52 STAINED |SPRING 2017

PHOTO: COURTESY OF OCEANSIDE GLASSTILE IMAGE: J. McNEVEN, ARTIST; WILLIAM SIMPSON, LITHOGRAPHER; ACKERMANN & CO., PUBLISHER Editorial note: SGAA members, Quarterly subscribers, and glass workers everywhere have been anxious for news of Uroboros, Spectrum, and Oceanside Glasstile. SGAA member Megan McElfresh recently undertook the monumental task of researching and writing the story, and we present it here in the following three articles. Thank you, Megan!

PART I History and Innovation in Twentieth Century Window Glass Making

By Megan McElfresh

e’ve gotten spoiled by the incredible quality The “Opalescent Age” began to die out in the 1920s with and accessibility of our here in the changing aesthetics and the onset of the Great Depression, United States. The days of ‘testing your glass for but the drive for better window glass and the technology that Wcompatibility’ have faded, some of us missing them effort required was only amplified by the industry which came entirely—our youth makes us even less aware of what was with the two World Wars. It was also in the 1920s that one of once an excruciating process! What has been the achievement the most important technological advances in the history of of a lifetime for the founders of Bullseye, Uroboros, and sheet glass making took place: the development of “continuous Spectrum, is something only recently possible at all. It’s ribbon” production. This system takes four separate time and interesting to look at the advances in window glass making labor intense phases of sheet (raw material that led to a fabulous period of unparalleled creativity in introduction, melting, sheet forming and annealing) and stained glass manufacturing. combines them into one continuous flow, making possible For centuries, the only way to make sheet glass was the production of large quantities of glass with a uniform the crown and cylinder method. In the 1840s, industrial design. This development allowed manufacturers to actually glass companies began pioneering a method of cast, rolled improve quality while boosting volume and lowering costs. sheet glass. This allowed larger format sheets, but could Without continuous ribbon production, would not not overtake the efficiency and possibility of longstanding have been possible. (Nor would Spectrum Glass have been methods. Over the next 130 years, glass sheet making received possible 50 years later.) considerable technical and engineering attention as architects In the 1950s, the studio art movement was gaining sought to utilize glass in ever more daring structures, and momentum across a multitude of craft media, especially automobile manufacturers needed not just flawless glass, but ceramics. The conduit for the movement, Harvey much more glass than had ever been produced. Glass needed K. Littleton and his historic Toledo workshops of 1962 are practically legend, surpassed only by the stories of some of to be bigger, safer, and more efficient to meet the demands his early students—Dale Chihuly, Marvin Lipofsky, Fritz of the modern world, as well as the demands of glass artists. Dreisbach, Boyce Lundstrum, Dan Schwoerer, and more— The late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century glass all artists who played prominent roles in shaping the North color experiments and successes of John La Farge, Louis C. America studio glass movement. Tiffany, and glass chemists like Arthur Nash, are famous. By the late 1880s, American Opalescent Glass as they pioneered it—ladled and rolled out with its vibrant colors and often FACING PAGE, TOP: Interior of the Crystal Palace, a cast-iron and plate-glass structure iridescent sheens—had a global reputation. While numerous built in Hyde Park, London, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. The opalescent sheet glass companies started up during that elaborate construction was inspired by new innovations happening in time, only two companies born during the ‘Opalescent Age’ sheet glass manufacturing at the time and still stands as an inspiration to architectural innovation today. of Tiffany and La Farge are still operational today: Kokomo BOTTOM: Opalescent Glass Company, founded 1888, and The Paul Oceanside Glasstile factory in Tijuana, Mexico, where Uroboros and Wissmach Glass Company, Inc., founded 1904. Spectrum glass will now be produced.

