Solvay Glass is expanding with new showroom, bath line

SYRACUSE  —  Solvay Glass is preparing to open a new window of opportunity this spring with a renovated showroom. 

“Getting people into the showroom is going to be exciting now,” says Lisa Husnay, marketing director at Solvay Glass. “We’ve got beautiful displays.”

The business is in the process of redoing the showroom at its headquarters at 735 Erie Blvd. West in Syracuse. Improvements include new lighting, new tile floors, and fresh product displays. Workers are also moving some showroom walls to give the area a more open feel.

Solvay Glass employees are performing the renovations, which are scheduled to be completed in time for a grand showroom opening in April. The remodeling will likely cost between $75,000 and $100,000, although the company does not have a final price tag because the work is not complete.

The Syracuse headquarters, which is the company’s only location, is 20,000 square feet. About 7,000 square feet are dedicated to showroom and office space, while warehouse space makes up the remaining 13,000 square feet.

Solvay Glass has owned the building since 1995, when it purchased the structure for $450,000, according to records from the Onondaga County Office of Real Property Tax Services. Solvay Glass’s original home was 1209 Milton Ave. in Syracuse.

Solvay Glass installs storm doors, windows, custom-designed shower enclosures, mirrors, and sunrooms. It also repairs glass and screens, finishes basements, and installs bathtubs and bath liners.

In February, the company switched to a new bathtub and bath-liner supplier — Palatine, Ill.–based Bath Planet. The new supplier’s products come in a range of colors and styles that are a far cry from traditional white bathtubs, Husnay says.

“A liner is a liner — that’s what we all fell into,” she says. “Now? No way. It’s more exciting. It’s one of the things you look for.”

The new line of bathtubs should help Solvay Glass increase its share of the Central New York bath market, according to Charles Cometti, company owner and general manager.

He estimates the business has about 5 percent of the local bath market now, but believes it could grow to 15 percent to 20 percent.

“This is like the next generation of bath and shower remodeling,” he says. “It meets the styling of the bathrooms today.”

And bathrooms are often in need of updating, according to Cometti.

“Bathrooms get dated relatively quickly today,” he says. “Unfortunately, today builders are using less-expensive materials just to stay competitive.”

Cometti, who is the son of Solvay Glass founder Henry Cometti, declined to name the company’s former bathtub supplier. He also did not reveal the share of the company’s business that comes from bathtubs and bath liners.

Solvay Glass generated between $4 million and $5 million in revenue in 2011, Cometti says. He expects that to grow 10 percent or more in 2012, which would put revenue over the $5 million mark.

He also expects to boost employment in the next several years. Solvay Glass currently employs 35 full-time employees and 12 to 15 seasonal workers. The business could expand its work force by about 10 percent over two years, Cometti says. That would match the company’s employment growth in recent years — its employment rolls grew by 10 percent in the last two years.

Solvay Glass serves areas within a 60-mile radius of Syracuse. Cometti says the business may consider expanding its territory in the next year to 90 miles or 120 miles. However, that expansion would not involve adding a second location.

SYRACUSE  —  Solvay Glass is preparing to open a new window of opportunity this spring with a renovated showroom. 

“Getting people into the showroom is going to be exciting now,” says Lisa Husnay, marketing director at Solvay Glass. “We’ve got beautiful displays.”

The business is in the process of redoing the showroom at its headquarters at 735 Erie Blvd. West in Syracuse. Improvements include new lighting, new tile floors, and fresh product displays. Workers are also moving some showroom walls to give the area a more open feel.

Solvay Glass employees are performing the renovations, which are scheduled to be completed in time for a grand showroom opening in April. The remodeling will likely cost between $75,000 and $100,000, although the company does not have a final price tag because the work is not complete.

The Syracuse headquarters, which is the company’s only location, is 20,000 square feet. About 7,000 square feet are dedicated to showroom and office space, while warehouse space makes up the remaining 13,000 square feet.

Solvay Glass has owned the building since 1995, when it purchased the structure for $450,000, according to records from the Onondaga County Office of Real Property Tax Services. Solvay Glass’s original home was 1209 Milton Ave. in Syracuse.

Solvay Glass installs storm doors, windows, custom-designed shower enclosures, mirrors, and sunrooms. It also repairs glass and screens, finishes basements, and installs bathtubs and bath liners.

In February, the company switched to a new bathtub and bath-liner supplier — Palatine, Ill.–based Bath Planet. The new supplier’s products come in a range of colors and styles that are a far cry from traditional white bathtubs, Husnay says.

“A liner is a liner — that’s what we all fell into,” she says. “Now? No way. It’s more exciting. It’s one of the things you look for.”

The new line of bathtubs should help Solvay Glass increase its share of the Central New York bath market, according to Charles Cometti, company owner and general manager.

He estimates the business has about 5 percent of the local bath market now, but believes it could grow to 15 percent to 20 percent.

“This is like the next generation of bath and shower remodeling,” he says. “It meets the styling of the bathrooms today.”

And bathrooms are often in need of updating, according to Cometti.

“Bathrooms get dated relatively quickly today,” he says. “Unfortunately, today builders are using less-expensive materials just to stay competitive.”

Cometti, who is the son of Solvay Glass founder Henry Cometti, declined to name the company’s former bathtub supplier. He also did not reveal the share of the company’s business that comes from bathtubs and bath liners.

Solvay Glass generated between $4 million and $5 million in revenue in 2011, Cometti says. He expects that to grow 10 percent or more in 2012, which would put revenue over the $5 million mark.

He also expects to boost employment in the next several years. Solvay Glass currently employs 35 full-time employees and 12 to 15 seasonal workers. The business could expand its work force by about 10 percent over two years, Cometti says. That would match the company’s employment growth in recent years — its employment rolls grew by 10 percent in the last two years.

Solvay Glass serves areas within a 60-mile radius of Syracuse. Cometti says the business may consider expanding its territory in the next year to 90 miles or 120 miles. However, that expansion would not involve adding a second location.