Looking at both sides

When it comes to economic conditions, the past week hit both ends of the spectrum. That spectrum instead of being good and bad is more like “hopeful” and “worrisome”. (See I AM turning over a new leaf already!) On the worrisome side was this month’s release of the Architectural Billings Index. The numbers were not pretty and any positive momentum from earlier in the year has dissipated. The most disappointing of the numbers was the new project score coming in with its lowest total in the last 18 months. But at the end of the day the ABI is not the “be all, end all” and its momentum can swing back to the positive quickly. On the hopeful side was the news out of Apogee this week that they have a better backlog and expect positive trends as the year proceeds. That can obviously be a signal for the industry to point to. Bottom line is we knew 2011 wasn’t going to be easy and we all hoped for the 2nd half to be the start of solid rebound and there’s evidence of that possibility.

Elsewhere…

-- And in my own non scientific poll, it sure sounds just from connecting with people this past week that places are busy and seeing some nice forecasts. At the end of the day it’s the actual reality for the businesses that matters and if it’s good, then the reports from the various groups really don’t mean that much.

-- The guys at Glassopolis are known for creating great ads. Well this past week one the main guys at Glassopolis had a part in creating something really great. Rob Botman and his wife welcomed their third child to the fold. Jasper joins the team now (Love the name!) and I am sure is already working Dad over about what next great creative is coming for the company. Congrats to Rob and family!

-- Not sure if anyone on here caught the crazy Gold Cup soccer final between the U.S. and Mexico. That’s the type of game the casual fan could enjoy. Mexico came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the U.S. 4-2. I believe Alejandro Sanchez had a big part in the win for Mexico making it the 2nd time this year that he broke the hearts of many Americans. Great game none the less.

-- Congrats to the gang at Holcam on the launch of their new marketing initiatives. Very well done and smart to get out there and bang the chest a little bit. They also added some very smart pieces to their approach that I believe will make a difference. Well done folks!

-- My Ipod on shuffle continues to be like Tony Robbins. First two songs from my run yesterday were: “Seize the Day” and “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”

-- And last this week…. I was very honored to get the full transcript of the speech Guardian’s Russ Ebeid presented at Glass Processing Days and I must say after reading it, I am blown away. Just a tremendous piece and tons of takeaways… One of the big ones for me personally was this line:

“In challenging times and rapid change, companies must be smart, nimble, and wise focusing on their customer’s needs. It is not the time to be hesitant or timid – it is an opportunity to prune for future growth. It is time to have the best people. It is time to be the best at what you do and make sure your customers know it.”

And with that incredible and very true line, it will serve as inspiration for me in my next steps… coming soon….

LINKS of the WEEK

-- 14 ideas from the 42nd President of the U.S. Bill Clinton to fix the economy. No matter what you think of him or whatever party affiliation, a very interesting read for sure.

-- 51 year old actor marries his 16 year old girlfriend and that brings the same first question from everyone… how? Then the next question is how long will it last? I give it 2 years.

-- An actual store with everything in it made in the United States… Obviously a must stop if you find yourself near its location in Elma, NY. Will be interesting to see what it has and how it all goes…

VIDEO of the WEEK

The official trailer for the upcoming movie Moneyball starring Brad Pitt. It was a very cool book, we’ll see if the movie takes Hollywood license to it or not. Actually we know Hollywood will, but the question should be, how much?