Looking Back at Auto Glass Week™ 2025
by Abby Bowman
For a few short days in mid-September, Reno, the Biggest Little City in Nevada, became the auto glass capital of the world. Industry members from across the globe converged at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center for three days’ worth of seminars, competitions, demonstrations, training and certification co-sponsored by AGRR magazine and the Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC). Here’s a snapshot of what they took in.
Time to Learn
The Auto Glass Week™ (AGW) 2025 educational seminars addressed many of the industry’s most timely topics and provided insights on how to best prepare for an uncertain future.
Dave Leach, chief operating officer of Don’s Mobile Glass in Modesto, California, led a special pre-session workshop called “What Does it Cost? Knowing Your True Cost of Doing Business—One at a Time” the day before AGW officially began. The session helped owners learn the best “business math” to help them succeed.
Each morning began with a “Coffee with…” session where familiar industry faces told their career stories and answered attendee questions. Troy Mason held the first of these sessions. Macenzie and Jennifer Curbow and Jacques Navant served as “baristas” for the other two.
A panel of experts led a highly anticipated seminar on perhaps the hottest topic of them all on the first day of AGW: “Can the Industry be Saved? Does it Need to Be?”
AGSC president Jacques Navant and Dave Leach, both of Don’s Mobile Glass, Larry Diesbach, owner of Impex Auto Glass, Paul Sharkey, owner of Cascade Auto Glass, and Nick Baldi, owner of Auto Glass and Tint Shop, addressed the anxiety many auto glass company owners and managers have been feeling thanks to major insurance and third-party administrator shake-ups.
Navant said that the difficulties the auto glass industry faces today with third-party administrators, insurers and large competitors have been around in some form or another since the 1980s. Leach agreed.
“I’ve been around since ’85, and the issues we’re talking about now are the same we’ve talked about at every single industry event I’ve been to,” said Leach. “The main thing that’s changed is the technology.”
The best way to counteract any potential loss of work from TPA and insurance changes is to build a relationship with the community and establish a reputation of excellence through your marketing, the panel said.
“If your price is the same [as your national competitors], your service is better and you’re local, why wouldn’t customers choose you?” Leach said, adding, “No one’s going to give the job to you. You have to go out and get the business you want.”
It’s also important to stay positive, according to Baldi.
“It’s a blast, what we’re doing,” he said. “We’re determined we’re going to control our destiny and the direction our company goes.”
The first day’s educational sessions concluded with the “Industry Roundtables: How to Dominate in Your Market” session, which provided methods to help business owners position their companies at the top of their markets.
Patricia Smiley, president of Quackt Glass, Peter Brown, president of Tiny & Sons Auto Glass, and Neil Christensen, president of Nu-Vu Auto Glass, shared expert marketing insights to a packed crowd on day two of AGW in the session “High Yield, Low-Cost Marketing: How to Own Your Pond.”
One of the most effective ways panelists said they draw attention to their businesses is through community partnerships. Staying involved endears them to their neighbors, and efforts like sponsoring local high school sports teams puts their logo where many people, especially the kids’ parents, will see it.
Zuhair Madanat, owner of Auto Glass Experts, and Ambar Martinez, owner of Cali Auto Glass, shared how important social media is in humanizing your business in a seminar titled “Effective Social Media.”
“People will come into our shop and say, ‘I saw you online,’” Martinez said, knowing those customers arrive already wanting to support her business.
Several technology-focused sessions rounded out day three, addressing trends in artificial intelligence, recalibration and pre-scans and diagnostic trouble codes.
A panel of representatives from three major auto glass manufacturers spoke on day three. Roberto Mayer of Vitro, Tim Siterlet of Carlex and Jim Ricci of XYG North America outlined some of what’s on the horizon for auto glass makers and answered many questions from a tuned-in audience.
There are a few factors that could soon raise glass costs, according to the panelists. Siterlet said advancing technology, including developments in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and heads-up displays, mean pricier parts. High glass demand means investing in more robotics for manufacturing, according to Mayer, and requires a quicker turnaround, according to Ricci. Both of those mean a price increase.
The panelists also tackled the age-old auto glass question: what do the terms original equipment (OE), original equipment equivalent (OEE) and aftermarket really mean?
