Linda Vos-Graham, president of Vos Glass Inc., and E. Edward Williams, retired president and CEO of Edwards Glass Co., were among the 2013 inductees to the Michigan Construction Hall of Fame. Vos-Graham and Williams, along with three other Michigan construction industry leaders, were inducted into the Hall of Fame during a formal ceremony on Oct. 24 at Ferris State University’s Granger Center for Construction and HVACR.
Vos-Graham is among the first women to be inducted into the Michigan Construction Hall of Fame—the 2013 class of inductees includes three women, who are the first women to receive the recognition since the program began in 2003, according to an Oct. 17 article from the Grand Rapids Business Journal. Vos-Graham began working at the Grand Rapids-based glass company when it was founded by her father in 1982; she became primary owner and president in 2001, according to the article.
Under Vos-Graham’s leadership, the company has doubled in size, employing nearly 60 people and boasting an excess of $10 million in annual sales, according to the Michigan Construction Hall of Fame. She was named one of the 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan in 2010 and 2012, served as the first female president of the American Subcontractors Association of Michigan, and was the founding president of the Michigan Glass Association. Her efforts with the Michigan Glass Association helped enact legislation banning insurance companies from restricting customer choice for auto glass repair, according to the Hall of Fame.
Williams jointed the glass industry in 1952, when he and his brother-in-law, Peter Iovan, formed Iovan Glass Co. “On his last day at the company, Williams suffered a serious cut on his arm. Recovering, he studied jobsites to improve safety in workflow, installation procedures, timing and shipping practices. Instrumental in creating the Michigan Safety Glazing Code, he also became the first contractor in Southeast Michigan to use the ‘sling pack’ delivery method,” according to the Michigan Construction Hall of Fame.
In 1955, he launched Edwards Glass Co., in Livonia, Mich. The company has provided glass installations on several notable building projects. The company won the Detroit Glass Dealer of the Year Award in 1972 and 1973, National Glass Dealer of the Year Award in 1972, and was inducted into the National Glass Dealer Association’s National Glass and Metal Hall of Fame in 1998.
The inductees to the Michigan Construction Hall of Fame were selected by the Home Builders Association of Michigan, Associated of Builders and Contractors of Michigan, Associated General Contractors of Michigan, Construction Association of Michigan and the Michigan Infrastructure and Transportation Association, according to the Grand Rapids Business Journal.
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