A Family Business With A Clear Future
By Marilyn Thomas
Absolute Glass, Inc., a family-owned, Lexington-based glass repair and installation company, is proving that a generation gap can be a very productive part of a growing business. After founding the company more than 20 years ago, owners Mary Anne and Ray Jones are now sharing this homegrown enterprise with their son, Raymond. As a result, operations continue to successfully provide the surrounding communities with personalized, efficient and effective service, which develops a large base of satisfied, returning customers.
When Mary Anne and Ray married in 1998, they were blazing their own unique career paths. While Mary Anne pursued a vocation in victim advocacy, Ray was working for glass repair and installation companies, both local and national. He was continuously faced with the threat of layoffs, inconsistent schedules, or substantially reduced hours. After dealing with so much uncertainty, the two eventually made the bold move to launch their own enterprise: Absolute Glass, Inc. According to Mary Anne, they were both blessed with the fact that Ray “comes from a family of entrepreneurs who have been very fortunate with starting successful companies, so we had good advice from his parents and from my parents.”
Almost immediately, the venture showed great promise. “Because Ray’s forte was working on high end cars with other companies,” explains Mary Anne, “when we opened, these accounts followed him to use our business.” Life became even busier for the couple as Ray manned the phones and performed installations while Mary Anne processed the billing in the evenings and on the weekends while balancing a full-time job. Within the first year, the company was able to hire two more staff members; not long after that, their son, Raymond II, was born. The early years became even more challenging due to baby Raymond’s health issues, and Mary Anne was thankful that she had the opportunity to take him to work with her and attend to his needs personally. Having close family nearby was also a huge bonus; Mary Anne’s parents were available to spend valuable time with their grandchildren as the business continued to expand and evolve. After about a year and a half, “I ended up resigning from my position and coming to work for the business full-time,” says Mary Anne. Today, she wears many different hats, supervising the office, managing daily operations, administrative tasks, and accounting.
Almost from the beginning, it was not unusual for father and son to perform service calls on weekends or school holidays. Over time, their son Raymond, who was affectionately known as “Little Ray” by clients, became “Big Raymond” as he began to deliver more services and surpassed his father in stature. “Raymond has definitely been a valuable person to have to help us keep up with technology,” she adds, “because the younger generations are all about the new technology.” Their daughter Hannah, who is a freshman at Clemson pursuing an Agricultural Mechanization degree, has occasionally helped answer the phones of the family-friendly business in her teen years. Mary Anne says they have always encouraged their children to “follow your dreams” and because of the interest Raymond showed in the automotive industry, his role in their company seemed like a natural fit. Young Raymond has challenged his parents on multiple occasions to expand the business by accepting national accounts, and has even tackled his mother’s responsibilities when necessary.
During COVID, the business steadily grew—as a sophomore in high school, Raymond became more available. About that time, a pivotal opportunity within the company was carefully being considered. “This was when windshield recalibrations were introduced to the industry,” recalled Mary Anne. “Ray, Raymond, and I went to one of our major suppliers and got certified to do recalibrations on cars.” As mandated by insurance companies, “When you replace a windshield or sometimes even other pieces of glass in the car, you have to recalibrate the car, basically resetting it back to factory settings,” explains Mary Anne. Midlands residents are fortunate—Absolute Glass is one of the few shops that offer free quotes for homes and businesses along with in-house and on-site mobile recalibration services.
“Absolute Glass helped me out in a pinch!” says Blake Allen, a well-satisfied customer. “Unfortunately, I decided to hit a foreign object with my lawnmower in my front yard, and it wasn’t until two days later that I found a piece of this object behind the curtains on my bedroom floor. I quickly realized I had a problem, so I immediately contacted Mary Anne. Someone was here the next day from her company
to get measurements for the glass! They were very professional and treated our home as if it were their own,” he continues. “The window was fixed quickly, and it looks great! I can’t thank Absolute Glass enough for their professionalism and responsiveness during this process.” The flat glass side of the business includes installation of replacement windows, patio doors, tabletops, shower doors, mirrors, cabinetry glass, glass partitions, storefronts, etc., for businesses and residences.
Today, the company owns six dispatchable mobile units, and the staff has grown to include 10 members. Within that team, Mary Anne manages the daily tasks of the office and bookkeeping, Ray handles estimations and auto glass installation, while Raymond is the Operations Manager and
Lead Auto Glass Technician. “We have always wanted to be our customers’ one-stop shop for all their glass needs,” says Mary Anne. “We want them to come back and become repeat customers–whether it’s
for their vehicles or for their recreational vehicles, heavy equipment, tractors, or just any glass that they could possibly need.”
Mary Anne and Ray live, work, and play in the Lexington community, ensuring that their customer’s money will be reinvested in Lexington County’s economic health. The family actively sponsors multiple high school baseball teams (Lexington County Blowfish, Dixie Youth Baseball, etc.) as a tribute to their son’s dedication and tenure on the field, and look forward to watching “Big Raymond” as he continues to move Absolute Glass into the next frontier.
