Donald M. Koll, a major commercial builder...

Donald M. Koll, a major commercial builder based in Newport Beach, has been elected to the board of directors of AFG Industries Inc., an Irvine manufacturer of glass for commercial and residential construction, AFG said Monday.

Koll, chairman and chief executive officer of The Koll Co., is expected to contribute knowledge about the use of glass in office building development, said Ron Tiller, AFG vice president of planning and corporate development.

AFG, which moved its headquarters last October from Kingsport, Tenn., to Orange County, was also looking for a director with California business roots, said Tiller. The other five AFG directors are from the Midwest and East Coast. Because of Koll’s knowledge of the local construction industry, Tiller said, he will help AFG select a location and contractors to build a new manufacturing plant in California.

A graduate in economics from Stanford University, Koll is a former U.S. Air Force jet fighter pilot. In 1962 he formed The Koll Co.

Besides filling the new directorship at AFG, Koll is on the board of directors of Grubb & Ellis Co., Atlas Hotels Inc., Wells Fargo & Co., Wells Fargo Bank and the Irvine Co.