On the Floor
Sponsors welcomed attendees to their booths at Auto Glass Week™ 2025 to discuss their latest offerings and to network.
Pictured here are Gilbert Gutierrez and Paul Whitman demonstrating one of Equalizer’s newest offerings: a setting tool for glass roofs called the “Scorpion.” According to Eric Asbery, Equalizer comes back year after year because they can’t get enough of the people.
“We love talking to technicians here, because they use our tools all the time,” he said. “It’s refreshing to hear that they’ve been successful with their tools. It’s also good to find out what they might need or anything they’ve noticed in newer vehicles that may need a tool.”
This is Daniel and Natalie Jaimes’ fourth time at AGW. The couple runs Supreme Auto Glass in Jurupa Valley, California, alongside Daniel’s father, Gerardo Jaimes.
“I love being able to be around so many people that enjoy doing what we do as much as we do,” Daniel Jaimes said.
“We all share something here,” Natalie Jaimes adds.
SRP Products technical innovation manager Dave Safran said telling customers about the importance of properly cleaning glass parts is one of his favorite aspects of AGW.
“We’re about educating the customer and informing them of stuff that they may not be aware of,” he said. Safran also led the SRP Products adhesive training and certification session on the show floor.
The Learning Lab, sponsored by Driven Claims, offered education right on the show floor. AGRR editor Abby Bowman spoke with former Auto Glass Technician Competition (AGTO) gold medalists Ben Rorick, Alfredo Calva and James Chapman about what it takes to be a champion.
For Joseph Gold of Gold Glass–ALP, AGW puts everyone they want to see in one spot.
“It’s where all our customers are,” he said. “Since it was on the West Coast, we got to see a different mix of people.”
Auto Glass Week™ 2025 brought back a popular special event designed to grow the industry while giving teens exciting career prospects. More than 80 students from two local high schools attended AGW to experience firsthand all that the industry has to offer.
Students gathered at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on the morning of September 11 to hear from Caliber Auto Glass experts, including president Troy Mason and Mitch Becker, director of Protech Automotive Solutions. Caliber Auto Glass was the sponsor of Career Day.
After this education, students took to the show floor to experience what it’s like to be an auto glass technician. They watched competitions and demonstrations and talked to sponsors.
Many in the industry have noted a shortage of young people interested in becoming technicians. Career Day teaches teens to explore their options and explains why the auto glass industry is an excellent choice for a career.
Pushing Through Adversity
Brent Gleeson, a Navy SEAL combat veteran, award-winning entrepreneur, two-time bestselling author and Forbes Magazine leadership columnist, gave the keynote address. Gleeson spoke on the skills needed to become a better person and leader. The best leaders, he said, are forged in the face of adversity, and close-knit teams are necessary to overcome obstacles.
AGW by the Numbers
A Global Event
Almost 3,000 people attended AGW 2025 and the 2025 International Window Film Conference and Tint-Off™ in Reno, Nevada. People traveled from across the globe, including Afghanistan, Belarus, Belize, Canada, China, Estonia, France, Germany, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, the Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Kingdom, to be at AGW.
Competing for “World’s Best”
Attendees weren’t the only ones who traveled globally to be at AGW. The competitors did, too.
- 62 competitors
- 7 countries
- 4 competitions
About 70% of the competitors came from the United States. With nine technicians competing, South Korea was the second most represented country. Technicians also came from Canada, Costa Rica, Belarus, France and Taiwan.
Meet the Champs
AGW 2025 attendees had their pick of “souvenirs” to take home from Reno: certifications, new tools, commemorative challenge coins and gold medals. Three industry professionals left the event as AGW competition champions.
AGTO Gold Medalist Raul Plascencia
Direct Quality Auto Glass
San Bernardino, California
AGSC Certified Master Technician
Raul Plascencia got an unusual present for his seventh birthday. Instead of just getting gifts or cake, the 2025 gold medalist got an early start on an auto glass career. His father brought him to work at his auto glass shop that day. While he certainly wasn’t slinging glass or running a bead at age 7, Plascencia said that first day spent with his dad in the shop laid the foundation of a successful career.
