Testimonials

The church had obtained four quotations from well-known national stained glass repair and restoration firms. While your quote was the highest, the trustees felt the thoroughness that went into the preparation of your quote was a decisive factor in choosing you as our contractor for this very important job. And indeed, as a result of your fine work, choosing Reinarts actually was an investment. As you are aware, this past winter was one of the coldest in over a decade. The protective covering you replaced over our windows has made a great savings in our winter heating bills. In fact, the first two Sundays we had the heat on, the congregation complained that it was too warm in the sanctuary. We called our heating contractor to recalibrate the programmable controller to find out if there was a problem and he indicated that the protective covering was acting as a better insulator than ever before. The congregation is very happy and pleased with your work. We are constantly receiving compliments from visitors.

Robert J. McDowell,Chairman for the Building Executive Committee, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Elkhart, Indiana

We contracted several art glass studios; three offered bids. Our committee then spent a day traveling around eastern Nebraska, visiting churches that already had completed work on their windows using one of these three. We compared craftsmanship, materials and comments from pastors/congregation members. As a result, the committee unanimously recommended Reinarts. In reflecting back, we offer nothing but praise to you and your crew. First, the QUALITY of your work is of the highest caliber…Secondly, you COMMIT YOURSELVES TO THE JOB, EVEN BEYOND THE CONTRACT…Thirdly, your crew’s SENSITIVITY TO THE USE OF OUR BUILDING…And fourthly, we very much appreciated your WILLINGNESS TO WORK WITH US.

Rev. Ronald S. Wasikowski, St. Michael’s Church, Albion, Nebraska

We chose Reinarts after inspecting the work of several companies. Your work was the most thorough and professional. Everyone on the Window Committee was most pleased with the quality of the workmanship…The parishioners have had nothing but good things to say about how nice the windows look. They all commented that they didn’t know how bad they were until they began to be fixed. Reinarts is a company that we felt was honest, fair and reliable. They were faithful above and beyond to what they said they would do.

Fr. Gary L. Ostrander, St. Mary’s Church, West Point, Nebraska

I have heard many good remarks about how beautiful the windows are. Also comments about the care your men used in working around Church. Many noticed how hard the men worked, starting at 6AM until 6:30PM. Even working on Saturdays…Last winter when you would stand along side the north windows a breeze could be definitely noticed. Because of your company sealing all joints and seams, we no longer have this infiltration…I would highly recommend your Company and answer any questions of anyone considering stained glass or storm work.

James Schmidt, Congregation of Holy Angels, West Bend, Wisconsin

The entire process, from our initial contact through the completion of the project, was conducted in a thorough and professional manner. Your workman were competent and congenial, and most cooperative with our busy schedule of weddings, funerals, and other liturgies. We have special reason to be grateful for the extra work done on our vents because we overlooked them in the original specifications. As we noted in our church bulletin: “That gesture is a confirmation of the conscientiousness and professionalism that has characterized their approach to our repair and restoration, and is borne out by others who have engaged them for window work.”

Rev. Albert O. Grendler, Corpus Christi Parish, Fort Dodge, Iowa

There are a few things that stand out in my mind as I think about the whole project. First, I and our Advisory Board appreciated both the clear contract and the straightforward approach you used in explaining both the contract and the methods that you would use. We felt very comfortable after visiting with you about the project a couple of times. You represent your company and your artwork and craftsmanship well. Second, we were very impressed with the crew which worked on our windows. They worked hard and consistently. They were considerate of the parish schedule and were very clean and organized. The fact that I am away most of the day teaching at our high school never concerned me, whereas that would normally be a worry when work is being done…Third, not only was the contract very clear and followed, when the crew did not follow the contract they went beyond it! The extra bending of the framing which they did certainly added to the beauty of the project…You are certainly a man of your word, but also one willing to go just a little extra distance to make sure a good job is an excellent job. We believe we received an excellent job – even other professionals in your field have told us that!

