Saturday, June 15, 2013

Big Show, Great Letter, New Building


Big week ahead as the annual AIA show takes place in Denver Thursday through Saturday.  I do not have high expectations for this event as I just think that the timing and location will keep numbers down.  But I may be surprised because right now there is a positive momentum for trade shows (GlassBuild as an example looking very good with a growing and fantastic line up) so it may exceed the expectations.  In any case I look forward to meeting up with many folks while there and as always my “who’s who” report will be next week right here on the blog. 

Elsewhere…

--  Kudos to the folks at Hartung Glass who put out an incredible and well thought out message to their customer base about the ASHRAE situation.  Really impressive work by Hartung COO Kirk Johnson and team.

--  Another fantastic issue from Glass Magazine this month.  Two highlights for me… the legendary Top 50 Glazier piece, which always gets the industry talking, and a great piece on safety by Mike Burk of Quanex.  Mike by the way presented one of the best pieces in GANA BEC history a few years ago and the guy delivers every time out.

--  Congrats to Sage Electrochromics on its first shipment from its new plant.  That is a huge piece of news and I know all of the players involved have to be thrilled.  Add that with the NanoMarket report just out predicting the smart glass segment to be the fastest growing around and you just have to feel real good about dynamic technologies overall.

--  I received some great feedback on part 1 of my Jeff Razwick interview.   In part 2, Jeff talks about trends and talent.  Interesting stuff for sure.  I love when people talk “continuous improvement” that is so under-rated in our world.  Thank you Mr. Razwick for your time.  Another great interview coming up in a few weeks…. Until then enjoy the below.

TGP is in a lot of different product segments these days, so your architectural presence I assume is pretty significant.  What is the architectural community asking for as in what trends and products are the “in” things right now?

Razwick: Today's building designs call for higher performance curtain wall and glazing solutions, including from an aesthetic, energy and structural standpoint. For architects, this means selecting curtain wall systems with enhanced design flexibility. For example, can the curtain wall transfer large amounts of daylight without imposing additional cooling loads? Can it support large free spans of glazing without bulky supporting mullions or additional reinforcement? At TGP, we've found this desire has led to an increase in the specification of steel curtain wall systems. They're strong, versatile and advanced products that help overcome a key limit on design flexibility – the limited strength or design limitations of aluminum back mullions. We expect to see this trend continue to grow.

Across the board, energy performance also continues to drive glass and curtain wall system development. This is particularly true in light of today's green building standards and prescriptive qualifications for glass. Keep an eye out for glass and fenestration systems with improved U-values and solar heat gain coefficients and new glass surfacing options, including films, tints and frits.

TGP boasts some serious talent, I have tremendous respect for guys like Devin Bowman and Chuck Knickerbocker, and they’re among the best in the industry.  So that said, what’s the great TGP secret behind finding and then encouraging/enabling folks to become serious contributors to our world?

Razwick: First off, thanks for the compliment! Working with individuals who are passionate about our customers and industry is a privilege we don't take lightly.

We believe our success in attracting and retaining the right people starts with our values – integrity, teamwork, innovation and service. These values have helped us shape our company culture into one that fosters both personal growth and collaboration. A mindset of continuous improvement is critical to exceeding customer expectations, whether we're providing products and services to help an architect solve design challenges or supplying glaziers with products in a timely manner.
Our goal is to have a positive feedback loop. When our processes and programs support our mission and values, they in turn benefit our customers, partners, employees and community around us.

LINKS of the WEEK

Excellent story on the way social media has changed how we react the major events.  And it truly has…

Random acts of kindness rule…. Like this one.

Hard to figure what to make of this TV hoax.

VIDEO of the WEEK

Love horse racing and this one is a classic race… Calidoscopio comes back from at least 30 lengths down to win it.  Start it at the 1:30 mark or so and you’ll see how far back he comes from… amazing. 






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