Kinda OK at AIA

AIA was last week and the reaction was that it was a solid show but not spectacular. Traffic on the floor from what I was told by several people was spotty to slow, but the quantity vs quality effect was in play. In most cases quality visits for a trade show a much more appreciated than a booth that is packed with students and other vendors. In any case this show had a lot of things working against it- slower economy, tough location and terrible calendar date, so for any positivity to come out of it, well you can count that as a win. Now the focus switches in our world to GlassBuild and I expect that show to do better than people expect. Vegas always attracts and I think the timing works too. In addition check out the line up for the Glass Executive Forum which is becoming a must attend event with the focus they are putting out. For more info on Glassbuild and all the good stuff, click HERE.

Elsewhere….

-- The April housing info came out with a ranking of the top 361… these were cities that were ranked based on the number of housing permits issued… Jacksonville, NC ranked #1 followed by Auburn, AL and Gulfport, MS (obviously everyone wanting to live near Greg Carney). The bottom 3 was Danville, IL, Wheeling, WV and Sandusky, OH. Now if you recognize Sandusky, that’s where the amusement park Cedar Point is… great park, but evidently not great enough to build a house near by.

-- The World Cup has been interesting… from those horns that make it sound like you are watching the game from inside a giant bees nest; to all of the pageantry it’s been cool. Though I have to wonder what hockey players think when they watch soccer. Afterall a hockey player will lose 7 teeth and still play through it, where a soccer player gets tackled and they writhe in pain like they’ve been shot. Still I guess that’s the charm eh?

-- Last week in the links I had the story on Washington State and the fact the builders are fighting the new green laws. Well amazingly the Governor of the state agreed with the builders and oh boy did that fire up the opposition. Check this out for the comments at the bottom… Worst part is all that will happen is that this will make the Seattle and Washington folks who abuse us nationally even madder…

-- And speaking of things that originate in the state of Washington… Major props to Nick Sciola and the gang from Hartung Glass after their latest maneuver - acquiring Holcam Sales. It’s a great move to allow an already very solid organization get that much deeper and better.

-- Congrats to the Chicago Blackhawks for winning the Cup… enjoy it but prepare for a return of the Pens next year!

-- And kudos to the gang at RavenBrick for making the pages of the New York Times! If you missed it the article on their windows can be found HERE.

TWEET of the WEEK

EricStangel- If you want pure quick Twitter sports related comedy, this is it. Stangel is the Head Writer/Exec Producer for David Letterman so you know he has the skills and his tweets are usually hilarious. Most have a sports theme to them but he does veer off to pop culture. Anyway it’s a great diversion from our normal lives…

BOOK of the WEEK

The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich. This is a great, fast read on the history and start up of Facebook. Mezrich has written some of my favorite books, most notably “Bringing Down the House” and he delivers here again. Basically the insight on how Facebook went from being a lark to an extremely gigantic force is covered in pretty colorful detail with enough twists and turns to be soap opera like too.

VIDEO of the WEEK

This one sent to me by Greg Carney and it’s fantastic, it shows the building of a Southwest Airlines jet in rapid motion. (2:30 from start to finish!) Just an awesome view of how the whole thing comes together. Thanks for the video Greg!

A monumental moment

Well folks there’s a price increase on the streets which begs the question of… Will it stick? Will this much needed maneuver be properly accepted, passed on and built in to the crumbling pricing structure of our industry or will it be like so many others that came before it, ignored, bargained away or abused? So many times you’d hear the line “it’s just not the right time for an increase” and you’d see people buying into that theory. Well I gotta say if there was ever a “time” for one, it’s now. But the problem is it’s not as simple and clean as people want it to be. Competition is nightmarishly tough. Every job is a battle whether you are the biggest on the block or a Mom & Pop shop. So when this increase starts to trickle down, the paranoid mindset will be in full bloom. Thoughts like “hmm I wonder if my competitor is pricing this job with the increase” and so on will penetrate every bid. And in every market, every segment, every industry there’s always that “guy/company” that goes against the grain and does what they think is best and if that includes absorbing double digit pricing increases then so be it. This increase will be one too look back at when the end of 2010 hits. If it sticks and is successful this moment could be the start of the renewal. If it fails, this is the moment people will point to about when the dysfunction and inability to help ourselves did us in.

Elsewhere…

-- I was very saddened to hear of the Saturday passing of Bill Cully. Bill was the President of United Plate Glass in Butler, PA and helped drive that business to its current incredible heights. My condolences go to Bill’s sons Mike and Bart and daughter in law Joyce- All of who are first class and incredible people. No doubt they will continue doing tremendous work in honor of Bill. The glass industry just lost yet another great founder and my thoughts go out to all in the UPG family.

-- AIA show is this week in steamy Miami… will be interesting to see how the turn out is, and what the attitude is… the architects are supposedly busier, so this will be the first test of it. Though Miami in June may scare some people away and give off a false impression.

-- If you missed it… my daughter (post before this) made her Belmont picks Friday night… she liked “First Dude” but she also really liked “Drosslemeyer” and so I noted it…. And lo and behold the 13-1 shot Drosslemeyer came in (with First Dude finishing 3rd) Yep I think she is ready for a career at the track….

-- We’ll see if she can pick the World Cup like she does the horses… she is going with France to win it. Now if she pulls this off we are moving to Vegas. ASAP. And as for the World Cup- it starts Friday and should be a ton of fun… England and the US on Saturday is a pretty cool way to get things moving that’s for sure!

-- The GlassBlog entry from last week with Jim Benney as the guest writer was pretty interesting and brought a few decent comments. Though I did crack up that one comment was from NFRC’s PR agency… I guess for an easy 6 figure deal the least you can do is leave a comment eh?

-- The GANA Solar symposium looks to be a must attend if you have an interest in getting into that business. George Petzen is one of the speakers and I know he has a tremendous grasp of how that whole industry works and its integration inside the traditional glass world- so hearing him would be worth the trip. Good guy as well…

TWEET of the WEEK:

Shep Hyken

/Hyken or click here for Shep Hyken’s Twitter page. Shep spoke at BEC a few years ago and was easily one of our best speakers. (ever) The guy is just fantastic and now with Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, you can get plenty more of Shep outside of his excellent books. Basically now is the time to take customer service to the next level and Shep is amazing in getting you and your people there. In any case there’s a reason thousands of people follow this guy…

LINKS of the WEEK:

-- Funny one.. the Top 10 Things your airline baggage handlers WON’T say….

-- Quick and interesting article on the fact that beer sales are dropping but other spirits growing among other liquor related stats…

-- Builders are suing to stop the new Green Building law in Washington state… umm guys, Washington state is the home to John Hogan and the birthplace of all illogical evilness as it regards to construction… you won’t win… anyway the comments at the bottom of this story is what makes it…

VIDEO of the WEEK:

Thanks to my sister Marcie (who still actually reads this blog despite the fact she is now living very large at her awesome new gig) for this week’s video… you’ll only need to watch for a few seconds but its mesmerizing… a 4 year old kid playing the drums like no one could believe… this could be the next Neil Peart… (AKA the awesome drummer of RUSH)

Nat's Belmont Pick(s)

Will my daughter pick the Triple Crown?

For the Belmont, she is going with "First Dude" to win... but she was hesitant... she also likes "Drosselmeyer" so we will see if either comes in... but her official pick is "First Dude"

By the way, her Nana is also 2 for 2 in Triple Crown picks, but I won't be able to post those here as she doesn't make her picks until before post time... she has to look at the horses to get a flavor....

Have a good weekend everyone!

TV Reality?

NOTE: Going shorter than normal this week because of the holiday and quite frankly a dearth of news or commentable stuff…. Plus the Video of the Week is the best one I have had in a looooong time.

Saw this line on a TV show recently… an episode with a job hunting lawyer waiting in a busy room with other job hunters when another prospect said: “They’re not hiring, just taking resumes for 2011” and with that I think this TV show hit the nail on the head. So many folks see 2010 as a washout and that the real start of return to greatness will come in 2011. Heck even the ABI, if taken 9-12 months out put a good spin on 2011. So I guess that’s what we have to look forward to eh? Keep plugging along, doing all you can and try to get to the 2011 haven. Then again if you take cues from TV/Movies you would know the world is going to end in 2012… oh well… no matter how you slice it, we’re still in a daily battle but at least there’s hope… even if it’s in the form of a TV show…

Elsewhere…

-- Got tremendous reaction to my Q&A with James Bogdan. And like I told everyone I talked to, it was easy because he is an incredible guy. Also on that note, I did get some good food for thought on some areas of LEED we are missing on and I’ll have more on that hopefully next week here on the blog.