Rev. Timothy A. Friedrichsen, Pastor, Saint Mary’s Church, Carroll, Iowa

Anyone can call or write me anytime to ask my recommendation about your work. Your inspection and estimate were professionally done. You worked hard, respected the property, cleaned up after yourselves, kept in good communication with me about what you were going to do next or what you may need, and you just did your job without having to be followed-up on. I couldn’t ask for anything more. I am most satisfied. If only other professionals could do as well as you did.

Father Paul K. Witt, St. Mary’s “The Old Cathedral”, Lincoln, Nebraska

This is a long over due letter to you to thank you and your staff for your services to us. We have greatly appreciated our long relationship with you. We are particularly grateful for all the effort you made to remove and transport the Tau Center stain glass windows from Tau Center to Assisi Heights. In spite of best efforts to plan this project in a timely way it did in the end become a very short deadline. The efforts you and your staff make to accommodate us were so appreciated and know we realize your response was above and beyond normal expectations. I also want to thank you for your generous gift of the free transport of the windows to Assisi Heights. I want also to convey mine and our staff appreciation of your supervisor on the job and his assistants. I’m sorry I don’t have the names here, but they were most courteous, careful, and professional in their interactions.

S. Jean Keniry, O.S.F., Sisters of Saint Francis, Academy of Our Lady of Lourdes, Rochester, Minnesota

The congregation and Property Committee want to extend our thanks and appreciation for the excellent workmanship performed in renovating the stained glass windows. The aluminum moldings and glass coverings not only enhance the beauty of the windows, but give us the protection we need from the weather.St. Luke’s was fortunate to have contracted to have this work done by Reinarts. You and your employees have proven that you have the know-how and sincere attitude it takes to be the best.

R.C. Messersmith, Business Manager, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Park Ridge, Illinois

We cannot recommend your company more highly to anyone considering stained glass work. They were faced with 46 stained glass windows, some three stories tall, 24 basement windows and a large circular dome over the center of the sanctuary to work on….We gave them little more than rusted window frames and they returned to us three new-looking windows which matched the surrounding windows perfectly… They did far more than the contract required to make sure the entire job was done right…You stepped up to the challenge and gave us the complete job for our limited budget amount. You didn’t have to do that, but you cheerfully did and we are truly grateful…Your quality standards and work ethics are exemplary. Your crew was always on the job, from very early morning to sundown. They took care of the big items as well as the small details.

John W. Stackhouse, Chairman, Board of Trustees, First Presbyterian Church, Peru, Indiana

The professionalism of your staff is unheard of in today’s business world. Your crew is knowledgeable, patient, diligent, immaculate, respectful, unobtrusive, and pleasant to be around. How truly wonderful it is to be able to write this letter of praise.

Marcy Stenwall, Augustana Lutheran Church, Sioux City, Iowa

Having been a full time pastor for 40 years now, this was one of the best, if not the best, group of workers I have seen. They were always courteous and cooperative (especially when we had a wedding). They were very good about cleaning up after a day’s work was done, and left in great shape for Sunday mornings.

Ron Kerr, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church, Peru, Indiana

We interviewed and received bids from 4 companies. Some had lower bids, some higher. After the Trustees had looked at your work in another town and talked to you, we knew you were the company with which we wanted to do business. The word is integrity. You knew every aspect of stained glass being a master craftsman yourself. Our actual signed contract was for only a portion of the work we wanted to do. You said you would do the total package and we said we would pay and that is what we did. In today’s day and age when lawyers have to enter into every contract this is amazing but wonderful! You said there would be no hidden costs and there weren’t. There were however hidden benefits. Many more broken and mismatched pieces were replaced than specified.

Joyce Rouse, Chair-Trustees, First United Methodist Church, Boone, Iowa

The crew who did the repairs was fantastic: They worked long hours to get the work done quickly and were unfailingly polite and considerate. Above all, their professionalism and skill was evident from the beginning, giving us all confidence that the work would be first-rate.

