Going Big Time on National TV

So a little lost in the shuffle of the push for GlassBuild was some exciting promotion that our industry got from a very popular TV show.  Treehouse Masters, the #1 show on the Animal Planet network and one of the most popular Friday night shows in all of TV, did a treehouse for Pittsburgh Steeler Antonio Brown.  The treehouses built on this show are not your typical wooden piece that you may remember as a kid.  No these structures are incredible, nicer than most of the homes we live in, and the one for Brown showed off glass and metal in an incredible way.  His treehouse featured an awesome 2-story window wall with framing from YKK, dynamic glass from Pleotint-Suntuitive and Insulating Glass from Thompson IG.  The installation was done by Modern Wall Systems.  To me the best part were the constant compliments about the way the glazing looked and the camera shots reinforcing it.  It was beautiful.  So a major congratulations to all parties involved!  As I noted last week, when I saw Tom Donovan of Suntuitive he was all smiles and he should be- as should the others from our industry who were involved with this.  We showed a major audience that our products are difference makers and that they can shine in prime time!! If you are interested in watching the episode (it was very interesting overall) click HERE and go to episode 4.

Elsewhere…

--  A couple of leftover notes from GlassBuild… I forgot to promote and note the great book that sold like crazy at the show- “An Owners Guide to Exit & Succession Planning.” This book features in-depth advice on the exit process and management succession. It’s really an awesome read whether you are ready to sell your business or not. You can order it HERE

--  Also one comment/question that came up during the Glazing Executives Forum was about driverless trucks.  Obviously transportation and logistics is a big issue and that was a major story during the session.  So this week when I saw this story on some wild new autonomous trucks, I had to share it on here.  I still don’t see it being a major mover for us in the industry any time soon- but you never know.

--  Good positive news from the latest Architectural Billings Index… 54.2 rating (remember over 50 is the positive territory) so a nice bounce back after last month barely got over the 50 mark. The south region and multi family building were the strengths that the analysts pointed to as reasons for the score.  The ABI trend is certainly our friend these days.  Not as friendly is the Dodge Momentum Index.  That had a negative showing last time out- but I am waiting to see if it gets adjusted up with the next report. 

--  Have you been following the story of the Millennium Tower?  I mentioned it here a while back and it popped back in the news last week with a cracked window issue.  This is surely a job we all should be watching to see what is happening and how the issues (building is evidently sinking) will be addressed.

--  Long time readers of this blog know I love lists and rankings, so when the latest poll of the 50 Best Places to Live in America was released, I was all over it.  Here’s the top 10…from 10 to 1

10- Woodbury, MN

9- Sammamish, WA (I initially though this was the home of TGP- but I guess not- I would live at the TGP HQ though, it is stunning!)

8- Highlands Ranch, CO

7- Dublin, CA

6- Franklin, TN

5- Cary, NC

4- Ellicott City, MD

3- Carmel, IN

2- Ashburn, VA

and the best place to live in 2018 is…. Frisco, TX

So any of my readers live in these cities?  If so- congrats!!  The top 50 can be found here…  good list overall!

--  Last this week- programming note- they’ll be no post from me next week.  I will return to this space the week of 10/7.  Of course if news breaks I’ll post and also tweet it out.

LINKS of the WEEK

Fascinating story of a great resistance fighter who just passed

Story this week on how golf pictures helped an inmate get justice

Cool way to save a wedding

VIDEO of the WEEK

I am all Apple when it comes to my products but the latest phones are underwhelming… and this review really nailed it…

The Complete GlassBuild Recap

Wrapping up 2018 GlassBuild America… overall the show was very strong and it matches the overall attitude I heard from many on the floor.  People are very busy and doing well.  So I am very encouraged about how things are headed in our world.  I thought the floor was incredible with regards to the exhibits.  Simply blown away at designs and layouts and how many companies went the extra mile to stand out.  The education and demos did not disappoint and I think the networking potential was easily realized- so many people were meeting all over Vegas; it was surely a productive week for most.

