Glass company hailed as Emmitsburg gem

The 53,000-square-foot, 91-employee Emmitsburg Glass Co. was hailed as a gem after recently being toured by members of the Emmitsburg Business and Professional Association.
"This is hugely impressive. It is a state-of-the-art facility with obvious exceptional quality control," said Tim O'Donnel, president of the town planning board.

"This is an amazing place," EBPA member Conrad Weaver said. "To have this size of company in this small of a town doing this kind of work is just amazing."

Twelve from the group toured the company to familiarize themselves with what it produces.

Project B, a 150,000-square-foot mixed-use development at Baltimore's Inner Harbor, was the glass company's largest endeavor, completed in May 2008.

In its 21st year, the company specializes in curtainwall, and glazing windows and storefronts.

"The size of the company's projects are not only larger, they are different," said Anne Reaver, human resources director.

The company's second-largest project was the 72,000-square-foot Clarendon Center in Arlington, Va., also a mixed-use building, followed by its third largest, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington.

The company does a little bit of everything, except replacement windows, the owners said. Glass is made to fit whatever frame there is, and every corner and joint has to be sealed with silicon to avoid leaks, company President Sheridan Reaver Jr., said.

Although successful, trying to stay afloat amid rising health care costs is a challenge for the company, said Gregory Weaver, executive vice president.

"We offer an awesome benefits package even in this dismal economic climate, but the company recently received an incredible 25 percent increase in its insurance policy, which is simply unfair," Anne Reaver said.

The company's mostly male employees are a relatively healthy group, but no one is safe in this environment, Anne Reaver said.

"No one receives a 25 percent pay increase. So what do you do? Cut employees, cut benefits? How do you provide benefits with those kinds of costs?" the HR director said. "Even though we pay a good wage, you are making less money due to the cost of health insurance. How do you compensate your employees fairly with those kinds of rate increases and still remain profitable and keep the doors open?"