Quincy, Ill. Company Forms Glass One
August 14, 2012

by Casey Neeley, cneeley@glass.com

Following years of mergers and acquisitions, the Quincy, Ill. based auto glass retailer formerly known as Vance Glass has reopened under a new name, Glass One.

The company redesign follows a recent nonrenewal of contract with the franchise Glass Doctor in June.

"We purchased the companies as the opportunities presented themselves. Then when the franchise agreement was up with Glass Doctor and we decided not to renew, that was the deciding factor to mold everything together into one company," explains owner Mike Monaghan.

Glass One has been years in the making. The original company, Vance Glass, founded in 1988 by original owner Jim Vance, was then purchased by Monaghan and his wife Becky in 1999, shortly after Vance's passing. In 2002, the Monaghans joined the Glass Doctor franchise, which then bought out Harmon Auto Glass on a nationwide scale. The final addition to the company came in November 2011, when Vance Glass bought out Auto Glass Systems.

According to the company, the effect of the acquisitions on the absorbed companies has been positive, allowing many to keep their jobs.

"One time [Auto Glass Systems] had as many as seven employees. When we purchased them they had two employees and the owner," says Monaghan. "The same was true for Harmon Auto Glass and those two employees are still with us."

Glass One, which offers auto glass, replacement windows and shower doors, residential and commercial glass services, is excited about the new opportunities available to them since the company has reformed.

"Our customers will appreciate the fact that we are still the same staff and location," says Rick Disseler, manager of Glass One. "Now we have greater flexibility in our approach to marketing and products."

"We are starting to add services to our product line like truck accessories. Now we can look into different product lines to expand and do some different services we couldn't do before," says Monaghan. "Our auto glass has doubled over the last four or five years. Doing it all, though, gives you the reassurance that you'll stay busy."

Monaghan attributes Glass One's longevity to exemplary customer service skills. The secret to its success is "being able to do the job same day or next day; being the first one there. We've closed 90 percent of our deals just by being there. Give people a fair price, do a good job and show up," says Monaghan.

This story is an original story by AGRR™ magazine/glassBYTEs.com™. Subscribe to AGRR™ Magazine.
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