The Rev. Susan Holstrom, Vicar, The Church of the Good Shepherd, Momence, Illinois

We reviewed the various proposals from four different companies with their company representatives. After looking at various locations in our area and additional evaluation by a stained glass consultant, we unanimously chose Reinarts. With the work completed, we are most happy that we chose your company to do the job…One of the highest compliments that could be given to your crew was offered by one of our older parishioners. After surveying the work being done she confidently said. “Father. It’s great to know that somebody has preserved that ‘old world’ craftsmanship.” Certainly, the specifications of the contract were fulfilled and, indeed, exceeded. Many, many more pieces of mismatched and broken glass were replaced than had been estimated on the proposal. Unforeseen bracing and time consuming rebuilding of the rose windows was accomplished with precision and at no added cost. Your promise, Bill, that there would be no hidden extra charges, was just as you had said. We cannot say enough about the quality of the work performed and the value that was received for the cost.

Reverend David C. Heinz, Church of St. Bernard, Peoria, Illinois

Bill, may I take this opportunity to thank you personally for coming to Indiana from Winona, Minnesota. Before learning of your company I had tried to do business with a company that was only two hours away from our city, but they would not send a representative out to look at our damaged stained glass windows nor would they do any of the work, they claimed it would be too expensive. This was not the case with you, not only did you come from miles and hours away from our area, but you also followed up with some telephone calls all the way up to the time we met at the church. This is something I really appreciated.

Gene Zack, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Lake Station, Indiana

Many parishioners have commented on the work and the new look. One man said, “Father, that is the best $40,000.00 we’ve spent in recent times.”…We were also impressed by the way they worked around our scheduled events in the church. They always left it clean and presentable as possible. The long hours spent on the job showed their dedication and skill.

Rev. Joseph L. Ripp, Pastor, St. Mary’s Church, Salem, South Dakota

The First Christian Church wishes to thank you for a job well done on our new church plant in North Port Arthur. The removal of our 30 year old stained leaded glass from the present sanctuary to the new site was expertly and beautifully done. Your expertise in this art form is indeed obvious.

Ward Beckcom, P.E., Chairman, New Church Building, The First Christian Church, Port Arthur, Texas

Four firms bid the job. Not only were you the lowest bidder, but you also offered the most work for the money…The final job is beautiful. One older parishioner told me that our eighty-five year old windows didn’t look this good when new! The people continue to express their pride in the job you did for us. The windows have sparked the interest of our parish and city in the renovation project. Even our neighbors say the windows perk up the whole neighborhood. We were very impressed with the hard work, attention to detail and the craftsmanship of your people. And, on a final note, Bill, we had a great deal of confidence in you. You represent your family business very well. As we interviewed different people, Bill, we knew you were the one with whom we wanted to work.

Rev. James A. Shafer, Pastor, Saint Bavo Church, Mishawaka, Indiana

We obtained three contracts for this project. Yours was slightly higher in price than the other two. Your contract was more specific and included items that the other two companies did not list. Your workman were most courteous and worked steadily until the job was completed.

Fr. Ed Bawiec, St. Valentine’s Church, Peru, Illinois

The job that your company did in restoring our large stained glass window was beyond our expectations. We had an unexpected problem with the bowing of the window about 5 inches, but when your workmen got to actually working on the window they were able to straighten and stabilize it.

Margaret Atkins, Chairman of Trustees, The United Methodist Church, Abingdon, Illinois

First, we appreciate the fact that your firm was responsible for and executed the complete job. Second, we appreciate the timeliness with which the job was completed. Your crew finished some 14 weeks ahead of the contracted date. Everyone following the project commented on the diligence and tenacity of your on-site crew. They were on the job before 7 a.m. every morning, and often worked all day on Saturdays. Moreover, they did this even in the month of February which had the worst weather conditions of 1988. Your crew was courteous, self-sufficient, and skilled in a variety of tasks. Thus there were not the usual delays of a project caused by waiting until the right person with the proper skill showed up to do the next step in the operation. Your crew and the way they operate are certainly to be commended. Third, we appreciate the fact that your firm values doing the job right. On three occasions on this project, the crew found that more work was needed to be done with a window than had been specified in the contract. You are to be commended for instilling into your crew the value of doing the job right even though it might impact your profit. I can wholeheartedly recommend your firm to other prospective customers in the future based on the items cited above.

