The Architectural Glass and Metal Certification Council (AGMCC) hosted its annual meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, October 23-24. During the meeting, AGMCC announced a new website and continued progress with both the North American Contractor Certification (NACC) and Architectural Glass and Metal Technician (AGMT) programs, North America’s only third-party credentials for glazing contractors and glaziers.

AGMT and NACC are administered by AMS, Inc. and sponsored by AGMCC, which oversees both programs. The 18-member AGMCC board provides a balanced voice and industry perspective. Over 40 representatives of the board, committees, certified glazing contractors, and stakeholders were in attendance for the meeting.

“The annual meeting provides an opportunity to bring NACC and AGMT together through a methodical approach and open dialogue to realize the full potential impact of AGMCC’s mission in the industry,” said Terry Schaefer, vice president of AMS, Inc. “Both programs provide a mechanism to mitigate risk for glazing project stakeholders by providing verified evidence of contractors’ and glaziers’ adherence to the highest industry standards and best business practices.”

“We continue to see new faces at the public meetings and at the board level, explained Rodney Harvey, AGMCC board chair and principal of Curtain Wall Design Consulting, Inc. “There is a strong commitment to broad industry and stakeholder representation on the board. Maintaining this commitment allows us the opportunity to hear the voices of our loudest critics and strongest supporters. We must hear both to choose the appropriate path forward to serve participants and stakeholders.”

NACC and AGMT program highlights announced at the meeting include:

• NACC experienced 17.6 percent net growth in 2024 with 80 contractors certified and another 20 currently undergoing the certification process.
• NACC saw a 27 percent increase in 2024 specification references (as shown in Dodge Analytics).
• NACC has been included in over 5,900 projects across North America in the last six years.
• AGMT experienced 17.0 percent net growth in 2024 with 1,847 installers certified and counting.
• AGMT has an 84 percent overall certification rate.
• Dainis & Co. provided an overview of AGMT exam performance and assisted with an Item Writing Workshop; subject-matter experts attending the annual meeting wrote 175 new AGMT test questions as a result. The psychometric analysis continues to indicate the exams are fair, valid, and reliable measures of candidates’ knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• NACC will launch a new competency category to recognize contractors with AGMT certified installers on its projects. The category will join the existing eight from which a contractor may choose to be certified: entry glass, interior glazing, building envelope low-rise, building envelope high-rise, horizontal glazing, active glass, guardrails, and service work. The new category will be available beginning in January 2025.
• Both NACC and AGMT underwent reaccreditation by the ANSI National Accrediting Board (ANAB) will full reaccreditation achieved; NACC has been accredited since 2015 and AGMT has been accredited since 2019.
• GlazingCertification.com launched to combine AGMCC, NACC, and AGMT details in one convenient online location. The new website clearly articulates the value of certification to different stakeholders and provides more resources to support those who are pursuing or have earned certification.

Data presented at the meeting revealed how the NACC program has made a lasting impact on the industry. In order to earn certification, glazing contractors are assessed via on-site and annual audits that examine Quality Management Systems (QMS), safety, glazing processes, business practices, and contract administration. Over 69 assessments in 2022, there were 538 findings; this figure dropped to 404 findings over 68 assessments in 2023.

“These statistics show that glazing contractors in the NACC program are getting better, creating and improving their processes,” said Scott Kennett, Program Manager. “It also demonstrates NACC is identifying consistent gaps during initial assessments, proving we’re looking in the right place to help contractors improve.

Annual meeting participants also discussed opportunities to expand and enhance both programs.

·       AGMT organizers will pursue the idea of “specialty certificates,” which will build a layer of specialty focus above the core competencies currently evaluated. A subcommittee has been formed to evaluate specialty skills and feasibility of launching enhanced certifications by 2027.

·       AGMCC will explore additional training and education pathways and potential collaboration with other providers to connect more qualified glazing installers with paths to AGMT certification. The AGMCC board and a newly formed subcommittee will craft criteria and a peer review process by which it will measure other providers’ materials for alignment with program standards.

·       NACC organizers are working with certified contractors to develop additional case studies that communicate the value and benefits of certification; the website currently includes a dozen such articles.

“Success in business rarely happens by chance; more commonly success occurs through very intentional effort. The AGMT and NACC programs are available to support and encourage success,” Harvey added.