For 30 years, Glass Expo Northeast™ (GENE) has provided glass, glazing and architectural metal companies throughout the Tri-State region the opportunity to learn and grow in their own backyard.
GENE started in the most fitting of settings: Floral Glass’ laminated glass plant in Hauppauge, New York. Since that start, the show has grown to offer a multitude of comprehensive educational sessions and a bustling trade show floor showcasing more than 120 exhibitors presenting the latest products and services. The show this year occurred at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale, New York.
“It is a testament to the resilience and desire for education in the Tri-State area that the show has not only endured, but grown so much during the last 30 years,” says Deb Levy, publisher of USGlass magazine and CEO of Key Media & Research (KMR). USGlass and Long Island Glass Association are co-sponsors of GENE.
Throughout GENE’s 30 years, several exhibitors have participated in every event. These include Action Bullet Resistant Inc., C.R. Laurence, Our Terms Fabricators Inc., Quality Enclosures Inc., Rebco Industries Inc., Strybuc Industries and Sussman Architectural Products. To honor their dedication, Barry Atkins of KMR presented company officials with glass plaques during the event’s afternoon trade show on Wednesday, pictured below.
“The engagement with the people, the relationships you build keep us coming back year after year,” says Cesar Cortez, plant operations manager at Sussman. “A lot of customers attend, and it’s good to keep the continuity. We plan to keep doing it.”
The Seven Mainstays
Educational Sessions
GENE educational sessions covered a range of topics including how to best buy machinery, protective glazing, fire-rated glazing, glass entrance systems, hardware, school security and hiring and retaining project managers, which, Carrie Jeske of JEI Structural, says is harder than it looks. She was part of a panel discussing tips on finding the right workers for your company.
Jeske says the key to success for project managers comes down to not only technical skills, but also soft skills, such as communication and personality. Overall, Jeske says that “life is too short to do work you don’t want to do.” If you do not want to be there, leave.
The Trade Show
The morning educational seminars transitioned into the back half of GENE’s schedule: the trade show. Among the seven stalwart exhibitors were nearly two dozen new exhibitors, many of whom used the opportunity to increase their presence throughout the Tri-State region, including Pennsylvania Insulating Glass (PIG) and Master Aluminum Windows and Doors.
“We met a lot of interesting, potential customers and vendors here,” says Acadia Wilkins of PIG. “We’re starting to branch out into doing glass shows. This is the second show we have done overall. We are hoping to gauge interest in this market area to see if there is a need for our product. So far, so good.”
Alvin Mohamed and John Zou of Brooklyn-based Master Aluminum Windows and Doors agree, both saying GENE provided an opportunity to meet new people and display their products. Just like PIG, they agreed that the event lived up to expectations.
GENE concluded Thursday afternoon. It returns in 2028.