So now on to my personal awards and my annual recap of seen and not seen on the floor.  The show does its Best in Show and the winners were great but I wanted to give kudos to a few others.  I loved the carpet in Vitro’s booth.  It was laid out like a piece of glass and then a piece of oversize behind to show the new size capability.  Pure brilliance from Rob Struble and Glen Miner as always.  HHH’s booth caught the eye of many with very effective marketing pieces- it was super- the duo of Mike Synon and Melissa Blank really came through with a win, and I continually love Quanex’s classic booth that is always front and center and a great show piece- just wish I could’ve actually visited the team there, ran out time.  In the end there were tons of others that deserve congrats too- but this blog will be extra long as it is, so I’ll stop there.  By the way in an upset, best shirts went to Tubelite.  Love the colors!  Unique and cool taste choice.  The former champ Salem had great ones again- as always-, but Mary Olivier and company win it in 2018. And best dressed non company division, Chris Fronsoe of ICD- including the most stylish shoe choices this industry will ever see.

As for the folks on the floor, I was so busy this year with Express Learning, GEF and the Knowledge Bar I did not get around like in the past and missed some folks I hoped to see.  I was though happy to visit and meet in person Heather Monroe of Machines and Wheels.  She’s got great products and she brought Cheerwine soda for me to try (I wrote about it a few months ago) – it was awesome and I am thankful!  Also thankful the hospitality of Bill O’Keeffe and Diana San Diego of SAFTI FIRST- so bummed that my schedule got in the way of spending time with them.  Same with Joe Dressler of Tremco- wish I could’ve broken away but just couldn’t pull it off. 

A Happy Anniversary to Heather West!  Heather’s incredible company (best PR in the industry) celebrated its 20^th year in business during the show!  Congrats Heather and here’s to many many more years on top!  Speaking of major leaders in their field, getting to moderate a panel with Garret Henson was great, and seeing the guy with Hollywood great looks Cameron Scripture of Viracon is always a fantastic moment for me.  On that panel by the way, it was remarkable to be on stage with Allen Mathis of YKK and Jeff Rende of Guardian Glass as well.  Those guys (including Garret) were OUTSTANDING! (3 really smart, classy guys carrying me for an hour- thank you!)

Because I was busy I missed spending any time with Bill Sullivan, Sam Benowitz, Dan Wright, and Joe Staffileno all of whom I saw on the floor but could not get anything more than a “hello” out. Pretty much same for my pals Ian “Nic Cage” Patlin and Max Hals of Paragon- I’ll see them more at glasstec.  I did however run into a ton of my past life favorites like Jack Wickstrom, Jon Johnson, Cliff Monroe, Bret Summers, Cliff Helterbran, Erik Stumpf, Mike Hossley, the awesome Wardi Bisharat, Jackie Audette, and in a stunner Ashley Charest.  So cool to see her once again!

Work was getting done on the floor- every time I saw Ralph Aknin and his talented crew from Glass 3 Enterprises they had a crowd around them hanging on every word from Ralph’s mouth.  Same also for Tom Donovan of Suntuitive Dynamic Glass/Pleotint, he was flying high after his product was featured on Treehouse Masters last week.  (More on this on my post next week- huge) Tom O’Malley of Clover Architectural is always here and I always appreciate whether I get to talk to him for 1 minute or 1 hour.  Great guy.  I only got a few minutes with marketing and business development virtuoso Andrew Haring.  Such an terrific person, I am a huge fan and it was nice to just catch up without any specific marketing need or video to shoot attached.

I was blown away that this was Chuck Knickerbocker’s first GlassBuild!  Great to see him and catch up and speaking of first time GlassBuild attendees Tessa Miller, the superb marketing lead from Trex Commercial Products (formerly known as SC Railing) was also making her first appearance at the show.  I loved hearing her thoughts on the show floor! 

