Virtual Reality is Here

A little different lead this time out… so a the IBS show this past week one of the bigger plays was showing Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) in action.  I have been following this space for our world for a while and I am huge fan of the potential.  The issue is the costs are so far in the stratosphere that putting this into play is just not realistic at this point.  But someday it’s going to be and when that happens, it will be a game changer.  The technology is incredible and it will allow the potential customer to see the end product in place and in action and that excites me.  I thought about this also during a recent trip to Florida.  I did the “Void” at Disney Springs and it is a truly immersive VR experience.  In this case I was in the middle of a Star Wars battle and I will tell you… It. Was. Real.   The detail was incredible.  Between that and seeing some of the tests with building products, I just can’t wait.   (Note there is a Void in Las Vegas, I may have to sneak to that before or after BEC)

If you’ve experienced the Void or have thoughts on VR or AR in our world, please drop me a line…

Elsewhere…

--  Last week I covered the beauty of the new Glass Magazine.  This week its time to look at the brains of it and also give out my “ad of the month.”  The articles this month feature detailed and intense reporting.  The World of Glass and Industry Forecast pieces were loaded with insight and I loved the “Trendhunter” piece by Ron Crowl of Fenetech.  I could see that series becoming a favorite of mine.  All in all a loaded issue content wise!

--  As for the ad of the month, I mentioned last week the ads just “popped” more and so this month it was tough to pick just one winner- so I have a few.  I really liked Swisspacer’s piece of cold and warm- really excellent use of an image and story.  I have no idea who deserves the credit from Swisspacer so please if you are reading this and you know the person- pass along my kudos!  I liked HHH’s new ad- it used color and image perfectly and jumped off the page.  Props to you Melissa Blank and Mike Synon!  FuseRocket from DFI was a fabulous ad.  Stopped me in my tracks.  Syndi Sim well done!  Last but not least the creative Q&A that Consolidated Glass Holdings caught me perfectly.  Great work by Angela Beach from CGH, who nailed it on a cool 2 page spread.  Overall this may have been the best magazine for ads I have ever seen.  May it continue!

--  The latest Architectural Billings Index came out and reported a huge positive jump last month. A massive score of 55.3 was posted and folks I will tell you I am stunned.  That is an amazing and unexpected report.  Obviously I’m thrilled with it, it’s the highest total in quite a while, but I surely did not expect it.  Let’s keep rolling.

--  Fellow road warriors… how about these new airplane seats?  I am always seeing these articles and wonder which major airline will jump in and take a chance with something radically different.

--  A list of the richest cities in the US came out this week…  and you know me, I love lists like this… the rankings are pretty static from last year but a few things jumped out.  Rumson, NJ jumped 19 spots this year to now the 19^th richest city in the US.  Which one of you glass superstars moved in there?  (I have never heard of that area) I was surprised to see my former home of Ohio have a few spots in the top 50 including Village of Indian Hill at #11.  I was also surprised that Malibu, CA was at 43^rd- I thought it would be higher- just my perception always assumed that.   Anyway the entire top 50 is HERE. 

--  Last this week… a hearty congratulations to John Wheaton.  25 years ago this past week John started his incredible firm Wheaton Sprague.  John is a wonderful, smart and positive voice in our industry and I am happy to see him celebrate the silver anniversary.  Well done John and here’s to many many more successful years ahead!

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Interesting take on the whole Amazon HQ 2 adventure.

--  I have used “hidden city” airline sites before but I have been wimping out on booking tickets- and now I am glad I do.  Story is one to watch here.

--  I am not a scientist or a beer drinker-  but can this be real?  Seems very far fetched.

VIDEO of the WEEK

Coming in March to Netflix… “The Dirt” which is based on the awesome book of the same name about the music group Motley Crue.   The book was incredible- how will the movie be?  I am pumped to see it….

Great Look!

One of my favorite things is getting latest industry trade magazines and reading them cover-to-cover.  I love the news and the advertisements and I always want to see who may have switched jobs without me knowing.  Plus for the last few years I have been faithfully reviewing the latest issues of Glass Magazine here on the blog, so that added to the enjoyment.  This week, my excitement was brought to a whole new level with the release of the new look and feel of Glass Magazine.  Switching up a look or a brand is always a challenge- I have been a part of a few efforts and I know its not easy.  On this one the Glass Magazine team nailed it.  The look is incredible.  Modern and sleek.  The color scheme really works nicely and not sure what how the layout changes did it but the stories and ads pop off the page more.  It really is a beautiful piece and full congrats to the team at Glass Magazine who I am sure worked tirelessly on it.  So now not only can you get incredible insight and information but it’s laid out in such an advanced way.  Next week I’ll do my ad of the week and story review but for now I just wanted to pay homage to the new look!  Well done!

