From left: Said Elieh, Donald Jayson, Steven Jayson and Robert Jayson make up the leadership team at Bendheim, a third-generation glass fabrication and installation business based in Wayne. — Photo by Aaron Houston for Real Estate NJ
By Patricia Alex
Steven Jayson verges on poetic when he talks about glass: the way it allows for variations of light, color and texture that can transform the built environment, the way it reflects, refracts and refreshes a space.
“We’re all inspired by the material and how transformative and lasting it is,” said Jayson, one of three brothers at the helm of Bendheim, the New Jersey-based company that is a leader in fabricating glass and the systems to install it.
Glass has become a predominant feature of building design — from exterior cladding that makes for shimmering skylines and gleaming commercial developments to interior space transformed by the luminescent material.
Bendheim, in Wayne, has been integral to high-profile architectural glass projects around the state and the globe. There are futuristic-looking installations like those in the recreation center at Montclair State University and South Street Seaport’s Pier 17. The company also imports restoration glass — which mimics historic panes — that has been used at venerable sites such as Jefferson’s Monticello and The White House.
In New Jersey, the company recently provided the materials for the lobby of the new Valley Hospital campus in Paramus, while its glass will clad the exterior of a planned 60,000-square-foot building designed to be a “statement piece” for Essex County College’s campus in West Caldwell.
Bendheim’s glass fabrication processes have led the way in the industry as architects, engineers and builders have come to rely more heavily on the material for its aesthetic versatility, practicality and sustainability. The exterior of the building at Pier 17, for instance, features crenellated “channel glass” that is durable and strong — and can be backlit in different hues that have earned it its “jewel box” moniker.
The Jayson brothers — Robert, Donald and Steven — are the third-generation leaders of a business started by their grandparents on Horatio Street in Manhattan in 1927. After another stop in Tribeca, the company moved to New Jersey in 1989.
For three decades, Bendheim leased industrial space in the old Manhattan Rubber complex off Van Houten Avenue on the Passaic-Clifton border, where it remained until purchasing the 12-acre former headquarters of Toshiba America Consumer Products in Wayne in 2019.
The company now employs more than 100 at the Totowa Road complex that features nearly 140,000 square feet of industrial and office space in a bucolic setting across from the Preakness Valley Golf Course on Totowa Road.
The company, which began nearly a century ago by importing mouth-blown glass from Germany, does not manufacture raw glass but rather uses processes to make the material durable, energy-efficient and attractive. Tempering, lamination, digital printing, back painting, etching, cutting and polishing all take place on the cavernous work floor in Wayne. Here, too, installation systems are developed to meet the needs of architects, engineers and contractors in realizing their visions. The installations are handled by outside glazing contractors.
Working with the architectural design community, Bendheim “innovates solutions,” said Donald Jayson, president of the company. “What we’re creating is system solutions.” The work blends technical specifications with artistry.
“Our job is to assess the glass type and system that would work for a building,” said Said Elieh, vice president of sales and innovation. “We’re the glass experts, so 99.9 percent of the time we can engineer the solution.”
“Our designs are smart so installation can move with speed,” said Robert Jayson, who, like Steven Jayson, is a partner in the business. “Architects are finding they can make a clean aesthetic statement with glass in a cost-effective manner.”
The material is durable: easier to clean than metal and doesn’t scratch or dent. And glass installations can provide a modern refresh for older buildings — a plus in today’s market for office space, where competition for tenants is robust.
The Jayson brothers talked about their business recently around a double-sided etched-glass (of course) conference room table at Bendheim’s headquarters. The firm’s portfolio of projects is impressive. Stained glass from the iconic 1960s-era American Airlines terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport came from Bendheim, as did glass used for the torch on display at the Statue of Liberty Museum.
The Bendheim channel glass used for the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri, has won numerous design awards. And the list goes on — glass fabricated by the company can be found in installations around the world, even in Antarctica. Bendheim has worked with renowned architects internationally and its glass has been featured by television shows hosted by Martha Stewart and Bob Vila.
“We’ve gotten to work on some really interesting projects and some historic and important buildings,” Steven Jayson said. And the company continues to innovate. The micro-fluting of Bendheim “Houdini” glass allows for the transmission of light while blurring people and objects to provide privacy — a product particularly attractive in health care settings, he added.
“Good design doesn’t need to be budget-breaking,” he said, noting that architectural glass can be both low-maintenance and durable. “That’s the beauty of glass. We know there are so many possibilities out there — whether it’s retrofit or new construction. And we’re here for it.”
Patricia Alex is a former newspaper reporter and editor who covers topics in New Jersey.