-- Hope everyone had an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend… and obviously a major thank you to all that have served this great country.

-- CONGRATS to John Griffith, AKA “Grif” for picking up a much deserved award from CSI. A class act and someone who always treated me much better than I deserved. I am big fan of both he and Alana (and quite frankly everyone at Empirehouse) and they truly deserve the props!

-- Last I loved the way 24 ended... I thought it was perfect and loved the Jack of the last few weeks... Now I can't wait for the movie. The last few weeks and the perfect ending made up for the awful start this year too.

TWEET of the WEEK:

/NatGlassAssoc – this is the feed from the NGA and it’s a great resource all of the good stuff they have going on. You can CLICK HERE to see it. Remember the more you know, the better off you can be…

LINKS of the WEEK:

-- My friend Pat Pickrell always wanted to move to New Zealand… I wonder if this was why… they have parents over there that are having their kids get into “brawls” settle their differences! Yep just like the good ole days…

-- I’m actually reading a great book about Tiger Woods right now (review soon) but this may be an interesting trend, “Tiger Radio” for liars and cheaters… now that’s a wild format switch.

-- And thanks to blog reader Brett… the 8 most unhealthy meals served in America… yep and I have not had any of them… yet….

VIDEO of the WEEK:

Well folks here it is… an absolute classic news reporter “fail” with glass involved… Sit back and enjoy!

Taking on LEED

( NOTE: It's a very "link" heavy edition this week... good stuff from all over!)

For the most part very few people pick on the USGBC and the LEED program, but last week in a powerful Op-Ed in the New York Times, they were taken to task. And quite frankly it was very interesting and about time. This group and program has had a free pass for the most part, and usually when dissent was raised the awesome growth and power of the USGBC shot it down. However you wonder if the pulpit of something as powerful as the pages of the Times will get more focus on the program and try to make it and the other similar efforts out there more effective for today and in the future. Here’s the Op-Ed, surely worth a read!

Elsewhere

-- How do you know you have made it as a glass company? When someone is trying to sell your glass on Craigs List… So if need some Viracon material, click here as someone is obviously trying to sell some leftovers…

-- Speaking of Viracon and all of my friends in Minnesota… saw it was supposed to be 91 degrees there this week… so my question is… did you even get Spring, or did you go right from Winter to Summer?

-- If you are not getting the WDWeekly then you are missing out. Even if you are not in the residential world, that newsletter always has something interesting with their section called “The Talk”… It’s a weekly mini editorial wrapped around a poll and then features live feedback from the previous week. Its good stuff… and last week there was reax to the Lead Paint stuff that was fantastic. So if you are not getting this every Wednesday, then click HERE and sign up… believe me it’s worth it.

-- A Happy Anniversary to my brother and his wife… I think they have been married something like 30 years… which is amazing because everyone thinks he’s 42 and I am 52…. Which means they got married at 12…. Anyway a happy one to them and may they have many, many more!

-- I spent a few minutes on the HPBCCC (High Performance Buildings Coalition) Briefing video stream today from DC. (Sponsored by Guardian Industries) Great use of my lunchtime, eat a sandwich and watch/listen to "Building Star" news… Obviously Building Star brings a lot of potential to help business in our world and hopefully it’s rolled out right and it reaches the tremendous potential. 3 speakers, very good stats and food for thought. The video and live Twitter feed is on GANA’s site HERE.

-- Finally this week… (so many links above and below, just went shorter than normal) a great documentary is running on CNBC called “Beyond the Barrel”…. I believe it’s on next Monday the 31st again, so check local listings but it is a fantastic look at renewable energy and some of the issues and adventures associated with the technology. Set the DVR, you won't be sorry…

Off to the links!

-- Classic story about the head of “LifeLock” the company that is supposed to protect your identity… he’s had identity stolen a bunch of times… oooops…

-- Man uses case of beer as a weapon….surprised this doesn’t happen more….

-- Faking your way through and around Harvard… guess you have to be smart to outsmart those folks right?

Video of the Week:

Very cool and mesmerizing video from our own industry this week…. Viewed from outside the windows of TGP, some amazing high wire acts. This sort of work must get serious hazard pay! Anyway a big thank you to Russ Smith if TGP for taking the video and sharing it…. Awesome stuff…

Cool look at the future

Growing up I always thought by the time 2010 rolled around we’d all be in flying cars and living like “The Jetsons” with space age stuff all around. Now that never happened but this week, 3 major architecture firms were asked what they see New York City looking like in 2030 and the answers/drawings were pretty cool. We don’t get flying cars but we do at least in one scenario get a ton of glass… so that’s good. Check it out for yourself HERE. It will be interesting to look back to see how close this comes to happening!

Elsewhere

-- Am I the only one who is not kinda blown away by the whole “living skin” of buildings. Basically it’s a trend the have plant life and vegetation grow up the entire side of the building. I just can’t get my arms around that concept. Saw it in Pittsburgh and now have seen some articles on it and it just strikes me as something that can’t be good for the building but evidently it is.

-- Saw the news on Solutia doing an awards program to honor folks (Architects, designers, fabricators etc) for their creative uses of colored laminated materials in exterior and interior spaces. This is a tremendous idea and a great way to promote not only their product but the usage of value added glass and glazing material too. So end of the day, it raises awareness and for our industry that is a very good thing. Kudos to the folks at Solutia who hatched this awesome plan… I wonder if my gold interlayer desktop can be eligible….

-- Last week we had another industry guy hang em up. Les George retired after many, many years toiling in our industry at places like Floral and Arch. Les was very helpful to me when I started at the company and was always very welcoming and positive with me- So I will always appreciate that. Les also was important in the raising of thousands of dollars for Cystic Fibrosis research. Every year a major CF walkathon was held with Les and his grandchildren (two have CF) as the inspiration to raise money. That incredible act and the money raised will surely be a part of his legacy.

-- Yes with proof of a Friday night post where my daughter somehow picked the 2nd leg of the Triple Crown by picking Looking at Lucky to win. So now she’s going for 3 for 3 in Belmont. She already wants to go to Vegas but she was bummed when I told her that they don’t offer the game “Gin” as one of the things you can bet on out there. (She plays it a lot with her Grandma and thinks she’s a pro!)

-- And yes my daughter is proving that she has the picking genes in the family….

-- Speaking of picking… I am done with hockey and hoops since all my picks are gone. Now it’s time to root and I am hoping that Montreal can pull off going to the Cup. Very happy for my friends at Walker and Glassopolis who are big Habs fans. While it hurt like heck to see my Pens lose, at least it was to people I like.

Tweet of the Week:

/Solarfeeds or click HERE to go to it. Solar Feeds is an aggregator of solar and energy news. Basically if you want to know what’s going on in the solar world- this is the place to find it… Some interesting stuff every day.

Off to the Links!

I had a few people ask me last week if they have a cool link, would I run it? And my answer is surely…. So if you run into a story that you find interesting, feel free to shoot it to me.

-- As someone that has a very cool Standard Poodle and loves dogs in general, I am aghast at this Poodle… he was entered in a creative grooming contest… while its creative… man it’s wrong… poor guy.

-- Thanks to Frank for this one..... Heinz is changing the formula/recipe of their ketchup! Wonder if it will still come out painfully slow?

-- Classic signs from China... And basically what happens when you try and mix the English language up… hilarious stuff.

Video of the Week:

This video left me pretty speechless actually… it’s a tiny little cannon…. And this video shows how its loaded and then what it can shoot. It’s wild. But then it makes you think, wow, what happens if this falls into the wrong hands? Crazy, crazy stuff…

Preakness Pick

Sorry this is late... but my daughter has chimed in with her pick in the Preakness.... using the theory that the "favorite" never wins... she is leaving Super Saver behind and going with "Looking at Lucky" to win...

And if she wins again we know she is verrrrry lucky.... and also quite possibly NOT my daughter because I can't pick a thing....