I enjoyed chatting with Dustin Anderson of Anderson Glass.  He was a rockstar here this week again, every presentation he did just had the crowd completely engaged and enthused.  While we are on the subject of fired up, the team at IGE Glass Technologies fit that bill, packed pavilion to the point where I had to come an hour before the show started on day 3 to even get a chance to chat with them. 

I LOVE meeting new people.  This time I was honored to meet several.  Leading the way was Kahala Knoop of Pacific Mirror and Glass.  She was a huge help to me while I was moderating the GEF session mentioned above and then we had a great talk on social media- really sharp!  Kristin Thomas of Tab Glass stopped by my spot at the Knowledge Bar to say hi and I am so glad she did- really impressed by everything she’s accomplished and Tab is an awesome company.  I ended up talking her ear off and I hope she made her flight in time!

Last to mention, my utmost respect to the entire team at NGA- this is a monumental event to pull off and this year there were more moving parts and pieces than ever before.  The team there is awesome and I am grateful to get to work with them.  They all deserve kudos for an incredible effort!

Obviously I probably missed some big ones, so I may mention a few more next week.  In any case it’s on to the next ones, starting with glasstec in Germany at the end of October and the Annual Conference and the BEC at the start of 2019.  I look forward to it all!

LINKS of the WEEK

On this one.. one word… HOW?

Amazing commute to work- I don’t get it- but you do what you have to I guess.

You may have seen this story before- women grabs dynamite instead of a candle.  Crazy scary

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-lopez-commute-cherry-20171216-story.html

VIDEO of the WEEK

Some of you may have noticed I was not wearing my yellow vest this year- that’s because GlassBuild brought in an awesome video guy to do the work while I was speaking/moderating etc.  Unbelievable work was done.. here is video from the 2^nd day on the show floor featuring Elvis…

GlassBuild Week

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Before I start, my thoughts are prayers are out to everyone on east coast with the impending Hurricane.  Very scary times and here’s hoping for the best.

Ok… we are finally here- GlassBuild America.  One year ago we gathered in Atlanta and the hopes and expectations were very high but unfortunately a hurricane timed itself just “right” and changed plans for so many who planned to attend. Now this year, we should see a very strong and excited crowd with the combo of people who missed the event last year and an overall positive energy surrounding the industry right now.

On the floor and in the surroundings here at the convention center there is ton to see and do.  It is exciting to see that not only can you walk the aisles and see the best exhibitors in the world but you have education all over the place including express learning and action demos.  Plus many exhibitors are planning in booth experiences, folks like IGE have a ton going on with their machinery and various demos and Diamon Fusion has gone as far as having a specific meeting room set aside for a presentation on 9/13 upstairs in the hall.  In addition there’s numerous companies having sales meetings, lunches, hospitality events etc. in combination with the show.  It truly is ground zero for everything happening in our world right now and its quite exciting.

Initial impressions on a floor in progress…  I am always amazed how this show gets built up from nothing.  So many people work so hard to make it shine when the doors open.  Plus it’s very hot out here, so this is not the most fun working conditions.  Walking around its good to see the equipment side of the hall on display.  You name the equipment player and they are here.  It’s incredible. And this show is not the big equipment one- usually the Atlanta version is.  No matter what your role in this industry is, there is equipment here to support and advance your efforts!

I am also excited for Fall Conference to be integrated in to GlassBuild.  I know for some of those folks it makes for a longer week but I think this format is worth a shot and quite frankly there are advantages to getting things all done in one fell swoop vs. having individual events.

Also I must give props to the many exhibitors who really brought the best out of their social media game.  This year by far has been the best with exhibitors utilizing the social medium fully to promote what they have going on.  (Note- If you are coming to the showI will be presenting on social media twice at the Express Learning area)   I have to give big credit to the team at FlexScreen.  They had an amazing series using video snippets and their entire sales team helped push it.  Very well done!!

As I always do after a show on my next post I’ll be noting whom I was lucky enough to visit with and also some of my own personal takeaways from the show.   Note if you are coming to the show, I won’t be in my traffic director vest this year- its been retired for now, but I still hope you’ll look for me and stop me to say hi!

