Chuck Bucholz helps technician Dave Lawrenz remove a cracked windshield. Replacement generally takes an hour and 45 minutes. (Photo/Nancy Hanson)

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

Windshields with left-over dings from summer adventures can face brutal surprises in the depth of our Minnesota winter: “When you turn the defroster on glass that’s 20 below, it causes any cracks to run. It’s a good idea to get your chips filled before the weather turns cold.”

That’s the prescription straight from Moorhead’s only Glass Doctor. Chuck Bucholz has operated the auto-glass replacement service at Main Avenue and 11th Street South since 2016, when he bought the franchise from Marv Degerness. Since then, the former Great Plains Software marketer – who also owns Fargo’s Glass Doctor Auto operation – has become an expert in his aspect of ever-changing automotive technology.

Yes, high tech has come to windshields, too. Replacing windshields and side windows has become more complicated since the introduction of more technologically sophisticated systems that aid (and may someday replace) the driver. “A lot of technology in windshields now,” says Chuck. “With models since about 2017, our technicians have to do recalibrations of the on-board cameras that assist drivers with land changes and all the rest.” It’s a matter of plugging a tablet computer into the DCT port to reset the system. “They may take the car for a drive to calibrate it with the lines on the road,” he explains. “Or we set up targets here in the shop.”

He adds that as cars get smarter with an eye toward autonomous operation, their glass must adapt to an accelerating level of technology. “The trend for us is toward more and more driver-assistance applications. It’s only going to get more complex,” he notes. “Our technicians need both mechanical and technological skills.”

Five are employed in each of Chuck’s shops. Two of his Moorhead staff, Dave Lawrenz and Jeff Bommersbach, together have more than 30 years of experience, Chuck says – “the most experienced team in the area.

His own expertise lies in the business and marketing side of the operation. After graduating from Concordia College with a business administration degree in 1981, he spent almost 20 years with what became Microsoft. But he says that owning his own business was always in the back of his mind. That’s the tradition in which he was raised. His father operated the Farmers Union bulk oil dealership in Grace City in central North Dakota.

Marketing his businesses’ services is mostly a matter of waiting until his customers spot a crack. Sometimes that’s routine; according to industry research, vehicles need a new windshield every seven years or so. Sometimes, though, the need is more acute. “We had a lot of vandalism of side windows – smash and grabs – before Christmas,” he reports. “Then we help out as fast as we can. We need to seal that car up right away for safety’s sake.” He adds, “It gets kind of cold with plastic and tape in the winter.”

The Glass Doctor’s customers include many who have been coming to the shop for years, some since it opened as Harmon Glass back in the 1980s. That won’t change, but the address where they have always found the company will soon undergo a major upgrade. The 11th Street railroad underpass will eat up the spot where the shop now stands when excavation and construction begin in 2023. Chuck is looking for a new site where he can rebuild, starting from the ground up to add more functionality to keep up with the industry’s rapidly changing needs.

One thing is certain, he vows: It will be somewhere in Moorhead. “We really appreciate the support of this community,” he says. “Moorhead people are loyal to our business.”