SPRING 2017 | STAINED GLASS 53 PHOTOS, THESE PAGES: COURTESY OF UROBOROS GLASS 54 STAINED GLASS |SPRING 2017 last of the landscapes glass stained the what imagine to hard It’s . and fusing, , to public artworks and glass architectural from everything in used and lamps, of Tiffany revitalization the to crucial have been products Uroboros new color found anywhere. be to mixes breathtaking thesome most of creating also while life to back Tiffany of age of the styles vibrant the bringing alchemist’s, glass one lauded been of time’s greatest as our has Lovell Eric Pipedream a and Uroboros: Man A industry. of an renaissance the inspired that were material able the create to they manufacturing, glass of art science, alchemy, artistry and the out figuring to dedication of their Because Spectrum. and theUroboros, founders of withoutBullseye, have fizzled orders. of their for delivery years two to months Kokomo six and were Wissmach to waiting rights” “buying day. that a shipment Even wholesale suppliers expected with of due rumors companies to glass local doors of their at the of upStories people abound for lined blocks artists. studio sudden the bubble from new demand could not the of meet they product, incredible Kokomo.created and both While Wissmach options: supply purchasing glass were two only there journeys, making sheet glass their were beginning Spectrum Uroboros, 1973, and when In Bullseye, material. for by adesperate need only hampered speed, up increasing It is entirely possible that the studio glass movement would glass studio the It possible that entirely is movement picked glass studio the 10 next years, the Over and resolve which has defined Lovell’s proved defined morecareer resolve has which and determination intense The economics. risky the despite Glass Uroboros decided start Lovell to Eric bulletproof. and young you’re while toldexcept being not do to maybe something centuries. to have stretched well might manufacturers opalescent other and Company Corona Sheet Glass Tiffany’s of the closure since the decades possible produce, to was the opalescent glass beautiful showed that us Though history of apipedream. something was sheets those anneal and roll, melt, mix, formulate, to out how on figuring paper; looked scary that investment would). father (as loving any Uroboros Studios Glass start to not him encouraged actually Lovell’s dire. dad pretty seemed prospect the that agreed pair the equation, of the apart still of unknowns number the and would required, be that investment the numbers, at the looking After studio. asheet glass out for starting laid aplan (a dad his economist) PhD and with he sat down that enough often sheet glass specialty about creating asked He was hobbyists. and side on the multicolored for artists sheet glass creating began and University,State he tookacareer it up as at Portland blowing glass studying After by Lovell. studio worldwide. artists coveted by glass are created The have one-of-a-kind pieces they Uroboros palette. Glass of the vibrancy the would have looked without years like 40 But there’s nothing like being young and bulletproof— and young being like But there’s nothing initial of economics the the it only wasn’t time, At the ahot glass 1973 January, as founded in Uroboros was Glass valuable than the lack of information available at the time. It Morse Museum of Tiffany Art, and by professional studios had been done, therefore it could be done, therefore Lovell and collectors as well. did it. Lovell has shown the same care in hand picking each The complexity of making sheet glass cannot be member of his Uroboros team. As the company slowly grew, overstated. Not only is Eric Lovell is one of the best glass Lovell always ensured that he found employees who had the chemists of our time, he also has an innate mechanical same strong values, beliefs, and artistic drive to match the ability which has been invaluable to the company’s history demands of creating Uroboros Glass. By carefully listening and innovative potential. Every morning, he quickly walks to what artists were asking for, and concentrating on a niche, through the factory floor, listening to the equipment work. high-end market, Uroboros built an strong product line Instantly, he can tell if everything is operating as it should that defied expectations of even the most exacting artists. be. The art glass community has been incredibly spoiled Throughout its four-and-a-half-decade history, Uroboros by the quality and artistry of Uroboros glass and watching hired teachers over sales and marketing staff, knowing that Lovell work. It’s no wonder—his attention to detail is education was the key to the success of all glass users. exacting and his passion is contagious. Artist after artist talks about visiting the factory and Lovell’s understanding of the nuance and chemistry of slowly looking through the racks of sheet glass, like sorting glass making has allowed him not just to make art glass, through treasure. Finding each piece distinctly beautiful but to make it available across a wide spectrum of useable in its own right; each a work of art. “We don’t know what ranges: Uroboros makes 90, 96, and 104 in their factory and we’ll use it for yet, but we have to have it.” When it’s time, has made their glass available in other ranges on special we’ll design our work around the amazing glass created at request. Today, Uroboros has a worldwide market of glass Uroboros, the amazing legacy of Eric Lovell and his incredible blowers, lamp workers, stained glass artists, kiln formers, and team of craftspeople. more. The rich, intense, handcrafted sheet glass of Uroboros is an art form in itself, often replacing traditional painting in FACING PAGE: representing nature: foliage, flowers, rocks, water, and sky. Eric Lovell rolling on Uroboros' last Portland production day, January 31, 2017. There is no equal to Uroboros when trying to imitate the work of Tiffany and La Farge: its products have frequently THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A Uroboros team favorite, U60-165 Streaky art glass; Lovell in the been used in historical restorations of Tiffany originals by shop, 1973; Uroboros dragon doubloons; one of the first Uroboros museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the advertising posters.

SPRING 2017 | STAINED GLASS 55 Spectrum: The Beauty Found in Not Knowing in developing the ability to make multicolored glass with the If starting Uroboros seemed a little risky, Spectrum entered system. They had no idea that what they were attempting to the glass manufacturing world from a position of complete accomplish had been tried before, failed, and determined to be impossibility. The founders of Spectrum—Don Hansen, Ron impossible. Together, they gambled that it was technologically Smids and Jerry Rhodes—had a background in industrial possible and economically feasible to create multi-colored glass furnace engineering and had traveled the globe helping glass in a continuous ribbon system. to convert industrial gas furnaces to electric. They first ran Their concept was a simple one: Melt white glass in one into glass artists when they were contacted to help with some furnace, colored glass in another, and direct the flows into a single channel. The first attempt at the process was a melting problems up at the new Pilchuck Glass School. Dale miniature, handmade furnace and roll machine, held together Chihuly was camped out on some tree farm on Mt. Pilchuck, with strapping tape and bailing wire, standing alone on north of Seattle, along with Fritz Dreisbach and a handful of the floor of an otherwise empty warehouse in a rundown other glass blowers who were trying to start a school for glass neighborhood of west Seattle. Those first thin ribbons of artists, literally, in the middle of nowhere. (Different story.) sheet glass fed through the rollers and crashed to the floor. At the time, the Pilchuck artists were having serious At the confluence of the channel where the clear and colored problems melting a clean, white, opalescent glass in their glass came together, they designed a mechanized paddle-wheel blowing furnaces. Don, Ron, and Jerry were brought in to that mixed the two together to create the variegation. figure out the furnace issue. As they got to know these glass Initial tests failed miserably. Instead, a real human with a steel artists, both on their mountain perch and back in the city of rod could stir the glasses together by hand, creating a saleable Seattle, one thing that kept surfacing in conversation was product while they continued to refine the mechanized design. their frustration with a continuing shortage of opalescent As time went by and mechanized tests continued to fail, the and cathedral sheet glass. From their time working together in the industrial glass world, Ron, Don and Jerry knew that continuous- THIS PAGE: melt had four definite advantages over single-sheet systems Ribbon of System 96® Southwest Fusers’ Reserve™ coming down the line. that would be especially valuable in art glass production FACING PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: and answer the shortage: consistency, cut-ability, surface First attempt at a continuous ribbon machine (c. 1974) sent glass crashing to the floor; Don Hanson, one of the three inventors of the brilliance, and volume. “Continuous Ribbon” Spectrum process inspects a sheet of Spectrum Their entrepreneurial spirits were intrigued and their Artique® glass; although hand-mixing is crucial to the Spectrum ignorance of the impossibility of their concept was great. process, “AL” another Spectrum invention, is a mechanical, automated ladler created to take molten glass out of a furnace to add to the stream Clear glass had been made via continuous ribbon systems of glass during production. AL is still used to make many products since 1920; the real crux of their engineering problem was today; Spectrum's Woodinville, WA factory being built mid-1970s.

