The Power List

Every year several publications do a list of the most powerful people in various
industries or segments. I decided its time to do a list of the top 5 powerful organizations with regards to our industry. And without further adieu here they are:

1. United State Green Building Council (USGBC)- Uh do ya think that the daily “green” articles have any affect? The USGBC is probably 1 and 1A when it comes to power- they are now mainstream and despite other organizations starting “green” efforts, they are the gold standard. A big question is will the “voluntary” USGBC LEED program be affected when codes start to call for the same green building conscience? I asked this of a few people involved at USGBC and as of now, no one there is remotely worried. Another question is the USGBC’s reliance on certain experts on just one side of an argument, missing obvious facts from the other side. (Power Coat vs Liquid Paint, Vinyl vs Aluminum etc…)

2. American Institute of Architects (AIA)- So powerful that they probably don’t even realize it. They have the ultimate trade show, so good that no major national glass fabricator will show at CSI for the 2nd year in a row. They have the educational credit program, and everything else under the sun. They have think tanks and strong local groups. But imagine if they would pay attention to what is going on code wise that may affect their livelihood- now that would be a fun battle to watch!

3. National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC)- Ever heard of them? They have the Department of Energy eating out of their hands, they have a major PR firm, Potomac Communications, leading their spin, and they have a lobbyist firm, Clark & Weinstock (Who rep people like Eli Lilly, AT&T and GE to name 3) to ensure that they have anything they need. And oh, they have a program in the works to change the way commercial glazing works. And because several NFRC elite also sit on boards and committees of various code organizations (despite the insane conflict of interests) they’ll get their programs passed and into your life. Just ask the folks in California who have been dealing with this for years. Now I can go on and on (and will in another post- I promise) but bottom line is that this group can truly change the landscape of how the glazing business is conducted.

4. Glass Association of North America (GANA) Did you think I wouldn’t have any home cooking? (Disclosure- I sit on the Board of GANA- but I write this as an individual, not a Board Member, as GANA does not endorse items like this) This group is the premier organization in our industry. Technically, no one is even in the stratosphere. Led by Greg Carney, who may be one the best and most patient technical people alive, GANA marches on educating the industry and working tirelessly to ensure that its members are positioned with the best resources possible. Oh and a note- a true volunteer is someone like Julie Schimmlepennigh of Solutia- she and many others truly give their time and effort to work for the industry. A volunteer is NOT someone who can make ¾ of their income from the organization they work for….(frequent readers of my stuff will get that one)

And a TIE for 5th….

5. International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)- While a recent informal survey of industry minds showed that the initials IECC really did not register, this group has the legs to go the distance. Keep in mind, the push for “green” glazing is two-fold. One side is the Al Gore, climate worry issue and the other is reducing the enormous strain on our energy resources in this country. A group like the IECC will promote and push codes to get energy reduction measures and certification in every municipality possible. And they are making in-roads too. The worry here is that they allow obvious conflicts of interest to inter their decision making. That is not good and in the long run will challenge the credibility of the group. Bottom line though is this group can and will impose their will on the industry.

5. Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC)- An extremely professional group that is facing just nightmarish attacks from the Vinyl lobby among others. Through it all, the AEC defends itself with class and facts. Their consultant, Dr. Thomas Culp is one of the industries finest. Dr. Culp is fair, hard working, and always looking to reach the middle ground with the good of the public in mind. And yes I do seriously believe that because there’s been times where I’ve pleaded cases to Tom and he’s always reminded me that there’s two sides involved and you have to meet somewhere close to the middle. A group like the AEC deserves props because they could be dropping stink bombs left and right, but instead they go about their business the right way, and their membership benefits from it greatly.


Now obviously several groups did not make my top 5. And the ones that did probably may not be happy to be there. But the exercise is meant to keep people informed. The NFRC surely won’t agree with my assessment of them, but if they did we surely wouldn’t have a global warming problem anymore because hell would be freezing over. The IECC has no idea who I am, and that’s fine, I just hope that they can avoid conflict of interest issues when it comes to our industry in the future because I believe in codes that promote energy efficiency.

One more note- I have several e-mails to reply to on this board and will do a “mailbag” version soon. To all of you have e-mailed, that I have not gotten back to- I will be writing back- and thanks for reading this blog!

And lastly as we were speaking of hell freezing over above- not sure if you saw this video from last month when a big storm hit Cleveland… doesn’t matter how cold it is for some folks when the TV lights are on!