Sunday, November 02, 2014

Starting to think about 2015

With glasstec done, we are now in the final stretch of 2014.  The next eight weeks will set the tone for 2015 because of the various economic and industry conditions that are in play.  The most major and the one you will certainly hear the most about is the primary glass supply.  Certain styles of glass are already harder to get than they have been in recent times and that issue is going to get worse.  Add in the transportation issue that I touched on last week and we’ve got a challenging road ahead.  It is somewhat depressing that we find ourselves in this ordeal.  We’ve waited for a more normalized run of business and now that is here (in most places) we have to deal with these other obstacles.  So enjoy the end of the year, celebrate the holidays, but get ready (and prepare to be more organized than ever) because 2015 is shaping up to be a very interesting year.

Elsewhere…

--  Because I was away, I missed the passing of Phil Blizzard, last of YKK AP.  I was so saddened to hear the news.  Phil was a great man and truly a unique character in our world.  My condolences to his family and his friends and co-workers at YKK.  He will be missed.

--  News this past week that the USGBC will delay the closing of the older LEED rating system (LEED 2009) until 2016 is absolutely no surprise at all.  The new LEED version is starkly different and once again the USGBC had no idea how long jobs take from the initial stages until product arriving on site. So it was terribly obvious that the new LEED version could not be the only program offered and they had to make a move.  Plus this gives me time to try and understand the new version better… that will be a challenge for sure.

--  Speaking of green, I heard some so-so reviews on Greenbuild.  Many felt that attendance was off and the lack of true decision makers was down.  To me there have never been many decision makers there, so that is not a surprise.  Next year the show is in Washington DC, so I am sure everyone involved is hoping to get that attendance boost that a show in the heavily populated area like DC brings.  Whether it brings actual decision makers I still have my doubts.

--  One leftover from glasstec…  I was very impressed by the products that Dow Corning had on display.  Some serious out of the box thinking happening there.  Obviously Jon Kimberlain must have a hand in all of that greatness. 

--  Also the experience of flying Delta and flying through the Atlanta airport could not be any smoother.  The Atlanta airport blew me away- from the moment we landed at the international terminal, the layout, instructions, and helpful people were spectacular.  Obviously much different than flying through Atlanta domestically where it is so crazy.

--  Once again following the Conners Sales Group on twitter (@ConnersSales) paid off with a link to an interesting story on mock-ups for glass.  It was a well-done piece by Vivian Volz and her blog looks like one to add to the reading list especially when she’s writing about building products.

--  Am I dreaming but did it really snow in several parts of the country this past weekend?  Winter is predicted to be a bear… I guess its getting a jump on things.

--  Last this week, thanks to the LinkedIn notifications I get… a happy birthday to 3 great industry guys.  So have a good one Ryan Kerch of Quanex, James Wright of Glass Coatings and Concepts, and Kelly Townsend of Tubelite. Normally I don’t note all birthdays but figured it would be nice to give a shout out to these excellent folks… plus for some reason I like November birthdays!

LINKS of the WEEK

--  A runner finishing a race with a broken leg.  Impressive!! I get a blister and I am ready for painkillers and surgery.

--  Not sure what is better here- the article on a guy using cones to reserve and protect his car on a NYC street or the comments below.

--  Wild story of just camping out at a KFC to get over a bad relationship… I could see doing this actually... if it were a Dominos.

--  BONUS link- since I missed last week…  the most ridiculous excuses for calling in sick!

VIDEO of the WEEK

Congrats to the San Francisco Giants on winning the World Series.  But overshadowing their win… somehow… was the presentation of the MVP award and a really nervous rep from Chevrolet.  I am convinced this was a plan and set up (because why would Chevy send a Zone Manager to one of the biggest events in sports- this is usually reserved for C Level folks) and if it was it’s paying of nicely for Chevy because the buzz is strong.  If you missed the moment… here it is…


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