Silverstein Provides Insight into New Company Name, Aldora, and Its Recent Move
May 2, 2012

by Penny Stacey, pstacey@glass.com

The company formerly known as Architectural Glass Products (AGP), formerly of Pompano Beach, Fla., has changed its name to Aldora and has moved its headquarters to Miramar, Fla., and also has moved its subsidiaries all under one roof. In light of the name change, several recent acquisitions and the move, AGP co-founder Leon Silverstein spoke with USGNN.com™ today about the company's growth and the name change.

"SMI Aluminum Systems LLC was created to purchase the assets of Smith Mountain Impact Systems in September 2010," says Silverstein, who joined with his brother, Rick Silverstein, and Manny Valladares, formerly of Arch Aluminum, in the acquisition. "With that purchase we intended to go back into the aluminum fabrication business."

This was followed by a second major acquisition last year. "In May 2011, the same partners, with the addition of Bruce Cynamon and Jim Pande, formed Architectural Glass Products LLC (AGP) to purchase the assets of a local fabricator in Pompano Beach operating as Mirrorcrafters," he says. "In the last six to eight months we have moved those subsidiaries [SMI and AGP] into our new location in Miramar, Fla., and in the last two weeks we [have moved and] are now completely under one roof."

Now, the companies are both operating as subsidiaries of a new entity: Aldora, which has a special meaning for the Silversteins.

"Aldora is the name of my grandfather's company from 1957 to 1972," says Leon Silverstein. "It was formed by my father and my grandfather when they moved to Southern Florida. 'Al' is for aluminum and Dora is my grandmother's name."

Today, as Leon Silverstein reflects on the past and looks toward the future, he appears optimistic.

"The philosophy is we are a huge believer in customer relationships and culture," says Leon Silverstein. "We all have had a rough time the last two or three years, but we believe the independent fabricators are in a great position to bounce back and hopefully do well in the future as the economy gets better."

Leon Silverstein says he is acting mainly as an investor in Aldora, while Rick Silverstein handles its day-to-day operations.

"We're excited to bring a legendary name like Aldora back to the industry landscape, and look forward to the renewal of this iconic brand," says Rick Silverstein.

Aldora will maintain a satellite location in Pompano Beach for customers who prefer to will-call their material.