'We've always kept our doors open': How a family-owned business flourished

Established nearly 65 years ago after WWII, Glass Supplies in Launceston started with just two employees before Mr Davies joined.

"It was just my father and another partner, and then I came here in 1960. So then there were three of us, and I suppose the rest is history," he said.

Now, Glass Supplies employs around 135 people and has sites in Launceston and Hobart, with a factory in Rocherlea.

A hard work ethic was key to making Glass Supplies what it is today.

"I used to stay up until two in the morning doing the books on a Sunday night," Mr Davies said.

"People say, 'oh, you should retire!' But I've worked seven days a week all my life and to sit at home in a chair, I'd drive my wife and myself mad."

State manager Michael Dalton has worked at Glass Supplies for around 42 years. Administration and finance manager Lyn Gardner has worked at the company for 28 years - she is also Mr Davies' daughter.

"We have a lot of senior staff that have been here for a lot of years, and we've always kept our doors open. It's still a family business," she said.

"Even though there's lots of people now, we still try to touch base."

Back in the day

Mr Davies and Glass Supplies have seen and experienced much industry change in the last few decades.

"When I started, the glass wasn't made in Australia. It all came from overseas quotas. You got so much every three to four months - and that was it. You couldn't order any more or any less," he said.

"It wasn't until they started making glass at Dandenong in Victoria that you could sort of get as much as you wanted and the size you wanted."

Mr Davies said that as the economy grew, so did the business.

"We've sort of grown right from the word 'go'."

Glass Supplies has been involved in a range of projects, such as a renovation of the University of Tasmania's School of Nursing and Midwifery, the redevelopment of Peppers Silo Hotel and several architectural homes.

In 2025, Glass Supplies will have had its doors open for 65 years.