Bendheim recently celebrated the service and achievements of Joseph “Joe” Barnes, during his 40 year career in the company’s Art Glass division. More than 100 colleagues, customers and friends from New Jersey, New York, Kentucky, Florida, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Ohio and Vermont attended Joe’s party to honor his lifetime of dedication to the stained glass industry.

Joe’s career in the stained glass business has spanned 65 years. After serving with the Marine Corps in Japan during World War II, he found his first glass job at Leo Popper’s, importers of specialty glass, almost by accident.  After Popper closed its doors around 1970, Joe joined Bendheim to work in customer service, glass selection, cutting and delivery.

Joe became a favorite among many glass artists through his knowledge of glass, commitment to customer service, and his genuine love of people. During his career at Bendheim, he selected glass orders for customers from around the world and offered much needed “how-to” advice.

Joe was the inaugural recipient of the American Glass Guild’s “Lifetime Achievement Award,” now presented annually as the “Joe Barnes Lifetime Achievement Award.”

“Everyone who has ever met Joe has appreciated his kindness and willingness to help. He has touched the lives of thousands of people throughout his career,” said Robert Jayson, President of Bendheim. “For Joe, it did not matter whether you were a young artist just opening a glass shop or a member of an established studio. He treated everyone as if they were the most important customer.”

Over the years, Joe has seen Bendheim grow from a small, family-owned stained glass business to a national leader in specialty glass serving the international architectural and design community with five divisions, thousands of glass products, and extensive processing capabilities. He will be retiring from Bendheim in early 2011 to begin a new chapter of his life. He plans to move back to his hometown in North Carolina to join his family and pursue his dreams of travel. He also hopes to stay in touch with friends, colleagues and customers.

Homeowners of historic houses, design professionals, and restoration enthusiasts can now learn about the history of antique window glass on Bendheim’s Restoration Glass^® website.

The story takes readers on a journey beginning in the 7^th century when mouth-blown “crown” glass was originally developed and later revived in the 11^th century. The 11^th century also sees the invention of the mouthblown “cylinder” glass technique of making window glass, first developed in Germany. The history of authentic antique window glassmaking ends after the Industrial Revolution when the first mechanical method for “drawing” window glass is invented in the United States.

The article discusses cylinder and crown glass – two authentic, mouthblown antique window glass types typically found in historical structures in the United States. Their unique manufacturing methods are revealed, featuring vintage and contemporary photos of the mouth-blown production process.

Visitors will also find information about the benefits of Bendheim’s Restoration Glass^® (new antique window glass) blending the historical accuracy of authentic antique window glass with modern technology and standards. Found in our country’s most prestigious restorations, including the White House, Mount Vernon, and Monticello, it features slight distortions and imperfections characteristic of window glasses from the 17^th through early 20^th centuries. Concurrently, it offers consistency of color, brilliance and body, is easier to handle than salvaged authentic antique window glass, and can be provided in safety laminated form meeting the most current safety building codes.

Bendheim is committed to socially and environmentally responsible manufacturing methods throughout its processing facilities. The company collaborates exclusively with North American and European glass manufacturers demonstrating commitment to the environment through recycling and clean production processes. To learn more about Bendheim’s green initiatives, please visit www.bendheim.com/green-policy.

A range of eco-friendly Bendheim glasses can help architects and designers earn LEED® points for their projects. EcoGlass™, a new line of textured architectural glass, is manufactured by Glasfabrik Lamberts in Europe’s only clean-burning oxygen/fuel-fired cast glass furnace. It contains 60% recycled material, including up to 40% post-consumer recycled glass. Bendheim Wall Systems’ Lamberts channel glass is manufactured in the same enviro-friendly fashion and also contains as much as 60% recycled material. It is installed in a number of award-winning LEED-certified projects throughout the country.

To learn more about the USGBC and the LEED Green Building Rating System, please visit www.usgbc.org.