About the Founder of glazingAI
I joined The Clear Business in 2006, almost 20 years ago. Don’t think I worked in some shady business before. The Clear Business is how I call the Glass & Glazing industry because the glass is clear or transparent. Unless you sandblast, etch, paint or make it smart 😉.
In 2006-2016, I lived in Ukraine and worked for the largest distributor of glass and mirror, huge glass fabricator with various glass machinery and “supermarket” for all possible glass fabrication machines, tooling and supplies. It was a great experience in my life – I learned a lot in glass fabrication especially due to a large versatile glass fabrication factory in the next building. I could always go and see how machines work, talk to maintenance and operators, test tooling and get instant and honest feedback or advice.
In addition, I worked not only in sales but also in purchasing with international vendors – producers of glass machinery and supplies. So, I learned all ins and outs and built a lot of connections. Working with multiple vendors from all over the world and visiting many international trade shows also contributed to my knowledge and expertise and to my networking skills. I was always responsible for all trade shows and I enjoyed it.
This is how I learned and got my passion to The Clear Business.
Also, during this period of time, I found another passion. One day, our marketing manager informed me that an industry magazine provided a free space for our article about the glass market and glass fabrication machinery, but as soon as he didn’t know who could write this article, he wanted to reject the proposal. I didn’t agree. I asked what the magazine needed, and I wrote the article. After that, I did it many times and I really enjoyed it.
In North America, I never thought about this activity because I didn’t need it, and English is my second language – I don’t feel it that good and don’t have a rich vocabulary for writing. However, recent advancements in AI technologies fixed this problem – today, ChatGPT and other AIs can help with any writing tasks. Now, I don’t need an editor. ChatGPT is my editor. In fact, I have five of them 😆: ChatGPT, Gemini, Llama, Claude and Mistral. And I am looking for expanding this editor department 😆. This is why I feel confident in starting glazingAI as a blog and educational resource about AI technologies for Glass & Glazing.
In 2016, I entered a Canadian college for 1-year post-graduate program in International Business Management. While in college, I tried to find a specific job I wanted – I reached some companies but learned that this kind of job doesn’t really exist in Canada. Oops 🙄.
However, I didn’t search for a job. Indeed, Monster… I didn’t know them. Being very curious in my industry, of course, I paid attention to Glassdoor but I was disappointed to find that, in fact, it had nothing to do with actual glass and glazing 😆.
The reason I didn’t search for a job was because it found me. I was still a student, I had just several months in Canada, and nobody knew me in the Canadian glass industry. In addition, I had only temporary student visa – anyways, the employer waited till I graduate. My college classmates from other countries, making resumes and applying to different jobs, were wondering what exactly I know and do that I just switch a continent and find a good job without any search.
All I had was a well-crafted LinkedIn profile and expertise in my industry. Yes, LinkedIn was crucial in my success and I am very grateful to this social platform for all opportunities it creates.
I have been working in Eastern Canada for one of the largest distributors of glass fabrication machinery, tooling and supplies in North America almost 7 years. I learned so much, explored all the Eastern Canada, made trips such as a 4700 km/2920 mile trip Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal-Quebec City… Halifax and back.
I am grateful to my former colleagues, vendors and, of course, to my customers for the experience I had. One of the greatest things for me is that Toronto is the most diverse city in North America, probably in the world too – some statistics said that 48% of people in Toronto are immigrants (were not born in Canada) vs 36% in New York as an example. This means that I have so many various customers with so different backgrounds. On top of everything – Quebec, a very different place with a unique culture.
2024 became a really transformational year for me. I had a lot of interesting and challenging moments. Some of them were awesome and unforgettable like this:
In 2023-2024, I got a new engaging and interesting hobby – AI technologies. And having a lot of knowledge, passion and strong bond with Glass & Glazing, I decided to combine these two passions and to found glazingAI.com – the first educational online resource about AI for my industry.
The life goes on, and I am eager to open new doors…
To all my customers asking: Val, where did you go?
I reply: I didn’t leave The Clear Business. I am staying.
Sincerely,
Val Voznyi
*This page contains NO AI-assisted or AI-generated content 😉.