One World Trade Center. He then compressed the images into approximately 1,000 images and created a two-minute-long time-lapse video of the glassy tower emerging from the skyline.
5. Fenzi President Dino Fenzi Passes Away: In September, the international glass community endured the passing of Fenzi president Dino Fenzi, who was a staple in the industry for decades having been a key driver in the Italian equipment supplier scene.
6. Viracon Moves Forward with Lawsuit to Recover More Than $1 Million for IGUs: Viracon was unable to reach a settlement last fall with two New York companies and proceeded to sue them for more than $1 million. Viracon claimed it was owed for insulating glass units it specifically manufactured and delivered to the two companies.
7. Apple’s Recently Acquired Sapphire “Glass” Supplier Shutting Down Plant: Earlier this year, glass-happy Apple acquired a plant to manufacture sapphire “glass” (which isn’t real glass) for use on future electronics, but the company pulled the plug on the project. Apple again used Corning’s Gorilla Glass on its most recent iPhone.
8. Wired Glass Incident Leads to $5 Million Lawsuit Against Local School Board in Canada: The subject of wired glass was a hot topic in 2014, and much of the attention was centered around a $5 million (CND) lawsuit filed by an 18-year-old in Ontario, Canada. The suit included 22 allegations of negligence relating to safety concerns of wired glass. The Canadian federal government is currently working to revise its wired glass building standards.
9. ASHRAE Drops Proposal to Reduce Window-to-Wall Ratio: The year got off to a good start for a certain group of companies and associations, as ASHRAE voted out a proposed ASHRAE 189.1 addendum to reduce the allowable prescriptive window area. Code consultant Tom Culp called it a “big win” for the industry.
10. Three New Jersey Glass Businesses Facing Charges of Illegal Practices: During the summer, the state of New Jersey filed action against three glass businesses for illegal practices. The stated alleged the companies incorrectly installed replacement shower doors and glass, supplied damaged merchandise and accepted payment for work they failed to perform, among other things.
Were there any stories you expected to be in the top 10 that weren’t? What do you think will be the biggest stories of 2015? Leave a comment below.
