NGA and GANA Move Forward on Combining Associations

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Michele Nosko
mnosko@glass.org

NGA and GANA Move Forward on Combining Associations  

September 12, 2017 – The Boards of Directors of the National Glass Association (NGA), Vienna, VA, and the Glass Association of North America (GANA), Topeka, KS, have unanimously approved combining the two associations into one, strong and unified voice for the glass and glazing industry.

The new association will combine the best elements of NGA and GANA to better serve members and the industry. GANA’s technical and advocacy work will be supported and magnified through NGA’s robust delivery platforms, including Glass Magazine, e-glass weekly and GlassBuild America, the largest industry trade show in the Americas. Both organizations are committed to training the industry’s workforce, and their dedicated volunteers will leverage the growing capabilities of MyGlassClass.com and other education resources.

“The combination of our associations will unify our industry, giving stronger voice to our advocacy and industry standards efforts, our technical resources and many other initiatives to ensure the continued use of glass in buildings the world over,” said Doug Schilling, GANA President.

NGA and GANA will continue to operate as separate and collaborative entities until the transaction is complete and a Closing Date is established, likely by the end of 2017 or early 2018. Between now and then, the leadership will establish a joint integration working group to create a roadmap for the integration.

“The industry thanks the Joint Task Force members who worked to get us to this important threshold,” said Ken Mariotti, NGA’s incoming chair.

The NGA task force was represented by:
Michael Albert, S. Albert Glass;
Angelo Rivera, Faour Glass Technologies;
Nicole Harris, NGA President & CEO;
Jerry Jacobs, NGA General Counsel

The GANA task force was represented by:
Stanley Yee, Dow Corning Corp.;
Doug Schilling, Schilling Graphics;
Gus Trupiano, AGC Glass Company North America;
Steve Marino, Vitro Architectural Glass;
Kim Mann, GANA General Counsel

Nicole Harris, NGA president & CEO, continues as staff head of the combined association. Urmilla Jokhu-Sowell and Sara Neiswanger will join her staff. “We’ve collaborated with Urmilla and Sara for many years; my staff and I look forward to working together as we transition to build the new association,” said Ms. Harris. “With a ROI member-service mindset, we will execute on the goals articulated by many in the industry: eliminate redundancies and overlap to produce focused, relevant meetings, programs and products that reduce costs, save time and deliver on member company needs.”

ABOUT NGA: Founded in 1948, the National Glass Association (NGA),www.glass.org, is the largest trade association serving the architectural glass and metals industry, and represents the interests of glazing contractors, glass retailers and glass fabricators. The NGA provides education and training programs for its member companies through its online training site MyGlassClass.com, and keeps them informed through the Glass Magazine’s print and electronic publications. The NGA also produces the industry’s largest annual trade show in the Americas, GlassBuild America, and hosts the Glazing Executives Forum bringing together thousands of industry professionals to help them build more profitable businesses.

ABOUT GANA: The Glass Association of North America (GANA), www.glasswebsite.com, is a progressive, innovative association where pride and enthusiasm for a career in architectural glass and glazing is fostered through educational events, technical resource development and relationship-building opportunities. GANA provides a forum for exchanging information that is relevant in the constantly changing glass and glazing industry. It is a technical powerhouse that brings some of the best minds to the table to promote and advocate for glass in buildings.