Executive Director Lisa Parks has been with Delphi Glass for 19 years. “My background was in big box store management for K-Mart and Walmart,”she explained. When her husband moved here for medical school and she started working for a local business, she wasn’t sure what to expect.
“There was so much to learn about the product and the industry, so that captured my attention right away.”
The 4,200 sq ft facility off of Jolly rd. was started in 1972 by Dan Daniels who wanted to bring glass artistry into people’s homes. Lisa Parks has proudly led the company through exponential growth, and today, Delphi glass employs 32 staff members and exports glass to more than 200 countries.
Because it is such a niche industry, Parks says that most of the glass blowing staff are trained from the ground up. While on a tour, we observed Roy Kapp and Isabelle Churchill, who demonstrated glassblowing techniques at the indoor furnace.
Delphi has five different types of glass products including stained glass, mosaics, fused glass, torch work, and the furnace. Although most people think of Delphi Glass as the place to take a fun workshop with an artist, 90% of the business is shipped through the back. Parks explained, “only 10% of our business comes through the front door.”
All but a handful of the glass sold through Delphi is made in the United States. It is shipped to Michigan from places like Indiana, West Virginia, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. Delphi glass ships raw materials to artisans and storefronts around the world. They have a robust e-commerce website and, although much has changed in their industry over their last 52 years, their slogan remains, “Delphi Makes It Easy.”
Delphi Glass is located at 3380 E. Jolly Rd in Lansing. Call (517) 394-4685 or visit their Facebook Page or website for more information.