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Some Summer Fish Story
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Welcome to the August edition of the Heartland Glass newsletter!
Thanks for taking a few minutes of your day to read it.
I recently returned from a fishing trip to Lake of the Woods. I had the good fortune of going with one of my friends and former business partners, Pat Rome, who happens to own a cabin at Flag Island Resort on Flag Island in the Northwest Angle. Pat also is a licensed guide and that makes finding fish considerably easier.
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The senior Sullivan
lands a lunker!
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I have been going to Flag 1-2 times a year for the past 20+ years. Each trip is memorable but this trip was extra special because I brought my Dad, Bill Sr., and my son, Shawn, along. Shawn has come up with me before, but this was my Dad's first time. He was a quick learner as he caught the largest walleye of the weekend and had the largest fish overall with a 34-inch northern until Shawn landed a 38-inch northern on our last afternoon of fishing. The fishing was good and the weather was even better and being able to share this experience with my Dad and son will be something that I will always remember. I think they will too!
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Shawn Sullivan takes
home the trophy.
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Another reason this trip was special was that a portion of the lodging, meals and guiding service was donated by Pat in the form of a gift certificate for a benefit for our former coworker, Dan Winters. I was the successful bidder at a benefit for Dan earlier this year so that made it extra special. I am happy to report that although Dan still has challenges ahead, his cancer is in remission! This trip truly was a blessing!
It's hard to believe that August is almost gone and our school projects are winding down. What appeared originally to be a daunting task has turned out to be a successful summer of team work and collaboration. I am very proud of our team for navigating the challenges of compressed schedules and extended lead times. I have to give a special shout out to the project managers at all of our divisions because they take all the "heat" from the contractors and keep focused on completing the project on time and on budget!
Our backlogs continue to be strong and are spilling into 2017 already. We are actively recruiting new team members in preparation for another strong year. Our distribution team showed us how to handle a move to a new location. Lessons learned will be valuable as we are relocating our Brin Contract division to our corporate office in Minneapolis. I hope this will be my last move of the year!
Our employee feature of the month is Mal Patton, one of the original founders of Heartland Glass. I have to tip my hat to Mal, first because he is still working and second because at the raw age of 29 when I took over the management of Heartland and he and his former partner, Ray Schueller, treated me with respect and "gently" steered me in the right direction during those early years. I owe them both a debt of gratitude. I encourage you to read this month's feature and get to know Mal!
Thanks Mal!
I hope you and your family have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend.
~ Bill Sullivan
President/CEO, Heartland Glass
President, Brin Northwestern
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Heartland Glass helps the new Madison Elementary project make the grade.
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| | Madison Elementary, St. Cloud, MN |
Heartland Glass has been invited to assist with the expansion of the Madison Elementary School in north St. Cloud, MN.
The $2.2 million project includes the addition of nine new classrooms and two bathrooms, plus the renovation of the media center and gymnasium. Heartland Glass installed 240 insulated units and 140 Mapes Panels on the exterior.
Heartland Glass project manager, Ken Schueller, encountered some unique challenges with the project. "We had to coordinate our install with the asbestos/lead abatement contractor and the general contractor," he said. "Each day, the abatement contractor would work ahead of us and demo. Then after demolition, the general contractor would have to do blocking and work at the sill, and only then could we start install. "
The Heartland Glass installers couldn't open up the building more than what they could work each day.
Another challenge was that the windows were going into several additions. "At each addition, the head condition changed, and sometimes hidden structure above the existing window got in the way of where we needed to install," Ken said, "With each change of head condition, our frame sizes had to change."
Because of the tight schedule, Heartland Glass had to preorder all of the materials, so size changes could have been a real headache. "Luckily the upper portion of the frame was Mapes-R Metal Infill Panels and could be sized to fit with the inconsistency of the window head," Ken said.
Thank you to Madison Elementary for partnering with us on your new expansion!
