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“The idea of creating an emotive marketing message for fabricated glass products was truly revolutionary to the industry,” Marxen says. “Just like the brand he created and championed, Huskey was honest, emotive, and left a lasting impression.”

Under Huskey’s direction, Gardner Glass Products introduced the Dreamwalls family of glass products in 1999.

“It’s important to remember that Tommy Huskey was the creator of the Dreamwalls vision for Gardner Glass Products, which is more than just an umbrella brand of value-added products,” Marxen says. “Dreamwalls is the very core of who we are and what we do. We wake up every day trying to find new products and new uses for our products on every surface of the living and working environment. And Tommy Huskey gave us that inspiration. The very idea to create an emotive marketing message for fabricated glass products was truly revolutionary to the industry then … and it still is today.”

Huskey was very creative and willing to work with people to develop solutions so everyone could benefit, says Pat Kelly, market segment manager of solar products at PPG Industries in Pittsburgh. “I have known Tommy since 2001,” he says. “I was the product manager of Starphire glass when Tommy came to PPG to talk about the use of Starphire glass. He was going to offer a marketing plan to Lowe’s. Tommy was an innovator. He was willing to push the limits to improve a product starting from PPG, to Gardner, all the way through the supply chain down to the consumer at Lowe’s. He was a breath of fresh air.”

Huskey was born in Wilkes County, N.C., to parents who were public school teachers. A young athlete, he was quarterback at North Wilkes High School and graduated from the Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.

Huskey’s career in the mirror business spanned more than 35 years. He began his profession in the glass industry in 1980 as a territory sales rep for Carolina Mirror Co. in North Wilkesboro. He moved up the ranks within the company to regional sales manager, vice president of sales and, ultimately, the president and CEO in the late 1990s at the age of 36.

“We lived in the same town and grew up in the same town,” says Drew Mayberry, president and CEO of Lenoir Mirror in Lenoir, N.C. “I hired him in 1979 in Carolina Mirror, and we worked together from 1979-1990. Each time I got a promotion, Tommy took the slot I vacated. He took my CEO position after I left. We were business competitors since then.

“Tommy was a hard worker, very focused, and I could always depend on him,” Mayberry adds. “He wasn’t one you had to follow behind. You could count on him to do the task you agreed to do. He was an awfully good employee. He was tenacious. When he set his site on an objective, he ground away at it until he was successful.”

Personally, “we had a lot of fun together,” Mayberry says. “He was a lovable guy, enjoyable in a social setting. We went to the same church. I’ve watched him and his family grow and mature. He was a class guy.”

In October of 1994, the Industrial Sales Force of Carolina Mirror established a scholarship in Huskey’s honor at Wilkes Community College.

In the fall of 1996, Huskey joined Gardner Glass Products as executive vice president of sales and marketing. He became president in 1998, and in February of 1999, he and his management team bought out the company. He served as chairman and CEO of the company.

Huskey was active in all the business sectors of the company, flat glass, retail, OEM and distribution, and traveled extensively all over the world in service of the company.

“I saw him last at GlassBuild last year,” says Scott Rickles, southeastern sales manager of Decorative Glass and USGlass magazines in Stafford, Va. “He was a great person to work with, and he treated you the same way as if he was your neighbor. You could talk to him about anything: family, friends or his golf game. He shot straight from the hips, and told you what was good and what was bad.” Rickles knew Huskey for 25 years.

“Huskey was a very big family man,” Kelly says. “Everything he did was for his family. When you called Tommy, the call would be first about how you were doing and how your family was doing. So, the first 10-15 minutes would be about your families. He had a never-dying spirit.”

Like Rickles, Lee Harrison, president of Walker Glass in Montreal, knew Huskey for a long time. “I have had the pleasure of knowing Tommy for close to 25 years,” Harrison says. “Throughout that time his commitment, not only to each of the companies he worked for, but to the industry as a whole, has been unwavering. He embodied the things that make the glass industry a great place to be. I will truly miss him.”

Marxen says, “Just like the brand he created and championed, Huskey was honest, emotive and left a definite impression.”

Huskey was an active member of the former National Association of Mirror Manufacturers, serving as director of the board in 1999-2000. He was a member of The Glass Association of North America.

In 2006, Huskey was instrumental in the efforts of bringing a community bank back to the local area. In July 2008, Great State Bank was chartered and opened. He served as vice-chairman of the board of directors and chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee from 2008 to 2011.

Huskey also was active in the local community with involvement in charities, athletic programs, and his church.

He is survived by wife Alison, teenage son Cole, and grown stepdaughter, Alaina; one brother, Ronnie; and his mother, Cleo. He also leaves behind a legacy of people to continue his work and vision at Gardner Glass Products. Randy Brooks, president, and Melissa Lackey, chief financial officer, will continue to manage day-to-day operations.

Visit Reins Sturdivant for full visitation and celebration of life details.

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A custom reception desk countertop was created by Glass Recycled For Thomas Interior Systems in Chicago.

The Dana Hotel and Spa is a new boutique establishment, featuring 216 rooms. Glass Recycled’s flooring material was installed in the spa and lobby area. Thomas Interior Systems, noted as the original dealer for Herman Miller office furniture, features a custom-designed, curved reception desk made with a combination of red, grey, black and mirrored materials.

