Six brothers are running glazing company founded by their father in 1959.
By TOM PERRIN

Just because Terry Carter is chairman of Carter Glass Co. doesn't mean he can pull rank.
Not when the other members of the board are his five brothers.
``We're as loyal as we can be to one another,'' said Carter, who heads the Kansas City
commercial glazing company founded in 1959 by his father, Robert Carter.
Robert Carter retired 15 years ago, leaving the family business to his six sons - Jack, Bob,
Terry, Bill, Jim and Tom. Jack is oldest at 47, while Tom is the youngest at 36.
All six have equal voting shares and have been associated with the glass installation
company for 13 years or longer.
``I asked the others why they named Terry chairman of the board and they said, 'He's a
better administrator than the rest of us,' '' Robert Carter said.
Robert and wife Kathryn had always hoped their sons would grow up to take over the
business. They encouraged the succession but didn't push, the Carters all agree.
The Carter boys occasionally fought, as brothers are prone to do, but they also developed a
strong respect for each other along the way. Robert and Kathryn always stressed the importance
of sharing.
Teamwork was learned playing sports in the spacious backyard of the family's home in
Shawnee.
``People are always asking how we can stand being in business with our five brothers,'' Bill
Carter said. ``The best way to answer that is that we don't let personalities be a factor in how we
do things. There's such a mix of personalities. There's never any kind of feuding or divisive
actions going on.''
Jack Carter is the company president and Jim is secretary/treasurer. Bill, Tom and Bob all
are vice presidents of sales. A cousin, Paul Carter, is vice president of production.
``No one person is standing over the others,'' Jack Carter said.
``We're autonomous, but for the good of the whole.''
Somehow, it all works.
Annual sales have risen from $1.5 million in 1980 to a projected $8 million this year.
Carter Glass employs about 35 persons, a figure that includes the Carters and a group of
union-affiliated glaziers.
The May issue of Glass magazine, a trade publication, ranks Carter Glass as the
22nd-largest commercial glazing contractor in the United States, up from 33rd in 1994.
The company's work can be seen on prominent local structures like the Sheraton Suites on
the Country Club Plaza, the Midland Theater in downtown Kansas City, Aristocrat Motors in
Merriam and Lighton Tower in Overland Park.
``We just haven't had any problems with them. They're the exception to the rule,'' said Jack
Senter, a partner in Winn-Senter Construction, a Kansas City general contractor. ``The quality of
their work is very good. They're just a good outfit.''
Carter Glass has been at 1608 Locust St. since 1984. Before that, the company operated
from three other downtown-area buildings.
Robert Carter got his start in the local glass business in sales with Cook Paint Co. and
Pittsburgh Plate Glass in the 1930s and '40s.
He left Pittsburgh Plate Glass, now known as PPG Industries Inc., in 1949 and went into
business with a partner for several years before opening Carter Glass.
Robert Carter, an ex-Marine who served four years in the Pacific during World War II,
was the type of parent who stressed hard work and commanded respect. Kathryn was the one
who kept the house running and made sandwiches for the legions of neighborhood kids who
flocked to the Carter house to play sports.
``We've talked a number of times about how we all fell into the same situation,'' Terry
Carter said. ``It was from awfully good parents.''
The influence of Robert Carter is still strong in the business, which has maintained an
old-fashioned sense of values.
``I've heard a lot about that Total Quality Management ... but I think you just treat people
the way you'd want to be treated,'' Terry Carter said.
The economy may affect the contracting business, but Terry Carter sees no reason why
Carter Glass cannot continue to grow at a steady pace.
It may need to in order to accommodate the next generation of Carters - 18 sons and
daughters. While a plan hasn't been devised, the brothers maintain there will be room for all the
children to join the family business, if they choose.
``That's the boys' problem,'' Robert Carter said, a proud smile creasing his face.