Bendheim Looks to the Future as It Celebrates Its 80-Year Anniversary

What began as a husband and wife team in the wholesale stained glass business in Greenwich Village, New York City has grown into a company with five divisions, a New York City showroom, glass processing and distribution facilities in New Jersey and California, and 100 employees. Today, Bendheim is a national importer, fabricator, and distributor of more than 2,000 types of specialty glass.

“Over the years, our quality and honest business practices have gained us the trust of architects, designers, builders, and art glass studios throughout North America,”  said Robert Jayson, eldest of the three brothers.

The history of Bendheim began in 1927 when Sem and Margaret Bendheim started importing fine mouth-blown colored glass from the Glashütte Lamberts of Germany to cater to the needs of stained glass studios nationwide. From those early days, the Bendheims were passionate about glass. In fact, Sem was instrumental in building the core membership of the Stained Glass Association of America through his close business relationships with glass studios throughout the country.

After Sem and Margaret’s son-in-law Fred Jayson expanded the business and added many more specialty glasses, the baton was passed to his sons, the third generation – Robert, Donald and Steven Jayson. Committed to providing the most innovative glass solutions, the brothers expanded the product line through the technological advantages of tempering and lamination. Working closely with manufacturing partners around the globe, they developed and introduced Restoration Glass^® and Specialty Architectural Glass to the U.S. glass market in the mid-1980s.

Restoration Glass^® has found a place in some of America’s most famous historic homes. Made in the centuries-old anitque window glass tradition of mouth-blown sheet glasses, it has been successfully used in many high-profile restoration projects. This glass can be found in the White House, Monticello, and Mount Vernon – George Washington’s home.

The brothers established two additional glass divisions over the following years. The Architectural Glass Division introduced building and design professionals to over 2,000 of the finest decorative glass options for commercial and residential building use. Since 2001, Bendheim Wall Systems, Inc. has been the exclusive distributor of Glasfabrik Lamberts channel glass in North America. The translucent U-shaped glass contains a high percentage of recycled glass and is produced in Europe’s first environmentally sensitive oxygen-fired cast glass melting furnace. Bendheim Wall Systems’ channel glass installations have received multiple industry and consumer awards, including two 2008 AIA National Honor Awards for the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art Bloch Building in Kansas City, Mo., and the Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge, La.

“Bendheim has been running an ecologically friendly business long before being green became popular. The company invests in advanced green manufacturing machinery and partners with other businesses that employ clean production practices,” said Steven Jayson.

The most recent division, Bendheim Cabinet Glass, was created in 2007 to respond to the public’s need for specialty glass products. The company launched a website allowing homeowners, for the first time, the ability to order directly from a collection of more than a hundred of the finest glasses for home and office projects.

 “As we look to the future, we expect to continue to add new products and manufacturing processes, expand our existing green practices, and continue building Bendheim as a national brand based on the high standards and relationship-driven philosophy set forth by our grandparents,” added Donald Jayson.