56 STAINED GLASS | SPRING 2017 Continuous Ribbon & Art Glass In the Spectrum process, raw materials are introduced into a tank furnace, displacing existing molten glass and forcing it, stream-like, down a channel called the forehearth. At the end of the forehearth the red-hot liquid pours into a deeper pool, the stirring bay. Continuously moving, the glass flows from the stirring bay through a pair of water- cooled forming rolls, flattening into uniform thickness and becoming an endless ribbon of sheet glass. It is drawn directly into the annealing lehr, passing through a tunnel of 28 individual oven sections, annealing and cooling before emerging and being cut by hand into 48” lengths. This flow of glass from the primary

PHOTOS, THESE PAGES: COURTESY OF SPECTRUM GLASS furnace is either an end in itself (a smooth cathedral) or the base glass for the more complex products that Spectrum produces. (human) furnace operator got better and better with the stirring Multi-colored glasses are achieved when secondary glass colors rod. He could create broad, lazy swirls or tight little curls. He are melted in smaller furnaces located on a platform near the forehearth could blend colors together so they seemed to homogenize, channel. As the base glass flows down the forehearth, one or more or he could keep them distinct and contrasting. About the secondary glasses are ladled by hand into the stream. Then, at the stirring time he learned to write his girlfriend’s name in the glass, the bay, the different glasses are carefully stirred together by a skilled operator mechanized paddle-wheel idea was finally abandoned. using a hand-held rod. All-in-all, it took two years to develop and build Spectrum Both the timing of the ladling and the stirring technique are critical Glass Company. In retrospect, if those determined engineers had to the end result, and vary for different products. Spectrum’s popular known that a few years earlier, a highly reputable, technically “wispies” are made by ladling small amounts of white into the flow advanced European glass company had put great effort into of a cathedral base. The denser “lamp-glasses” are just the opposite— producing multicolored sheet glass continuously, only to fail small amounts of cathedral are ladled into a flow of opal glass. The after a major investment of time and money... if they had realized semi-translucent opal mixes are almost half and half opal/cathedral and how difficult it would be to engineer, how complex some of the require a more strenuous ladle rate—as much as one jumbo pour every 20 seconds. formulas would be and how precise the timings would have to Hand ladling and stirring is critical to the Spectrum process and varies be... they all admitted that they never would have tried. drastically from style to style. The ladlers pour at carefully timed intervals, Thank God for their ignorance, for what they built is watching clocks equipped with timing lights to cue their movements. • virtuosity itself. Patented in 1979, it remains the only one of its type anywhere in the world. •

SPRING 2017 | STAINED GLASS 57 PART II A New Chapter in Art Glass Manufacturing

By Megan McElfresh

A Shifting Market and Unlikely Sales but all domestic art glass manufacturers began to see the A revolutionary change in the new West Coast Glassmakers purchasing in stained glass materials tapering off after an business efforts over their historic counterparts was not incredible 30-year growth cycle. For the next six years, all only in supplying material, but in focusing massive efforts manufacturers would slowly scale back their production to on educating and sharing information about the capabilities carefully match shrinking demand. Smaller manufacturers, of their material with the end user. Each company produced such as Uroboros, had an easier time with this because their written material and sent teachers (instead of salespeople) systems, while lacking the ultimate capacity of Spectrum, out to studios and expos. Workshops and classes sprang up are inherently more flexible. around the country and after completing courses students Then the entire market plunged in 2008, affecting demand returned home and spread the news. This became particularly at every level of the art glass industry but felt most strongly important as “tested compatible” glass was developed. In so by manufacturers. For manufacturers, it has been a blast doing, the demand of the early 1970s grew all the way through which has yet to finish resonating. the ’80s and early ’90s as a network of new suppliers, small Adjusting production levels is much more complicated than studios, and artists were able to enter the market. just making a little more or a little less glass. Each furnace The huge, positive force of Uroboros and Spectrum operates best with a very specific amount of melted glass working together on the development and rollout of System being maintained. Production schedules are planned months 96 was mirrored in partnerships they shared with the in advance. Raw materials take time to source and longer to kiln company Skutt and other tool, resource, and design deliver. As furnaces are used and need basic maintenance companies. It provided a consistency and reliability across and repair, factories must plan very ahead as replacement product lines that was appealing to many education hubs, kiln-brick can take eight months or more to arrive when resource centers, and a wide variety of end users. The System ordered. Decisions had to be made looking into what was now 96 line was generally more compatible to hot end users like a very murky future. Furnaces run around the clock, around blowers and lampworkers which allowed the companies to be something of a one stop shop to studios providing a wide the calendar, non-stop for over a year or longer when they’re range of services in glassworking like Museums and larger in use. It takes 10 days to cool a furnace down and longer to teaching centers. bring a system back on line: these are not processes which While Uroboros grew and eventually moved into a large lend themselves well to hiccups; alterations are best made warehouse in 1984, the founders of Spectrum Glass went to last over the long haul. big from day one. In addition to their focus on stained glass In reality, it takes months to alter the overall production production, and glass-blowing cullet, they also targeted and level at an art glass manufacturing facility—a lot of time successfully tackled larger architectural glass sizes for the to endure financial difficulties when the market changes home and commercial application as well as having a large drastically overnight. Spectrum’s capacity sank well below business segment in interior design products. Spectrum’s 40% before leveling off at approximately 40%. Uroboros unique production process allowed them to work with adjusted production flow and work schedules, but each industry giants like Home Depot to design and deliver lighting factory demands a certain “minimum” crew level to safely products nationally. and properly run the furnaces at all. In 2002, the market started shifting. Overseas competition As the nation slowly recovered over the next five years, drastically cut into Spectrum’s production of home lighting other market factors also began to bear down on the factories fixtures. The System 96 production line was making gains, more forcibly. Uroboros and Spectrum had built their