Step up and be heard

The most frustrating thing about being in business right now is all of the issues hanging out on the periphery. It’s hard enough to compete in a tough economy on the traditional parts of business but now we as an industry also have to deal with things like the EPA and the lead paint doctrines. The residential installers have been on this for a while, and now word via David Walker VP of the NGA, shows that these rules are headed for the commercial world. If it’s anywhere near as crazy as what the residential guys are dealing with, it will not be good for us as an industry. Get ready to break out the HazMat style suit to deglaze storefronts and curtainwalls and so on. Believe me it won’t be good. So now while you are out selling, running your business and fight fires all over the place, you may as well add this one to the list. It really is crucial for your voice to be heard, and now is the time to let it fly. So pick your flavor- whether it’s the folks at NGA or GANA or both, you need to get on top of this issue and be heard… or else you will be stuck with misery. And trust me you can ask many fine people in the State of Utah that are dealing with NFRC nightmares that wish they woulda got involved in that issue before it was too late.

Oh and while you are at it- check out this white paper on the new “Building Star” act. Again get up to speed and be involved!

Elsewhere…

-- If you need more info you can go to the NGA by clicking HERE. Also GANA just announced an advocacy website that can be found HERE.

-- A few days in the wilderness really did wonders. Shutting the phone and e mail off for 4 days may be killing me today but the clearing of the mind was spectacular. As for the trip, I learned that my son and I are GPS guys as we got lost in the forest using our compass… in any case I am thrilled I did not get eaten by anything.

-- Each day I see the use of Twitter growing. So as a new feature here on From the Fabricator, I am going to do a “TWEET of the WEEK” where I give props to a feed that you should be following. (For those of you unaware, Twitter is a “Short Attention Span” theater. Short blurbs, 140 characters that usually lead you to more information… it’s very helpful info from an information standpoint and not a major time user.) So this week’s TWEET of the WEEK is: @glassandglazing that is run by Greg Carney. (Click Here to see it) Greg does a nice job of making sure you are aware of what maybe happening from a tech or code side out in the world. Well worth the follow! As for going forward please feel free to send me your submissions for Tweet of the week and we’ll get em on here.

-- Upon popular demand later this week I’ll have my daughter’s Preakness Stakes pick. We’ll see if she can go 2 for 2….

-- For those of you that travel the merger between United and Continental is pretty depressing. Means more packed flights and less inventory. Yeesh… then again I do have to say that it is an industry that needed consolidation since no one was making money…. So a thinning of the herd… hmmmmmm… wonder what other industry could use that….

-- Shorter post this week because of all of the links above and their importance....

Links of the Week!

-- As someone who travels a ton, this piece was awesome! A flight attendant shows how she packs for 10 DAYS in her overnight bag. Brilliant step by step look.

-- Solar panels are the newest “hot” material to steal. See here for what people are doing to stop the crooks!

-- Crazy story... a woman wins the lottery 2 years after her brother won! Seriously? I mean that family is waaaay too lucky. Now I could say that my brother and sister both won the lottery when they got me as a brother… (a mistake for sure 10 years late- though because of me my parents did get air conditioning for the house, so there was that benefit!) but somehow I think they’d take the cash instead!

Video of the Week:

Last week the Round Rock Express minor league baseball team added a new pitcher… and the guy was a riot… check out the video and you’ll see “who” this guy is but can you imagine if you could ever have some fun like this guy does while playing? Funny stuff.

Taking a temporary pass

Obviously the biggest story of the week last week was the departure of Leon Silverstein from Arch Aluminum. And because of my very close proximity to the situation, my e mail box blew up with notes/questions/comments etc. Along the way many people wanted to know how I was going to handle it on here. And quite frankly that whole question has stumped me. I have a ton of thoughts and those who know me, know I am not a political guy, and I usually let it hang out. But on this one, I’m going to sit back for a while on it before I make my thoughts public. I have been burned in the past with comments or commitments too fast, and that among some other reasons is why my take will wait. It will eventually come, no doubt I will not let this pass for good… but for now we’ll let it simmer.

Elsewhere…

-- You know it is human nature these days that more people care about the inside story of a guy departing his business than what havoc the NFRC will do to your business. Kinda like the fact more people will read a story about Tiger Woods and his 121 mistresses than a story about Cap and Trade.

-- Last week I was lucky enough to happen by a major ribbon cutting ceremony for one of the newest Trainor Glass locations- this one in Ogden, Utah. Very nice event and it was a true ribbon cutting as the city supporters showed up with the biggest real scissors I have ever seen.
Congrats to the gang at Trainor on the opening and best of luck ahead.

-- Well my short run as someone who can pick games ended quick… let’s see I had the Capitals winning the cup… that’s done and I had the Nuggets winning the West in the NBA… kaput too. Yep back to being the “mush”… however thankfully it looks like my daughter did not inherit my crappy pick gene, as on Saturday she picked correctly the Kentucky Derby…. I think we may have to send her to the Preakness now to see if she can go 2 for 2.

-- Oh and speaking of the Capitals… only a hockey player would do this… on his way home from the game 7 loss, Capital Brooks Laich saw a car pulled over with a flat tire and a mom and daughter standing by it. He pulled over and when they told him that AAA was at least 40 minutes out, he changed their tire. Oh and this was on a very busy bridge too… so this guy, right after a heartbreak loss plays the hero… no way do I ever see a baseball or football player doing that. Class act no doubt.

-- The interesting angle to this who EPA lead paint gig is how many people have gotten into it, gone through some sort of training and/or invested in the equipment and material to handle it. Normally our industry moves slow, but obviously this move got to the right people and even though they did not like or agree with it (how anyone logically could is beyond me) they still are rolling with it… though each to a company hopes that saner heads prevail.

-- Last week I had the story on experts seeing improvements in the economy, then we had a tick upward in the ABI. Could all of these good signs mean anything?

-- AIA is coming… curious to see what the turnout and buzz will be… plus a tough time and location… June in Miami…

-- Last... I am taking a vacation at the end of the week… taking my son to 4th grade camp in upper northeast Michigan… yep 3 days with me and a bunch of 9 year olds in the wilderness. No phone, and obviously no lap top. These 3 days for me will be like 39 days for normal people on Survivor. So if there’s no blog next Monday night it’s because I was eaten by a bear or severely dehydrated… or both. Seriously this is either a recipe for disaster or a great future Saturday Night Live sketch.

Off to the Links!

-- Speaking of camping, I was never a boy scout (crazy I know) but now that you can get merit badges for video games, maybe I should go back. Yes , merit badges for video games… yikes.

-- Wooooooo…. The professional wrestler “Nature Boy” Ric Flair is now a part of a game from the North Carolina lottery… probably worth it to go to NC just to play it now…

-- A very cool townhouse “in the sky” that is pretty incredible…. And selling for the steal of 28 million… someday after I win the Ric Flair lottery maybe…

Video of the Week:

From friend and co-worker Dean Mead…. This I believe is him in the mascot suit (it’s what he does on the weekends…) check out this incredible basketball stunt… starting from a 16 foot ladder… awesome…. Deano is a playa...

Yikes, Here we go again!

For the last several years I have been among the folks sounding the alarm on the goings on at NFRC. Sadly the new program is here and we all have to deal with it, but at last week’s meetings stark reminders came out on who drives the bus and who makes the cash… so get ready, the hands are still out and waiting for all of you to pay. It’s bad enough that professionals dealing with professionals, with legal contracts are not good enough, but now coming soon, prepare to pay up even more. At last week’s meeting one of the labs, with support of the other testing labs made moves to have the database, which is like not even 6 months old or even close to being populated, regulated for shelf life. Basically, the labs, figuring that once everyone gets their materials into CMA, a part of their gravy train will be finished, so they now have come out and said “we need to test every couple years” you know to ensure the products are still performing the same way or are still viable…. Or in plain terms, we need to keep our cash flow going! And while you’re at it, let’s also include testing Spandrel in our little adventure… even though the brain surgeons making that call have no idea what Pandora ’s Box they are opening there. So the more things change, the more they stay the same. And judging from the outright confusion and frustration of the people that are being forced into this mess, it’s surely going to be an ugly road ahead.

Elsewhere…

-- I did laugh when I saw in one of the many press releases from NFRC last week that they raised a whole $420 for New Orleans during the meeting. Considering the windfall that NFRC and the labs and others stand to make from this mess, it sure seems pathetic doesn’t it? Especially when you factor in how expensive it is to even go to one day of meetings… $420? Really?

