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!