58 STAINED GLASS | SPRING 2017 factories in what had been depressed economic zones in their respective cities. They had taken scruffy, battered warehouse space and developed beautiful, functional businesses, which were now located in highly coveted zip codes with higher taxes. Seismic and fire regulations in Portland were having an effect on warehousing operations. At Uroboros, more floor space would be required to house raw material and finished goods because height restrictions were changing but the warehouse was already feeling quite tight. The cost of doing business in their respective locations was growing exponentially above the now stagnant market demand for their products. All business owners try to keep an “exit plan” in place whether they’re thinking of selling or closing, moving or retooling. Passing the torch in such a specialized field is a complicated decision requiring a extensive transition and there were already many difficult factors to consider before the environmental challenges began in 2016. Many were under the impression that due to its size and pre-existing baghouse structures, Spectrum would be in the strongest position to deal with the myriad challenges facing the industry. However, due to its long struggle with healthy production levels, Spectrum’s size had actually become its greatest weakness. Of course the new environmental inquiry was a part of Spectrum’s decision to close. But it was really more of a single link in a long chain of issues, not the leading cause. The sensationalism of the issue at hand made it easy for the community to blame the environmental investigation, but in truth, Spectrum had been dealing with a crushing level of economic uncertainty for years. Given the mega cost to retool or move the company, Spectrum’s owners were absolutely sure there was no way anyone else in the country was big enough or crazy enough to buy them. After considerable, excruciating deliberation, the best thing they felt they could do for their employees was PHOTO: COURTESY OF SPECTRUM GLASS to finish production as they could, and close up shop. The announcement on May 11, 2016 was a shock to us all, and no How a baghouse works less so to one of their largest customers—Oceanside Glasstile. 1 Furnace exhaust enters the baghouse via a system of ducting, Oceanside Glasstile has been a customer of Spectrum located on the left side of the structure. Glass for over twenty years, leveraging Spectrum’s art glass to produce their Devotion collection. It wasn’t only 2 The furnace exhaust then travels through a series of filtering bags within this structure, to filter out particulate contained in stained glass artists who were busy worrying about which the exhaust. The particulate is then knocked off of the bags via a manufacturers might absorb this or that part of Spectrum’s compressed-air pulse jet. The particulate material falls down the product line and how the infamously smooth, consistent hopper and is collected in a super sack. The filtered air is then product might change—Oceanside was immediately sent to the clean side of the chamber, and released through an wondering how they could find a way to keep getting exhaust duct. Spectrum exactly as it has always been. They almost 3 The lower portion of the baghouse contains the super sack, immediately wondered if it would be possible for them to where the filtered material is deposited for disposal by a certified make the product themselves… waste-services company.

SPRING 2017 | STAINED GLASS 59 PHOTO: COURTESY OF SPECTRUM GLASS 60 STAINED GLASS |SPRING 2017 Businesses on. on and goes list the partnerships, historic recipes, confidential equipment, proprietary a heritage, afactory, honoring moving individually: companies both with meeting. first their in almost came up possibility the Officer,that says company.his Moiso, But Development Vince OGT Business buy to would what necessary ‘elements’ be invest the and to brave required flow, cash and energy have the passion, no one could possibly Spectrum: as direction same the in Uroboros sell to before, but now leaning he was of trying thought had Lovell of it. part be would to need partnership 96 System the successful, be to transition and purchase For Lovell. Eric to OGT any owners the Barker introduced There were tackled considered alot be to of and issues Kyle sale, the Craig into and investigation of their part As barely begun with Oceanside—there was no possible way was Oceanside—there with begun barely just had Negotiations certain. was nothing able be to sell, to hope did they end year. of at While the the operations down shut to were going they Uroboros sent that out release a press later, Five days of CA.” September,Carlsbad, 28th on the in Glasstile Oceanside manufacturer glass renowned world- to formulas equipment, and 96 brands, System our and Glass of thesale Spectrum “finalized had they that announced Spectrum closure, pending their announcing doorstep of manufacturers. suddenly our on the dropped crusade environmental by the posed challenge greatest the was perhaps, this, And case. this in available wasn’t complexity. this simply which Time of deals tuning fine and exploring, or more excess of spend negotiating, in ayear often On September 22, 2016, five-and-a-half months after after months 2016, September 22, On five-and-a-half PHOTOS: COURTESY OF OCEANSIDE GLASSTILE