-- Switching gears… Congrats to Brad Austin on his new gig as President of Harmon. Brad is a tremendously talented guy and also a very strong industry person (a key player in the success of GANA among other things). No doubt that switching to the “other side” will be a challenge, but I am confident Brad will do very well.

-- Got a lot of good feedback to my e mail on the LEED and Frank Gehry stuff from last week. The key always has to be that energy efficiency and performance need to be the drivers and not certifications. Hopefully that catches on.

-- What is it with our industry and MIT lately? Last month Don McCann of Viracon spoke at MIT and now, I get wind of an awesome Sun Shade project that Doralco along with Karas and Karas did there. ( I am guessing you’ll see it under “Great Glazing on E Weekly one of these weeks) Sun Shades are one of those really cool products that continue to grow in popularity and it’s nice to see the folks designing at and for MIT get it. Kudos to friend of the blog Tom O’Malley and his gang on a job well done.

-- Cool blog alert! The Chicago Window Expert… you can find it HERE. Has some really cool interviews with real diverse characters. Doesn’t update it very often but when he does its quality stuff.

-- I am embarrassed to say I don’t know a ton about this ongoing lead and EPA issue, but the stuff I am reading is pretty frightening. The release from the NGA was very powerful and hopefully some action will be coming to right the wrongs. Obviously the main scary point for me is NFRC started this way, hitting more from a residential side before seeing the money stream and coming to commercial….

-- Last this week, the New York Times had an interesting piece over the weekend that basically said that the economy is ready to roar again… my gosh this would surely be a time to get a story right eh? Anyway it does paint a rosy picture and if you want to see for yourself, the story can be found HERE.

Off to the Links!

-- Interesting read on Facebook being the next big competitor to Google….And since I’m not a Facebook guy I guess I’ll never know what the fuss is about.

-- If you missed it, the world’s newest millionaire thanks to Powerball… and he worked at the store that sold the ticket!

-- I love Twitter but this is crazy… it’s now being used as a dating site… No doubt trying to get dates on Twitter is below the bar scene…


Video of the Week:

Back to baseball with this amazing play from the college ranks… basically the third baserunner does his best “Superman” imitation and goes high above to score the run… very cool stuff…

A legend and LEED

In the last few weeks world famous architect Frank Gehry has been in the news because of his stance on LEED. He has basically come out and said he is not a fan that architects are designing for the LEED seal of approval and not for the good of the building or project. He also said trying to get LEED can be a waste of time and money. As far as I know Gehry is the biggest architect (or “starchitect” as some people call him) on record noting his disdain for the process. The question now is will anyone care? Sadly, probably not. LEED has improved over the years but it’s still a program that more people follow for the wrong reasons and in doing so they probably step over good energy efficient or energy performing products in order to meet a LEED requirement. And when that happens no one wins. The complete article, with some interesting comments can be found HERE. Oh and as for the whole green product issue, check out the following quotes from another story… very interesting….

"While green buildings have many positive benefits, there is also strong evidence surfacing to suggest a direct correlation between new products and innovative design with building failures," says Paul Roecker, an attorney with Orlando, Fla.-based Roetzel & Andress, who focuses his practice on environmental litigation. "From a risk perspective obviously there are a lot of products coming to market very quickly that advertise themselves as green. Many of them have not been 'tried and true' tested," he said. "They are new so in their applications of their efficacy … their potential to actually create a risk is really unknown."

Elsewhere...

-- U Value vs R Value…. Slowly but surely more and more people are talking with R instead of U when discussing that part of the glass performance. R has always been used in other building products and really more from a residential angle. A quick look around the web at commercial players web tools and it’s still all “U” – wonder when someone will flip that switch. (and yes I am aware of how easy it is to figure the R from the U….but still…)

-- Stoked to share blogging space with guys like Chris Mammen, Bill Evans, David Walker and so on. Very interesting takes these guys take and you always learn something from them. Which is a different outcome than when you read my stuff….

-- Do you know when you have made it as a marketing genius? When your ad is sitting framed in a random glass shop in Idaho. It was there I saw the famous and awesome Glassopolis ad. (the one with the senior citizens working the jobsite). The folks at this shop loved the ad so much that it sits prominently, framed, on their reception desk. Yep, that is what you call a major marketing hit.

-- Some of the main Solar media must be closely listening to Apogee’s Russ Huffer as they are starting to echo a lot of his sentiments towards solar. Last week a few pieces hit the streets wondering if Solar really does have a future in the market. I am still a believer but I do also agree that the costs must come down to make this fly. I don’t think they have to come down as far as some folks think, but they do have to start tracking down, or performance has to really shoot up- and I don’t see that happening soon. All that said I did see the announcement where Architectural Glass & Aluminum (AGA) has partnered up to get in the Solar game. AGA is very well run company and I know they did big time due diligence here, so that is a very interesting sign.

-- The NBA Playoffs started this weekend, so I have to jump in and make my picks… in the East, it’s hard not to go with the Cavs… LeBron just too good. In the west, I am going to say the Nuggets… but it doesn’t matter who comes from the west, it’s Cleveland’s year.

-- Last, I gotta touch on the NFRC meeting from last week… but I actually am saving that for another post. Some very interesting notes that I received from the meeting and its coverage, so check this space either later this week or in next week’s schedule for those comments.

Off to the links!

So what do links on this website and the TV shows “The Jefferson’s” and “Private Practice” have in common? Hmmm…. Anyway on to some cool stuff!

-- Amazingly interesting story on the effects of the Volcano of 1815… and makes you think how the current Volcano we have right now may affect us in the future. A short must read.

-- Last week I experienced my first ever earthquake… it was minor, but still an experience. Obviously nothing like the massive one that hit China… and as for that quake, one person got out thanks to her ability to sleep through it!

-- The update to the big “Carry on” bag controversy. The Senate is stepping in. Wonder if they will fare any better on this then how they fared when they tried to stop the World Trade Center from using Chinese glass (same Senator involved and yes for the record that whole WTC thing still infuriates me)


Video of the Week:

Got several good submissions from last week and if you have a video that you think should be here, just drop me a note at maxbcat@aol.com … anyway the video of the week is the reaction to Whitney Houston’s comeback tour in Australia. Evidently she was really bad, and this report talks to people who went to the show… brutal!

And off and running!

Welcome to From the Fabricator… if this is your first time here, I’ll give you a quick primer… for those of you old hands at reading this, go ahead and skip to the next paragraph… Since 2005, this blog has been a week to week take on the glass industry with some smattering of other subjects mixed in. It’s a therapy session really as I get to tackle angles that could be positive or negative to your world and I also try to shine the spotlight on the good people in the industry as well. My pet subjects are China and the NFRC, but I also love to take on the DOE, code bodies, and bad trade show booths. Basically this is not a traditional blog but a lead story followed by quick nuggets, links and ending with a video that can help you not think about business for a couple of minutes. If you want to catch up, feel free to scroll below or click on the links on the right side… and if you have comments you can leave them, or feel free to e mail me direct at maxbcat@aol.com . So now in the words of boxing ref and judge Mills Lane… “Let’s git it on!”

Top story this week is the code battle that will have an effect on your business. If you have not heard about what is going on with ASHRAE and the move (among others) to cut down the square footage that glass could have in a building, you need to start boning up on it asap. A good breakdown can be found HERE. The main issue at hand here is that glass does not get the respect it deserves and now people are looking to take advantage of that. The positive news is the industry is pretty united in their efforts to work through these issues. The bad news is that we still are outflanked all over. The key now is to try and stop the bleeding… slow the crazier notions of anti glass crusaders (which include FtF fave John Hogan, who from his perch as an employee of the City of Seattle somehow has nationwide powers) and continue to grow new technologies that can meet the standards being set. Hopefully the industry efforts will keep from our square footage getting reduced anymore than it is, or else we’re all headed to the brick and masonry industry.

Elsewhere…

-- Nice pairing alert... Saw the announcement on the hook up between Agalite Shower Doors and Guardian and their ShowerGuard product. This is a great matchup without a doubt as both have tremendous reputations in the industry and both make a quality product.

