Glass Magazine honored DecoTherm General Manager, Scott Surma as one of the glass industry’s most talented people under 40 years old. Scott, along with 19 others were chosen for the “20 Under 40” honors among over 100 nominations.

“I really enjoy working with glass,” Surma says. “I’ve gotten hooked on it … the creative process working with new projects and challenges. My job is to supply solutions. Architects have ideas, but they are not always feasible or practical or have been done before. My job is to find unique solutions for them.”

Surma is an active member of the Glass Association of North America, Topeka, Kan., serving as the chair of the Decorative Division’s marketing committee.  “The guy knows his stuff, and people know him or will,” says Kris Vockler, vice president, ICD High Performance Coatings, Vancouver, who chairs the Decorative Division. “He is a true leader who creates excitement and drive for those who follow him.”

DecoTherm’s digital, ceramic frit glass decoration is a patented process for placing graphic designs permanently on glass without sandblasting or screen printing. The company licenses its technology to glass fabricators; its licensee base tripled in size in 2007 and is projected to grow by more then 50 percent in 2008.