Serving All Industry Segments

At the NGA and WDDA, we serve all aspects of the glass and window & door industries.  Right now, we have programs targeting all of you:

• Architects Forum
  Combining educational programs, candid interaction, and professional networking, the Forum will offer fresh perspectives on how design, collaboration, and leading technologies interact with the glass industry. I urge you to attend this groundbreaking event.  Please review the online brochure and make plans to gather with your peers.  Register today!
• Auto Glass Certification
  NGA members pay just $69.00 to take a certification exam online. NGA members who register groups of 10 or more pay only $59.00 per exam.   If you register any of your technicians for the Auto Glass Technician, Master Auto Glass Technician, or Auto Glass Repair exams July 11-31, 2011, you will register to win a free certification exam. 
• Auto Glass Week
  Auto Glass Week™ 2011 is right around the corner this upcoming September 15-17, 2011 at the Memphis Cook Convention Center and Memphis Marriott Downtown. If you haven't already registered to attend, you need to register now.
• Glazing Executives Forum
  The Glazing Executives Forum is based on the fact that we’re more effective together than we are apart. Most of the critical issues in the glass and glazing industry are ones we all face, and together, we can find solutions. Whatever happens in your business – issues with suppliers, employees, or the economy – someone else is going through it and can help you. View the agenda and register today. We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta on September 12.
• Window & Door Dealers Forum
  When you attend this year's Window & Door Dealers Forum, September 13 in conjunction with GlassBuild America in Atlanta, you will have the opportunity to network with and learn from others in the industry.  The 2nd Annual Forum features speakers on two of the most critical issues facing dealers: risk and opportunities for growth.
  View the agenda for more information and register today.
• MyGlassClass.com
  MyGlassClass.com is designed for Architectural/Flat Glass, Auto Glass, and Window and Door companies as an affordable resource for improving worker skills, enhancing workplace safety, achieving professional certification, and complying with training requirements.  Get your employees trained by the best in the industry.

Let us know if you have any questions about our programs - akirkman@glass.org or akirkman@wddalliance.org.  We look forward to serving you.

Make Your Business a Champion

Over 100 million people watched the Packers beat the Steelers last night.  Everyone who watched has their own opinion over why the Packers won (I for one don't really care - I'm more of a commercial fan than a football fan. That Darth Vader commercial? Amazing.)  One blog I read this morning had an interesting take: The Steelers didn't lose it; Rodgers and the Packers won it.

I like this point of view - and how it relates to the glass and window and door industries.  As a business, what do you do to make your business win? Here are a couple of examples of how industry businesses take advantage of NGA and WDDA programs to make themselves winners:

• Trainor Glass Company: offers MyGlassClass.com training to all employees - and rewards them for completing the training.
  
  
  
  
• GlassPro: Technicians must be trained and certified in order to recieve promotions.
• Connecticut Glass Dealers Association: Apprentices must complete MyGlassClass.com training to become licensed.

The NGA and WDDA offer several educational and certification options. 

• Certification
• GlassBuild America Seminars 
• Glass Management Institute
• Glazing Executives Forum
• MyGlassClass.com
• MyWindowClass.com
• Webinars
• Window & Door Dealers Forum

Find the one that is right for you. Act like the Packers and make your business a champion.

Back to School Week: Online Glass Training and Internships

A lot of schools have been back in session for weeks now, but in Northern Virginia, today is the first day back.  Students spent Labor Day weekend packing their bags, making their lunches, and sharpening their pencils.

Now that kids are back in school, it's time for YOU to focus on your continuing education.  The NGA and WDDA have several educational opportunities to ensure that you are prepared for your future in the glass and window and door indsutries.  View the NGA education and training programs and training available through the WDDA. And now there is a new opportunity for people entering the glass industry - your future coworkers and employees.

Today the NGA announced an alliance with Education To Go (ed2go).  This alliance will make NGA and WDDA online training and certification programs to be available to students at more than 1,900 colleges, universities, community organizations, and other education providers across the United States.

ed2go has officially launched three Career Training Programs: Certified Auto Glass Technician, Certified Architectural Glass Technician, and Certified Window and Door Installer.  Students will now be able to purchase training on  MyGlassClass.com along with a 40-hour unpaid internship, a training manual, and a voucher for the NGA certification exam.

For more information on the the new program, view the ed2go site or the NGA press release.

Alyssa Kirkman
Sr. Manager, Association Services

Certification and Your Business - Are you putting your best foot forward?

Running a business is complicated.  Every day, you worry about how to keep costs down and still run an effective business.  On any given day, you are worrying about placing supply orders and managing your employee’s time off. And every day, you are worrying about how to attract and keep new customers.

There are many ways to draw customers in – advertisements, social networking, and word of mouth, but in the age of information overload, is that enough? Today’s consumers have easier access to more information than ever before. Consumers are using internet searches and anonymous message boards to assist them in making decisions, from which business should repair a windshield, to who to hire to install a new door.  We’ve talked before about how to manage your online reputation, and while that helps, that doesn’t make your business the best. Are you putting your best foot forward?

The NGA and WDDA offer training programs and certifications that show consumers you are the best in the business.  In today's increasingly complex and highly-specialized economy, credentials are everything. Sure, you know your business has the skills to do the job right, but how do you convince potential customers? The training on MyWindowClass.com and MyGlassClass.com, and the related certifications (NGA Certification, InstallationMasters certification), communicate to your customers that your business is educated to the highest industry standards.

If your business doesn’t install or replace Auto Glass, Flat Glass, or Windows & Doors, make sure you are familiar with certifications that relate to your business.  Make sure your employees are well trained and make sure your customers know it.  Attract and keep new customers by putting your best foot forward.

Alyssa Kirkman
Sr. Manager