Week 16 Day 2: Paul Wissmach and Marble King

Paul Wissmach Glass Company

Wissmach Glass is a manufacture of flat art glass that is used for many applications, but the most notable are stained glass windows. They also made the flat glass with the chicken wire that was found in many schools in the 20th century. As we discussed as a group about this company, we all came to an impression that this company reaches globally, which is great for West Virginia. Many students think WV is not a contender on the global stage, but WV has a lot to offer to the world than just coal. Even tough coal is the top export, one can see the diversity of WV and the products that are made within.

Websites

• 2009 Top Employers in WV
• News Article: 2013 WV Exports
• News Article 2: 2012 WV Exports

Marble King

Paden City, WV

Beri Fox

Marble King was are second glass company to visit, and unfortunately the machines were down for maintenance. During our time there we learned about the history of Marble King and the drive of the owner to keep the company alive and to educate children about marbles and business. Beri Fox is a great ambassador for local WV businesses and a passionate individual for keeping glass making alive in WV.

One reason Marble King was able to survive the ups and downs of the economy is due to the collaboration with West Virginia University. With this collaboration allowed Marble King to reduce natural gas prices by 31%, due to the more efficient furnaces that WVU helped to design. Before the advent of these furnaces, Marble King would run 32 furnaces to make all the marbles for the supply.