This is a blog that’s been a long time coming. I’ve started it a number of times, and have never been able to finish it or make it convey exactly what I wanted. It’s tough, you see, because it’s about a person, and I don’t often like to write about people on a personal level. But this past Saturday, Valentine’s Day, was a special day for me, as it has been for the past 15 years. And in thinking about that day and what it means to me, I thought it was time I finished this blog for once—and for all.

I’m sure you will agree, a lot has changed in 15 years. Take a minute and think back to early 2000. We were just coming off the Y2K scare (remember that?), the Dot Com bubble burst and you could get a gallon of gas for a buck and change. That was also the year a 20-something in need of a job found you … well … found the glass industry, that is. And that 20-something was me. People often ask me how I ended up working at USGlass. The answer is simple, really, and not unique to others at that age: I needed a job. What I found, however, was my career–which I started February 14, 2000.

I won’t lie and tell you I was immediately enamored by this industry; overwhelmed is a better way to describe it. It took a few months before I started to get a handle on bits and pieces of the industry.

In June 2000 I traveled to Dallas for my first Glass Association of North America meeting, the Building Envelope Contractors Educational Seminar for Project Managers. If you click the link and read the article you’ll see a lot has changed since then, from people to companies. The one name in that article that has stuck with me all these years is Greg Carney. I met him at that event and over the next few years he became a great source of information and knowledge. He provided input and guidance on many editorial projects, encouraged me to get beyond simply being the writer or editor and to learn about this industry. He became my friend. And I miss him.

Anyone who ever spent time with Greg knew of his love for glass. Here, Greg (right) points out details within the glass to Stan Smith, former GANA executive vice president.

We lost Greg 15 months ago and I think about him often. There have been times when I’m researching for an article and I think, “Man, I wish I could ask Greg about this.” He had so much knowledge to share and he really loved this industry.

A few months before he passed away he had sent me an email encouraging me to share my knowledge with some of the new members of our editorial team. He talked about the importance of learning to look at glass (not through it) and the architectural opportunities that it provides.

Greg truly cared for not only this current generation, but the next as well. I keep this in mind always—when I see how the industry has changed and continues to change, from products to technology to people. And I know others care, too. Let’s continue working together to grow and improve the glass industry, not only now, but in the years to come.