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August Featured Employee
Mal Patton
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| | | Mal Patton | |
Heartland Glass is very happy to honor Mal Patton, one of our founders, as our Employee of the Month for August.
Mal is originally from Sartell, MN and graduated from St. Cloud Tech High School.
At the young age of 12, Mal started working at his uncle's foundry in Sartell where he shoveled sand. At 16, he went on to St. Regus Paper where he worked various jobs. He first got into the glass business at the age of 19 when he started working at St. Cloud Glass. He rotated between there and Dezurik for a number of years.
On top of his full-time glass career, in the early 1960's Mal and his brother also started the Great River Aluminum Foundry.
Mal's uncle, Jim Sherer, also worked at St. Cloud Glass and that is where the pair met Ray Schueller. These three gentlemen (Mal, Ray, and Jim) later went on to form Heartland Glass in 1980. His duties as one of the initial owners of Heartland, included glazing, estimating and project management. Somehow on top of all of that, Mal was also a reserve police officer in Sartell for 20 years.
The three founders sold the company to Brin Northwestern Corporation in 1990.
Mal currently works in the metal shop fabricating doors and windows.
He enjoys being around the employees but says dealing with people can sometimes be the most challenging as far as getting to know different characters and personalities.
Mal and his wife, Chucky, have been married 20 years. They have a daughter and two grandchildren. He enjoys fishing with Chucky, his brother and his sister-in-law on their annual Canadian fishing adventure that they have been doing for 25 years.
We're honored to have you as part of our team that you helped launch so long ago Mal!
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Earlier this summer, we made headlines with our announcement that our parent company, Brin Northwestern Glass Co was making a month-long move to Fridley, MN and updating their name to Northwestern Glass Fab.
It's always fun to get in on the industry action, with good news that is!
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Partnering on a Path to Success
One of our key partners that we count on for crafted, quality windows and doors is Fergus Falls-based Vector Windows. Originally formed as Vinylight in 1995, Vector is a go-to provider of durable vinyl window and door products for both commercial and residential projects.
Vector has a great team of people and selection of products. We're proud to be a building partner with Vector Windows!
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Heartland Glass is a full service glass company serving both commercial and residential customers throughout Central Minnesota and beyond.
Specializing in: - Curtain Walls
- Architectural Windows
- Aluminum Doors
- Storefronts
- Glass Hand Rails
- Heavy Glass Entrances
- Glass and Glazing
- Windows for New Construction or Replacement
- Custom Shower Doors
- Refurbishing Shower Doors
- Specialty Mirrors
To learn more about our full line of glass products and services, contact us or stop by our Waite Park showroom. |
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Affiliated Companies:
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Quote to Consider...
Many men go fishing
all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.
~ Henry David Thoreau
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Current Projects
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St. Cloud, MN
Bank of St. Cloud
St. Cloud, MN
Blattner Energy
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Cardinal Point Apartments
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Chisago County Jail
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District #1
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DNR office
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Madison ALC
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Parkview East Apartments
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Paynesville Apartments Paynesville, MN Paynesville Elementary Paynesville, MN
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Rivers Edge Parking Ramp St. Cloud, MN
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St. Cloud Hospital Emergency Trauma Center St. Cloud, MN
Saint John's University Alcuin Library Collegeville, MN
Saint Paul's Catholic Church Sauk Centre, MN
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SCSU - Halenbeck Hall St. Cloud, MN
South Junior High St. Cloud, MN
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Wakefield Township
Wilcox Dental Sauk Rapids, MN
Willmar Poultry Testing Willmar, MN
Willow Breeze Apartments St. Cloud, MN
Woodland Village Townhomes Blaine, MN
Woodland Village Townhomes St. Cloud, MN
XCEL Energy Monticello, MN
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Upcoming Events:
September 20-23
Glasstec 2016
Dusseldorf, Germany
September 25-28
AAMA National Fall Conference
Savannah, GA
October 5-7
Greenbuild Expo 2016
Las Angeles, CA
October 19-21
GlassBuild America
Las Vegas, NV
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