Don Pyatt
President

As president of Viracon, Don Pyatt guides and analyzes the company's strategic direction and plan. He researches effective methods and directs changes as needed to meet Viracon goals. His business model ensures that capable employees focus on the company's top priorities and he works to motivate all employees to work together on common goals. Pyatt also works closely with Viracon's parent company, Apogee Enterprises, Inc. in Minneapolis.

Custom requirements challenge the glass industry, according to Pyatt. Viracon makes all products to customers' specifications. Each project can present new complexities, particularly given the fragile nature of glass. Despite those challenges, Viracon ships glass 98 percent "on-time and complete." This enviable record has made Viracon the supplier of choice for large, complicated architectural projects. Competitors try to match the products Viracon offers, but Viracon reliably delivers what customers now expect.

Pyatt began his current position in June 2000. Prior to working at Viracon, he was group vice president of Intermet Corporation, a Troy, Michigan, manufacturer of castings and machine precision components. Pyatt previously served as president of Tool Products in Minneapolis, which Intermet acquired in 1999. Prior to that, he was executive vice president - general manager of Henry Valve Company in Melrose Park, Illinois.

Pyatt graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. He received his M.B.A. from Syracuse University.

Brad Austin
Senior Vice President
Sales and Marketing

Brad joined Viracon in 1978 and has spent his entire career refining the ways the company can better meet clients' glass specification needs. He started in field sales working directly with Viracon's customers on design assistance, budget and return on investment costing, specification writing and as the liaison between the architect, Viracon, and the glazing contractor.

In 1985, Austin was named director of Architectural Sales, where he was responsible for the inside sales and technical service departments. Brad was later named vice president and general manager of Marcon Coatings, another Apogee Enterprise, Inc. Company, for 18 months before returning to Viracon as vice president of sales and marketing. In this position, he is responsible for all domestic, international field and inside sales, as well as marketing, technical services and research and development.

Brad holds a bachelor's of arts degree in economics and business from Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, MN. He has completed advanced training in coatings technology with Airco, sales and management training with Xerox school, attended the Minnesota Management Institute with the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, and completed course work at the University of Michigan.

Larry Kunkel
Vice President of Manufacturing

As vice president of manufacturing, Larry Kunkel oversees plant operations and the manufacturing of Viracon products. He focuses on safety, maintenance, quality control and engineering processes.

One hallmark of Kunkel's career at Viracon is the company's exceptional safety record. Under his watch, Viracon has achieved one of the best safety records in the industry. While the national average for manufacturing accidents is 16%, Viracon's accident rate has decreased to a remarkable 3.2%.

Kunkel's current chief challenge is meeting ever-changing customer needs under tight deadlines, while maintaining high quality and safety standards. Viracon employs the Six Sigma system to improve its processes and minimize defects. "Six Sigma" refers to reducing defects to no more than 3.4 per million opportunities, or achieving an accuracy rate of 99.99966% - near perfection. Six Sigma uses rigorous data collection and statistical analysis to ferret out sources of errors and develop systems to eliminate them.

Safety and quality also require concern for the total well being of employees. Kunkel has instituted an array of programs to meet employee needs, including an active safety committee, safety and health fairs, pre-shift warm-up exercises, mandatory safety meetings, free flu shots and many other initiatives.

During Kunkel's time with Viracon, the company's manufacturing space has grown from 40,000 square feet to 1,000,000. He started his career at Viracon in 1974, working for 10 years in production management. After pursuing other opportunities within the glass industry, Kunkel returned in 1995 as plant manager of Curvlite. He began his current position in October 1999. Kunkel graduated from St. Cloud State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business.

Monte Mitchell
Senior Vice President of Administration

Monte is responsible for the strategic direction and management of Viracon's financial operations, pricing, contract negotiations and review, warranty terms, Code of Conduct administration, regulatory compliance, and risk management. Monte is a member of the Viracon Executive Steering Committee. He is also a member of the Information Technology Steering Committee which is responsible for setting the strategic direction of Viracon as well as assigning and monitoring projects aligned towards strategic goals. Before Joining Viracon in 1998, Monte was the chief financial officer for the Glass Technologies Division of Apogee Enterprises, Inc. He also served seven years with Apogee as the tax director and assistant treasurer. Previously, he was employed as a tax manager by Arthur Andersen & Co.

Monte holds a juris doctor degree from the University of Minnesota School of Law and a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Minnesota. He has also completed advanced training in accounting and finance with Arthur Andersen & Co. at the University of Illinois and Arthur Andersen's training center in St. Charles, Ill. Additionally, he has completed instruction in Theory of Constraints and Six Sigma, including Six Sigma Champion's and Design for Six Sigma training.