Louis J Heitlinger, Saint Joseph’s Parish, Waukesha, Wisconsin

A lot of planning went into the proper disposition of the work on our windows and after consulting with several other stained glass studios and seeing the work they had done on other projects, we were convinced that hiring Reinarts was in our best interests. We certainly are glad that we have had this business relationship with Reinarts Stained Glass Studios. I have had many many comments from many people whether they live in the parish or beyond, that they have never seen such beautiful windows or such wonderful and meticulous workmanship. Your workers, while on the job here in Early, were courteous, polite, hardworking, responsible, dependable. What is appreciated most about the work of your people at Reinarts Stained Glass Studios is the fact that they do quality work. This is what we were looking for in the restoration of our windows…QUALITY WORK. Anyone can do the easy or cheap way out. With Reinarts Stained Glass Studios, it was easy to get quality work done at competitive prices comparable to other bids we had received from other firms. In conclusion, Reinarts Stained Glass Studios more than met our expectations. They are cooperative, friendly, competitive and professional in every way.

Rev. John A. Vakulskas, Jr, Pastor, Sacred Heart Parish, Early, Iowa

We couldn’t be happier with the work you did on our church windows. The Parish Council, the Renovation Committee, and parishioners have nothing but praise and admiration for your crew’s workmanship and skill. I think St. Louis Church presented a little different challenge for you since we insisted on being able to open all the window ventilators, top and bottom. As you know, they are quite large. But you managed that request in excellent fashion. Of all the companies who bid this job and were interviewed by the Renovation Committee, you were the only one who was willing to give us storm windows that would allow us to still open our top ventilators. But that was not the only reason we chose your company to restore and add protective glass to our church windows. From the start, you impressed all of us with your thorough planning. It was obvious that you take great pride in your work. You had our interest at heart and wanted us to be satisfied with the work. And that we are! A day doesn’t pass without someone commenting on our beautiful windows. Some people think they are new. I have not heard a single negative word about the job you did for us, or your skill and craftsmanship. You were most cooperative in working around funerals and weddings. And always you left your work area clean and neat. That pleased Brother Norbert. You know how he fusses.

Fr. Ric Schneider, O.F.M., St. Louis Church, Batesville, Indiana

We are so very pleased with the restoration job your firm has done on our windows. Hardly a day goes by someone does not stop me on the street or call me to comment on them. Our beautiful windows were crafted in the Mayer Studios in Munich, Germany in the 1800’s. They are valued at two million dollars and have been written up in the Palimpsest, the Journal of the Iowa Historical Society, as the finest examples of stained glass in Iowa and probably in the Midwest. Because of the size of our church (and the 61 windows), plus the fact we would be investing a large sum of money, we did much research on companies, procedures, and materials. We looked at many churches which had done work similar to what we needed to do before we made up our minds to have you do the work. All of the work was done to our satisfaction. During the job the workmen drew many favorable comments as to their courteous attitudes and neatness of work. Your foreman, Steve Paulson, has a special gift – patience! Poor Steve—I don’t think he had ever had a female chairman on a job of this size and I’m afraid on occasion I may have tried his patience with all my questions, etc., but he handled it very well. He is a great asset to your firm! All of this was done under every imaginable type of weather but most of it in intense heat and humidity yet their work never suffered and they never changed pace. We would be most pleased to recommend your Company to anyone considering restoring their windows and would welcome them to come and inspect what you have done for us.

Lucille Hochwender, Chairman Window Committee, Cathedral of the Epiphany, Sioux City, Iowa

The workmanship of your crew is spectacular. It was just great to observe their attention to detail and their hard work especially during the heat of last summer. Your crew foreman, Steve Paulson performed a superb job. He is a real professional craftsman and a very courteous gentleman as were all of the crew. We had checked work done on several other churches in the area before selecting your firm. It was an easy choice after seeing some of your work.

