Editors’ Note

Marie McKee joined Corning in 1979 as an equal employment opportunity consultant for salaried women, and in 1998 she was named to her current position at Steuben Glass as well as to the position of President of the Corning Museum of Glass. She serves on the board of trustees for the Corning Museum of Glass, the Corning Foundation, and the Rockwell Museum; is a member of the Women’s Forum of New York City; and is also a Director of the Board of Progress Energy, Inc. McKee received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Purdue University and completed an MBA Management Development Program at Simmons College.

Company Brief

Founded in 1903 by English glassmaker Frederick Carder and named after Steuben County, New York, where its design studio and U.S. glassworks facility are still located, Steuben (www.steuben.com) is a preeminent designer, manufacturer, and distributor of fine crystal. In 1918, the company was acquired by Corning Glass Works (now Corning Incorporated). In the ’30s, the firm introduced Steuben crystal, and today is known for its line of exclusive gifts and limited-edition objets d’art, which are represented in important museum and private collections and are a frequent White House gift of state.

Are you happy with Steuben’s results for last year?

We’ve had a very good 2007. We have a lot of exciting things going on. We recently introduced our new artist, Kiki Smith, and that is very exciting. She is a well-known artist in America, and she and one of our master engravers teamed up to develop a beautiful new engraved piece. She also did four other pieces, which together are called the Tattoo Series. We’ve also had a lot of international work going on, which is slowly broadening the distribution channel as our name recognition grows.

Do you look to bring on a certain number of designers, or do you bring one on only when there’s a fit?

We don’t look to bring on a certain number of artists. There has to be an interest by the artist in us and an interest by us in the artist’s work. For external people, we take that relationship very seriously, and we develop that relationship together. It usually takes us between a year and two years to come out with a few beautiful objects. It’s hard for us to do it in less than about a year and a half, because we want the artists to really immerse themselves in the material that we have here, understand what our capabilities are, work with the material a little bit, and then let their creative inspiration shine.

Is technology heavily affecting production? Will your designers always have the need for handcraftsmanship when creating products?

The hand touch will always be here. That’s who we are. If we were going to be highly mechanized, then I think we would invest in outsourcing the product to other places. But that’s just not who we are. We have invested in tools that assist our employees. The designers have more ability to design three-dimensionally on the computer, which helps them as they go through the design process. There are many more automated control systems for melting glass than there used to be, which keeps our melting operation working much better. So we have a lot of technology that we use behind the scenes in support of design and the craftspeople. That’s really where technology comes into play for us.

Many people at Steuben have been working there for many years. What is it about the culture that makes people stay with you?

Corning is a company that very much believes that people are the only real asset differential that a corporation has. Without people we cannot have intellectual property, invent new technology, or develop new ideas for the customers, so we have always had a high degree of interest in identifying and keeping talent. We invest in people and are interested in a climate that motivates them. We invest in their skill sets and are constantly training them. We benchmark pay all the time, but salary is never something that will keep people with you if they don’t like the way they’re treated or if they don’t have the tools to do their work. The things that motivate people to want to be at work are the things that we have to manage, and we do that.

You’ve been leading this brand for many years, and you always talk about it with passion and excitement. Are you really enjoying it this much?

It actually is a lot of fun. I won’t deny that it’s hard work, but there is just something wonderful, interesting, and magical about seeing a product come out and thinking, we actually did this. It’s a privilege to see a product go all the way from a little sketch on a piece of paper to a final outcome and then to hear a customer say, “That is a beautiful object.” We’ve had customers who were speechless when they saw the final product. You just can’t buy that feeling. It’s an honor to be in a leadership role in this process and to work with great people.

The brand Steuben has so much history behind it and it has a loyal following, but many new brands today are also considered high-end luxury. Is “luxury” a word that is losing its meaning because of how overused it is?

I have been thinking about this topic. I really need a new word, because many brands have adopted the term “luxury.” A lot of people are talking about experience and time being the true luxuries, but I think luxury can be an art object, a new kitchen cabinet, attention to detail, craftsmanship, and so on. You know luxury when you have a chance to see it, touch it, and feel it. It has to go through every aspect of your business – not just the product. It has to be in the sales team, and it has to be in the service. So I think that we are definitely holding our own as a luxury business, but I sometimes feel that the word is so broadly used these days and that I need a new way to describe what we do at Steuben. But one very positive thing about luxury being spread out more is that quality design is at an all-time high, and we are seeing many more well-designed products now. I think it’s great that well designed products are more valued.