The Scoop

In 1968, Harmon Glass president Russ Baumgardner established Apogee as a holding company, and Apogee began to acquire glass and construction operations across the U.S. Faced with flagging sales in the U.S., Apogee later shifted its focus to international growth, especially to the construction boom in China. However, profits began to suffer from the what industry observers called Apogee's "over-decentralization". Continuing losses prompted the company to close its Asian operations in 1997. In 1998, Apogee closed its international glass-curtainwall business. In April 1999, the company announced it was also selling its U.S. glass-curtainwall business. Yet despite these recent events, Apogee remains a leader in the glass business. Apogee is trying to streamline its operations though, in an effort to remain profitable. It will close 40 retail auto glass locations in 2000, in addition to the 13 it closed in 1999. This has been followed by the reduction of 39 corporate jobs in Apogee's auto glass unit. Apogee has also sold off 8 Midas franchises it owned. A planned merger of its auto glass distribution unit with competitor PPG Industries gained approval from the FTC in July 2000.

Getting Hired

Apogee's companies are highly decentralized, and applicants should contact the specific company in which they are interested. In addition, Apogee conducts recruiting for its own corporate headquarters. Recruiters actively seek out candidates for open positions through newspaper and trade journal advertisements, and the company rarely considers unsolicited resumes. Apogee issues what it calls "carefully structured" newspaper ads to announce openings. Apogee looks for natural entrepreneurs who can thrive with little external direction. Most new hires will be located in the company's Minneapolis corporate offices or in Chicago.

Our Survey Says

'Learn by taking risks'

Apogee employees feel as though they own the company themselves. Says one employee: "We know to the percentage point where their company stands within the industry," and employees even pride themselves on "knowing everyone's name." Apogee offers employees "substantial autonomy" and encourages them to "learn by taking risks" and by being "forgiving of mistakes." Salaries are "unimpressive," but employees earn "significant bonuses" if their division meets its goal.

Employment Contact

Warren Planitzer
Human Resources

Products and Services

Contracting;Building Materials;Curtainwall;Glass, including auto and safety glass

Key Competitors

Safelite AutoGlass

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