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HAY RIVER - Randy Whitton says anyone interested in becoming a glazier like him should not be adverse to the sight of blood.

Randy Whitton co-owns Polar GlassWorks Ltd., which has been operating in Hay River for a little more than a year. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

A glazier is someone who works with glass.

"It could be a really good trade," he said. "If you're squeamish about blood, this trade is not for you."

Whitton, who co-owns and operates Polar GlassWorks Ltd. in Hay River, said a glazier gets cut almost every day.

"Mostly it's just nicks," he said.

However, there are occasionally more serious cuts. Whitton estimated he has had to go for stitches for cuts probably about nine times.

"You can be as careful as you possibly can be, but it breaks," he said of working with glass.

Whitton tells his two employees that, if they are losing control of glass, to just let it go.

"Let it break," he said. "I'd much rather replace a big sheet of glass than see guys go in for stitches."

Whitton said not breaking glass depends on good planning for projects.

"If it's all planned out properly, you shouldn't have any problems," he said.

Whitton opened Polar GlassWorks a little more than a year ago with his wife, Anita, who contributes such things as glass etchings.

The glazier has been working in the field for more than 20 years, earning his journeyman's ticket from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1992.

The Calgary native said he never really considered a career as a glazier. However, he was out of work one year and his then father-in-law, who was a glazier, suggested he come work in the office of a glass company.

Whitton said that job turned into a full-time career.

At Polar GlassWorks, Whitton and his employees do a wide range of commercial and residential work.

It can involve installing glass at new public and private buildings, such as a territorial adult supported living complex under construction in Hay River or an adult education centre in Fort Simpson.

The company also installs storefronts for businesses.

In addition, it replaces vehicle glass and provides many types of glass for residential customers, including windows, doors, shower doors and mirrors.

The company also repairs and replaces many kinds of broken glass.

Along with Hay River, Whitton offers his services in many other communities, including Fort Simpson, Fort Providence and Fort Smith.

Whitton said he enjoys the trade and working in Hay River.

He said certain buildings in Hay River have some features, such as varying thickness of walls even in the same building, that create challenges for installing or replacing glass.

"I think it's a great place for an apprentice to learn," he said. "There are so many challenges."

Polar GlassWorks is notable for its slogan – 'Just say "NO" to crack!'

"I love that slogan," Whitton said, adding it's appropriate for a glass company and Hay River residents like it.

"They say, 'You're the crack guy,'" he said.

Whitton said no one in the community has expressed any concern about the slogan, which partly plays on an anti-drug message.

"It's not like we're trying to push crack," Whitton said. "We're saying no to crack."

Whitton, 44, and his wife have been living in Hay River for three years and have found the community a good place to own a business.

"Personally, I'd like to thank Hay River," he said. "We started this with nothing."

Whitton said being a glazier offers a good living, even though he noted no one gets rich off it.