Simon Pearce (born 1946 in London) is an Irish-American entrepreneur in

glassblowing Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble (or parison) with the aid of a blowpipe (or blow tube). A person who blows glass is called a ''glassblower'', ''glassmith'', or ''gaffer''. A '' lampworke ...

and

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

, who learned his trade in Italy and Kilkenny,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Business development

Pearce located his first US factory, in Quechee, Vermont, in 1981. This site, which is powered hydroelectrically by the

Ottauquechee River The Ottauquechee River (pronounced ''AWT-ah-KWEE-chee'') is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 river in eastern Vermont in the United States. It is a tributary ...

and is part of the Quechee Historic Mill District, became a showroom, restaurant, and glass-blowing demonstration facility. The ''New York Times'' described him as a prominent American designer of glassware and his works have been given as gifts to foreign dignitaries and to presenters at the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

. Pearce's company headquarters is in

Windsor, Vermont Windsor is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As the "Birthplace of Vermont", the town is where the Constitution of Vermont was adopted in 1777, thus marking the founding of the Vermont Republic, a sovereign state until 1791, when ...

; another manufacturing facility is in Mountain Lake Park, Maryland. His company has several retail outlets in the East of the USA

Personal life and family

As of 2016, Pearce maintained a home in

Hartland, Vermont Hartland is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,446 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Hartland, Hartland Four Corners, and North Hartland. History Hartland, originally named Hertford, was cha ...

; previously, he resided in

Norwich, Vermont Norwich is a town in Windsor County, in the U.S. state of Vermont. The population was 3,612 at the 2020 census. Home to some of the state of Vermont's wealthiest residents, the municipality is a commuter town for nearby Hanover, New Hampshir ...

. He and his wife, Pia, have four sons. Their youngest son is Kevin Pearce, a

snowboarder Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympic ...

, who was seriously injured in 2009 while training for the Olympics. Kevin is the subject of the 2013 HBO film '' The Crash Reel''. Pearce's book, ''Simon Pearce: Design For Living'' was published in the fall of 2016.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pearce, Simon Glassblowers People from Windsor, Vermont People from Norwich, Vermont 1946 births Living people