Clear path: Jane Skeeter has moved to broaden her stained glass business' reliance on large installations by moving into the design and sale of smaller decorative tiles.JANE Skeeter skee·ter n. Chiefly Southern U.S. See mosquito. See Regional Note at possum. [Shortening and alteration of mosquito.] is hoping that smaller is better. Having built her company's reputation on floor-length murals and undulating partitions that cost as much as $300,000, the founder and chief executive of UltraGlas Inc. is focusing her efforts on wholesaling patterned glass tiles Glass tiles are pieces of glass formed into consistent shapes. Glass was used in mosaics as early as 2500 BC, but it took until the 3rd Century BC before innovative artisans in Greece, Persia and India created glass tiles. that can sell for as little as a couple of dollars each. Having launched the products earlier this year, UltraGlas, which sells tile to about a dozen retailers nationwide, is trying to grow the line into a $1 million-plus a year business by the end of next year. "There's more room for growth because it's a finished product," said Skeeter, who founded the Chatsworth company in 1987. "We can stock it and ship it out." By focusing on its tile line, UltraGlas is looking to dig itself out of a post dot-com/9-11 hangover that cut into its corporate- and hospitality-based business. The company had grown out of Skeeter's garage studio into a $3 million a year business in 2000, becoming known for its large-scale projects like a 35-foot-by-20-foot portion of the entry wall to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and a two-story mural for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
Name Headquarters A'rosa Europe NCL America America AIDA Cruises Europe American Cruise Lines America . With tech-oriented businesses and Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. hotels cutting back on orders, however, revenues fell to $2.7 million in 2001 and $1.8 million last year. "When the dot-coms went down and the stock market fell, our business went right along with it," said Skeeter, who noted that 75 percent of UltraGlas' business was from corporate or hospitality clients. "Everyone was downsizing (1) Converting mainframe and mini-based systems to client/server LANs. (2) To reduce equipment and associated costs by switching to a less-expensive system. (jargon) downsizing so projects just stopped." While Skeeter still heads the design process for both the custom products and tiles, her staff of 20 handles production, all of which is done at UltraGlas' Chatsworth plant. Gearing for another growth spurt growth spurt Pediatrics A period of rapid growth in middle adolescence; ♀ ↑ ±8 cm/yr ±age 12; ♂ ↑ ±10 cm/yr ± age 14; GS is orderly, affecting acral parts–ie, hands and feet grow before proximal regions, after a successful 2000, the company moved into the 26,000-square-foot building from a 6,000-square-foot facility in mid-2001. Used to change Skeeter, an energetic, 53-year-old grandmother of four who has been in the custom glass product business for the better part of 30 years, was born in the Bay Area and raised in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . She studied architecture in high school and junior college before opening her stained and leaded glass studio in Northridge in 1973. After teaching the art of stained glass for the L.A. Unified School District A unified school district is a school district which includes both primary school (kindergarten through middle school or junior high) and high school (grades 9-12). In Illinois, these districts are called unit school districts. and refurbishing old cars on the side, she finally committed full-time to the glass business in 1987 when she sold her 1964 Porsche 356 convertible for $29,000 (she paid $4,500) to fund the start up. Change in style Around the same time, Skeeter altered her glass production methods from etching and sandblasting Sandblasting or bead blasting[1] is a generic term for the process of smoothing, shaping and cleaning a hard surface by forcing solid particles across that surface at high speeds; the effect is similar to that of using sandpaper, but provides a more even finish to "'slumping.'" a method she learned from Dutch artisans where a flat mold is heated to 2,000 degrees and a sheet of glass is dyed, melted and shaped to take a particular form, color and texture. With that method, UltraGlas, which had produced glass doors and windows Doors and Windows is a multimedia disk by the Irish band The Cranberries. Track listing
In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. detailed glass architectural pieces. At Childrens Hospital, the lobby's Circle Wall is made up of 28 square panels, each with a circular portion with an embossed em·boss tr.v. em·bossed, em·boss·ing, em·boss·es 1. To mold or carve in relief: emboss a design on a coin. 2. , full-color depiction of a patient's illustration in the center. UltraGlas also built a wave-like partition and the backing glass at the hospital's information desk. In all, the work cost about $250,000, according to Patti Brum, vice president of Los Angeles-based design firm Lexington, which, with Wait Disney Imagineering, redesigned the hospital's lobby. "We wanted to replicate the children's artwork--messy painting and all--as closely as possible," said Brum. While continuing to do custom work, Skeeter hopes to grow the tile line to 15 percent of revenues this year, and about 50 percent next year. UltraGlas has 24 designs in the new line, and sells them in individual square or rectangular pieces, depending on the embossed design. The tiles range from 2 by 2 inches to 5 by 10 inches. The company also offers each design in 31 colors. UltraGlas' work remains in the upper end of the price spectrum, according to Udo Reich, owner of Seattle-based Ambiente European Tile Design, which has been carrying UltraGlas tiles since March. Ambiente's average glass tile sells for between $30 and $40 a square foot, UltraGlas sells in the $50 to $60 range. "It's a very fine, clean look," said Reich. "It may not be used for the entire job (due to the higher cost) but it gets used for accents." PROFILE UltraGlas Inc. Year Founded: 1987 Core Business: Decorative glass products Revenues in 2001:$2.7 million Revenues in 2002: $1.S million Employees in 2001: 26 Employees in 2002: 20 Goal: To grow annual revenues to $10 million in five years with new tile product line Driving Force: Builders using glass products to create a lighter, more open environment |
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