-- According to a new report from Reed Construction Data, the construction materials market is now stabilizing. Hopefully this is a trend that will stick and not a blip that will be reversed 3 months from now. But it does bear watching….

-- Speaking of watching, there are not a lot of things better than playoff hockey… and that kicks off this week in the NHL. Sadly I don’t think my beloved Penguins have the juice this year to get it done… so the picks here (and remember I am now on fire coming off my Duke winner in the NCAA) are Washington and Vancouver… with Ovechkin and company raising the Cup in June… (yes playoff hockey takes 2 months!)

-- This week is the NFRC spring meeting in New Orleans (sponsored by the Chinese….oy) and I do hear several big players are going back to the meetings for the first time in a while. Hopefully I’ll get some feedback to share… the big issue is probably where the CMA program is now and where it’s going. Basically it’s still looking like the Titanic….lots of issues to be worked out there… woulda been so much easier if the program was allowed to have true input from the people who are stuck with it instead of grandstanding by labs and folks like John Hogan. Also woulda been easier if they rolled it out in parts and pieces and worked out the kinks… but that didn’t happen, that iceberg is dead ahead!

-- Check this out from my friend and former industry mate, Drew Vass. He has a pretty incredible music career coming along and he created this pretty awesome website to show off the talent. Click on it and check it out and you can say you knew him when he picks up his first grammy. Dude has serious talent.

Off to the Links!

The “Link Chick” on fire again this week… good stuff below…

-- Getting a house from the reality show Extreme Makeover, Home Edition does guarantee you can keep it… foreclosures are happening…. Yikes. Next up, I am betting on lawsuits from “Undercover Boss”

-- This better not catch on… paying for your carry-on bags… Spirit Air is doing it and the logic is just stunning.

-- Where are the world’s newest architectural wonders? Check em out here!

Video of the Week:

Baseball opened this past week and you won’t see many plays as good as this one all season… Mark Buerhrle of the Chicago White Sox makes an insane play… last year he threw a perfect game… this year this web gem! (and the mix of announcers going crazy, very cool too)

Schedule Change

Quick advisory... the weekly posts will now be here on Monday nights instead of Weds. So look for a new post starting tomorrow- April 12th.... and I'll continue to post when news and issues warrant... but the weekly one will now appear on Monday nights...

What a combo!

(Shorter than normal post ahead....)

What happens when you have two of the things that frustrate you the most meeting and teaming up? Your brain explodes…. And mine did just that with the news this week that sponsoring the upcoming NFRC meeting will be China Southern Glass! Yep the NFRC and China… together… a true axis of evil in my mind…. Unreal. The whole sponsorship of the NFRC meetings is severely hokey as it is, but now getting the Chinese involved is just pure insanity. Yep ladies and gentleman the Titanic now has the endorsement of China….

Elsewhere…

-- Last summer I predicted $4 per gallon gas… and was wrong (THANKFULLY)… this summer though $4 per gallon gas is a mortal lock… its over $3 in parts of the US and it’s not even prime travel season yet….

-- I picked DUKE to win the NCAA…. And was right for the first time since 1986. (Yes I keep track, 1986 was the last year I picked an NCAA tourney winner) The blind squirrel finds the acorn here…

-- Also speaking of sports… opening day in baseball this week… love it…. So my predictions since I am on a roll… The Phillies win the series in a rematch against the Yanks…

-- I write every week on people and companies who I think “get it” during these times. Companies that make moves to improve instead of turtle. This week’s example is General Glass. The news that they are creating a new architecture and design department is brilliant. Jumping on the trends and milking them… very shrewd.

-- Saw the piece on line that shows construction spending is at an 8 year low… No doubt things are ugly but I stand behind my comments that companies that are picking their spots, bringing in new people, and expanding their presence and offerings are the ones that will escape the mess first and be better for it.

-- Last, the rumor has it that when Viracon’s Don McCann spoke at MIT he was awarded a honorary doctorate. So I guess we all need to address him as Dr. McCann….

Off to the Links!

The “Link Chick” as always is scouring the interwebs for your enjoyment….

-- Look out if you live in the upper Midwest and Rocky Mountain areas… a mass infestation of grasshoppers is on the menu for this summer… yikes.

-- Classic dumb luck story... baseball player hits a foul ball into the stands… and who does that foul ball hit? His Mom…. Oh no…

-- I’m a huge sportsfan as you know but not this huge… this couple named their kid after their favorite college… hmmm you know maybe I shoulda named my son Bobcat…

Video of the Week

Every year after the NCAA Tourney is done, CBS does a video montage called “One Shining Moment” and usually its awesome… this year was decent, but not as great as it used to be. In any case it does boil the tourney down to 3 fun minutes of video…

BEC Wrap 2010

BEC has come and gone and it was an interesting few days that’s for sure. Overall I think all of the attendees want/need more work and for the most part the attitudes were leaning towards a “can do” positivity. Still the major scary item that came out of this meeting is not one expert speaker had the recovery coming to our world before 2012. A few months back I ran a piece that said the industry would not bounce back until 2013… hopefully all of those pundits will be wrong. In the meantime there’s no doubt that people will be hunkering down to ride this storm out.

Other BEC observations…

-- Tremendous to see everyone I did… it was my first meeting in a while after missing Fall Conference and GlassBuild America…. Several solid speakers led by Russ Huffer… his speech was on Net Zero Buildings but he comes with so much passion and prose that he could probably read the instructions from a piece of IKEA furniture and it would sound interesting and engaging.

-- I enjoyed the keynote from Vitro’s Hugo Lara, he shared a ton of interesting info and made you think…

-- The code pieces done by Bill Yanek and Thom Zaremba surely hit many nerves and hopefully alerted the masses to the issues that are facing us now…

-- I am a big fan of Technoform’s Mark Silverberg and he and Al Stankus put on a very in depth piece on the future of high thermal performance fenestration… I actually learned a ton from that piece.

-- In addition I enjoyed learning about exciting future products from Dr. Helen Sanders of SAGE and Fred Millet of Pleotint… it’s products like those that will help this industry move forward.

-- Echoing Chuck Knickerbocker from his blog, the curtainwall piece done by Chris Fenwick of Kawneer was strong.

-- Also I loved by legal pieces but it was shame that attendance was low then…

-- The Mayor of Las Vegas was super… great story teller for sure.

-- As for the scene… the Viracon party was awesome as usual… I was thrilled to be invited… (then I was told EVERYONE gets invited… dang and I thought I was special…)

-- Saw the new trend in long sideburns from both Tony Mazza and Ken Werbowy. Not like 90210 original sideburns, but not Elvis mutton chops either… must be a new trend.

-- There were several 5 minute ads, but my props for best one goes to Tubelite… they stuffed War and Peace into 5 minutes and it was solid.

-- Enjoyed catching up with folks like George Petzen of LinEl, Julie and Claude from Solutia and the aforementioned Mr. Knickerbocker from TGP. Also someone was there from AGC! Yes for years I picked on AGC for not coming and the year I don’t host, Jon Hughes shows up… and it was good to meet him and tell him what he missed the last 4 years…

-- Of course I was very proud of Henry Taylor on his first time as host- he did a great job under tough circumstances… and it was great to see Greg Carney, looking trim and in charge.

-- Finally congrats to the folks at GANA.. Ashley, Brian, Sara, and Bill Yanek- a great job done by all… and all of them probably thrilled that they didn’t have to deal with me this year!

-- All in all it was a good weekend and good crowd under the circumstances. I know many people stayed away for many reasons but this event still has the chops and hopefully those who missed it this year will start thinking about coming next year. There’s no doubt times are tough but the information and networking done paid for itself and then some.

Non BEC thoughts of the week…

-- I picked Duke to win the NCAA because I am always wrong…. OK… they made the final four… I hope this isn’t the time I decide to be right… ugh

-- The story that USGNN ran on the City Center vs. its builder is a freakin great read. And that article only hit the high points of what should someday be an awesome tell all book. In any case I did venture over there to see the place and it is beautiful… the buildings with glass made and fabricated in the USA were nicer than the others… (as it should be).

-- At the airport coming home, heard the craziest announcement… they said that the plane had “limited water” so if you need to use the bathroom, do it in the airport and don’t wait. Evidently once the plane went through its water, the bathrooms would shut down… the flight was to Atlanta… I hope all those folks heeded that warning… that’s a long flight…

Off to the links…

More great stuff from the all knowing legend that is the “Link Chick”

-- A 13 year old COLLEGE student is claiming age discrimination… seriously… it’s a great read about a kid that is way too young (and waaaaay too smart) and parents who have no clue.

