2009 30 under 40 winners

Chris Gorman, 39

President, Champion Glass Inc. / Construction Concepts Unlimited Inc.,
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 

After only five years working as a glazier for other glass shops, Gorman started his own company, Champion Glass & Mirror. Now, 15 years later, he credits his success with the ability to stay as agile as the shifting demands in his marketplace. “They key to being successful in the glass industry is being able to adapt and change with the market. For example, a few years ago, the condo market was booming, and then we began noticing a shift in the market toward hotels and began focusing more on that industry. Our sales are up 40 percent in 2008 from the hotel industry alone.”

He has several patents in the industry, including a self-tensioning plastic shim and an alternative to an aluminum backup plate, and he recently designed a hurricane impact window and louver system for hotels. “Our sister company, Construction Concepts Unlimited Inc. is currently in testing for an integral impact window and PTAC louver system. The louver system is a pre-glazed, one-piece window and PTAC louver system for hotels and will be available to the glass industry in mid-2009.”

One-word description of the glass industry: Opportunity
One-word description of self: Evolving
Career history: 1994-present, president, Champion Glass Inc. / Construction Concepts Unlimited Inc., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; 1992-1993, glazier, Alan’s Glass and Mirror, Ft. Lauderdale; 1990-1992, glazier, A&A Glass and Mirror, Ft. Lauderdale; 1989-1990, glazier, Westminster Glass & Mirror, Westminster, Md.
Education: 1987, masonry, York Vo-Tech, York, Pa.
Diversions: Golf, horseback riding, motocross, whitewater rafting, bowling, chess
Favorite book: “Think BIG and Kick Ass in Business and Life,” Donald Trump
If a movie were made about your life, who would you cast to play you? Michael Douglas
Connections: 560 East Prospect Road, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33334, 954/564-3435, chrisgchampion@bellsouth.net, www.champion-glass.net

 
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