to assure the public that any agreement could be reached. tasks. Mountains of paperwork have already been scaled. While Oceanside was suspected to be a potential buyer Ground has already been broken at the Oceanside facility because they had successfully come to an agreement with to make way for a whole new age of glass making. • Spectrum, it was also unknown whether their resources and energy could effectively stretch to also acquire the Uroboros line. Almost exactly three months later, on the 27th of December, Oceanside Glasstile and Uroboros announced that they were successful in coming to an agreement and complete sale. FACING PAGE: The last ribbon of glass to come down the line at the Spectrum Glass factory in For all of that paperwork minutia to get worked through Woodinville, WA, October 7, 2016. in under six months with each company, under nine months THIS PAGE, TOP: in its entirety, speaks volumes to the energy, commitment, The Spectrum lehr being unloaded from the trucks at the new Oceanside facility and passion of the Oceanside, Spectrum, and Uroboros teams. November 28, 2016. It is a breathtaking example of how well they have already BOTTOM: worked together to accomplish complicated, momentous The lehr before and after refurbishment in its new home at the Oceanside Glasstile facility in Tijuana, Mexico.

SPRING 2017 | STAINED GLASS 61 N had always commuted back and forth across the border. the across forth commuted back and always had those employees of number employees. asignificant And 62 STAINED GLASS |SPRING 2017 our facing issues community and market same the factory, look to for space a bigger house to company began When the available. readily was what than factory of amuch larger need in themselves found they ago, years twelve and grow to president. vice The executive continued company named was president Marckx Johnny and became onGildea and stayed for restoration.) glass Tiffany recreate to needing Uroboros and Lovell of journey the with line of déjà in sense vu me a gives (Which world-famous Castle. Pool at Hearst Roman for the on were whenreplicate to early asked they vintage came ofbig One Oceanside’s first breaks glass. making just is end day, of at the the Probably because, everybody Spectrum. and of Uroboros images early to similar is remarkably efforts Oceanside. in beach the blocks from two business the launched 1992, they in and agreement at an men arrived the Eventually, Diego. move to San away from were unwilling and surfers were California Pettey Boyce!)away and from Stokesbary of separation we’re degrees ever like six only seems sometimes (It Oregon. Portland, in company the base to wanted education, fusing Company, Glass glass force ahuge in and of Bullseye one founders of the Boyce us: to Lundstrom, recognizable instantly is founders of of One Oceanside the glass. from tile McElfresh Megan By Pre-2008 market changes, Oceanside had over had 500 Oceanside changes, Pre-2008 market Sean founders retired, Oceanside original When of most the company’s production of the images early through Looking Sean Gildea decided to start a business crafting luxury luxury crafting a business Gildea decided start to Sean Jon Stokesbary, Boyce Lundstrom, Don Pettey,Glass. and Uroboros Spectrum and started that culture glass same the founded in was Glasstile old, Oceanside ow 25 years Oceanside Glass (and Glass Oceanside Tile) PART III keep the manufacturing facility in the United States would United States the in facility manufacturing keep the To stacks.’ ‘exhaust ‘bag-houses’ and visually-unappealing industrial-looking, the with issue wouldn’t take that location a finding difficulty sideStates were border of having the they the United and on facility, state-of-the-art efficient, an needed Oceanside ways. uncountable in communities dependent inter- intensely are Diego San and Tijuana backyard. your still it’s well, backyard… your When Mexico in contrary. is the easier, cheaper and despite life your much opinionmake to Mexico in doesn’t necessarily afactory build to Deciding Oceanside andTijuana competition. of global costs the and requirements, environmental workers: gentrification, their to closer location consider to them a encouraged today manufacturers glass

