Meet Mike Hammond
Manager, Technical Support, Vitro Architectural Glass
Mike Hammond knows just about everything there is to know about glass manufacturing. While he currently uses that knowledge to provide technical support to customers in the Vitro Certified™ Network, Mike’s journey began more than 25 years ago at a then-PPG Industries manufacturing plant in Wichita Falls, Texas.
“I started in the hot end, where we melt and form the glass,” Mike said. “Then I spent a significant amount of time working at the cold end of the factory at the Vitro plant in Carlisle, Pa., which is where we cut, package and ship the product to our customers.”
After several years working in a series of tank, enterprise excellence and wareroom roles, Mike wanted to use his strong manufacturing background to help support customers and grow Vitro’s business. Luckily, a technical services role opened up at just the right time.
“Working in technical services has given me the opportunity to support Vitro’s plans for growth while using my knowledge and skills to assist our customers,” he said. “I love being able to travel to our customer locations and provide onsite technical support.”
As Vitro’s manager of technical support, Mike strikes a good balance between time in the office and face-to-face interaction with customers. He regularly conducts both performance calculations and audits for VCN members. He also helps lead Vitro’s embodied carbon efforts, as well as product stewardship initiatives such as the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ products program and environmental product declarations (EPDs).
Mike said despite his vast manufacturing experience, there’s always more room to keep learning and growing in his current role.
“One of the things I like best about my role is the opportunity to continue to learn, ask questions and do my own research to better educate myself on a variety of important aspects of our organization,” he said.
Mike isn’t the only one asking questions. He’s on the receiving end of questions from customers, account managers, architectural managers and more, every day. He relies on his decades of manufacturing, production and leadership expertise to help answer their questions and meet their specific needs.
“It’s really helped to have a broad range of knowledge,” he said. “If you haven’t worked on a manufacturing floor, you may not understand exactly what a customer is dealing with. My background helps me empathize with that. I tell them, ‘I understand what you’re going through, and here are some things I’ve learned over my career that might help you.’”
Through all his different job positions for the last 26 years, from Wichita Falls all the way to Pittsburgh, Mike’s commitment to helping customers has continued to grow.
“It’s something I’ve always had a passion for,” he said. “I want to continue to develop additional knowledge and understanding so that we, as an organization, can continue to help make the world a little better.”
Outside the office, Mike loves spending time outdoors, particularly camping, hiking, hunting and fishing. Being outside gives him the opportunity to catch some fresh air and recharge his batteries.
“I enjoy it all,” he said. “I enjoy the mountains and being at a lake. I enjoy being at the beach and the ocean. Even when it’s 22 degrees outside, I make time to go outside and just enjoy the outdoors and the wildlife.”
Moving forward, Mike is eager to keep leading the charge with Vitro’s product stewardship initiatives while still offering his trademark guidance and expertise to VCN members.
To get in touch with Mike, please contact him via email: MHammond@vitro.com.
