Blenko Glass Co., successfully emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy on March 5th. "We have no place to go but up - and that's where we're headed," said Blenko VP Katie Trippe. "Coming out of bankruptcy has given us a remarkable opportunity and we intend to take full advantage of it. The odds are stacked against companies that go the bankruptcy route, and we feel truly fortunate that thinks have worked out as they have for us." Known worldwide for its hand blown decorative glass designs, Belnko is nearly the sole survivor of a once-thriving West Virginia glass industry that in the past numbered more than 400 companies. With the industry beset by a list of problems - including soaring natural gas prices, foreign competition and a widespread switch from glass containers to plastic - virtually all those other companies have vanished.
