Wasting Talent

Last week I had one of those moments that make you think “wow if they used their skills for good and not evil, where would we be as a world and society?”   The backstory is that I went to use my credit card Sunday at an office supply store and it was rejected.  When I called, I was shocked to learn my credit card had been cloned and someone 3000 miles away was using it.  And crazier yet, they were using an actual card and swiping, this wasn’t some online purchase.  Thankfully my card company shut this scheme down quick, but it just amazes me how incredibly intelligent people use their skills for criminal activities.  Evidently when I was at a gas station in Mississippi, my swipe was intercepted.  The code then was copied and laid on a card.  And within a day, it was in circulation.  It’s incredible that this happens and that no matter how many precautions you take, you are always vulnerable.  Somewhere truly brilliant people are working to game the system, and rip off innocent people and companies and it’s a shame of the largest measure.

Elsewhere…

--  This past week had the always-solid Glass Expo from the Mid Atlantic Glass Association.  I was unable to attend but heard from many who did that it was a very good event.  I like that there’s a heavy thirst for shows, as it proves that people in our industry value the education, information, and networking that these events bring.  Keep in mind; the biggest and best of all of these comes up September 12-14 in Las Vegas.  It is shaping up very nicely and if you are not planning on being there, you should really start thinking about it.

--  After a quiet several weeks, last week the drumbeat of rumors of branch closures and equipment being moved overseas started up again.  While this could be more smoke than fire, the fact that the tide of bad news is returning does lead me to believe that the “quiet” I was mentioning was a temporary respite from the volatility we are facing.

--  If you ever find yourself in Dearborn, Michigan, do yourself a favor and take in the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village.  Simply awesome slice of American history on display at both and for the summer a stunning “Titanic” exhibit is on hand.  I went last weekend and it was mind blowing.

--  Just got my most recent issue of Glass Magazine and it was very strong again.  Loved the decorative focus.  Many standout pieces but my personal favorites were the products by Jockimo and M3.  Really well done by those companies and everyone who submitted- make sure you check it out!

--  Construction spending was up, albeit slight, but up nonetheless.  Small victories are nothing to sneeze at in a challenging world.

--  From a personal note, I was very excited to see Charles Witherington joining the team at Binswanger Glass.  I am happy to see Charles back in the industry; his knowledge and experience will be put to great use.  No doubt the folks at Binswanger are lucky to have him.

--  Last this week… My daughter’s Derby choices were a mixed bag.  Her winner faded badly down the stretch but her choice for 2^nd actually did finish 3^rd.  She vows better results at the Preakness.

LINKS of the WEEK:

Newark Airport unfortunately is one of the most frustrating places to fly in and out of.  And this past week a bizarre security glitch made it even worse!

This is for my friends who were using Klout for a while before they realized it was a waste of time.  Great idea here.

Looks like the end of the “kids meal” is getting closer.  Personally, it never made sense to me.  Then again nothing makes sense to me!

VIDEO of the WEEK:

A pretty cool movie from a few years ago is coming out with a sequel.  “The Expendables” now has a #2… and here’s the preview for it.  I love Sly Stallone and Jason Statham… good stuff.

The Derby Picks

My daughter has spoken...

For the Derby this weekend... she is going with the #15 horse "Gemologist" for the win.  She likes the 5 horse "Dullahan" to be the runner up.  So she's going with the 15-5 play.

Not that it matters but I am going with #4 Union Rags.

A cool link by the way HERE on the Derby....

We will see what happens... enjoy the race!!!

The Glass Industry Draft

This past week was the NFL draft.  As a little kid I seriously LIVED for this event.  It used to be held on a Tuesday morning and I would beg to stay home from school, but my parents were on to my ways, so no fake sickness was going to work that particular day.  Anyway, this year’s edition got me thinking…  One, can you imagine if our industry had a draft?  The ability to bring in fresh talent to fortify our teams would be amazing right?  Especially if it came right to you, like it works in the football process.  Sadly the lack of new talent is a serious issue for our industry.  As I travel the country I hear about the needs of companies to add to their operational and technical folks (seems like sales is not an issue in comparison) and that finding those candidates is difficult.  There are great opportunities on that side of the industry and companies that find good ones are locking them down, because replacing them is an epic chore.  At the end of the day, we can never have a “draft” so we have to find our way.  One approach is growing folks from within, getting them involved in trade organizations and loading up on the great educational opportunities like the Glass Management Institute.  That’s at least a start for sure and part of something that we have to continue to explore to keep advancing our industry.

Elsewhere…

Because it was a painfully slow news week, just quick hit thoughts…

--  Was it me or was the weather much worse in April than it was in February and March?

--  Congrats to Joe Shultheis on his new gig at Lin El.  Great addition to a very good group of folks!

--  In case you missed it the excellent Matt Johnson penned a fantastic article for Glass Magazine on Social Media and the risks and rewards of on line communication.  Worth a read right here.

-- Was I the only one who did a double take last week seeing news stories featuring “Mestek” and “Meshtec” what are the chances with names so close they end up making news literally the same day?