-- Your skin as an electronic touch pad… as Link Chick wrote to me on this was simply “creepy”

-- A guy gives mouth to mouth and CPR to a possum… wow, the effect of tons of alcohol at work!

VIDEO of the week

The video this week also courtesy of the Link Chick… and it’s of an amazing goal scored by a goalkeeper from miles away.. seemingly… check it out… awesome.

It's about time for BEC

BEC is just a few days away now and it surely will be an interesting time. In the past few years this conference had explosive growth but I’ll be curious to see how the weak economy and overall skittishness in our industry affects the turnout. The people that do attend will still be treated to a first rate show and an opportunity to hobnob with the industries best and brightest… and no I don’t include myself in the equation either. Anyway we’ll see what the pulse is and report back in next weeks post…

Elsewhere…

-- Gonna be odd to sit in the audience at BEC, haven’t done that in a few years that’s for sure. I am pumped for my friend Henry Taylor of Kawneer. He is going to do an awesome job.

-- Biggest miss of having to be in Vegas? Missing Wrestlemania with my son. Its an annual thing, but we’ll fire up the TIVO and we'll watch when I get back.. so no spoiling the results eh...

-- What’s this health care stuff I just heard about? Man wish there was some coverage about it… seriously though do you get the feeling that this thing got done to get done and not to fix anything?

-- I saw the blurb that Viracon’s Don McCann spoke at MIT over the weekend. Congrats on that honor Don… and I have to say that if Don did ½ as well there as he did when I was with him on a trip to the DOE, he probably slayed the crowd. That day at DOE where Don, coolly and calmly educated the DOE folks on the reality of the glass business was nothing short of epic.

-- March Madness… how about the Ohio Bobcats? Never thought they could beat Georgetown…. Great run… and amazingly my final four is still alive… not sure when the last time I had all 4 of my teams still alive at the sweet 16….

-- Congrats to Vitro on their recent round of hires. No doubt they brought in some significant players. Adding someone of the talent of Cathey Finney was a real coup for sure. And on that same note, Guardian added a tremendous guy in Jay Phillips. I’ve always been a big fan of Jay’s- he is truly a class act and I am happy for him.

-- Last, the ABI went up! Just imagine if lending would come anywhere close to normal and things could really bounce back dramatically. Next month will be interesting to see if this was a start to a positive trend or an aberration.

Off to the LINKS…

The Link Chick was late this week, which was unlike her… I think the last time she missed an assignment was 1983. Anyway, she brings some good stuff as usual…

-- Is this piece on the financial health of Greece good info or gold ole fashion fear mongering? You be the judge.

-- This teacher is eating a school lunch every day to prove a point… and she’s keeping a blog on it… she is a glutton for punishment…

-- And this one from me… Arnold Palmer with great advice for Tiger Woods… meet the press dead on and get it over with…(and evidently he now will be meeting the media on April 5th)

Video of the Week

March Madness rules folks and the best ending this past week in my opinion was Michigan State beating Maryland… 30 seconds, 3 possible game winning shots… no time outs… just daggers flying everywhere…awesome stuff… here it is…

Glass IS good...

When Architect Magazine recently ran a story about the future of glass in buildings it surely hit a nerve for many in our industry. Glass for whatever reason suffers from some sort of inferiority complex, brought on by many factors. However I see the winds of change coming and our industry is getting stronger because our trade groups are better and we are making incredible strides from the technology side. I have always felt our technology has been under-rated, and while the misconception out there is "all glass is the same", it really isn’t and hasn’t been for a long time. Add into the dynamics, PV’s, thermo-reflectives, high efficiency low e’s, exotic coatings and tints and this is not your (or my) father’s industry anymore. So while some may say glass is in trouble, I believe end of the day that building will be clamoring for glass thanks to the products out now and in the pipeline.

Elsewhere…

-- When I mention better trade groups, I mean it as in the fact that the trades are now working together for the best interests of the industry like never before. It truly is momentous and clutch with the timing. Hopefully this new approach will keep the leeches off of us and as an industry we can keep growing the products and technology like listed above.

-- If you don’t get a knot in your stomach reading about the last glass to come off the line at Zeledyne, then you must not have any feelings at all. Very sad. Thoughts are with all of the people that are now jobless after the shutdown. In addition I know that a few of the Zeledyne sales and architectural people are still out there pounding the pavement and I am stunned no one has snapped them up. Some serious talent available folks… I know the economy is a nightmare as is our overall business model these days but someone smart is going to grab these folks and be very happy when the results come in.

-- It’s March Madness! This year takes special turn as my alma mater, the Bobcats of Ohio University have actually made the big dance… they play Thursday night vs the vaunted Hoyas of Georgetown… an upset there would be insanely epic.

-- By now your brackets should be filled out… here are my choices for the final four, so now you will know who WON’T win it (as my friends in Louisiana and Mississippi can attest to)… Final Four… Syracuse, Ohio State, Kentucky and Duke… with Duke beating Ohio State in the final… (and right now Jayhawk fan Carol Land is singing Hallelujah since I did pick her beloved Kansas squad )

-- Does it worry you that when congress needs to take draconian measures to pass a bill that maybe said bill isn’t good? Isn’t there some karmic law out there that we can point to? (yes I am talking about healthcare and if it is so bad that it can get passed through normal or traditional measures why go through these steps?)

-- Last, look for more news coming on “Bird Safe” buildings… yep with all we have to worry about, the safety of birds now is headed towards a specified item. I’ll never forget a few years ago when Julie Schimmelpenningh sent me a note on it- I thought it was an April Fools Day joke, but evidently it’s a serious problem and one that will soon be in front of all of us….

Off to the links…

Link chick really is a superwoman, she has a baby and never misses a beat… I get a hangnail and I want workmans comp and bed rest for 6 months…

-- Classic “take my ball home and not play” scenario here as Continental Airlines CEO says he’ll cancel flights instead of facing possible fines for delaying flights… ugh… this could be bad.

-- This is actually a very interesting story on the battle between “Exit” signs… trust me- worth the read…

-- A Pringles Can is a way to get Wi Fi… that alone would be interesting but now at least at one place, this odd combination is also illegal… surely bizarre…

Video of the Week:

Ok, I’ll be the only who cares about this week’s video… but it’s from the last time Ohio won a game in the NCAA’s.. 1983… Robert Tatum hits a buzzer beater… awesome baby!
Go Ohio..

O-H-I-O!

Oh goodie.. more of the same...

Short post this week…

More feedback coming back on the new Building Star program and it’s not good… looks like once again our government is being led down the path by special interests who have no clue what a commercial structure needs. I believe many of the best industry trades are mobilizing and hopefully they will get this program to a point where it’s fair for all, instead of its current format where one group gets all they desire. The other angle is that it’s pretty frustrating when the folks in the Senate don’t go to organizations like NGA or GANA when they need glass/glazing insight but to people who have absolutely no idea what goes into the process of glazing. There will surely be more on this in the coming weeks…

Elsewhere…

-- Talked with Greg Carney this week and he updated me on his process… Greg’s new consulting venture is off to a solid start- which makes me happy. No doubt in tougher times when overhead is important, you may not have the person in house to get the details or questions answered, so hiring a guy like Greg on a consulting basis is huge. He really can be a life and profit saver for your company. And yes this may sound like an ad, but it’s more of an endorsement that if you need tech assistance, Greg’s number should be at the top of the list.

-- A hearty welcome to the Window and Door Dealers Alliance. This group surely looks to be heaven sent for those window and door guys that have felt left out or quite frankly misrepresented by other groups. The work the WDDA is doing on the whole Lead Paint debacle is incredible and should be commended. For more info on this group click HERE.

-- A major set of Congratulations must go out to the gang at SAGE. This past week they got great news that funding is coming their way to build a brand new high volume manufacturing plant. SAGE has tremendous people who I respect immensely and I know they have worked tirelessly over the years spreading the gospel of their product line, so I am happy when good news hits. There is no question that technology like the stuff SAGE brings is our future and I'm glad it’s been recognized!

