Safelite AutoGlass Manufacturing and Distribution VP Plays Major Role in Vehicle Glass Industry
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Safelite AutoGlass® Vice President of Manufacturing and Distribution Rich Glover has received two company awards: a Wall of Fame award and the 5th annual “People Powered Leadership” award. Glover oversees Safelite’s windshield manufacturing facility in Enfield, N.C. as well as two distribution centers in Ontario, Calif. and Braselton, Ga. He is responsible for the safe delivery of roughly 20,000 vehicle glass parts from all over the globe each day.
Safelite’s Wall of Fame is a peer-nominated award given to the company’s top performers. Glover was selected because 2014 was a landmark year for the vehicle glass industry. Extreme weather caused by the Polar Vortex created an unprecedented need for vehicle glass replacements. To react to this need, Glover added a third shift back at the Enfield plant to produce 20 percent additional units and produced record out-shipments to satisfy customer needs, ultimately leading supply chain functions through never-seen-before performance levels.
Yet, Glover understands it’s not just about production. It’s about his employees. He manages a total of 443 employees throughout his three facilities. Safelite places a priority in offering its employees a great place to work and great leadership, which is measured by an annual employee engagement score. After striving to improve his leadership style, Glover’s employee engagement score has improved from 72% to 87%. As a result, Glover also earned the “People Powered Leadership” award. Introduced in 2010, this award honors leaders who embody Safelite’s “blogsafelite.com/index.php/site/full_blog/elevating_safelites_people_first_philosophy” philosophy, which has four cornerstones: leadership, focus, talent, and caring. The award is designed to reinforce the company’s belief that great leaders will help grow the business to become the natural choice for vehicle glass repair and replacement services.
Glover, who has worked for Safelite since 1997, commented on his leadership development: “I transformed from focusing too much on processes, productivity and hour-by-hour measurements to a building teams, building commitment and building trust. Those are the harder things. Yet they reap more rewards both in business results and also personal growth as a leader.”
“Rich’s personal transformation is truly inspiring,” said Natalie Crede, Safelite’s senior vice president of people and leadership development. “He’s fully embraced our People Powered traits. We not only congratulate Rich on a job well done, but also thank him for his contribution to our success.”
Additionally, important career highlights for Glover include a patent of Safelite’s collapsible steel pallet and earning 2,550,000 man-hours without a Lost Time Accident while serving as Director of Safelite’s manufacturing facility. Additionally, in 2014 under his leadership Safelite Glass Corp. earned a license agreement from AGC Automotive Americas, an industry leader and innovator in glass technologies, allowing Safelite to manufacture, distribute and sell replacement windshields under the AP Technoglass brand. With more than 100 years of experience in the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) automotive glass industry, AGC has developed techniques and technical know-how in engineering, manufacturing, and technology innovation to ensure OEM-quality parts. Safelite’s Enfield plant earned the trust of AGC after a close partnership with the shared goal of broadening the distribution of AP Technoglass branded windshields, increasing brand recognition and ensuring customers’ access to OEM-quality replacement glass.
Glover earned a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina and a Bachelor’s of Science Civil Engineering from the University of Toledo where he was a quarterback for the Toledo Rockets. He also earned a Six Sigma Master Black Belt October in 2004 and is a Certified Plant Engineer through the Association of Facilities Engineering. Additionally, he has completed Lean Manufacturing Training from the University of North Carolina State and is a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma business honor society. He is a board member of Jackson County Boys and Girls Club.
About Safelite AutoGlass®
Safelite AutoGlass® is the nation’s largest provider of vehicle glass repair and replacement services with 5,000 MobileGlassShops™ and company stores in all 50 states. Last year, nearly 5 million customers chose Safelite for its 24/7 national contact centers, advanced online scheduling, superior repair and replacement systems, and the industry’s only nationwide lifetime guarantee. Founded in 1947, the Columbus, Ohio-based company employs more than 12,000 people across the United States. For more information, visit www.safelite.com, or follow us on www.facebook.com/safelite and twitter.com/safelite.
Editors’ Notes: Glover is a resident of Braselton, Ga. Photographs and interviews are available upon request.