That was one of several formative moments in the newly crowned champ’s early years. His family had uprooted their lives and emigrated from Mexico to the United States about five years prior to that first day “on the job,” Plascencia said. He grew up with his cultural identity rooted in both Mexico and the U.S.
“It was hard to really fit in anywhere,” he said.
Like many immigrants, Plascencia had to learn to succeed in life and his career without many resources. That’s part of the reason he wanted to compete in the AGTO.
“I wanted to show that anyone, from any country or any background, can win,” he said.
Plascencia doesn’t plan to compete again, but he’s already set to work making sure other auto glass technicians have what they need to win. He donated his entire prize purse ($10,000) to the Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC) to create a film honoring the winners.
“I’m an AGSC Certified Master Technician,” he said. “AGSC does a lot for the industry, and I want the money to go toward making a bigger change for technicians.”
“Money comes and goes,” he adds. “It is important, but seeing other people win is even better.”
Plascencia said he relied on his family and faith as he trained for the competition. Now that he’s back home, he can say all that work definitely made him a better technician.
“I feel like I leveled up so high that when I got back, I had a whole new perspective,” he said.
As he watched his demo car’s backlite shatter during the finals twist, Plascencia said all that preparation helped him change his approach in about 30 seconds.
“My first thought was, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m going to have to change my entire strategy,’” he said. “I was glad I brought my vacuum and broom.”
The challenge made the scenario feel more like a real-world replacement, he said. Plascencia said that he actually enjoyed it.
“It was fun,” he said. “I’d love to do it again.”
WRO Gold Medalist Bradley Aydelott
Glass Monkey Chip Repair
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
NWRD Certified Repair Technician
AGSC Certified Replacement Technician
“Nobody wants to start a serious journey without guidance,” said Bradley Aydelott, the 2025 GlasWeld Windshield Repair Competition (WRO) champion. He’s had a lot of guidance throughout his career, and this year it helped him win a gold medal.
He turned to the Repair of Laminated Automotive Glass Standard (ROLAGS™) as one of his most important pieces of guidance while preparing for the competition. Aydelott referenced the Standard while practicing every day and studied it to ensure he would be able to explain his work to the competition proctor.
“The more you study the Standard, the more you find yourself being able to explain your process efficiently,” he said.
Aydelott won the WRO silver medal in 2023, but went home empty-handed in 2024. He knew that to win this year’s competition, he’d need a new approach.
“The main thing I was thinking as I prepared for and competed this year was, ‘Boy, I hope the gremlins from last year didn’t follow me,’” he said.
He’d taken a bit of a lone-wolf approach to the 2024 WRO, so he decided to do the opposite this time.
“I leaned into the community of competitors,” Aydelott said. “I got to know everyone, so by the time I was competing alongside them, I wasn’t as nervous. Nerves are the enemy of competition.”
Aydelott found more inspiration to win from his family. His oldest son, Wyatt, was dealing with some challenges.
“I wanted to prove to him that it’s okay to fail, as long as you keep trying,” Aydelott said. “I wanted to get the gold to show him how to persevere.”
Aydelott’s wife, Merri, was at the competition, cheering him on from the sidelines. Now, Aydelott plans to celebrate his win with her and their kids by taking them to Universal Studios.
“I wouldn’t be where I am without my family,” he said.
Calibration Competition Grand Champion and CSR Competition Grand Champion Kenneth White
Optic-Kleer OKC Metro North
Edmond, Oklahoma
Two shiny, new trophies in Optic-Kleer OKC Metro North’s lobby in Edmond, Oklahoma, have been catching customers’ attention. Owner/operator Kenneth White brought them home after competing in the 2025 Calibration and the Customer Service Representative (CSR) Competitions at this year’s Auto Glass Week™ in Reno, Nevada. White said the new trophies give him an opportunity to educate customers coming through his door.
“People are particularly impressed with the Calibration trophy,” he said. “We have gotten several customers ask if we offer [windshield-mounted camera] recalibration, and now I get to say, ‘Yes, in fact, I actually just won the Calibration Competition.’”
The win makes White’s customers confident in his knowledge of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and his ability to properly recalibrate their windshield-mounted cameras. He was already in the habit of showing customers educational material from the Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC), but now customers are even more likely to believe him when he said recalibration is critical.