-- Last, the board of directors of this website is looking to send me… the CEO of this website to India to recruit some smart ass people to blog about the Indian version of NFRC…. (Speaking of NFRC and CEO, am I the only one who gets a kick out of that title for Jim Benney? Probably... but it’s comical that a group like that now has a CEO and COO… but don’t worry there just there to protect the public…. )

Off to the links….

Link Chick blew off the family leave act and is still pumping the links out….

-- Did you hear about the kid playing air traffic controller? If not here’s the story…

-- How about this, modular homes are not just for small dwellings anymore… now they are doing 7,200 sq ft mansions!

-- Sick people of the week… letting their real baby starve, while they took care of their virtual baby…insane.

Video of the week:

In hockey a penalty shot is usually a very exciting play… this one is not… this shot is actually hilarious for its failure… and as a Pens fan who does not like the Capitals, I really enjoyed it.. check it out, Penalty Shot Fail…

They need no help...

I had to laugh when I saw the story yesterday on the Vinyl Institute asking for the industry for help in opposing some of the goings on at USGBC/LEED. The Vinyl lobby has been very powerful and for those of us who deal in aluminum know they are not exactly our friends. While I feel their pain in trying to protect their interests, I wouldn’t consider them a helpless little waif in this battle. They are strong and I am sure they will get their points across and most likely win. What’s sad is I wish that folks in our industry would’ve taken the same approach when it came to NFRC. People who find out about it now ask why “nothing” was done, but we tried- unfortunately we didn’t have the bullhorn the size of the Vinyl guys.

Elsewhere…

-- So the President announces the “Cash for Caulkers” program and helps the residential remodel business. So yet another program goes to the residential side, while the commercial side gets to deal with a nightmarish seemingly never ending credit crunch and predictions of terrible markets through 2011. Wonderful….

-- On the flip side of the sarcastic “wonderful” above, something that truly was great was the Gold Medal hockey this past Sunday. Congrats to my many friends in Canada who I know are STILL on cloud 9. For me it was very conflicting… obviously I wanted the US to win, but the fact that my favorite player- Sid Crosby scored to win it, lessened the blow. End of the day the hockey was tremendous.

-- Saw 2/3rds of the residents of Canada watched that game… that is incredible. The other 1/3 were obviously here on my blog catching up on back issues.

-- I’ve written here many times for my admiration of many of the folks that work at Solutia- seriously good people. Now a prop for the entire company as Solutia made a tremendous move in the solar world by grabbing Etimex. There’s no doubt that the folks at Solutia really have it all together- congrats!

-- And while we are handing out props, congrats to Deron Patterson of PPG on his latest accomplishment- becoming a LEED Associate-Accredited. I met Deron a few years ago at an open house in Houston, TX and the guy epitomized class. We’ve exchanged a couple e-mails over the years and it’s usually something that Deron points out to me to think on a little harder. I am thrilled he’s getting good pub for a very big accomplishment.

-- Is Winter over? It was almost 40 degrees and sunny today in Detroit and I was ready to find a swimming pool…. I am sure the folks in the east are surely ready for spring to sprung.

-- BEC and Glassweek… don’t forget… if you haven’t signed up, I am sure you still can….

-- Last, from the “I can’t believe I admit this” file… I actually watch the TV show "The Bachelor" with my wife. (24 has been so awful- why not) Anyway this year’s guy went in playing the “I’m always the nice guy and girls don’t want the nice guy” role. So after going through 25 women did he pick the nice girl (so nice that people on the show said she dreams in Disney characters) or the divorced Hooters Waitress? Yep… Hooters girl… reality TV at its finest….

From the Links…

An update, Link Chick is home, and from all accounts doing great… so is Baby Link Chick… here’s this week’s offerings…

Wrapping up the Olympics…

-- Good piece here on the “winners” and “losers” of the games…

-- Neat story here on the greatest Olympian you probably have never heard of…

-- And last heads are rolling in Russia after a substandard games for them… you just have to wonder if those heads are rolling literally or figuratively.

Video of the Week:

I have 2 great dogs at home and if they could do this, it would be a riot… Dogs that snowboard… classic stuff here… getting in shape for some sort of Doggie Olympics I guess… If that happens my dogs will be shoe-ins to win any sort of sleeping on the couch contest…

Quiet on all fronts...

Was it me or was this a really quiet week? No major rumblings or goings on in the industry, all very mellow with Glassweek and BEC a few weeks away, so it really does seem to be the calm before the storm. Also the brutal winter weather has continued to wreak havoc on so much of this country and our industry that I think everyone is just battening down the hatches and holding on for dear life. In any case with all that said we’re going with a shorter than usual blog this week…

Elsewhere…

-- Gotta love it when the glass industry has a hero… major props to Robin DeHaven of Binswanger in Austin, Texas. He’s the fella that helped save several people when a plane crashed into a building in Texas last week. Now that’s a guy who should get an award from NGA or GANA for his efforts and portraying our industry in a good light. An American hero no doubt!

-- If you want a very even handed read on the NFRC CMA issue, giving both sides, then go check out the Division 8 report (Click Here). In 2 posts just added this week, JC does a great job with the pros and cons and he does it without the conspiracy theory stuff you get from me. I know I have been pimping that blog quite a bit but it really is solid and a breath of fresh air.

-- By the way, check out the next US Hockey game in the Olympics if you can... these guys are playing their hearts out. Plus let's root for the Canadians in their quest to get a rematch with the American's in the Gold Medal game... a rematch for the Gold would be simply awesome.

-- Last week I wrote about the Stimulus and for some reason there was a problem with the comment fields and so this comment, which I found very interesting was sent to me direct… check it out:
Max,
I read an interesting article that gauged what economists thought of how the stimulus was doing. Apparently at three of them thought that a) it did stop the panic (which was no small task around that elusive animal that is consumer confidence) so even though all the money isn't out there, it did it's first job and b) they were really afraid that there was so much worry over all the debt, that with the change in congress that some of it would be repealed before it could accomplish the overall goal.
What I particularly remember is that they felt that was what kept Japan in a decade long downturn. That when Japan initial hit the skids, a stimulus package was passed but then repealed about 2 years in. That sent the entire economy in to a deeper spiral that they are still not out of. I really wish I had kept that link - I know you would be interested
The other thing, to play devil's advocate (which you know I love to do with you) is to note that while it may be taking so much time to get out, it's the very fact that we are democratic country that is hindering implementation. If the government wanted to get stuff out the door, they would just pick people. Can you imagine the onslaught of calls to representatives if people didn't have the chance to bid on these projects? That open process takes time in the best of time - now, all of the bureaucratic workers that I talk to are so incredibly buried and overburdened - they want it off their desk but there is too much to move. And you can't hire someone new to deal with the overflow because it's all temporary.
Such is the nature of our country.

Off to the LINKS!

Well first off CONGRATS to the awesome Link Chick who just added to her family… very lucky kid to get a mom so cool (not to mention a great Dad and Brother!) And so to prepare for her time off thanks to the family leave act.. (and I don’t have to pay her for 12 weeks…lol) she loaded me down with some very cool linkage and here goes..

-- Remember the world’s tallest building in Dubai? We covered it here and even had a video suggested by Brian Pitman of GANA. Well it’s having some issues and it got shut down last week… yikes…

-- I don’t think the Link Chick had to have her baby in these conditions but this Pennsylvania couple braved a middle of the night blizzard to get to the hospital to give birth… wild!

-- On somewhat of the same level of greatness as Mr DeHaven above is this guy who found $72,000 and returned it all to its rightful owner. Fantastic.

Video of the Week…

March Madness right around the corner and this should get you fired up… Murray State Freshman Isaiah Canaan hits a beauty of a buzzer beater!!

But really is it working?

Thanks for finding me again… on the mind this week…

There was an article yesterday about the Stimulus and the fact that one economist felt it was working. All I can say is I hope he is right because it surely doesn’t feel like it to me at this point. In a way if you throw 787 billion at something you have to have a trickle down right? But maybe the question isn’t the Stimulus “working” but has it been properly effective and efficient. And there’s the deal… this stimulus with a few of its plusses have been woefully outclassed by its poor execution. End of the day I hope we can look back and say it really did “save” us but I’m not seeing that right now…

Elsewhere…

-- Reminder #1 … BEC is coming up and if you have not signed up, please do so. Believe me I know this economy sucks (but yes the stimulus is working!) and a trip to Vegas is frowned upon, but this show/conference is truly worth it. If you’ve written it off, give it a 2nd thought…

-- Reminder #2 … the NGA is doing a webinar on March 2nd on Solar Glazing. This is one that if you want to be ahead of the game and be diversified, that you need to check out. I hear all the time how people want to know more about this stuff, so here’s a great chance. Go HERE for more info. And a special thanks to the gang at Guardian for sponsoring the event.

