Paragon Tempered Glass is a specialty custom glass fabricator. Based in Antwerp, OH, the business began in 1977 in Paulding, OH in a horse barn by brothers George and Don Rhonehouse. Their father, George Sr, had worked with the famous Harold McMaster, the inventor of tempered glass. Fortune 500 magazine called Mr. McMaster “The Glass Genius”. Mr. McMaster was from the Henry County area and graduated from Defiance College and The Ohio State University. Tempered glass is widely used around the world and almost everyone has benefitted and observed the world through this amazing invention.
Within the first year of business, the Rhonehouse brothers were given the opportunity to build a tempering furnace for a customer. In 1978, due to lack of space for this furnace, the site was moved to Antwerp and the original building still exists in the northeast corner of the complex. In 1980, the business was purchased by Glasstech, Inc. out of Perrysburg. During the next decade the company experienced steady growth, turning out quality products and gaining the respect throughout the industry. This growth was spurred by the surging recreational vehicle industry in Elkhart Indiana where 80% of the RV’s in the US are manufactured. By 1987 the company boasted almost $13 million in sales and employed 200. The plant grew in stages during this time but by the end of the 1980’s the competition for this glass tempering became intense. It was at this time that Glasstech decided to focus on building tempering furnaces. In 1990, the company changed its name to Spec Temp- specializing in fine tempered glass. Spec Temp focused on cutting edge equipment and became ISO: 9002 certified in 1995. Since then the company has gone through several plant renovations and multiple owners until it merged with Tem-Pace, located in Niles, MI., in 2012 and became known as Paragon Tempered Glass.
Paragon produces both flat and bent tempered glass as well as insulated glass, to meet the demands for strength, thermal and aesthetic quality glass products. You can find tempered glass in architectural doors and windows, vending machines and laboratory equipment, solar panels, refrigeration, food service equipment, home appliances, shower enclosures and aquariums. You can find it in aircrafts, boats, construction, ATV, military and agricultural equipment as well as cars, truck caps, heavy duty trucks and limousines. All glass is made and sold in the U.S.
“What separates us from our competition is our customer service and timelines.” stated Dan Wright, President of Paragon Tempered Glass. Paragon prides themselves in providing quality glass products and on-time performance. They have scored a 98% in customer surveys and boast of nearly 40 years’ experience in glass fabrication and each product is reinforced by their product warranty. Quality is measured on 3 levels including: customer satisfaction, on-time delivery and defect rate which is monitored by the in-house quality lab.
Paragon has a second plant in Niles, Michigan employing 87. It is smaller than the Antwerp facility which employs 104 people. Paragon runs three shifts and they are always looking for quality, creative and independent thinking workers that desire to work close to home. Paragon offers health insurance, profit sharing and cross training. The administration is committed to investing in this plant ($3 million in capital investments over the last 3 years) and look forward to being part of the community for a long, long time. A commitment to this plant is a commitment to the Antwerp community.
We, the Antwerp Chamber of Commerce, look forward to working with Paragon Tempered Glass for many years to come.
