NGA honored the many volunteers dedicating their time to industry advancement during the Volunteer Celebration Dinner, Feb. 4, at NGA Glass Conference: Carlsbad.
NGA named Rob Carlson, Tristar Glass Products, the 2025 Volunteer of the Year award, recognizing his dedication to many industry causes.
"Thank you to all of our volunteers. We truly couldn't do any of this really important work without you," said Aaron Thompson, principal research engineer at Viracon, during his remarks. "Every year, we select an individual as Volunteer of the Year to highlight someone that really stands out to the industry. This year, several members said that this person should win the award. One of the people that recommended this individual said his dedication and commitment have made a true difference in the glass industry."
In accepting the Volunteer of the Year Award, Carlson emphasized the value of active participation in industry task groups, encouraging others to get involved at any level to help shape the future of the glass industry.
"I think that being involved in these task groups, being a part of the glass association, it's such a wonderful opportunity to control your own destiny. You get to be someone who makes a change for something that impacts your business and your industry. You get to be involved," Carlson said. "This is very driven by voluntary participation and this wouldn't exist if everybody wasn't here and didn't come and actively participate," Carlson finished. "The more participation, the better. Thank you all very much for this award. I really appreciate it."
NGA also honored several volunteers with custom NGA rally scarves. Honorees include Aaron Thompson, Viracon, Rob Carlson, Tristar, Julia Schimmelpenningh, Eastman, Kayla Natividad, Pilkington Architectural Glass, Vaughn Schauss, Kuraray America, Inc., Michael Saroka, Goldray Glass, Bobby Chestnut, Walker Glass Company Ltd, Jon Griggs, Guardian Glass North America.
Find more coverage of NGA Glass Conference: Carlsbad on glass.org, and on LinkedIn.