While there won't be a party with a cake and celebration in Owatonna just yet due to social distancing requirements, Viracon has reached its 50th anniversary. The glass fabricator began as a regional company in April 1970 according to a story in US Glass News Network.

The article states, "Viracon glass has been installed in over 100,000 buildings, with half a billion square feet of glass delivered across the globe." US Glass reports the company began with James Martineau leading a 20-employee company in a 45,000 square-foot facility serving regional customers. Viracon is now an international company.

Vice President of sales and marketing Garret Henson, who joined Viracon in 1993, told the publication that a major highlight came in 1986 when their first glass coater went into use, "This became the foundation of our company. To this day we are known for our proprietary coatings."

Viracon describes their objective this way on their website, "Viracon is a leading single-source architectural glass fabricator. We partner with best-in-class architecture firms and glazing contractors to provide great buildings with great glass - glass that inspires and turns buildings into icons."

Viracon provided US Bank Stadium with its large glass walls. The stadium was ranked among the best in the NFL by a national publication last fall, as we reported on this website. The glass walls were one of the attractive features that played in US Bank Stadium's favor.

Henson also told US Glass, "We don't want to get comfortable with our success. We need to plan for what we're going to be doing during year 51. We're already working on products and product partnerships that will be launched in the upcoming years."

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