White said that while customers were already impressed by his 2024 CSR Competition trophy, the second trophy has increased their appreciation of the shop’s customer service even more. In 2024, White was a sole owner/operator. He’s since hired a CSR and is encouraging her to compete in 2026. With two consecutive CSR wins, White said he won’t be doing that competition again.
White also competed in the Windshield Replacement Competition (WRO). While he didn’t get a medal for WRO, White said training for all three competitions made him a better and more confident technician.
“Competing has helped me dig deeper [into industry standards and best practices],” he said. “It encouraged me to pay attention to what [other experts] are saying and to reevaluate my own process to see if there’s anything I could improve.”
He encourages others in the industry to compete, even if they don’t think there’s any way they’d win. The camaraderie with the other competitors makes it a lot less intimidating, he said.
“We all just want to see the industry get better,” he said. “Competing is one way to do that.”
That’s a First: Auto Glass Pros Earn New AGSC Certifications
Attendees at Auto Glass Week™ 2025 took full advantage of the opportunity to return home with up to eight different industry certifications. Two new certifications from the Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC)—Glass Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) Calibration Specialist and Customer Service Representative (CSR)—were particularly popular.
AGSC president Jacques Navant, technical director for Don’s Mobile Glass in Modesto, California, led the training and testing session for the newly launched Glass-ADAS Calibration Specialist certification. Navant hoped it would be well-attended, but he didn’t expect the number of people who actually showed up.
“It was like watching a bathtub fill,” he said. “More and more people kept pouring into the room. We actually had to take down a collapsible wall to fit everyone.”
Around 115 people took the training and certification exam. Glenn Fell, owner of AGSC registered member company Wyndshyld in East Cobb, Georgia, made auto glass history as the first AGSC certified Glass-ADAS Calibration Specialist.
“It’s a huge honor to be able to say that I’m the first with this certification,” Fell said. “It’s an honor just to be able to represent the industry in that way.”
Fell said the certification is particularly valuable as a business owner.
“Safety is one of our number one priorities at Wyndshyld,” he said. “With ADAS as a safety feature, it’s critical that we follow the right procedures when recalibrating windshield-mounted cameras.”
According to Fell, Navant’s instruction covered all the gray areas and technical nuances necessary to really understand how ADAS and recalibration work. Fell felt this would help him ensure he’s performing recalibrations correctly as a technician. As a business owner, he can educate customers about ADAS with a certification to prove he knows what he’s talking about.
The Glass-ADAS Calibration Specialist certification from AGSC is the first of its kind. AGSC president Jacques Navant congratulated Glenn Fell on being the first to get the patch.
AGSC’s CSR certification training and testing also filled the room, according to Jeff Olive, AGSC director of quality and training. Olive co-led this training session with Patricia Smiley, president of Quackt Glass and chair of AGSC’s marketing committee.
“The training went well,” Olive said. “It was a great opportunity for CSRs to present their skills and verify them through certification.”
The training covered all aspects of the auto glass industry a CSR would need to know to interact with customers, including ADAS basics and an overview of the Automotive Glass Replacement Safety Standard™ (AGRSS).
“Customer service is the backbone of every auto glass company,” said Smiley. “CSRs are the liaisons that tie service, operations and sales all together. This is why the customer service certification matters. A company shows its commitment to safety through its service reps and their level of knowledge on critical vehicle safety features.”
Zuhair Madanat, owner of Auto Glass Experts in North Carolina, was the first to become an AGSC certified CSR. He said it’s special to him to be the first, especially because of all the knowledge and experience behind the training and exam.
“CSRs have to know at least some of everything,” Madanat said. “If they don’t do their jobs right, technicians could end up in the wrong place or show up with the wrong part.”
Getting the certification lets him prove he has that knowledge, which helps both him and his business.
“Having certifications like this one from AGSC really helps shops go to another level,” he said, encouraging other shop owners, CSRs and technicians to do the same.
