AGS American Glass Services, a portfolio company of The Sterling Group Foundation Fund, announced on September 29 that it has completed the acquisition of Mark Industries, a commercial glazing contractor based in Elgin, Illinois. Josh Cunningham, Mark’s owner and President, joined the AGS platform at closing and will continue to lead the business. The deal extends AGS into the Chicago metropolitan market and places Mark near AGS’s East Moline, Illinois operations.
The asset.
Mark Industries fabricates and installs commercial glass systems for warehouse, office, retail, and other building types throughout the greater Chicago area. The release credits Mark with in-house fabrication, a tenured glazier workforce, and long-standing customer relationships in its local market.
Cunningham stays on to run the business after the close. AGS says the combination will let it better serve customers across northern Illinois.
The platform.
AGS is headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Sterling launched the platform in July 2025 through its investment in Omni Glass & Paint and East Moline Glass, two long-standing Midwest glazing businesses that serve as its core operating companies, with the goal of building a commercial glazing and coatings platform across the Midwest. The platform also includes Arrow Glass, Elite Glass & Metal, and Cedar Rapids Glass Company, and now Mark Industries.
AGS provides commercial glass installation, paint and coating services, tempered glass distribution, and glass products for specialty vehicles, supported by in-house fabrication and coatings. Since launch, it has invested in platform infrastructure and a set of centralized services. After adding Mark, AGS reports approximately 500 employees across 10 locations and more than 65 years of combined operating history, and says it believes it is one of the largest glazing contractors in the Midwest and among the top glazing platforms in the United States by revenue.
A Chicago add-on for a Foundation Fund platform.
About fourteen months after launch, AGS has moved into the Chicago metropolitan market with an operator that both fabricates and installs, and whose owner stays in charge. The company says it continues to pursue acquisitions in both existing and new markets.
Sterling’s Foundation Fund also backs OGD Overhead Garage Door, which announced three add-on acquisitions earlier this month. Both platforms follow the same pattern in their releases: centralized services at the platform level, with local leaders continuing to run the acquired businesses.
What it means.
For owners of commercial glazing and glass-and-metal contractors in Chicago, northern Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and nearby Midwest markets, AGS is an active acquirer with a stated interest in both its current markets and new ones. Owners preparing for that kind of conversation should be ready to show their mix of fabrication and installation work, their concentration by end market and general contractor, their labor model, and the depth of their project management bench.
Own a commercial glazing company?
Schryver & Co. advises trades owners with roughly $5 million to $100 million of revenue, including commercial glazing, window, and door contractors. We help owners understand which buyers fit their business and what to prepare before those conversations start. Email Will at will@schryverco.com.
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