Itzko Glass & Metal, Inc. provided design, engineering, fabrication and installation services for all glazing on the Academy65 mixed-use student housing project across the street from California State University, Sacramento campus.

With over a decade of work in California, Colin Itzko, President and CEO of Itzko Glass & Metal, Inc., is training his children, Joseph (left) and Camryn (right),) to be the next generation of glazier.

A few years ago, The Who’s Who featured a story about Itzko Glass & Metal, Inc. (IGM), its founder, its people, its talents and its culture of community. This year, we circled back to this creative glazing company to find out what’s new and to take a look at the company through the eyes of its clients.

Itzko Glass & Metal, Inc. is a full-service design-build commercial glazing contractor based in West Sacramento, California. It was founded by Colin Itzko, President and CEO, and his best friend, Kyle Sullivan, Vice President, in 2010. Over the years, the company has grown from a local company working in an 1,800-square-foot rented office to a leading design-build glazing contractor in the Northern California market with a growing presence in Nevada, Oregon and Idaho.

A focus on turnkey design-fabricate-and-install glazing services has helped that expansion, as well as the company’s attention to detail and ability to solve seemingly impossible problems—capabilities that have set the company up for the next generation glazier.

High-Profile Solutions

As noted in previous stories about the company, IGM’s success is rooted in lessons learned from Trabil Glass, a local and highly esteemed commercial glazing company that closed its doors in 2008 when the economy crashed. The IGM founders had a desire to deliver more comprehensive solutions to customers, while creating an interesting and challenging work environment for their employees.

Colin and Kyle have done that—and there’s no one better to attest to that than the company’s customers.

For Brown Construction, Inc., the characteristics of quality and design-to-install services make for an ideal partnership. Brown Construction is a West Sacramento-based general contractor in business for nearly 60 years, with a reputation for building top-quality multifamily, mixed-use, affordable, and student housing—as well as commercial, institutional, and industrial projects throughout the Western United States.

Darrin Henry, Project Executive for Brown Construction, says, “We learned about IGM when Colin started the business in 2010. Since those early days, he has become a valued partner. IGM is always on our project list for proposals for a number of reasons.”

When asked why, Darrin notes that most claims that he sees are for exterior fenestration related to water intrusion around doors and windows. “I really appreciate that Colin is very involved in making sure that assemblies are built in such a way as to minimize the chance of issues for the end users. He and his team do that with an impressive attention to detail from day one. IGM’s ability to develop details and associated pricing for a complete solution is a huge benefit for us. When IGM provides a scope of work, we know that we have things covered,” he adds.

The Eisley, one of the largest apartment properties in the Sacramento region, is one such project. Developed through a joint venture between SKK Developments, The Grupe Company and DeBartolo Development, this project includes 405 garden-style apartments located northwest of Arden Fair Mall. The scope of work for fenestrations included all interior/exterior storefronts, entrances and electrified door hardware.

IGM also contracted with Brown Construction on The Press, a 277-unit, five-story mixed-use, urban infill development in Midtown Sacramento. For IGM, the scope of work included all interior/exterior storefront and window-walls and interior heavy glass as well as partitions, doors, handrails, stairs and an exterior heavy-glass pool surround.

“This was a high-profile project that Colin and his team performed with quality and timeliness,” recalls Darrin.

Turnkey Techniques

Sacramento, California-based Tricorp Group, Inc., a leading general contractor and preconstruction services company focused largely on California-based private and public construction projects, has partnered with IGM a number of times over the years.

For Tony Moayed, CEO of Tricorp Group, that continued relationship is about responsiveness and quality solutions in a timely manner. He says, “One of IGM’s strengths is that they break their own metal rather than buying off the market, which gives them considerable quality control over their installations and the ability to customize special shapes as needed, all in a timely, cost-effective way.”

