Jim Skyberg uses some of his “private label” window cleaner to spiff up a display at the Midwest Glass showroom; he’s getting ready for next week’s 36th anniversary celebration.

The baseball that went through the living room window, the golf-ball sized hailstones that smashed the SUV’s windshield, the glare in the offices on the west side of the manufacturing plant …

Those are all things that Midwest Glass has been able to install, replace and repair in Brookings – and beyond – since its founding in 1974.

But some people in the community still don’t know what Midwest Glass has to offer.

“We had a Chamber mixer here a while back,” owner Jim Skyberg said, “and a local insurance agent had thought we only did auto glass. He came in surprised and said, ‘I didn’t know you did all this!’

“Auto glass is a very small part of our business volume. We have commercial projects and do so many different things – anywhere from putting a piece of glass into a picture frame to big glazing jobs to automatic entrance doors.

Some people don’t realize how diversified we really are, and we joke about that sometimes.”

In fact, automotive windshield and window replacement is only one facet of a growing, changing business. Commercial glass – store windows and glass for apartment and office buildings – is the largest part of Midwest Glass operations these days. The company’s commercial division can build a complete storefront, an entrance or a curtain wall, install skylights and sun-control devices, or consult with a property owner on the value of thermal-barrier windows.

On the residential side, Midwest Glass carries Larson doors as well as other top-of-the line brands, skylights, mirrors, sunrooms, custom and replacement windows and shower enclosures.

And they’ll sell you a single pane of glass if you want to fix a broken window yourself.

Having served eastern South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota for more than three decades, the Brookings company is set to celebrate its 36th anniversary Thursday with an open house at its South Main headquarters.

There will be windows and mirrors and doors galore to see, all professionally staged in Midwest’s spacious showroom, but one item that will get a lot of attention at the open house will be the Midwest Glass private-label Glass Cleaner No. 1973 (open house limit, two per customer).

The streak-free cleaner has been Midwest’s “little secret,” popular among customers since the company took root in Brookings.

“We used to buy it just to use generally in our shop,” said Skyberg. “The stuff is very good … It works great, especially if you use a terrycloth towel instead of a paper towel. But you can also use one of those cheap dollar-store-brand paper towels that are lotion-free, and it works just as good.”



First footsteps

In early 1974, Skyberg, who was then working for Schubloom Glass out of De Smet, saw the need for a glass company in Brookings. Traveling back and forth to work on the Staurolite Inn, Skyberg had a late-night conversation with his boss, Wendell Schubloom, and that set the wheels in motion for Brookings’ first glass-and-mirror company.

“He said to me, ‘If you want to run it, we will start a glass company there,’” Skyberg recalls.

The beginnings were modest.

“At that time, I sold my equipment and truck back to him,” Skyberg said. “I came over by myself initially and hired another guy that summer.”

Renting a 60-by-40-foot space on Third Avenue South, the company got off to a running start with its first contract, the windows for the Brookings Mall.

By the summer of 1977, the business added automotive glass with the purchase of Dakota Windshield Service. By 1978, Skyberg had bought into the company – he was now half-owner – and Midwest Glass was growing rapidly, adding more employees.

A few years later, in 1985, Midwest took on another market when it added residential replacement windows and doors to the company’s lineup.



Continuing Growth

Currently employing 20 employees, Midwest Glass has been involved recently with the glazing for the Avera Health and Science Center on the SDSU campus, the Wellness Center, the Children’s Museum of South Dakota, the Dykhouse Student-Athlete Center, the Innovation Campus buildings and Jackrabbit Village.

“Right now, the economy is having an effect on us,” said Skyberg. “Our backlog of work in front of us is smaller now than it has been recently. But there are big jobs coming up, and we are optimistic. We keep picking up smaller jobs on a steady basis.”

Since 1999, the company has seen considerable growth, and that coincides with an expansion of its service area. While trying to stay within a 60- to 70- mile radius of Brookings, Midwest Glass has picked up several sizable jobs in Pierre, Aberdeen and Sioux Falls, as well as Marshall and Redwood Falls in Minnesota.

“We decided to look out a little bit farther outside of Brookings,” Skyberg said. “We actually increased our business considerably. We started doing things differently and kind of changed our philosophy on how we needed to do business. We always tried to be competitive on our bidding, but we knew that if we were going to grow, commercial was one area that we could grow.”

Despite its regional work, the company still sees most of its profit from local projects. Of an estimated $3.2 million the company took in last year, more than $2.25 million of that was from work within the city of Brookings.



Giving back

Jim and his wife Joanne moved to Brookings in April of 1974. Joanne has been employed with South Dakota State University since the family arrived and is currently an agency integration specialist, working with student records.

The couple’s oldest son, Brad, works with Midwest Glass in the sales department. Daughter Stacey, married with four kids, lives in Savannah, Ga., and youngest son Matt is in school working toward a degree in landscape architecture.

Midwest Glass’ mission statement makes mention of the desire to be a good steward to the community, and the fingerprints of that philosophy can be found across Brookings. With the three kids, the Skybergs have always been active in the community, sponsoring numerous local sports programs. The business has been influential in the new Larson Ice Arena as a major contributor and subcontractor. And along the way, Midwest Glass has also been involved with the Boys and Girls Club as well as the United Way. Another project that the company was involved with was Vision Brookings 2010, where it is a Silver Investor.

“Brookings has been good to us,” said Skyberg. “If you are going to be a part of the community, you’ve got to participate in more than just taking.

“Anybody who is in business has someone knocking on the door all the time, and we try to support most local charities as much as we can. We’ve got a scholarship up at SDSU, and we donate a fair amount to the SDSU Foundation.

“I hope we have been good stewards in the community; we try to be involved.”



The Midwest Glass Customer Appreciation Day next Thursday, July 29, will feature free hot dogs, pop and ice cream from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Visitors can register for door prizes at the anniversary celebration, which runs from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Midwest Glass showroom is located at 1333 Main Ave. S.