PHOTOS, THESE PAGES: COURTESY OF OCEANSIDE GLASSTILE mean displacing the entire company and training an entirely that they did not want to be an importer; this wasn’t a widget new workforce. Or, they could build a new facility locally. they could send overseas. In their first fifteen years, they had There just happened to be a border crossing on the way. Global already developed incredible relationships with spectacular competition has been a force to be reckoned with since the employees that understood and appreciated their culture. The company’s founding and by locating in Mexico, they were enormous benefit of building in Tijuana, was that they were allowing themselves to stay healthy and competitive. literally still in their own backyard. There would be some changes in their environmental Oceanside Glasstile has always had an enormous considerations with the move: as a maquiladora (a Mexican commitment to the environment; their dedication to assembly plant that imports materials and equipment from sustainability and stewardship is, quite simply, unreal. Glass companies in the U.S. and exports back finished products), is not an environmentally friendly material to produce when Oceanside Glasstile is held to higher standards than a you consider the energy costs alone that it takes to create this Mexican company, and as a global company, must meet global amazing substance. But the team at OGT has made turning environmental benchmarks to stay competitive. They still pay pre- and post-consumer waste into beautiful tile a work of art tariffs on the movement of material back and forth across the in and of itself. Their mantra, “From Curbside to Oceanside” border. At least once a year, Oceanside staff must prove need and describes their dedication to transforming glass into high-end, get an approval permit for many of the chemicals they use from high-quality design materials that would otherwise end up in a ranking general in the military. (They will need to get more permits signed now to incorporate the additional chemicals landfills. Their production process recycles over two million and other raw materials to be used in the production of the pounds of post consumer bottle glass into cullet every year Spectrum and Uroboros line. It’s totally fine, the government from curbside recycling programs. is just making sure they’re definitely making glass and not Any hazardous waste produced is required to be exported something more… explosive.) back to the United States, so Oceanside is committed to not It was a big decision to make, but in many ways, it was a only reducing their waste, but also in keeping their operation no-brainer because it comes back to people, and that’s where as clean as possible to make any waste disposal needs as safe Oceanside has made something really special. Glassmaking’s as possible. In fact, they have implemented a co-processing not easy. (We should know.) It’s a process that demands incredible attention to detail, even the boring, repetitive, FACING PAGE, TOP: monotonous, tedious details require obsessive quality control. Oceanside Glasstile founders, ca. 1994: (from left) Boyce Lundstrom, Sean Gildea, Don Pettey, and Jon Stokesbary. It’s very difficult to accomplish building a glassmaking factory BOTTOM: of OGT’s scale in the United States. To find a workforce large Oceanside's first three locations. enough, willing to work the hours required, in front of blazingly THIS PAGE: hot furnaces, when you have global competition to consider, An early success for Oceanside, replicating the vintage tile for the is very challenging. The owners at Oceanside were adamant Roman Pool at Hearst Castle, San Simeon, CA.

SPRING 2017 | STAINED GLASS 63 PHOTOS, THESE PAGES: COURTESY OF OCEANSIDE GLASSTILE 64 STAINED GLASS |SPRING 2017 partnership to almost completely eliminate any of their away by how dedicated and energetic every single person on the manufacturing waste from going to a landfill. Oceanside team has been. I felt like I was instantly friends with And this process of responsible stewardship doesn’t end the sales and production staff and like I had known the owners with their production process. The energy they put into their forever. There is usually something of a pyramid structure to people and the people in their community on both sides of the a company which gets more pronounced as a company grows. border is positively inspirational. After talking with people In the case of Oceanside, I feel like they’re more of a bicycle wheel: a small central core of leaders work in harmony to make big decisions which are carried out by a huge web of very creative, very dedicated, bicycle spokes. The Mega Glass-Making Team A major key to a successful acquisition of any kind is having the right people, in the right place, at the right time, with the right skill sets, and the right attitudes. In and of itself, quite a challenge. And we haven’t even added any numbers to the process yet. Less than 10% of acquisitions actually make it to a final agreement, let alone into a successful transition. Not only is this mega-acquisition exciting because it’s actually happening, it exceeds expectations on each point listed above. If you’re still reading this, you’ve probably already noted a lot of similarities between these three companies whether it’s their passion, a love for their people, a love of glass, where Oceanside Glasstile's production process recycles over two million pounds of post consumer bottle glass into cullet every year from they get their materials, a previous factory move, previous curbside recycling programs. partnerships, or just having known Boyce Lundstrum. Now add the transition team: Oceanside’s youth, passion, and throughout the company, it all seems to boil down to a very energy; Uroboros chemistry, artistry and flexibility; Spectrum’s simple concept: making the world a more beautiful place. And patented technology and experience; and you have one amazing happy, healthy people are beautiful people. Led by their own recipe for success. inner core of owners, every employee donates several days The management teams and many of the experienced worth of time over the course of the year to any number of employees from both Spectrum and Uroboros have been a charitable activities. They train in groups to run or bike for huge part of the transition process, and quite a few people a cause, volunteer to clean up orphanages, build homes for are opting to move to Southern California or do long distance low-income families, or work with the elderly. commuting for the next six months to a year or so, to be a part of Within their own company, they keep a doctor and a the continuing journey of the products they’ve spent a lifetime nurse on staff at the factory for their employees year-round. with. Essentially, what exists right now, is a dream team of Oceanside sponsors Health Days at the factory where they a huge amount of skill, coupled with an enormous amount make nurses, doctors, dentists, and other medical services of passion, equaling an unprecedented level of manpower available to their employee’s families. They also help collect dedicated to the move and successful re-launch of the Spectrum and provide school supplies for the families of their workers. and Uroboros products and legacies. They provide food, transportation services and education Which is really the movement of equipment. programs for their workers on site. No social issue seems Which, if either company was going to survive, was going too mundane for them to try to tackle and it works on every to have to happen anyway. level. The factory has less than 1% turnover a year and many employees have been with the company for almost their entire FACING PAGE, TOP: history. (Another thing they have in common with Spectrum Oceanside Glasstile expansion underway in Tijuana, Mexico. and Uroboros.) Comparatively, the other key businesses in CENTER: their area have approximately 10% turnover every month. Left, Transition work underway at Oceanside Glasstile in Tijuana. Right, Oceanside employees participate in numerous volunteer and Socially, the team at Oceanside, at the current size of about philanthropic activities. 350 employees small, still operate like one family. Seemingly BOTTOM: immune to ego, they function as one incredibly passionate Spectrum (left) and Uroboros (right) palettes laid out on the team. Perfectly prepared to be skeptical, I found myself blown Oceanside work benches during pilot and roll-out production planning.

