Athens, GA – ATC graduate, Glenn Hughes, is an Ice Sculptor by trade, a pastor at Brasewell Baptist Church, and is a graduate of the HVAC Technical College Certificate program in 2022. Hughes created a beautiful ice sculpture of Athena for Gene Simmons’, long time ATC instructor, reception in July 2024.
Mr. Hughes has been an ice sculptor for 16 years after completing 8 years in the military where he initially joined after the 9/11 attack. Approximately two years ago, Hughes decided to go back to school where he chose Athens Tech for its HVAC program to help propel him forward in his business. Prior to Athens Tech, Mr. Hughes received a BA at Fayetteville University in NC, majoring in History, as well as an AA in Culinary Arts from Artistry of Atlanta.
Established in 2002, Hughes’ company, K & Z Ice Carvings, LLC, located in Monroe, GA, has seen tremendous growth. It is now one of the oldest ice sculpting companies in Georgia, and it is the second largest in the state. Hughes said he started his business off in his 200 sq. ft. garage and has now expanded into a 20,000 sq. ft. warehouse. He told us that he chose to go into ice sculpting because of his love of art and the joy that it brought people when they saw an ice sculpture.
Mr. Hughes stated that there are currently 4 active ice carving companies, and he owns 3 of them. One of these businesses is his cocktail ice company, Crystal Image Ice. With Crystal Image Ice, Hughes is able to make large amounts of cocktail ice for drinks at bars and restaurants. This includes shapes, like a sphere or cube, with fruits, veggies, or even organic flowers frozen into the ice. Another option available to his customers is ice cubes with logos of a business carved into it.
There’s more than meets the eye of Hughes’ successful business and beautiful ice carvings. He is also a 2x World Ice Carving Champion where he competed in Alaska with 40-60 other ice sculptors. In this competition, there are two divisions – Single Block and Multi Block. The ice blocks in Alaska are 3ft x 5ft x8ft in size and are harvested from the lake. Hughes said it takes roughly 40 of his blocks to make just one block comparable to those in Alaska. In addition, he also competes in continental competitions located in Leesburg, VA, Stowe, VT, and Baltimore, MD.
Glenn chose Athens Tech because of the close proximity that the campus was from his home in Monroe, and he stated that Mr. Coleman Simmons, ATC Program Chair, HVAC Technology, and Mr. Jack Parson were highly motivational and there for the students. Hughes stated that Mr. Simmons was very influential and similar in age to him, so it was easy for them to find a common ground. “If I was late to a class, there was never a feeling of ‘why are you late?’ It’s ‘are you okay?” (Hughes, owner of K & Z Ice Carvings, LLC). He continued to explain how the faculty in the HVAC program truly cared for the students and their well-being.
Hughes uses his TCC from Athens Tech to do quick fixes on his large ice freezers as a way for him to be more economical in his business. When he saw the benefits of how the HVAC program helped him, Glenn began to encourage his own family and friends as well as others, to go get a trade TCC instead of a traditional degree.
He donated a freezer to the HVAC program to give future students exposure to different types of refrigeration systems. The Athens Tech graduate stated that he wanted other students to be exposed to these types of freezers to help them become familiar and better prepared when they go out into the workforce.
As a way to stay up to date on the new technology, Glenn consistently stays in touch with our program instructors while also attending classes in Atlanta. “You’re never done learning when you graduate, and Athens Tech’s instructors are willing to be informational beyond the classroom” (Hughes).
Athens Technical College is an Equal Opportunity Institution and a unit of the Technical College System of Georgia. To learn more about Athens Technical College visit www.AthensTech.edu.
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