About Us

HISTORY OF ORNING

Ed Orning was an architecture student at Iowa State University, and when he graduated, he bought a company that made horse harnesses and building awnings in 1928. However, there wasn’t a huge demand for horse harnesses anymore, and in 1931, Ed changed his business name to “Orning Glass and Awnings.” The company dropped “and Awnings” in the 1950s or ’60s, and we’ve been Orning Glass Company since.

Our current owner, John Scheppler, was a traveling consultant for years when he decided it was time to put down roots and spend more time with his family. John’s father-in-law, Bill Allen, a home builder in Ames, went to grade school with one of Orning’s previous owners, Junior Thrasher, and worked with Orning Glass for many jobs. When Junior and his co-owner were reaching retirement age, Bill set up a meeting between them and John, who has now owned Orning since 1997.