Ben M. Zweber, Trustee, St. Nicholas Catholic Church, New Market, Minnesota

When we decided to restore and put protecting lexan covering over our beautiful stained glass windows valued at over a million dollars we sought out several companies. As you know we decided to go with your company, not only because we felt it was the best value and price, but also because you are a family owned business who take pride in your work like the old masters who created our windows at the turn of the century. Now that the work is all finished I realize that the decision in having you do this major job was a wise decision indeed. Your workers were most cooperative and did an outstanding job, we are more than pleased. They took their time, always working like true craftsmen. They were willing to do the little extra things that make Reinarts Stained Glass Studios such an outstanding company. I would, as I already have, highly recommend your company.

Rev. Paul R. Wicklum, Pastor, St. Joseph Church, Elwood, Indiana

From the outset of contact with your company I was very satisfied with the constant attention that you paid to your project here in Steinauer. None of the other companies that we contacted during the bid process did as thorough a job as you did. The time you took in showing me and the Parish Council members the problems that you anticipated was very much appreciated. This includes our many inquisitive phone calls to you and the trips you made to Steinauer. When September rolled around and work started on the project I could tell that we had chosen a very qualified company by the work your crew, headed by Steve, was doing. I would like to tell you about some of the comments I heard and am still hearing concerning the window project. Many people have commented in the following ways, the crew was very precise in their work, everything fit right, there was no room for sloppiness. The work area was constantly maintained and cleanliness was an obvious concern to the crew. The friendliness of Steve and his crew was appreciated. They worked very efficiently and were very hard workers, putting in long hours beginning early in the morning and into the evenings many times. They answered all the questions asked during the project. Of most importance was the pride that your crew took on our Church, like it was their own Church.

Reverand Douglas Fuller, Pastor, St. Anthony’s Church, Steinauer, Nebraska

A big part of the renovation was the repair and cleaning of our stained glass windows—plus the new storm glass protecting our stained glass windows. People are amazed at how beautiful the windows look. Many thought we put in new windows, because you restored “life” and “color” to the windows. The stained glass windows are original and the church will celebrate it’s 100th Anniversary in 1990. Bill, I was very pleased with your workmanship, suggestions and creativity. Your men were very professional and polite during the entire project. Their care and long hours of workmanship was noted by many of our parishioners. I spoke highly of your workmanship to the priests of the Diocese of Gary who asked me about your work. I would not hesitate to recommend you.

Rev. Don C. Grass, Pastor, Saint Mary Church, Crown Point, Indiana

Recently our Parish Council determined that our Stained Glass Windows be repaired or we were going to lose some. We awarded a contract to REINARTS STUDIOS to repair and reseal all the stained glass windows, scrape and repaint the exterior wood trim and install new “LEXAN” protective storm windows. We also asked, that while this work was in progress they not block entrance to the Church or disrupt daily Mass. Work on our windows began April 18, 1984 and was completed on May 23, 1984. During this time the men worked 12 hour shifts, six days per week. The workmen would arrive each morning to start work at 5:30 a.m. During the 7:30 a.m. Mass each morning the workmen would leave the Church building and do other work so there would be no distractions or disruptions while Mass was celebrated. Not once during the five week duration of this contract did we have to remind or insist that this company clean up their mess. On the contrary, they were so efficient, neat and orderly that it sometimes appeared as if no one was working at all. The Pastor (Father Donald O’Connor), the Parishioners and members of the Parish Council are so happy with the “NEW” appearance of our Church that we wish to share our GOOD FORTUNE with everyone. If you have a problem similar to what we had, we invite you to come and see how we solved ours.

