The Deal is Done- Finally.

2015 is off and running….   But before the calendar turned, the deal that I hinted to finally came to life.  The purchase of the AGC fabrication locations in the US by Trulite is a big deal.  Whenever you have one large operation buying another there’s going to be disruption in the marketplace.  For both organizations, in my opinion, there are positives out of the gate.  For AGC on the float side, this allows them to focus their efforts on their core competency of float manufacturing and coating.  For Trulite, this gives them more critical mass both in locations and talent.  As for the industry it’s another major consolidation to deal with and some of the fallout that comes with it.  That fallout will possibly/probably include reactions from other companies looking to keep pace or fill territorial holes and that process surely won’t be a dull one to watch.  In the end, deals this size will be judged a year from now when integration is complete and all of the parts and pieces are where Trulite wants them to be. Until then we’ll be watching the ripples and also keeping mind of a few other deals that are percolating out there.  A new year is underway and it's going to be fun....

Elsewhere…

--  Funniest part for me of the above deal and my reporting of it?  It was how many folks wrote me after it came out if “this was the deal” I was talking about.  I was tempted to say no… something bigger is coming just to keep that momentum going….

--  So on my first blog, last year, I made predictions for the year…. How did I do?   Here they are with my comments in italics. 

1. There will be one major acquisition in the glass fabrication side of the business that will have the industry buzzing.  Otherwise 2014 will be light on the merger/acquisition side but look out 2015 will be crazy with them.  – It took until the last days of 2014 but I got this one right!!

2.     Both GANA BEC and GlassBuild America will be hugely successful.  And yes I have worked or do work with both of these so consider my bias, but I will say both are primed for big years.  The BEC 2014 has a very strong agenda and I have seen the plans for GlassBuild America and I promise you that you will be impressed and WANT to be there.- Count me as 2 for 2.  Both events were fantastic and must attends, as they will be this year as well.

3.     A new green rating system will start to take hold.  Right now LEED is beyond dominant and will continue to be the major player, but look out for one of the smaller organizations breaking through. – Unfortunately despite some good efforts out there, LEED is still the monster, I am not sure anyone will knock them off soon.  This also may have been more of a wish than a prediction.

4.     The code battles will continue and I believe an unlikely ally (another industry) will join forces with the glass industry giving us a stronger voice in the proceedings. – This actually was somewhat quiet, we had the win early in the year and not much else happened.  So count this as a miss.

5.     The use of 4th surface Low E will continue to grow and become a much bigger player in the specification process. – I am seeing more of it but not as much as I thought.  Give me a ½ right here.

So final tally- 2 dead on, 2 not, and 1 almost.  Not bad.  Next week I will run my predictions for 2015…

--  Congrats to my friend, Donald Press over at Okalux North America as he continues to build a nice team there, with the latest being the addition of Peter Stattler to the team.  Peter brings even more talent (on top of everything Donald and his current team posess) to this group.  Nice move!

--  Speaking of talented friends, Ted Bleecker fits that description and he’s one to follow on twitter (@tedbleecker) for insightful and interesting links on energy and solar related matters.  Last week he linked a good one worth sharing here- the top 5 reasons 2015 will be a positive in the energy world.  Good stuff.  

--  And another interesting article I found while enjoying the holidays…  was this one on the Miami Heat suing the architect of their arena.  Some neat insight into construction over runs and egos.  

--  Last this week… my fearless and sure to be wrong choice for the Super Bowl… I’m going with the Seahawks repeating.  Yep, going the easy route of a #1 seed.  Since I like the Seahawks and their fans so much, I hate to even put them in such a jinxed position.  Though on January 5^th, 2014, I picked to Seahawks to win last years game and my stink did not stop them then. 

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Wow, this may be the most baffling, bizarre, and odd article you will read all year.  I can’t even fathom how any of this makes sense.

--  Sometimes the crazy idea for marriage proposal can go very badly.

--  If you are an internet geek, this is a cool listing of the most popular websites each year from 1996 to current.  Crazy how popular some of these sites were!!

VIDEO of the WEEK

And just like last year, I start the new year with a look back at the best news bloopers of 2014.  Some are good, some not, still overall a fun one to watch.