Another GlassBuild America is in the books and it truly was
an incredible experience. 2014 featured
the best crowd in years, amazing education and demos, networking and business
being done. LOTS of business being done
actually. There is no question in my
mind that the momentum and enthusiasm we have in our world right now is very
real. Yes we have obstacles ahead, but
things continue to progress in the right direction. And let’s keep in mind one of the comments
that the great Oliver Stepe of YKK AP said in the Glazing Executive Forum at
Glassbuild…. Basically he said that hat
we need to remember the lessons of the past… and I can’t agree more, as we
surely do not want to go backwards in the way we operate or approach our
businesses. All in all let’s keep this
positive time going!
As I have been doing for many years, its time for my seen
and noticed on the show floor… so here goes… and yes this blog is usually
longer than normal… so you are forewarned.
-- Overall- the level and look of the exhibits were amazing!
-- Great to see Mike Gainey of Azon again. And he was looking great too. The team from Garibaldi Glass were great to
catch up with, Carey, Chris, Otto, and Neally- a super booth and some really
cool cutting edge/impressive products on display. Of course its not an industry show if I don’t
get to spend a few minutes with Glen Miner and Joanne Funyak from PPG, though
this year it had to be BEFORE the show kicked off because I could not get in
their booth during the show because of the crowds. Speaking of busy, old friend Cliff Monroe
(Oldcastle BE) was in deep conversation every time I came within 20 feet of him, so never got
the chance to chat. And actually same
with Tom O’Malley (Clover Architectural) and Steve Cohen (Schott), that’s the
only problem with such a packed event, not getting time to chat with
everyone. All 3 guys look like they are
doing quite well though.
-- Good to see Garret Henson and Seth Madole of Viracon holding
court on the show floor. Those two just
stood in one place and let the show come to them. Nice.
The Idaho State Hall of Fame football player Dave Michaeli of AGC was on
hand working their booth (which was very sharp by the way) Dave looks like he
could suit up for a NFL team right now. Plus AGC had the legend of Rocky Top Matt
Ferguson in attendance as well; wish I could’ve spent more time with him. Very nice to meet Vistamatic boss Kevin Roth
in person, I’m a fan of his companies product, so cool to meet him in person
for the first time. And great to run
into Devin Bowman from TGP walking the floor, wish I had more time to chat with
him. Getting a few minutes to catch up
with Lloyd Talbert of CR Laurence is always awesome. That company always steps up for the industry
and I always make sure to thank Lloyd for that support.
-- The Dip-Tech booth was awesome- and being here early and
seeing it go up from nothing, makes you appreciate it all the more. And that goes for the entire show- to see the
floor a few days before the show opens; it’s an epic disaster. Then by show open its absolutely pristine. Kudos to EVERY exhibitor.
-- A fascinating moment for me? Being in the Bottero booth and
meeting Kristin Hayes of Luminous Glass Distributors in Miami. She just closed a deal there for a machine
and was rightfully fired up. It was very
nice to meet her and witness first hand this exciting move for her
company. Very impressive businesswoman
for sure. And I loved watch business being done on the floor!
-- Best shirts again this year go to Salem Distributing. Whoever is making the clothing call there
keep it up looks great. 2nd
year in a row for them. Close 2nd
to Lisec, the maroon/black look is strong.
(I think that color is maroon- whatever it is it’s sharp) Speaking of
Lisec, was very nice to catch up with Hans Hoenig, Bob Quast and run into Chris
Brooks as well. And you can’t mention
fashion without mentioning Walker Glass of course. In a few weeks I’ll share a story about me,
fashion and the industries most stylish man, Danik Dancause that some of you
will get a kick out of.
-- Best booth idea/promotion?
Dressing up in zebra printed sport jackets by the guys from Lite Sentry.
Mark Abbott and Eric Hegstrom looked dapper and a good way to get their message
across for sure. Also really liked what
PRL did with their booth, super use of product.
And the same can go for HMI Cardinal; they had some product on display
that really blew people away.
-- Safety really matters, and so seeing Tuff-n-Lite having a
packed booth the entire show was exciting for me. If I were still a fabricator, I’d surely be
trying out their safety gear in my shop, really neat advancements of safety
technology there. Props to Mary Olivier of Tubelite for her golden touch on
booth selection, she hit the jackpot with what seemed to be a perfect spot with
traffic coming in from all ends.
-- Bloggers galore.. Bill Evans did a tremendous job with his Express Learning spot and Bill Briese of GED was nice enough to step out his
booth for a moment to catch up with me.
Love when either of the guys write- wish I could be that good. And yes
it was great to see my brother Steve.
Healthy, happy, and strong and doing amazing things with Bobby Hartong
(who refuses to come to GlassBuild for some reason, I think its me) and their team at
WA Wilson.
-- Not seen: Unfortunately Ralph Aknin had to cancel out last
minute, you were missed for sure Ralph. Also because of the crowded show/meeting landscape Jon Kimberlain of Dow Corning had to miss out. And since he doesn’t read this blog, someone
tell him he was missed! I believe Joe
Carlos from TriView was there but missed him too. Plus the show was not the same for me (or
others I am sure) with Chris “Megatron” Dolan not being in the Guardian
booth. (Though the gang there did a great job of showing off their product and services as always)
-- There’s other news from this week including a good friend of
this blog getting a new position and Viracon opening back up in Utah… those and
other stories I will hit next week as we get back to normal. Or whatever normal is in my life….
LINKS of the WEEK
-- Airlines banned the “Knee Defender” so while that will stop
some fights the misery of air travel will continue- especially for those who
like or have to work during flights.
-- The movie Frozen is so popular even characters from other TV
shows are being confused with them.
VIDEO of the WEEK
Basketball player Jeremy Lin recently hung out at the Madame
Tussauds Wax Museum and was able to play some pranks on the visitors who
thought he was a wax statue. Fun video.
2 comments:
C'mon Max, I read your blog every chance I get. Sounds like an incredible show and sorry I missed it! Apparently you must have informed the blog website. I have to prove I am not a robot.....which is true for most days.
Thrilled you checked it out.. I just know how swamped you are being the star player you are! Thank you... and I am still in mourning for you over UK not winning that game this weekend.... Thanks for the note!
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