Robert J. Pellack, President of the Parish Council, Rev. Donald O’Connor, Pastor, Immaculate Conception Church, Braidwood, Illinois

One factor in deciding on having Reinarts do this work was the feeling that it would receive careful personal attention and supervision. This turned out to be true. The workmen were courteous, meticulous in their work, a joy to have around, and kept everything picked up and cleaned at the end of each work day. Mr. Philip Cecil, president of Liberty National Bank and the Trustee in charge of this project, also extends his thanks for a job well done. Both he and I are happy to recommend your company for any stained glass work and will ask you to come back to Central Presbyterian in a couple of years (when we have some more funds available) to do some additional work not provided for in our original contract. We like what you did and what we have as a result of your excellent work.

Dr. Robert S. Hanson, Pastor, Central Presbyterian Church, Paris, Texas

On behalf of the congregation and property committee of First Presbyterian Church of Terrell, Tx, I wish to express our appreciation in the restoration of our stained glass windows, which are irreplaceable. Also, your expertise and guidance, Mr. Reinarts, was most valued in meeting our requirements and budget. Your contract was well defined and specific, leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind as what to expect. The execution of the contract was performed beyond what today is considered: “the norm”. Being in the construction business varying from project manager to a consultant, from houses to 70 story buildings, I must say it has been the up most pleasure working with your company. Please give Steve and Bobbie my thanks and gratitude for their artistic workmanship, care, cleanliness, and consideration to our church’s programs as well as spending time with me explaining their work and procedures. They represent your company in the highest professional manner. I have never seen anyone take such special care of someone else’s property and to top it off, they’re just extremely clean. In closing I must say we are very proud and feel much comfort with our lexan to protect our restored stained and painted glass windows. I highly recommend your company and please feel free, Mr. Reinarts, to have anyone contact me personally at home. My number is (214)563-0333.

Charles Miller, Property Committee, First Presbyterian Church, Terrell, Texas

As Property Chairperson for Samuel Lutheran Church I would like to personally thank you for a job well done. It’s not often that I take time to thank a firm for doing such an exceptional job, but when a job is done with the quality and professionalism that your company exhibited, a letter of gratitude is in order. The people who represented Reinarts on the site should also be mentioned. Not only for all the hardships they had to endure (seven weeks away from home), but the weather changes they encountered, since this was mostly an outside type job. Their hard work was rewarded in a small way, when the local paper recognized (Ed Hemmelman) for his enthusiasm and his work values, it made the front page of a Saturday issue. As I tour the facility and re-examine what was accomplished, I feel a sense of pride that includes, not only a flawless project, but that we had your experienced company to guide us through the skittish events that could of made the “Doubting Thomas’s” credible. This project wasn’t Yellow Pages material by any means, and to be given through insight by your company only enhances my belief that your company should be nationally known if it isn’t already. God’s speed to all of you at Reinarts and thanks again for your superior stained glass repair job.

Fred Michelsen, Property Chairperson, Samuel Lutheran Church, Muskegon, Michigan

Saint Anthony of Padua Parish is proud of the restoration of our beautiful stained glass windows which were installed in 1911 from Munich, Germany. They have always enhanced our church, but now they bring forth a new richness due to the delicate workmanship of your firm. You were chosen by our parish from several bids because we were impressed with your desire to not just provide energy efficient windows, but to go beyond and bring forth the richness of stained glass in our worship. You have fulfilled our hopes and dreams. A new look has been given to our historic church. A new pride has been given to our people. The magnificent window in honor of Saint Anthony has now become a landmark for the community due to the workmanship and lighting of the window. Without your expertise in stained glass, this gift to the community would not be realized. I want to especially thank you for the men who engineered the craftsmanship throughout the entire time. They took pride in their work and never left a mess. They were always prompt and courteous to anyone who asked questions and always took time with our staff. I would not hesitate to recommend your firm or your staff to assist any church of any denomination to install or restore their stained glass. Thanks for your service, your artists, your patience, and especially for providing our parish with the gift of renewed spirit and hope. Our people have responded financially above and beyond what it cost to bring forth this new beauty.

Fr. Michael Kuse, Pastor, St. Anthony of Padua Church, Effingham, Illinois