LINKS of the WEEK

My son is moving to Florida for college.  He hates these sort of animals.  Better keep this from him.

Absolutely next level thinking here.

You know just when you think there’s no good left in the world a simple story like this hits.  Nice work young man!

VIDEO of the WEEK

The latest remake out there is “A Star is Born” and its getting a ton of hype.  Will it live up to it?  I’m not so sure- Trailer is below.  Meanwhile I am hoping that the new Jennifer Garner movie “Peppermint” lasts long enough in theaters for me to see it post GlassBuild.  Love Jen in a serious revenge role!

Learning, Demos and More- Prepping for GlassBuild America 2018

Next week at this time I’ll be in Las Vegas prepping for GlassBuild America.  As I have been talking about on here for the last several weeks I am very excited for this event and all that it has to offer- it’s going to be a good one!  I assume at this point you’ve made your decision to attend or not.  I surely hope you are going to be there as I think the benefits from being there are extremely valuable.  If for some reason you can’t attend, please follow on social media.  I know that the GlassBuild twitter account as well as the Glass Magazine one will be active with details.  I will be posting on mine as well.  So that can be the next best thing to being there.    As for the event itself, I just wanted to reiterate some of the high points to keep in mind.

The Action Demo area- I know many make sure never to miss the hurricane testing and that is back again this year but its also joined by some great other ones including UV Bonding (great for diversity and profit growth) Glass Scratch Removal (speaks for itself) Frameless Shower Installs & Glass Railings (very popular products these days) Glass lifters (safety matters right??) and Glazing seals (an every day item that can be a difference maker) – so all in all there’s a lot to learn- visit the link HERE for times and details.

Of course Express Learning comes back again and I will be doing my piece on social media but there are many EXCELLENT subjects that will be covered including the economic forecast, getting paid on time, cash flow, codes, EPD’s, edge grinding, recruiting and more.  Seriously one of the best line ups of subjects yet.  Times and details =  HERE.

Two other items not previously mentioned by me…On night one of the show, there’s an on floor opening reception… so before you hit Vegas, enjoy refreshments and fun on the floor.  One day 3 of the show, the NGA knowledge bar will be open too- so any questions you may have, experts will be on hand to answer and I’ll be there to provide comic relief. 

Last but certainly not least- the exhibits and awesome exhibitors.  Next week I’ll give you a preview of what I see before the show opens, but I am pretty confident we will have a jaw-dropping floor when it comes to the booths.  Every year the exhibitors at GlassBuild find ways to push their spaces to the next level and I expect the same for this year.  I pity the judges of Best in Show because I am sure it’s going to be a tough call!

Any questions on the show- drop me a note and I look forward to seeing you there!

Elsewhere

--  I have covered on here the goings on at the new Kansas City airport and this week there was an update with regards to the design.  With all of the delays, the airport probably won’t open til 2023 now.  Crazy.

--  In some areas of our world there’s been a pushback on the “open office” floor plan.  It surely isn’t for everyone but this piece does sum up its value.   For me, I like the office floor plan that uses lots and lots of glass!!

--  Last this week… there are a few of you who want my football picks… mostly to mock and be mad that I picked your team.  (Since my track record is so bad) So here goes… in College Football, I’m going with the easy choice and Roll Tide Alabama to win it all over Ohio State.  In the pros, I’m going Carolina Panthers over Kansas City.  So since everyone will be in Vegas next week, you now have 4 teams NOT to bet on…lol.

LINKS of the WEEK

Growing up in Pittsburgh we had 2 daily newspapers at all times…. Now down to one and it’s not even a daily anymore.  Wow.

Busted for stealing.. lemons? 

Gators have been very tough this fall…

VIDEO of the WEEK

This is much longer than any video I normally put up but it’s a wild story of mistaken identities that work out nicely and it has a glass related (minor) angle to it!