Looking back and looking ahead

Well another GlassBuild is in the books. Overall I thought the show was very positive. The vibe there did fall on the side of hopeful and the buzz about the future was encouraging. Yes there were some rough parts, like some slow and spotty crowds and some key people missing, but considering the climate we are in, I would easily deem the show a success. The people that came and walked the show gained from the new and exciting things they saw, and for the most part the exhibitors should have gained from a focused attendee base, not just people using the show as an excuse to be in Vegas. The hope here is when we meet back up in Atlanta next year that we’re talking about how much better things are then now.

Elsewhere…

-- One theme that I spent time on was the fact that back in 2005 when things were rolling, did any of us sit back and say “wow this is great!” Chances are you didn’t, so I think when times change again we’ll be able to appreciate them more.

-- Vegas itself really is an amazing place… from the awesome architecture and design (and my goodness the interiors of the CityCenter were incredible) to just the cheese factor that is Vegas. Like hundreds of people watching the show out outside of Treasure Island. Lip synched songs and fire I guess attracts em in. But the other wild thing is getting up at 4AM to catch the 6AM flight and seeing the hotel lobby and casino packed. That can only happen in Vegas.

-- Also from last week… the worst cab ride ever… so I get in the cab at 4:15AM for the airport… the driver tells me that she can take me through the city, it will be quicker and cheaper than the highway. I tell her that’s great, I just want to get there as quick as I can because you never know about the airport. She then proceeds to drive the slowest I have ever seen someone drive a cab in Vegas. There were drunk partiers moving faster than us! Then as we approach a stoplight and with her almost all the way through, the light turns yellow and she JAMS on her brake and reverses the car. I was freaking out and she says “Can’t be running lights in Vegas”… Arghh… so As we keep floating along she says “what time is your flight?” and I say “6” for which she replied “Wow you sure are cutting it close!”…. Yep thanks to you I am! Anyway I made it but that was one cab trip to forget…

-- Great to see Henry Gorry of Guardian at the airport… a true gentleman and class act in this world of ours.

-- Speaking of Henry we talked about the codes coming down the pike for a bit. Plus in talking with other folks too, I don’t want to misconstrue where I sit or where many of our bretheren in our industry sit. We are not in any way, shape or form against energy efficiency. When we battle on the codes it’s because of the way they are laid out, plan to be implemented or logic behind them. Believe me we all want the same stuff.

-- Also a funny aside… people forgetting how the NFRC came to be… many folks now think that the NFRC was created solely to be proponent of energy efficiency on the residential side. Pushing for better windows, but in reality their creation was in part due to bad characters on the residential window side who were making windows with false performance claims attached to them (like single pane windows promoted as “Double Low E and Double Argon”). One of my angles all along with NFRC has been they were needed on the residential side because of the end user being an amateur in the game, but they’re not providing the value on the commercial end because we are professionals. Anyway I found it interesting that history is sometime forgotten.

LINKS of the WEEK

-- Now that I have a Kindle, this is a great idea to put all the books I have laying around to good use.

-- How about this… older men stay attractive for a decade longer than they used to… meaning a 55 year old man is still desirable according to the story. Best part of the story is baldness is no longer a stigma! Yee ha.

-- If you stole towels from the Hilton last week in Vegas, better hope you don’t get caught… this person got 3 months in jail… and really does anyone take towels anymore?

VIDEO of the WEEK

Low moment in my alumni life.. As a proud Ohio U graduate I knew beating Ohio State was a long shot… but worse yet, the video below. The Ohio mascot decided to attack the Ohio State mascot… and it was pathetic… and embarrassing… and just plain sad. Bobcats bow their heads all over the world on this display of stupidity. (watch bottom right of screen)