That customized, quality service came in particularly handy for custom cantilevered canopies on the Academy65 project, a mixed-use student housing project across the street from California State University, Sacramento. The six-story, 97,000-square-foot building includes leasable retail space and a number of tenant amenities, all in stylish design.

The canopies were custom designed, engineered, manufactured and installed by IGM. Additionally, IGM installed first floor fenestration for the storefront, entrances and electrified door hardware, as well as performed water testing and reporting of fenestration assemblies on the building.

Chris Cormier, Director of Operations at Tricorp Group, Inc., confirmed, “The initial design concept was basically a sketch, so it needed to be properly designed, engineered and fabricated. Colin and his team took it over. They designed, fabricated the pieces inhouse, put together a mock-up to ensure the concept was waterproof, and installed it, all on an expedited schedule.”

Tricorp Group, Inc. was awarded Best Real Estate Project of the Year, Student Housing Category, for the Academy65 by the Sacramento Business Journal.

IGM also worked with Tricorp Group on the Robert Mondavi Wine Institute Envelope Repair project on the campus of the University of California, Davis in Davis, California, to resolve water intrusion issues on three of the buildings. Working with Tricorp Group, Inc., Itzko Glass & Metal, Inc. developed the repair strategy and facilitated the repair work of all curtain wall assemblies--all while classes remained in session.

“One of IGM’s strengths is that they break their own metal rather than buying off the market, which gives them considerable quality control over their installations…” Tony Moayed, CEO, Tricorp Group, Inc.

Big Picture Focus

Anton DevCo, Inc. is a fast-growing apartment developer, owner and builder based in Walnut Creek, California, that specializes in for-rent multifamily developments. The company now has over 1,300 units under construction across California.

The company has relied on IGM for its glazing needs since 2013, largely because of reliability.

Andy Davidson, Managing Partner of Development and Construction for Anton DevCo, says, “If I have a subcontractor that I can trust and who is attentive to detail and does the job right and on time, that means I don’t need to worry about that aspect of the project. It’s why I go back to IGM. Besides the great attention to detail on fenestrations, they also let us know about other contractor scopes to make sure things are moving smoothly in preparation for their work. That contribution to the overall project success is invaluable.”

Just recently, IGM worked with Anton DevCo to complete a two-phase development project in Milpitas. The first phase of Anton DevCo’s 583-unit master community is Anton Aspire, a 317-unit transit-oriented apartment community completed in 2020. The six-story structure features exterior massing with a steeping curved facade, steel awnings and punctuated windows.

IGM performed all the glazing, custom raked curtain walls, storefronts, balconies, heavy-glass pool surrounds, pool gates, electrified door hardware and entrances, with a lot of decorative break metal.

The second phase, Anton Ascend, will be completed in Fall 2021.

Building a Legacy

Quality work, craftsmanship and a willingness to solve problems have kept IGM at the forefront of developers and general contractors for years.

Colin believes they will stay at the top of their game by taking care of employees, which means providing new opportunities and skills and by cross-training. A philosophy he lives by is “If I can do it, anyone can. My priority is to give each person in my company a chance to grow professionally.”

Now heading into its second decade of business, Colin hopes that IGM’s success to date is a foundation for a future that includes his children. Now 38, Colin has introduced his 13-year-old son, Joseph, and his 11-year-old daughter, Camryn, to the business.

Colin adds, “They joke that they’ve been involved in the company their entire lives from dinner-time talk to sweeping shop floors. They’ve even taken to supplying their friends with any IGM gear they can get their hands on.

“It’s important to me that they see firsthand the dedication, hard work and effort that we all put into the company to deliver quality solutions to our clients—but also the focus on ensuring the culture of the company is positive, progressive and supportive of each other. I believe it’s the investment in people internally, whether that’s providing them with new tools or training or professional growth, that makes for the best partnerships,” he concludes.

With clear intent, Colin and his team have succeeded in their quest—and the results are evident and appreciated by their growing list of clients in the San Francisco Bay area and throughout California.