Long-time safety advocate and volunteer for the Auto Glass Safety Council™ (AGSC) Chris Umble will retire from his position of vice president of sales initiatives for LYNX Services in June.
Umble, who has been with LYNX since it was founded by PPG Industries in 1994, has long volunteered his time to the AGSC, speaking at a number of its conferences over the years and serving as a member of the AGSC Standards Committee and Marketing Committee.
Looking ahead, Umble is optimistic about the future of the AGSC.
“What is most encouraging is that the Council and its members today are primarily centered upon advancing the industry and its standards relative to safety,” says Umble. “The focus on safe windshield installations has both a consumer benefit and a direct link to quality; quality has benefits to consumers, too, in terms of satisfaction but also delivers a return on investment to the shops that adhere to the Standard in terms of higher customer satisfaction/retention and reduced re-work.”
He adds, “The mission is safety; the by-products of safety, most especially quality, provide benefits to both the consumer and to the practitioner. In the long run this will provide business opportunities, but the central mission must remain focused on accepting and promoting the accountability that goes with performing work to the Standard. That’s the value creation component that the AGSC delivers.”
Umble says the goal of his commitment to the AGSC over the years has been to “[seek] the means to help define quality and safety in terms of the solutions our company delivers.”
“LYNX Services has been focused on creating methodologies that enable glass installation professionals to differentiate on the basis of quality and service, and the AGSC becomes a natural partner in defining what quality is on an objective basis,” says Umble. “AGSC has many component parts including marketing, training and certification, and other means for the real practitioners in this industry, the auto glass service companies, to distinguish themselves through their work. We have worked to advance the understanding of these opportunities and attributes across the auto glass supply chain.”
Additionally, Umble says being involved in the AGSC has been an opportunity to learn. “Many of the best thinkers and practitioners in the auto glass business are committed to the the AGRSS Standard®, and many currently, or in the past, have served on the AGSC,” he says. “I like to think I have contributed to the Council through our participation, but there is no question but that I have learned a great deal.”
The company plans to split Umble’s responsibilities between two executives, effective June 30. LYNX hired Brady Bonner as vice president of sales and marketing in November 2014, and he will have chief commercial responsibility for sales and marketing. He will be supported by Paul McFarland, director of glass operations for LYNX, who will handle the supply chain side of the job.
Umble says he and his wife have many plans, “most of them centering around home, family and friends,” for his retirement.
“Our schedules have demanded us to be away from home for significant periods in our careers, and we want to do alot of the simple things with family, our home and our friends that we have delayed due to work commitments until this stage of life,” says Umble. “So, really no big elaborate plans. I am sure we will do some traveling, after the appeal of just staying home wears off a bit. I have been asked if I will go in to consulting; I have no specific plans in that regard however certainly a chance to stay involved in some limited or defined capacity may be appealing after the dust settles.”
He adds, “I have said that carreers end; friendships don’t. I am deeply grateful for the many relationships that have made my work more rewarding and meaningful, and for the life-long friendships that will endure.”