“Top level firms have begun to use our products for a number of other notable projects including Nike, Whole Foods, PepsiCo and others,” says Tim Whaley, founder of Glass Recycled and developer of the company’s patented process. “We work with a number of architects and professional designers across the country who love specifying both our GlassSLAB kitchen countertop and GlassPLANK flooring material products because they are the only recycled glass choices that come in unlimited color combinations and at the same time add much-desired points to their LEED certification totals.”

Read the full Washington Post article here.

According to the museum website, leaders there believe the refocus on glass will allow the museum to differentiate itself from other visual arts institutions, distinguish itself in additional expression of art in glass, and produce a significant cultural and economic benefit to the community.

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“We have been producing glass for 107 years for the at glass industry for uses in Tiffany lamp shades, church windows, fusing, the hobby market, etc.,” says Mark Feldmeier, president of the Paul Wissmach Glass Co. “With the decline in the art glass industry, due primarily to the difficult economic times of the last few years, we decided that we needed to develop an art glass product that could reach new markets.” Thus, the company decided to create its own temperable art glass.

“We came up with the idea in September 2008 to develop a temperable art glass with a variety of colors and patterns not currently on the market,” says Feldmeier. “By March of 2009 we were ready to conduct our first test run at a local tempering facility, and it was immediately deemed a success. Soon after we introduced the product to a select few distributors to get their opinions on colors and textures and earlier this year we decided that it was time to introduce this product worldwide.” The product’s official launch was in September.

The Hollander Glass Group/SGT Tempering is one company that is providing tempering services for Wissmach.

“They have been customers of ours in the art glass industry for decades and because of this we have developed a very close relationship with them,” says Feldmeier. “The Hollander Group began tempering glass a couple of years ago and was willing to do much of our testing for us.” Feldmeier notes that in addition to Hollander they have several other tempering partners, including the Glenney Glass Company and Coral Decorative Products.

With the new tempered art glass, Feldmeier says his company is focusing on all markets that require a tempered glass product, and those that would like a decorative glass that is temperable, such as residential doors, windows, shower doors and partitions, among others.

At this time he says they have hundreds of clear patterned glasses that can be tempered, but not many colored tempered glasses on the market.

“We are currently offering 11 colors and 18 textures in the temperable art glass line and are open to adding custom textures not currently in our line and adding colors derived from our current art glass line,” he says.

Feldmeier adds, “In addition to the solid cathedral colors that we now offer in the temperable art glass line our future plans are to mix two and three colors together in the same sheet of glass.”

The standard includes relevant criteria across product life cycle, from raw material extraction through manufacturing, use and end-of-life management.

Additional information about the TCNA is available though its website.

The latest launch from Walker Glass probably had a few attendees thinking “Saturday Night Fever,” as the company’s new flooring was a colorfully lit attention-grabber. The new flooring was launched earlier this year at NeoCon and, according to Dancause, the response “has been beyond our expectations.

“There’s been so much interest,” Dancause said. “We’ve been meeting with architects and many are now looking for projects to put it in or it’s already been specified.”

John Meyers with Dreamwalls Color Glass said they, too, were having a good show. Over the past few years the company has seen growing interest in its back-painted glass, and while that demand continues, Meyers said they have another new product that’s seeing a lot of interest: antique mirror.

“We’ve seen a big up tick in demand for it – and it’s been rare to see this made in the United States,” he said. Meyers said they’re selling the product for a large range of applications, including “OEM accounts, commercial, hospitality, hotels, restaurants and some residential.”

Quality Enclosures Inc. is another company that’s been busy since last year’s trade show. The company’s Steve Schwartz said they’ve begun tempering their own glass since the Las Vegas show and are also now up two three plants, having recently moved into a Marietta, Ga., facility.

The company featured its assortment of decorative patterns and textured glass for shower doors, as well as new acrylic cover plates, which it has been making since its purchase of CHI Acrylics.

“It’s been a good show,” Schwartz said. “We’ve been very busy.”

The Italian company Omnidecor featured its line of etched decorative glass products, which are sold in the United States through EFI in Kernersville, N.C.

We are seeing a trend toward low iron etched and pattern glass,” explained Brent Moore with EFI. “The quality of our etched product is certified for Phase 1 exterior, and opens new opportunities in the architectural and design industry. Our flexibility to produce custom proprietary patterns allows a design signature for our project based market.”

Moore said the company also was featuring a number of new products.

“Our ceramic frit glass can be used as a marker board [and can also be] magnetic,” Moore said. ‘We’re also introduced new etched glass patterns to the North American market, which we’re featuring at the show.”

Also on the art glass scene was Paul Wissmach Glass Co., which has manufactured art glass products for more than 100 years. The company is now offering tempered colored glass products. A variety of colors are available, including blue, green, violet and red, bringing even more opportunities for decorative glass to the architectural market.

Printing on glass also continues to be popular and show exhibitors featured equipment lines for this growing trend.

“It’s becoming more and more popular,” said Dennis Lew with Eastech, who said his companies machinery can print resolutions up to 1440 X 1440 dpi.

Lew also showed off a glass example that demonstrates the company’s capability to print directly onto sandblasted glass.

Also offering digital printing machinery, DipTech’s line is now equipped with the ability to print six colors, up from four colors. At the upcoming Vitrum show in Milan, Italy, DipTech will launch a new line that can print jumbo sizes of glass, as large as 6 meters in length and 3.3 meter in width