SPRING 2017 | STAINED GLASS 65 PHOTOS, THESE PAGES: COURTESY OF OCEANSIDE GLASSTILE 66 STAINED GLASS |SPRING 2017 seems Everyone weeks. several those during challenge and the enjoyableculture haveofon remarked mix staff training Foreman and manufacturers. educated glass experienced, with workers together come high-caliber motivated, when happens that amagic is there that agree all they periods, training intense these after companies the from supervisors with talking In seller alike. buyer of and the interests unique the protect to sales potential the about knew positions management in employees company even not negotiations, During whole team. a as groups had come together theseparate time first the really February. early equipment in that helped disassemble shut to and and down Uroboros at the factory trained Tijuana from ofa crew 12 January, In for transport. packing and disassembly, labeling, equipment with assisted then and of 6 weeks training intense for aseriously Spectrum to came factory Tijuana the from people 30 facility, Spectrum at the running equipment still was the While training. is transition the entire in step The first Transition, Training andBuildout all. at difference no makes miles thousand or two miles Two them. rebuild to The paperwork over, the first news blasts out, training was was training out, The paperwork over, news blasts first the You you You howDo know move to afurnace? can’t. have furnaces and equipment first, followed by the followed by Uroboros equipment first, and furnaces one of the Spectrum’s baghouses this summer. System 96 Frit 96 summer. Frit System this baghouses one Spectrum’s of the upgrade and refurbish, repurpose, to going they’re addition, In order constructed. be to do to was had anew baghouse Oceanside equipmentthings over later. amonth first of One the “ it some be? build furnaces!’ Let’s can moon—how on the we‘Well, of puthard like, a man sort was it Instead forsecond. a flinch didn’t they and on challenges thrives team of awesomeness—this recognition “immediate was there says Marckx Johnny culture, their embedded in new of space of concrete the required. 70upwards build to yards pouring days consecutive site, ona week the two prepare to 7days speed, incredible with working is team The Oceanside on. on and goes list the coldcontrol and end manufacturing, space for inventory,space space for for raw materials, quality Space equipment, for the lines. New gas new furnaces. for the needed is electricity and water service Additional for expansion. way moved make to and emptied space was Storage equipment. place soon-to-be-moving in for the new infrastructure get to of it! apart be and plane hopto next on the one want about it makes Hearing everyone. with thrilled just Equipment is moving to Mexico in stages. Spectrum’s Spectrum’s Mexico stages. to in Equipment moving is teamwork and OGT commitment the to atestament In move on the underway, was was Oceanside training While THESE PAGES: Activity at Oceanside Glasstile's Tijuana facility.

SPRING 2017 | STAINED GLASS 67 Oceanside’s youth, passion, and energy, plus Uroboros' chemistry, artistry and flexibility, plus Spectrum’s patented technology and experience...equals one amazing recipe for success!

(from the same places in the United States where it has always been sourced) for pilot production to begin in early April. Now the work crews from the Northwest are down in the Tijuana factory working on transition and training. After long years in old, well-loved buildings, the newly transitioned staff often remarks on how clean and well-lit the new factory is. Everyone is doing what they’re supposed to be doing. The drive. The tenacity. The passion. There is no end to the plethora of positivity. Vince Moiso is all admiration and respect for the teamwork he is seeing every day: “This is a textbook case of the perfect synergy—it has allowed everyone to move very quickly. We’re PHOTO: COURTESY OF OCEANSIDE GLASSTILE all so humbled by the opportunity to grow and to be a part of Oceanside Glasstile staff celebrating an award received from the something so much bigger than ourselves.” San Diego Business Journal in 2015. Pilot Production and Growth and Noodle production will continue at Uroboros until late Talking to Lovell and Barker they feel similar about how things April and then that equipment will be cooled, packed and are going: it’s bittersweet to be at this stage in their company’s shipping to Tijuana as well. histories, but it’s a thrill to be a part of the foundation of the A lot of equipment is getting long-denied TLC in the move. next chapter. It’s exhilarating to see their company’s equipment For instance, the lehrs at both Spectrum and Uroboros have set up in a new facility, surrounded by the youth and energy been running non-stop for decades. While they’re off, just of a company that so delights in the challenge. cleaning them and giving them a fresh coat of paint brings It doesn’t matter if I’m talking to staff from Uroboros, a whole different atmosphere to the factory floor. Eric Spectrum, or OGT; it doesn’t matter whether they’ve been Lovell pointed out that while it’s difficult to see equipment away from the factory for a few days or a few weeks, they all disappearing from his factory floor, those feelings are offset say the same thing: “Every time I go to the factory, I’m blown by the excitement of seeing that same equipment begin put away by the change and growth. It’s so exciting. We are all back to work in the new factory. (The Uroboros lehr was used so excited.” when Eric bought it: the over 90-foot-long annealing oven is It turns out, the concerns about whether or not the over 60 years old and hasn’t had a break in 33 years.) incredible glass of Uroboros and Spectrum will be available It takes an incredible amount of time for raw materials in the years to come is not a question of “if” but “when!” and necessary “back-up supplies” to be ordered and delivered. The pilot roll-out of Spectrum is planned for April. Kilnbrick can take in excess of eight months to arrive, so both Oceanside is changing a few things about the continuous flow Uroboros and Spectrum Glass Companies had a full stash of furnace design, transitioning to a system of larger day tanks kilnbrick to use in future rebuilds and repairs. That brick was that will then feed the mixing tank and melt the glass together. shipped down to Tijuana first thing so that the new furnaces This will help make production more scalable and sensitive to could be constructed right away. However, it’s crucial to have changing industry needs, but it produces exactly the same glass spare parts for the furnaces on hand at all times. As such, even the industry has come to depend on. All three companies had before the new furnaces are turned on, the spare parts stash a global presence individually which was impacted differently has already been ordered! in 2016 and has left a variety of gaps and needs in the market The remainder of both Uroboros and Spectrum’s raw that will have to be met efficiently and economically. The roll- materials were used during final product runs and then in outs have been as carefully planned as possible to respect the training. Now Oceanside orders their own raw materials urgency created by those market gaps. Oceanside is also being

