Woodbury Glass, Minnesota’s happiest little glass shop, is just one of the many mom-and-pop businesses in the U.S. that celebrated National Mom-and-Pop Business Owners Day on March 29. The Woodbury, Minn.-based glass shop specializes in commercial and residential window repairs and replacement, insulating glass replacement, shower enclosures and flat glass and mirror fabrication.
From Garage to Small Screen
Frankie Bobzin, general manager of Woodbury, says the company was founded by Noah Lamont in 1999 as Lamont Glass. Bobzin describes the early days as a one-man show operating out of a garage.
Front row left to right: Frankie Bobzin (general manager) and Marie Gadway (bookkeeper).
“Lamont did all the sales calls, measurements and installations along with some fabrication work,” she says. “As the business grew, so did his family, and like most family businesses, everyone was involved in some way at some point. He outgrew the garage and has had several locations over the years, finally landing in Woodbury, Minn., and changed the company name to reflect his connection to the community.”
Woodbury’s success caught the attention of others, including two HGTV television shows produced in Minnesota, “Bath Crashers” and “While You Were Out.”
Bobzin says the company had three employees before its bookkeeper retired following the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon after, Lamont decided to step back and take on a new adventure.
“Knowing that he had a solid team in his installer, Dean Harrington, and myself, he felt confident in taking this next step,” she says.
David and Mary Anderson of DMA Glass and Windows purchased Woodbury on Nov. 21, 2022. Bobzin says she and Harrington remain with the company and handle daily operations.
Carmel Glass Celebrates 43 Years
Indianapolis-based Carmel Glass & Mirror LLC celebrates its 43rd anniversary in 2023. The family-owned business offers shower glass and hardware, window glass replacement, interior and furniture glass, mirrors and commercial glass.
Jessica Bricking of Carmel Glass says not only has the company remained in business for four decades, but half of its 19 employees have been with the company for 10 years or more. In fact, several employees are celebrating more than 20 years with the company this year, including:
- Barry Jones (general manager) 32 years;
- Kathy Body (finance manager) 29 years;
- Greg Cahall (lead installer) 28 years;
- Matt Worth (shop fabricator) 21 years; and
- David Coffman (sales consultant) started 23 years ago as an installer and now leads outside sales.
“Our dedicated and highly capable team makes us so special,” says Bricking. “Look at these amazing anniversaries, and we continue to grow under the leadership of our second-generation ownership. Our staff is the foundation of our company, and they enjoy working with our customers and products.”
Carmel Glass’ employees also include two husband and wife teams. Bricking adds multiple children and family members of its staff have been employed with the company over the years.
“We have strong roots in our Indianapolis community and pride ourselves on our work ethic, industry knowledge and skills we bring to each job application,” she says. “We are thankful for so many wonderful and loyal customers; you will always see a familiar face when entering our showroom.”
