Sunday, January 07, 2018

Off and Running in 2018

Well 2018 is here and we are back it with a lot of news and notes to get to.  Normally I use the first post of the year to have recaps and predictions but I am going to push that into the next couple of weeks because there are other items to cover.

--  On the company side of things we had a deal involving one of the companies in this industry I respect the most.  In announcement soon after the new year, Technical Glass Products (TGP) sold to Allegion, plc.  I don’t know much about Allegion but I do know they got an amazing company with incredible people.  Congrats to the Razwick family on the deal.  Everyone at TGP has always treated me extremely well and I am happy for them as this situation really looks positive for everyone involved.

--  Aside from this one there are a few other deals that are bursting at the seams and I expect announcements in the next week or two.

--  Also one of my favorite companies had a major rebrand at the end of the year- SC Railing is now known as Trex Commercial Products.  SC sold to Trex last July, so this makes sense to bring them into that family.  No matter the name, the influence and growth that SC/Trex has had in the industry has been quite impressive.

--  And while I am talking about words like impressive and favorite, a gentleman who fits both descriptions took on a new position at the start of the year.  Dan Wright was named President of Paragon Tempered Glass, moving up from his previous role as VP of Sales & Marketing.  I cannot tell you how happy I am for Dan- a wonderful guy who I knew was destined for greatness way back in the day when he had to put up with my constant whines and cries when I was a customer of his.  Congrats Dan- you will do awesome in this role!

--  Good news from the last Architectural Billing Index for 2017.  The ABI crushed it with a crazy score of 55.0 – which is highest of the year and really had people talking.  The main analyst from AIA chimed in with this positive nugget:

“Not only are design billings overall seeing their strongest growth of the year, the strength is reflected in all major regions and construction sectors,” said AIA chief economist, Kermit Baker, Hon. AIA, PhD. “The construction industry continues to show surprising momentum heading into 2018.”

So we are geared up nicely… so as I noted above I am saving my recaps and predictions for the next weeks, and one reason is I want your input.  I have a poll posted on my twitter feed at @maxpsolesource that you can add your vote (and feel free to comment below that poll or here) that will add into my thoughts.  This obviously is very unscientific and my twitter reach not huge, but an interesting angle to me nonetheless. 

--  Last but certainly not least this week… there was some very sad news to report out of the gate as well.  Peter de Gorter, President & CEO of DeGorter Inc. passed away right before the new year.  The news was incredibly sad to me, the
de Gorter family has such a strong positive presence in our industry and have been so active- that a loss like this shakes you.  My thoughts & condolences the entire de Gorter family.

LINKS of the WEEK

Scary stuff but it is the world we live in now… digital tracking.

I think I could eat at the same place for 428 straight days..lol- I think I did that in College.  Seriously though this guy did it… at Chipotle.

Gotta be more to this story, but biggest question is “why bring the date home?”

VIDEO of the WEEK 

Too long of a video but some great pieces here.. the Top 100 viral videos of 2017….


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