Congratulations, Peter Brown: 2025 Carl F. Tompkins Award Winner
Peter Brown, president of Tiny & Sons Auto Glass in Pembroke, Massachusetts, and vice president of the Auto Glass Safety Council (AGSC), received the Carl F. Tompkins Award for Auto Glass Safety on the first day of AGW 2025. Carl Tompkins himself presented Brown with the award.
“I’m still kind of speechless,” Brown told AGRR magazine later that day. “I was involved in the meetings to name that award, [so it’s an honor to win it now].”
Brown and his brother, Ed Brown, began their auto glass careers in grade school, when they accompanied their father to local scrapyards to cut out windshields for sale. Peter Brown said he’s never forgotten the advice Tompkins gave when he visited Tiny & Sons in those early days.
“The biggest thing Carl told me was the importance of family, both actual family and auto glass family,” Brown said. “We may fight and [metaphorically] throw things at each other, but we always work it out.”
Brown has come a long way since his days in the scrapyard. In 1998, he attended an auto glass training school. It was right around that time that driver’s side airbags became mandatory, and the industry realized just how important windshields are to a vehicle’s structural integrity. Learning proper installation practices became that much more important. Brown has called that training a “defining moment” in his career.
Brown attended his first AGSC meeting around 2011/2012, another pivotal moment in his career. During the meeting, he stood up and talked about the difficulties he and other small shop owners had to face on a daily basis. In Brown’s words, he metaphorically “threw a chair.” After the meeting, Bob Rosenfield of J.N. Phillips took him aside and gave him some advice he never forgot:
“If you’re frustrated and want to change things, you need to get involved.”
So Brown did get involved. He’s been instrumental in keeping the AGRSS™ Standard up to date with the latest advancements and has been one of the driving forces behind updating it to account for advanced driver assistance systems and windshield-mounted camera recalibration.
He’s also been a pivotal part of developing AGSC’s newest credentials, the Glass-ADAS Calibration Specialist and CSR certifications. He also looks forward to making sure companies of all sizes, but especially small ones, know that despite industry headwinds, they have a friend and supporter in AGSC.
Now, when Brown sees the frustration in the industry, he responds to it with the same advice Bob Rosenfield gave him:
“If you’re upset, join AGSC. Let’s be the change.”
Standing in the Hall of Fame
Several pillars of the auto glass industry were honored during a special ceremony at AGW. Meet the second annual inductees to the Auto Glass Hall of Fame.
Don Monaco
Don’s Mobile Glass
Don Monaco was the only living inductee for the 2025 Auto Glass Hall of Fame. Monaco joined the Navy at 17 and went to work for a glass company not long after leaving the service. He soon founded his own auto glass company, one of the first-ever mobile auto glass companies. Don’s Mobile Glass now offers multiple glass services, including auto glass, in Modesto, California.
Ray Asbery
Equalizer
Eric Asbery, CEO of Equalizer, accepted the Hall of Fame award on behalf of his late father, Ray Asbery. The elder Asbery was first introduced to the world of auto glass during his first job post-college as an auto body shop parts runner. He opened his own garage in the ’60s. A tricky windshield removal in the ’80s prompted him to invent “The Equalizer,” a powered reciprocating tool for glass removal. That tool blossomed into a whole company which, by the ’90s, was recognized as a global leader in auto glass tools.
Wes Topping
Elite Auto Glass
Lee Topping accepted the Hall of Fame award on behalf of his late father, Wes Topping. Wes Topping spent 20 years working for Pilkington before transitioning to Windshields America and then became president of Elite Auto Glass. He organized the sale of Elite Auto Glass to Belron in 2005. Elite was U.K.-based Belron’s first United States acquisition. Topping also helped create the Chicago Group, which offered an alternative pricing system to the National Auto Glass Specifications (NAGS).
Joseph “Joe” Kellman
Globe Glass and Mirror
Lyle Hill accepted the Hall of Fame award on behalf of the late Joseph Kellman. Kellman entered the industry as a young teen, leaving high school to help in his father’s glass shop. Kellman went on to found Globe Glass and Mirror and U.S. Auto Glass. When those companies merged with Windshields America in 1996, they became Vistar, a nationwide company with unprecedented growth. Kellman’s legacy lives on in his philanthropic work in his Chicago community, including the country’s first corporate-sponsored public school.
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