Elsewhere…

--  This was a week filled with big moves… aside from the launch of the updated Glass Magazine we had two major industry figures announce new employment.  First Tracy Rogers, past Glass Industry MVP, joined up with OmniGlass out of Canada as their new Director of US Sales and Marketing.  He will do a fabulous job and I hope that position gets him back involved in the overall industry scene.  Next was the news that Gus Trupiano was going to General Glass International (GGI) as National Sales Manager for their Specialty Division.  Gus is a very good friend of mine and I am excited to see what this next chapter brings.  GGI has amassed some serious talent in the last handful of years and so Gus just adds to that overall firepower.  Like Tracy coming back into the national industry scene, I hope Gus is able to still be active for the industry in his new role, though I know he’ll have his hands full getting up to speed with this new position.  In any case I loved seeing two excellent people land in great places.  Congrats to both!

--  I was a big follower of the Amazon HQ2 search and when they picked NYC as one of the sites I was honestly stunned and to me it made no sense.  Terrible fit on so many levels.  In the end I was right as Amazon decided after various levels of pushback to reverse field and not make NYC a site.  It will be interesting to see what happens now because since Amazon had picked NYC, many competing proposals were made more public.  Will other cities now knowing what all the bids were step up their approach?  This one will still be a fun one to watch. 

--  For my many friends in Vancouver… this building with reflective glass blocks looks like pure craziness.  Can’t wait to see what it looks like once built!

--  Just a reminder- BEC is coming… and a quick story on that….  so I am a big fan of Steven Brooks of SmartLift Equipment.  He is an absolute media/marketing machine.  Anyway he reached out to me because he had an interest in BEC and wanting to learn more.  After we went back and forth, Steven is attending.  He saw that the value of learning and networking is an absolute must have in our world.  So if you are on the fence- hop off and register today!  And by the way I must admit that I was thrilled to help push Steven’s decision to a yes as I may be the worst sales guy ever.  (My brother got every single sales gene in our family)

--  For my dynamic and blinds between glass folks… this news on “corded window coverings” being phased out has to be positive news right?

--  Last this week… anyone headed out to the IBS show this week?  I’d love a recap if you are… I did see though that Vegas jumped the prices for hotel rooms this week… captive audience/supply & demand and “poof” welcome to $400 a night rooms….  Anyway, those that are going enjoy and feel free to drop me some insight please! 

LINKS of the WEEK

--  I have followed a lot of the past of Pablo Escobar but this was one thing I had no idea about and it’s a legacy with no end in sight.  Wild!

--  Crazy and sad at same time- ultimate helicopter parent

--  Yet another reason I love dogs!

VIDEO of the WEEK

Winter is tough and roads can be very scary.  This is from Kansas City I believe and the highway had serious ice under the snow- so stopping was not easy- add in some extra speed and you have a recipe for a bad pile up.  Please folks- stay safe out there!

BEC is a MUST

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Time for my annual pitch about the value of coming the BEC Conference next month… BUT WAIT… this year I am going to focus it a little differently.  In the past I really played up the networking and deservedly so… this event is off the charts in that area.  Seriously if you don’t believe ask one of the 500+ people who consistently attend.  No this time my focus is on the group of people that the conference is built for… the glazing contractor.  If you are a glazier, you need to attend.  Simple.  The access to 1-1/2 days of targeted educational content that was developed passionately by your peers and the ability to advance your business awaits.  I know many of you are very busy and the thought of taking a few days out of the office is not something you relish, but believe me this is worth it.  Take a look at the agenda.  If you want to learn more and want to talk to a fellow installing company that attends to get more insight, let me know, I’ll broker introductions.  This truly is a conference that deserves your attention.  And as for the non glazier folks out there- obviously you deliver the networking and additional flavor that makes this event complete.  In any case that’s my plea… and while I stand proudly on the fact that I oversaw the largest BEC in history several years ago, I would love nothing more than to see that record shattered…  So check it out and make plans to join your peers March 3 in Vegas.

Elsewhere…

--  I’ve noted here in the past I am not a fan of LEED at all… but I do enjoy stats about the process and the one I always like to run are the top 10 lists of adopters of the program.  This list is for the top 10 states for LEED building in 2018.  This rundown is based on green square feet per resident.  To my surprise the #1 state was Illinois and furthermore #2 was Massachusetts.  I really expected Washington state and Colorado to be 1 and 2 but they were 3 and 6.  I was shocked to see the great state of Texas check in at #5.  I don’t think people associate Texas with sustainable building and obviously those folks are wrong.  The rest of the top ten was Hawaii, Virginia, California, and Maryland. 

--  I am probably alone on this one but it bums me out that movie named “Glass” is a bizarre and intense horror movie.  Plus people use the hashtag #glass on social media and its killing my searches for interesting stories about our industry…

--  With both of my kids now residing in Florida I have had to spend some time here and there in that state and I am floored over the fact that seemingly no one uses turn signals there.  The biggest stunner- I was following a school bus… and the school bus failed to use a turn signal!  A school bus- where signals for safety are the law and huge, yet even this driver failed to throw on his left turn signal.  Insanity….