-- I am loving the Olympics so far… I have to ask though… the Mogul skiing… how does that not destroy your knees? Also if you love or just like Hockey- these teams are awesome. A USA victory would be another miracle when you see how stacked the Canadians, Russians, and Swedes are. (Not to mention my pick- Finland) Plus Lindsay Vonn is pretty dang amazing… (though I know link chick is tired of her- not me)

-- According to Reed Construction the hottest economy in Canada is in Saskatoon. Considering that this winter in the east has been Saskatoon-like maybe that’s where I’ll move. I wonder if they have high speed internet there…

-- Speaking of weather, pitchers and catchers report to Spring training…. That for sure means spring is coming! I am guessing a certain Mr. Bieber is pretty happy given his love for America’s pastime.

-- Funny… on the NFRC Blog there was a note that the Window Film people LOVE the NFRC… well that’s great… can you leave us alone and you guys can love each other all you want? Please?

-- Speaking of the NFRC blog, I always chuckle when I go there because I know that many of the folks in the NFRC elite hated (or still hate) my blog and used to make snide comments about it. Especially on how quick the info from meetings can go from the meeting to the blog… and now by blog is the way NFRC does a majority of its communication. I wonder if they are still wasting 6 figures yearly on Potomac when they can get the word out so quick and easy. Anyway in the end it’s funny that they do what I had been doing and they were so dismissive of it.

To the links we go…. Olympic style…

Link Chick has been all over these games… NBC should hire her as a researcher… or actually she should be doing live blogs of the events- that would be great reading.

-- The games may come off smooth on TV but evidently there’s been A LOT of problems….

-- Last week we had some winter Olympians from odd countries… this week we have a skier… from Iran… never knew they skied there…

-- Depending on when you read this… Tonight (Weds) Shaun White is going for gold… also known as the “Flying Tomato” he is surely a guy not to miss… if you missed it… sorry.. (and I probably jinxed him!)

Video of the week

John Wall is one of the best college basketball players in the country (Kentucky) and he is responsible for this hot new dance… evidently it’s taken the world by storm and if I am ever allowed back in the state of Kentucky, I am doing that dance… check it out… very cool… the video explains it all!

What's the deal...

Ok to clear up confusion… I am not ending my blog (or leaving my current job either)- this will continue and to find it you need to either bookmark it as a “favorite” or click that little orange button up in the top right hand corner to get it as a feed. (If you use Outlook- the feeds are great) It’s just time to move on from the past and start fresh. And for the conspiracy theorist out there (and normally I am one of you- see NFRC) I made this call after the business issues in my life were done and this move has nothing to do with that. Simple as that… Anyway I hope those of you who enjoy this weekly banter keep with it and those who don’t, thanks for reading when you did. At the end of the day this will always be therapy for me, no matter the venue.

Elsewhere…

-- Speaking of therapy… I probably need real professional therapy for bantering on message boards… man it’s just too easy and inviting. Gotta quit giving voices to those who can’t stand behind it… to me the bottom line is we all have skeletons of some sort in our closets- some of us choose to deal with it and others like to toss stones run hurriedly away.

-- Major Congrats to Dr. Helen Sanders of SAGE. She just got a new job at SAGE that will continue to utilize her talents well. One of the big reasons I respect Helen and SAGE for that matter is they care a ton for this industry. They could easily stick their noses up and let us all battle away, but they’ve stepped in and added a tremendous dimension to our presentations and perception out there. You want a company like that to do well because they are truly golden in trying to protect and further our industry.

-- Did you see the Green Police commercial during the Super Bowl? Any thoughts? I have seen all sides hitting it from all angles- right, left, green, anti green- and there’s no clear path. I thought it was cute- I like Cheap Trick (and not surprised they sold out for a paycheck- they probably need it) and I did not read too much into it.

-- To me the best commercial though is below in my video of the week.

-- Unless I am missing something I LOVE the changes to the Buy American Act to include Canada. What happened on the World Trade Center was criminal to me and comparing a Canadian company to a Chinese one is just plain wrong.

-- Still bumming on the Zeledyne deal. I know the job market is tough but there's some serious talent that is or will be available because of it... hopefully everyone will land in some good spots.

-- If you didn’t get a chance to check out the Division8report.com blog, do so HERE. The insight on NFRC was very interesting especially the part where it’s noting its struggles. As been mentioned here many times, this process could’ve been done so much better but that was never in the plans. (and as noted here I believe if John Lewis came on a few years earlier- it woulda been better). This week I heard from several people frustrated and confused because they have no idea what needs to be done. It’s sad that this process came into being the way it did and the havoc it will wreak for years to come.

-- This winter has been bizarre… when Washington DC and surrounding get 50 inches of snow that is odd… (or what our friends in Minnesota call.. “spring”)… Amazing also is that when massive storms hit DC or NY they get a cool name like “Snowmageddon” or “Snowacane” while when we’d get it in Detroit or Buffalo the name is Tuesday. Anyway if you live in DC and you had a snow blower at the ready you are looking really good right now…

Off to the links…

Not sure if Link Chick is following me on my new start and path- hope she does but considering that I haven’t told her yet, I have no idea. Plus I think like the rest of north she's snowed in too I think…
It’s the Olympic edition of the Links.. I love the Winter Games… Speed Skating, Skiing and of course some seriously epic Hockey…

-- Here are 21 reasons why you should watch…

-- Awesome story about a skier from Ethiopia… see again it’s this sort of stuff (like the Jamaican Bobsled team and Eddie the Eagle) that make the Winter games great…

-- Speaking of Bobsled… how about a team from down under? Australian Bobsledders… wow.

-- They are trucking snow into the games since Vancouver is not getting the snow they need… there’s no truth to the rumor that the latest truckload of snow came directly from Kim Mann’s driveway…

Video of the Week

A lot of solid commercials this year during the Super Bowl… but to me this one was the best… I love the whole concept, but sadly I enjoyed the commercial so much that when someone asked me what it promoted, I had no idea… (also note growing in Pennsylvania this whole ceremony was HUGE- so I loved the take off on it)

Check this out

Great blog out there called Division 8 Report....

You can find it HERE.

Interesting take on NFRC and other subjects that affect our industry.

Please give it a whirl and add it to your favorites...

No post this week

Hey gang...

No regular post this week...

Just a pretty humorous/comical joke below... we'll be back next week to recap the Colts big win and the performance by "The Who" at halftime... and yeah whatever news there is in our fine industry.

Have a good week all...


Q . What is an Economic Stimulus payment?
A. It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.
Q. Where will the government get this money?
A. From taxpayers....
Q. So the government is giving me back my own money?
A. Only a smidgen.
Q. What is the purpose of this payment?
A. The plan is for you to use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.
Q. But isn't that stimulating the economy of Asia ?
A. Shut up or you don't get your check..

Below is some helpful advice on how to best help the US economy by spending your stimulus check wisely:

1. If you spend the stimulus money at Wal-Mart, your money will go to China ..
2. If you spend it on gasoline, your money will go to Saudi Arabia ..
3. If you purchase a computer, it will go to India .
4. If you purchase fruit and vegetables, it will go to Mexico, Honduras or Guatemala ..
5. If you buy a car, it will go to Japan or Korea .
6. If you purchase useless plastic stuff, it will go to Taiwan ..
7. If you pay off your credit cards, or buy stock, it will go to pay management bonuses and be hidden in offshore accounts.

Or , you can keep the money in America by :
1. spending it at yard sales or flea markets, or
2. going to baseball or football games, or
3. hiring prostitutes, or
4. buying cheap beer or
5. getting tattoos.
These are the only wholly-American-owned businesses still operating in the US ..

Conclusion :
The best way to stimulate the economy is to go to a ball game with a prostitute that you met at a yard sale and drink beer all day until you're drunk enough to go get tattooed ..