68 STAINED GLASS | SPRING 2017 considerate of creating the easiest possible transition for the Excitement for the Artistic Challenge historic supply chain of global wholesalers and distributors. It’s the last week in March and Kat Hartley is back in Portland at If at all possible, the only change for distributors will be the Uroboros from the final roll-out planning meetings in Southern shipping address. Otherwise, color numbers and descriptions California and her most recent visit to the Tijuana plant: are all anticipated to remain the same. “Oceanside is so young! So energetic!” She exclaims. “It’s the Since day one, the Oceanside Glasstile team has drowned best move we could have. The Oceanside team is so passionate, themselves with data. Due to the urgency and break in so excited, they’re going to fit right in. As for production, it’s production, there is has been little time to get to know really the best of both worlds: The economic efficiency of the customers, suppliers and end users. Since the announcement of Spectrum system and the nimble hand-rolling Uroboros system the sale of Spectrum and Uroboros, Oceanside has been flooded all under one roof.” by and thrilled to be hosting visits at least once, but often Right now they recognize that they just need to get twice a week from industry companies eager to get to know product online but the natural result of the convergence of the them. Everyone seems to walk away stunned by the passion entire system will be innovation. How will the tile and glass and effort being spent to tackle the challenge of this move and productions interact? Will they play with variation in textures acquisition. If they can’t come to Oceanside, Oceanside has and thickness? What color developments will result? What tried to go to them. If they can’t meet face-to-face, Oceanside happens if some of Spectrums designs are hand-rolled on the has tried to reach out via phone or electronic communications. Uroboros equipment... and some of Uroboros designs are made “Dizzy with data,” is what Vince Moiso says. Historic on the Spectrum equipment? As the materials gap closes and production and sale data has all been mined and analyzed, and production normalizes, the Oceanside team is already excited conversations with distributors worldwide have been intense. about the creative possibilities ahead. But realistically, right now, Oceanside could easily do nothing but produce Spectrum they are just trying to get production into full swing as quickly as clears for the first month there are so many back orders. A big possible. Some distributors depend on Spectrum glass for 90% difference that Oceanside is facing is the difference in the basic of their product sales. To say that there are users globally that cycle of creation between the sheet glass industry and the glass are barely hanging on by their fingernails isn’t much of a stretch. tile industry. Oceanside’s glass tile is made to order. Uroboros In the end, Spectrum’s size worked against them, but and Spectrum have historically made their product to stock. Oceanside is a different kind of big. Flexible and diversified, but Uroboros smaller, hand-cast sheets match Oceanside’s focused. Once the product lines are conquered in their original historic production style more closely and will make for an formats, Oceanside will have the ability to expand the creative easier roll-out. In the meantime, by the end of April, OGT is license on a solid foundation: press, cast, blown, rolled, pulled— hoping to be melting 27,000 pounds of glass per day to make every possible creation solution under one roof. The Oceanside about 14,000 square feet of Spectrum glass. Every. Day. Until June, when they double those numbers by bringing the second Glasstile team feels a huge sense of gratitude and honor for the Spectrum furnace system online. future they now protect and the history they are now a part As the pilot production period normalizes and becomes of. They are now the keepers of the recipe book. They have the new standard production cycle, Oceanside will transition the physical standards to go with the mixes. Mixing notes. into their next period of growth. The glass tile company Experience and direction. Flip, poke, fold, twist. New glass, is no stranger to having a 500+ employee base. Presently, restoration. Education and innovation. they have about 350 employees, but over the next 18-24 Are you still worried there will be something different with months, they’re expecting to hire about 150 additional the water down there and that it will just never be the same? team members across a huge variety of processes: batching Perhaps you’re right. But whatever subtle product changes and manufacturing, order fulfillment, process engineers, occur will likely be far outweighed by the advantages of the new chemists, equipment and maintenance, purchasing, quality manufacturing facility. At the start of Fall 2016, the stained-glass control, project management, customer service and sales, industry feared it was losing a giant portion of the materials we marketing, warehousing and inventory. had all come to depend on. It turns out we have been blessed with How many Uroboros and Spectrum employees will relocate a fresh new start and what is likely to be a period of inspirational permanently is not yet known, nor can it be. Right now a experimentation and innovation. • smooth, successful transition is everyone’s focus. Getting all the way through build-out, pilot production, the tremendous Megan McElfresh (McElf) is a third-generation stained glass color rotation to fill the current materials gap, and building craftswoman who has studied creativity via glass her entire life. up inventory will take Oceanside flying through 2017 and In 2011, she founded her own glass company, McElf GlassWorks, well into 2018. in Buffalo, NY.

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