Glenn Sipe came from a farm family in Catawba County, N.C. where he has lived his whole life. Glen worked for Herman-Sipe Construction Company who offered him a job helping as a laborer. He was promoted to the concrete gang, mixing and placing concrete by hand. He asked to be trained as a brick mason and the next summer he started his masonry training. Sipe was a regular mason by the end of 1940, and was in charge of a masonry crew by mid 1941.
In 1954, after being the masonry superintendent for Hickory Construction Company, Sipe took on his first mason contracting job for a unit-priced project in Asheville, N.C., and continued to do unit-price masonry work with his own crew through the 1950s and early 1960s.
Sipe incorporated Glenn W. Sipe & Sons in 1966, and was one of the first companies in the south to use mechanical scaffolding and to perform masonry work with lump-sum, turn-key masonry contracting. The firm was one of the most innovative and progressive masonry contracting firms in the southeast through the late 1960s and 1970s.
Glenn Sipe would say, “An educated competitor was a good friend, not an enemy.” He believed helping each other was important to everyone’s success. He was instrumental in forming the Western Carolina Masonry Contractors Association in 1968, which later became the Western Carolina Chapter of the Mason Contractors Association of America. The Western Carolina Chapter was among the first non-union chapters of the Mason Contractors Association of America. Sipe has served several terms as President of the Western Carolina Chapter and was a regular participant in the MCAA.
In 1974, the North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association was chartered and Glenn Sipe was elected as the new association’s first President. Sipe was also instrumental in forming the Carolina Masonry Council promotional group. He later served as president of the Carolina Masonry Council.
Glenn Sipe retired from the business in 1987 at age 67.
Worked for Herman-Sipe Construction Company in 1939. Incorporated Glenn W. Sipe & Sons in 1966. One of the most innovative and progressive masonry contracting firms in the southeast. One of the first companies in the south to use mechanical scaffolding and to do masonry work with lump-sum, turn-key masonry contracting. Instrumental in forming the Western Carolina Masonry Contractors. Served several terms as president of the Western Carolina Chapter of the MCAA. Elected as first president of the North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association in 1974. Instrumental in forming the Carolina Masonry Council and served as president of the Carolina Masonry Council.