About Garrety Glass
This company started small.
In fact, back in 2000, we often smiled and referred to ourselves as “3 guys and a truck.” Fast forward to today, and the company has grown to over 80 full-time employees, a 15,000 square foot facility, and had a lot of fun and success on the journey.
So how did we go from such humble beginnings to a robust company that continues to grow?
One of the key ingredients is to work really hard, and my team does that. I learned the value of a strong work ethic a long time ago from my father.
Have you ever heard a story of a man raised without much, who starts his own business and runs it as a one-man show until it becomes successful? The kind of man who gets up before the sun rises, makes it home just in time for family supper, and then does paperwork in the evening? That was my Dad and he became a truly self-made man as a successful masonry contractor. I have never forgotten the lessons of honest hard work and perseverance that he taught me – not by what he said, but what he DID.
My father taught me the value of a strong work ethic, and my team amazes me every day with their hard work and loyalty.
Before I fulfilled my lifelong dream of following in my father’s footsteps by running my own business, I earned an engineering degree from Penn State University and went to work for some large corporations, including Frito-Lay. I found myself involved in figuring out the best possible manufacturing processes for some large operations.
I learned a bunch of important lessons, but here is the brief version: if you want to be successful, focus on process and productivity will follow. If something goes wrong, you either didn’t follow the process or your process needs revised. Figure out which it is and fix it.
Our team at Garrety Glass uses the same principles. For example, we are VERY big on safety here – getting everyone home safe to their family is the #1 goal. So we have installed best practices for managing safety. We have processes in place to analyze “near misses” that we can learn from and we have accountability bonuses in place that reward safe behavior.
We also measure every single compliment and complaint. This is done without finger-pointing – it’s all about putting processes in place that get it done right for our customers.
The Real Secret to Success:
The Team that Bleeds Green
A strong work ethic and outstanding processes are big pieces of the puzzle, but none of it works without the right people. We always hire for character and train for competence and I am extremely fortunate to have assembled a staff that really cares. Our company color is green, and I like to say we have a lot of people around here who bleed green.
In an industry that often measures turnover in months, the majority of our employees have been with us 5 years or more. Ninety percent of our hires come from referrals from current team members which leads to better quality hires. And once they are on board, we are big on feedback and reviews as part of our constant commitment to accountability and customer focus.
I’m proud to say that we have hired people as entry level employees who didn’t know beans about the glass business but are now in positions of authority because of hard work, training and the “bleed green” attitude. They are project managers, crew leaders, and other supervisory jobs and I promise you will be impressed with their knowledge and dedication.
Simply put, I have great employees who know what great service looks like and are empowered to deliver it every day.
As I said at the beginning, our growth during the past 10 plus years has been awesome and the reason is this outstanding team. Be sure to check out our FAQ section for answers to commonly asked questions. Contact us for your next glass project or sunroom addition and let us prove it to you.
Sincerely,
Ted Garrety, Owner