--  An important post a few days ago from the always-great Kerry Haglund (Efficient Windows Collaborative) on LinkedIn.  She linked to the news from the DOE on 42 million dollars being earmarked for study into innovative building products.  Windows are a part of this.  My sincere hope is that people like Kerry or other organizations that can take advantage of this are involved in the developments.  We’ve seen in the past grants come through the DOE that to me were not put in the best and most capable hands glass wise.  I’ll be following this the best I can and keep everyone updated… and if you are reading this and are involved- good luck and make positive innovations happen!

--  Last this week… I do still try to enjoy the commercials shown during the Super Bowl (Congrats to the Pats fans out there!) but each year the batches get worse.  This year a few were fun and enjoyable but most weren’t.  The oddest one?  Burger King with an Andy Warhol look alike working a sandwich for 30 seconds.  That was 5 million bucks.  Why?  Also while everyone in the media seemed to love the Washington Post spending 10 million for an ad, personally I thought that was a terrible waste of money… Obviously the Post is flush with cash so the whole “please subscribe or we’ll go away” narrative is wrong.    Anyway I guess it is what it is these days- but I’ll at least note the 4 that were solid in my opinion were the Hyundai one with Jason Bateman, Avocado’s, Planters, and Google/Queen.  Time for everyone else to come to the glass industry and steal brilliant marketing brains like Tessa Miller, Mary Olivier, Rich Porayko and so on to get better commercials!! 

LINKS of the WEEK

I know this is for marketing- but wow it is stupid.  So this plus my Burger King comment above shows the fast food world is hurting for good marketers!

Your completely idiotic but viral story of the week

Florida is more than my complaints about turn signal I guess…

VIDEO of the WEEK

By now you know I love the band Queen and I am huge fan of the movie “Bohemian Rhapsody” so it’s only natural that once I found this video it would become my video of the week! 

Growing Our Base

So I have hit this before but a great post on LinkedIn by Tim Widner of Lippert Components got me going again.  Tim shared a story about high school students doing a “Signing Day” ceremony for kids joining the trades.  If you are not a sports fan, signing day is a big event in high schools for students picking a college to continue their athletic careers.  Some of the events are very lavish and the kids make it a show, but in the end it’s a very cool way to announce what is next for them.  Until now it’s been limited to sports scholarships… so it’s nice to see a group pushing something new.  We as an industry have to find our way into that mix, we need to keep promoting the greatness of the glass industry and the incredible opportunities we have throughout our ranks.  This continues to be a goal and something to work on- building our image as an industry so we can attract youth.   Any ideas I am open for it… and Tim, thanks for the post- good stuff!

Elsewhere…

--  So did everyone survive the Polar Vortex?  I checked with many of my Minnesota friends and when people from Minnesota say “its cold” it must realllllly be cold!  That was a tough week for the Midwest and East and I am sure it will have an effect on business levels.  I have heard of delays on jobsites that became significant so there will be some backlog jams coming up.

--  While not everyone is a fan of Apple Computer, as glass people you should probably at least like them.  The latest news is they filed for a patent for a glass sheet keyboard.  Obviously that’s something none of us will be into, but could it grow the glass brand?  Seeing our product in yet another very functional place?  It also made me think of the video that Guardian Glass had on display at glasstec that showed glass in a myriad of different ways for the future.  More publicity and recognition for our product can only help!

--  In case you missed it… the Annual Conference keynote I heard raves on was perfectly reviewed by Katy Devlin… here it is…

--  HEADS UP- Best hotel rates for BEC end on 2/8.  Get yourself booked asap.  The agenda of this event is off the charts, and as always the networking is awesome. 

--  Want to get stopped in your tracks?  Check out this headline and story on Vacuum IG growth.  Wow.  Huge prediction of upside here… surely one to monitor.

--  I really do love the “Great Glazing” section on Glass Magazine and the recent one on the Oregon Zoo is a favorite of mine.  What Walker Glass and Vitro did there with the bird friendly glass was fabulous.  Super looking job!

--  Last this week… a great read about Bagatelos ArchitecturalGlass Systems.  Presented as a case study it provides a great insight into one of the top glazing contractors in our world.   I will wholly admit I am biased because I really like Chris and Nick Bagatelos but this story is a fantastic look at the approaches they took to improve a company that was already doing quite well.  To me a lesson is that you can always get better and you should never settle… good stuff here and props to Chris and Nick for opening up and sharing!

LINKS of the WEEK

This is the way to clear the ice from the tracks!

Kid stuck in a toy… wild.

Big story here... headlights are already super bright, this would make it even tougher.

VIDEO of the WEEK

Bradley Cooper… who may be the most perfect man ever created… shows up to sing with Lady Gaga in Vegas.  Rumor is he’ll be back for BEC… maybe my dream will come true and he’ll do a duet with me!