The sale of Elite Auto Glass, headquartered in Denver, to Belron, the world leader in the AGR industry, was made final yesterday as Wes Topping, president of Elite Auto Glass and Gary Lubner, chief executive officer of Belron signed documents closing the deal.
"We're very pleased to be part of the Belron team and we look forward to a long partnership with Gary and his team," said Topping.

The deal consumated, there will little to indicate to the public that any significant change has taken place. In an exclusive interview with AGRR magazine, Topping and Lubner explained what can be expected in the wake of the transaction.

For one thing, the name won't change.

"Absolutely not," said Lubner. "That's what we paid money for. To do so [change it] would be commercial suicide."

Lubner explained that the Elite name carries weight with consumers in the region it services and that strong, established brand name was one aspect of the business that attracted the Richmond, U.K.-headquartered company.

Topping said he and the current senior management of Elite will remain in place, as will all 31 Elite locations and the staff thereof. Topping will continue his work with the Chicago Auto Glass Group, and the company will retain its membership with the Auto Glass Replacement Safety Standard (AGRSS).

For more on the interview with Lubner and Topping, stay tuned to GlassBytes and the May/June issue of AGRR magazine.