20 Under 40 - Glass Magazine

Career: 2006-present, vice president; 2005-06, director of
research and development; 1997-2005, general manager;
1991-97, independent subcontractor, skylight installation for
O’Keeffe’s Inc., San Francisco; 1986-91, general contracting
work
Personal: Age, 39; born, San Mateo, Calif.; single
Diversions: Building hot rods, live music, clubs, museums,
art exhibits, American Institute of Architects’ presentations
and travel
One-word description of self: Oddball
Favorite Web site: Google
Lesson learned the hard way: Too many to list
Favorite movie: “Pulp Fiction”
Favorite musical artist: Rob Zombie
Favorite book: “Huckleberry Finn”
Favorite sports team: San Francisco 49ers.
4 Glass Magazine ® • www.GlassMagazine.net
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Kelly O’Keeffe
Vice president | O’Keeffe's Inc. | San Francisco
K elly
O’Keeffe, third generation at O’Keeffe’s Inc. and exposed to the
business early, spent days in the factory as a young boy. Always interested
in how things work and being in an environment where things
were constantly built, from simple access ladders to complex monumental
custom skylights, O’Keeffe says his decision to stay with his roots was easy.
“This career path, though I was born into it, was not forced on me,” he says.
Installing skylights as a teenager, O’Keeffe got on-the-job training, and while
advancing within the company, had the opportunity to be as hands-on as he
wanted. “You really don’t know what you are capable of accomplishing unless
you try, and I was fortunate to be able to tackle projects and make decisions
knowing that I have the company’s support,” he says.
O’Keeffe designed, tested and supervised installation of the first fire- and
hurricane-rated glazed assembly passing Miami-Dade standards, says Diana San
Diego, marketing and communications manager, Safti First, San Francisco, a
division of O’Keeffe’s Inc. “The builder of an ocean front high-rise in Fort
Lauderdale didn’t want condos to lose ocean views,” San Diego says. “The glazing
had a hurricane rating, but the fire marshal said it needed a fire rating also.”
The company went to work developing the product, testing took place in 2006
and installation was completed in 2007.
O’Keeffe will take the company to the next level, San Diego says. “He’s a forward
thinker, he gets along with a lot of people … and not very many people
know as much about fire-rated glass as he does; the knowledge is second nature
to him,” she says.
Tahira Murello
Office/project manager | All Weather Tempering | Phoenix
T ahira
Murello was looking for any entry level position when she started
with Glassworks of Phoenix about 10 years ago. “I have a pretty confident
attitude,” she says, which led her to believe she could do anything.
Turns out, she was right.
Murello began in customer service and glass optimization, where she
quickly got noticed. When the company was acquired by All Weather Tempering
of Arizona, she stayed on. It was a good fit, and she was promoted to
office/project manager in January 2006. The company and the family that
owns it are the best part of her job “because they’re confident in my abilities,”
she says. They are quick to “realize who has the ability and who can run with
it,” she says. She has been involved in every aspect of the business, from marketing,
quoting, working with optimization software to managing projects
and setting up office processes. “Every day I’ll look for ways to save time and
be more efficient,” she says.
Sarah Porter, head of new business development for All Weather, says
Murello is incredible, making the office fun while running a tight ship. “If I
had to hand-optimize for a day, I wonder if my best glass cutter, with 15 years
of experience, could hand-optimize better than Tahira.” Porter calls Murello
“wickedly sarcastic and outgoing.”
Those traits come from her large family, who she sees at least every weekend.
“It’s good that my boyfriend gets along with my family really well,”
Murello laughs. With two brothers, three sisters, and 11 nieces and nephews,
“it’s always a party because we’re all really loud.”