January 3, 2005 - Charles Cumpston, the dean of all glass industry magazine editors, has joined the staff of USGlass and AGRR magazines. In his new role, Cumpston will serve as contributing editor to USGlass, the country's largest and most popular glass magazine, and will edit the award-winning Auto Glass Repair & Replacement (AGRR) magazine, as well as write for the popular websites glassbytes.com™ and usgnn.com™.

"We are beyond delighted to welcome Charles to our staff as a full-time employee," said USGlass magazine editor Ellen Giard Chilcoat. "His depth of experience will bring a unique perspective to our readers-and our customers."

Cumpston will celebrate his 25th anniversary as an industry editor this year, having begun his career in the glass industry in 1980 at Glass Digest, where he served until a few years before that magazine folded. He had been working at Glass Magazine since 1999 until he made the decision to come to USGlass."

"Charles and I have been trying to work together for a long time," said publisher Deb Levy, "so I'm thrilled to have him joining our team. We strive to provide accurate, unbiased information of importance to our readers in all our publications and look forward to having Charles join us in doing so."

"I've saved the best for last," joked Cumpston. "Deb and I started out around the same time and I've watched her grow her company into a glass industry powerhouse. I respect her commitment to the industry and we share the same goal of helping to make a better-informed, stronger glass industry. I admire what Key Communications has become and want to be part of it. I'm pleased to be working with a group of people that tell readers how it is, without regard for political pressure or favoritism," he added.

"With the addition of Cumpston, our editorial team now has more than 60 years of experience," said Giard Chilcoat. "I believe the team of our next closest competitors has about 16 years experience, so there's a much greater depth of knowledge you'll see in our pages than anywhere else," she said.

Cumpston begins work on January 3, 2005. He can be reached at 540-720-5584 ext. 153 or at ccumpston@glass.com.