The Ins and Outs of Quality Windows and Doors
General Impact Glass & Windows Corp. keeps South Florida on the
unbreakable edge of glass innovation
Windows and doors in our homes, offices, restaurants and stores bear greater challenges than people often realize. The expectation is that they let in sunshine, light and even a cool breeze when opened; but they also must keep out heat, harmful UV rays, rain and high winds.
Tony Zuniga, owner of General Impact Glass & Windows Corp., knows this is especially true in South Florida. When not installing or selling, he’s educating people on what window and door choices can meet the weather-related expectations in the region. His product familiarity and natural congeniality make his presentations both meaningful and memorable.
While Florida is known as the Sunshine State, it is impacted by more hurricanes than any other U.S. state. In the 166 years of official records, only 18 hurricane seasons have passed without Florida being hit. The quality of today’s glass doors and windows do well to address this dichotomy—as long as wise product decisions are made.
“We love this market,” says Zuniga. “Everybody loves the outdoors and the weather, even though at times it’s inclement. That’s when good windows come into the picture.”
Oceanfront Possibilities
Zuniga actually started delivering “hurricane protection” by selling shutters door to door in the South Florida area in the early 1990s. He concentrated his efforts on businesses along the vibrant Calle Ocho area of the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami. His business grew to be one of the largest in the area.
Founded in 1993, General Impact designs, fabricates and installs hurricane impact storefronts, doors, windows and railings. The company serves commercial and residential customers, as well as general contractors. Its 80 employees work out of a 60,000-square-foot facility in Hialeah, Fla.
As the glass industry evolved, so did Zuniga. The shutter business was becoming the lesser of the best options since glass manufacturers were making great strides to produce glass with extreme strength and yet still complementary to a structure’s design and occupants’ desires to let the sun shine in.
Initially, he was a dealer for a distributor, but he soon realized that many needed customized installations that were also affordable.
The team at General Impact recognized that providing customers with what they wanted and using their superior NOA (Notice of Acceptance) products was the way to go.
Since the start of his business, Zuniga has brought on engineers who are just as much a part of each customer’s projects as the installers. The engineers stay abreast of glass innovations so the company can compete well by offering the best, most secure, highest quality products on the market.
The company meets Miami-Dade County standards and exceeds the state’s building code requirements. Currently, General Impact retains the NOAs from Miami-Dade for 11 types of impact-resistant windows and doors. These include everything from storefront systems to fixed windows, casement windows, single-hung windows, horizontal windows, sliding glass doors and both commercial and residential French doors.
“Our team of engineers designs and tests our products before we pursue product approvals,” says Zuniga. He fondly refers to the company’s engineering department as “the lab.”
See Clearly
No job is too big for General Impact. For example, consider the contemporary urban Caspian Delray Beach, a $685,000 project for the company. The mixed-use commercial and residential property features a storefront design with plenty of inviting windows at street level and a variety of doors and windows in the upscale apartments on the other three floors.
Sales Director Jose Ruiz says about 40 percent of the company’s work is commercial and the remaining 60 percent is residential and multi-family, like the Caspian.
In another multifamily property, the firm recently completed a $1.2 million project, providing glazing for the 22-story Dominion Towers, near Marlins Park, home of the Miami Marlins baseball team. The structure features an extensive expanse of windows.
Ruiz notes the company installs upgraded windows and doors to existing structures almost as often as it installs windows and doors for new construction projects. This is partly due to the fact that glass technology has greatly improved since the time when many businesses and homes were built prior to the turn of the century.
Glass brings peace of mind to people, Ruiz says. “Today’s glass windows and doors enhance security, reduce noise, save energy and even lower insurance premiums,” he explains.
Laminated glass is the primary way these benefits become reality for a building. Laminated glass is the fusion of two glass panes with an inner layer of a polyvinyl butyral (PVB) or SentryGlas® Plus (SGP) Kuraray product. Called “hurricane impact glass,” it is designed to not fragment when shattered, thus reducing the potential for injury. Zuniga says, “Our laminated glass products reduce these effects: the ravages of storms, forced entry, sound transmission and water and air infiltration.”
Ruiz explains that insulated glass offers other advantages. It is the best way to reduce heat transfer due to the argon gas and additional glass preparation.
Zuniga takes great pride in providing a quality product for the South Florida region. In fact, his team has taken on the work ethic and commitment to quality that Zuniga modeled when he first entered the shutter business, says Ruiz. He plans to continue working alongside his team—starting with the collaborative engineering of products to design the most precise glass systems in the industry.