Will it be 2011 or... 2013?

Almost a year ago I wrote about a story where analysts felt the return of better times in the commercial glass industry would not start to pick up until 2013. I noted then that it boggled my mind because most analysts predicted a return by the end of 2010. Well here we are at the end of 2010 and those analysts were pretty wrong. Now those same analysts are predicting a slight increase in 2011 on the commercial side. Can they be right this time? It will be interesting to see that is for sure…. And I wonder if these guys will get terminated if they are wrong again or is forecasting the economy for our industry like doing the weather on TV? No weatherman ever gets fired for missing that big storm prediction…

Elsewhere…

-- Well the election is over… and after the lame duck session it will be time to get to work. Hopefully the focus will be in the right place, the rhetoric will be put away in favor action that helps the country advance forward.

-- I saw legendary gold medalist Michael Phelps in the airport last week. Pretty cool sighting. A buddy of mine asked me if I went up to him to get a picture or autograph… I didn’t because I always remember Greg Carney telling me how he hates getting mobbed in airports and all…. so out respect for his personal space I left him alone… now if it was someone that my kids would’ve gotten a charge of (Wrestlers, Sid Crosby or Taylor Swift) then I’d have to waive that rule in order to be a good dad.

-- Saw IronMan 2 last week as well and like the Spiderman movies, what a great movie to promote the beauty of tempered glass…. Tons of tempered used throughout… I think the supplier should get a note during the films credits….cause to a glass geek like me the glass had a starring role.

-- Missed this last week, but E Weekly ran the note on Columbus, Ohio being the on top of the list for metro areas adding construction jobs. Made me and many others think back to the news of Mid Ohio closing… so Columbus is growing and the branch closes? Yep, looks like if the rumored guy from out west opens there he’ll be stepping into a nice spot. (and that guy seemingly ALWAYS steps in to nice spots!)

-- Though the flip side is the overall 17.3 unemployment rate on the construction side. Ugly stuff folks… man I hope that analyst from above is right this time…

-- Amazingly quiet this week was the announcement of the NFRC election results. A few years ago that event was huge- lots of interest and candidates (including good friend Cliff Monroe who ran a spirited campaign) and there was a buzz. But when the establishment not only won, but kept ignoring a major part of the participants, people stopped caring. It didn’t matter anymore because they were going to do what they wanted. Sad….

-- Last… later this week we observe Veterans Day… and that day does mean something to many people and it is more than just a day without banks or mail. (Well it is my Mom’s birthday- so that’s extremely important) We are honoring the folks who were willing and sometimes gave the ultimate sacrifice. They put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms. So if you know a vet, take em to lunch, call and thank them, send them best wishes, or any sort of positive karma because one holiday is not enough to thank them for what they did for us. End of the day this is a celebration to honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

LINKS of the WEEK

-- As some of you know I am less and less a fan of air travel. One angle is I am frustrated with the security- while measures are needed, I think what we do in American airports is a hot mess of inefficiencies and overkills. And I’m not alone…

-- This story will turn your stomach.. sorry… its about a 10 year old giving birth… ugh.

-- Could there be a Ghostbusters 3? Noooooooooo. Don’t do it!


VIDEO of the WEEK

Nike recently did a LeBron James commercial to try and rebuild his image…. It was good… BUT this response from Cleveland was MUCH BETTER… someone there decided to re-do the commercial with folks from Cleveland answering his question of “What should I do?” Brilliant rebuttal folks!