FEATURE/From Near Dropout To Auto Glass Giant; 29 Year Old Kris Homer Broke Into Glass the Hard Way.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--Nov. 6, 1998--Auto Glass Plus is among the most successful companies in the industry, and 29 year old Kris Homer is among the youngest presidents of any industry. His "rags to riches" story is a prime candidate for any motivational seminar, program or article.

Kris's entrepreneurial spirit dates back to 1987, his senior year at Plano East High School, when he started his lawn care service in the Plano community. After making $1,200 in a single weekend, Kris wanted to quit school and devote full time to the business. Looking back, he is glad his parents vetoed that idea. Otherwise, he probably would not be where he is today.

After high school, Kris attended the University of North Texas in Denton, and got a job waiting tables at the local college hangout. It was in the restaurant parking lot that Kris saw a man putting fliers under the windshield wipers of cars with cracked glass. Shortly thereafter, Kris started distributing fliers part-time for the same company. He was so successful at this venture, he hired people to help with the flier distribution.

Upon graduating from college with a degree in Real Estate, Kris started working for the auto glass replacement company full time. During this period, he honed his marketing skills by handling all advertising for the company. Three years later, he started his own glass replacement company, Auto Glass Plus, with the help of his two current partners. For the next several months, Kris was back in parking lots, putting fliers for his own company on cars with cracked windshields.

"Marketing by Reebok," Kris calls it. "Wearing out the tennis shoes certainly wasn't my idea of fun. But it was necessary to get to where we are today. In four years, we've grown from three guys and a flier in Dallas to over fifty employees and a sizable ad budget in four cities." Kris went on to say, "Our growth rate has been phenomenal. In 1994, our first year in business, we did $175,000 in sales. In '95, that figure jumped to $1.3 million. In '96, we did $3.2 million, and '97 was $4.6 million. This year, we'll do over $7 million." Auto Glass Plus is now the largest independent auto glass replacement company in Dallas, and one of the largest in the country.

At just 29 years of age, Kris is a living testimony to the American dream come true. "If there was one thing I could say to a kid to convince him or her to stay in school, it would be that above all, believe in yourself and your abilities. With a college education and hard work, there's nothing you can't do, if you really want it."