A truly "Dynamic" week

Last week was huge for the growth and acceptance of Dynamic Glass.  Within a span of 24 hours, this industry segment took massive steps forward and increased their legitimacy dramatically.  First off SAGE announced that St. Gobain was purchasing them whole.  I am very happy for John Van Dine, Dr. Helen Sanders and the folks there.  The combination with a giant force like St. Gobain will surely pay some dividends.  The next day come the news about Guardian teaming up with Soladigm.  That just continues the push into the mainstream, and with the excellence of Earnest Thompson pulling the marketing levers it will be exciting to see what comes out of this process. (More on that below) Add these in to previous announcements like Pleotint’s arrangement with PPG and RavenBrick’s continued advancements with their patented thermochromic technology and you do have an industry segment that is maturing right in front of our eyes.

If there’s a downside it will be price points and education, both of which are a challenge in any emerging area, but especially so in our industry which is never been known to enjoy expensive tastes or adapt quickly.

And yes, in full disclosure I do consult for the talented folks at RavenBrick, but as you can see from the above, I promote and remain positive about the entire dynamic glass space.

Elsewhere….

--  The American Institute of Architects show is this week in Washington, DC.  The past few AIA shows have not been the best, but I think this year has potential to change that trend.  First off, the location is super- DC is a great area to attract a ton of traffic, and like I noted here previously, there’s a significant thirst for information and education that quality trade shows bring.  So we will see what happens and have the official “who’s who” at the show posted next Sunday on my blog as always.

--  Speaking of AIA, very curious to see what YKK has up their sleeve… they are promising something unlike anything ever seen on a building products trade show floor.  Looking forward to it!  Plus as teased above Earnest Thompson is at it again building excitement for the show using Youtube to preview their efforts with a 3 video series.  You can find part one right here and keep an eye out for the next two posted ahead of the show.

--  Friend of the blog, Joe Carlos of Tri View Glass in California sent a really positive and exciting link HERE from the LA Times about the need for apartments driving commercial construction.  Obviously welcomed news!

--  Saw an interesting tweet/video via Ted Bleecker this week about the trend of “re-shoring” which means jobs coming BACK to the US from abroad.  My problem is they’ll be no one here who wants to do them.  Still a worthwhile watch of 1:50.

--  And yes I may as well load you up with yet ANOTHER link to read. (Print these out, save them for another time.. or a plane trip) This one is great about the debacle of building a new corporate campus for Salesforce.com.  I know many companies in our industry use that program/service- but after reading this you just shake your head.  A great inside story of money, planning and calamities all around.

--  I love the artist Adele… her voice and music are epic.  The song “Set Fire to the Rain” is fantastic and I love the way she says “Fire”

--  Last I am very excited to see Lilly Grossman join the blogging world with posts on Glassblog.  Her addition to the educational push at the National Glass Association was super and everyone who will be attending any of the future education events will appreciate her efforts.  Welcome to the blog world and the industry Lilly!

LINKS of the WEEK

--  A long and intense read on discipline in our schools and how one district is improving on typical records.

--  To me this is a classic “make the mountain out of the mole hill” story.  A “party” bus instead of a “school” bus.

--  I’m not a fan of the online site of Groupon, and neither are these folks after this bizarre story.  Wild.

VIDEO of the WEEK

So if you haven’t heard the Adele song I mentioned above… here it is… so much talent.  And again the way she says “fire” is so cool.