--  For those of you interested, my daughters fool proof guaranteed pick to win the Kentucky Derby will be on line at my blog later this week- probably Friday night.  I love the Derby- some day I will make it there for it.

--  I guess Boston and Chicago won’t be meeting in the Cup eh?  And my reverse jinxing didn’t work because the Canucks and Pens also went out.  The NHL playoffs… pure craziness.

--  Last this week, I got to observe an “Ask the Expert” radio show in Norfolk, Virginia where glass and glazing were the topics.  It was a great experience to hear the public call in and get a flavor for what THEY are looking for.  Fascinating since what we consider important surely wasn’t the same as what the audience wanted, at least in this small sample.

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Interesting piece on how we’ve moved from actual conversation… lots of food for thought on this one.

--  Folks in Norway know how to get to someone.  They are singing a song, loudly to the mass killer from last summer.  And he hates that song…. Yes unique torture!

--  I don’t read this name like the people who rejected did. 

VIDEO of the WEEK

You know the scene from “Singing in the Rain” where Gene Kelly grabs and swings around a pole?  Well from this video it looked like a pedestrian was about to do the same… until…. And by the way, Gene Kelly went to my high school, albeit a few years before I did…

The trend is still our friend

It’s hard not to get excited over the latest numbers from the Architectural Billings Index.  We are now surely past fluke territory and onto a full-blown trend.   The ABI has now stayed positive for the 5^th straight month and I am not about to throw cold water on it.  Positive, no matter how small, is still a step in the right direction.  If there is any worry at all it’s the ABI may not be the best or most accurate indicator of success.  Because the effect does not hit our industry for 9+ months and when it does it does not hit all at once, it really is hard for us to quantify.  But in any case news like this needs to be savored as we move from darker days forward.

Elsewhere…

--  Bob Leyland of Kawneer announced his retirement last week and it bummed me out.  Another true gentleman and class act leaving our ranks.  He will be a tough act to follow that is for sure and I wish for only the best for Bob in his next phase of life.

--  Lost in my excitement and glee over my alma mater making the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament was I never gave proper love to the University of Kentucky.  Big Blue did a great job in dominating the tourney and I had a few of my industry pals, gently remind me that I missed in honoring them.  So congrats to UK and their fans, enjoy the title!

--  An interesting list via the always-informative twitter feed of Heather West.  This one is the top 10 Cities with Energy Star certified buildings.

10. Boston (161)

9.  Riverside, Ca. (164)

8.  Dallas-Fort Worth (178)

7.  Houston (231)

6.  New York (261)

5.  San Francisco (270)

4.  Chicago (294)

3.  Atlanta (359)

2.  Washington, D.C. (404)

1.  Los Angeles (659 buildings)

The interesting angle for me is seeing Atlanta on there- obviously when that area was booming (seems like eons ago right?) they built the buildings right. 

--  With some high rise condos in Toronto going to a “protective mesh” to protect against fall out of broken tempered, how long before a push for all balcony glass to be laminated takes place?

--  Last this week.  The Glass Management Institute is coming back and kicks back off on June 5^th.  Yours truly is actually teaching one of the courses, but before you dismiss it because of that, please take a look at the rest of the schedule.  All joking aside, this is surely a worthwhile piece of education.  If you and your company want to get ahead, getting the extra education insights and advancements via GMI will advance the push.  Anyway this is my third stint teaching the marketing course and I’m humbled and honored to be involved again.  Plus NGA has a tremendous new education facilitator in Lilly Grossman, and her addition will surely be a major positive for all involved.

LINKS of the WEEK

--  The story and the comments are great on this one… what happens when a guy hooks up with a gal and she wants more love than he can handle?  Run to the balcony!

--  And once again an effort to limit freedom on the Internet is afoot.  Here’s the details, wonder how long it will take the main media to cover this.

--  The most honest Obit you will ever see.  That had to be a very wild funeral.

VIDEO of the WEEK

I love Bacon… as I think everything goes better with it (Any “Man vs. Food” fan knows that) but now Burger King has come out with a Bacon Sundae.  Yep Bacon and Ice Cream- here’s a quick review of it from a very quirky guy.

Time flies

Humor me this week please, as I start off with a quick reflection… It was an e-mail conversation I was having with Rodger Ruff of AGC that hit home for me this week.  I made a comment that we are living in a crazy world and he replied along the lines of that his Dad just shakes his head all of time anymore at the antics and goings on in our society.  At that point it made me think, as I often do, of my own father, who now has been gone for 11 years, the anniversary of his passing actually this week.  My Dad would’ve never jumped on the computer to read this blog, I am sure my Sister would’ve been printing it out every week, and faxing it to him so he could read it the way he wanted to.  My Dad would’ve also been amazed but actually not surprised at the adventures in the industry.  As many old timers could tell you, a lot of what we have seen these last few years is a repeat of the past.  My Dad would be beaming with pride over the way his oldest son (my brother Steve) had survived frustrating times to land beautifully on his feet.  He would be tickled but still in awe over the fact that after many years in the glass business my sister would actually find her true calling on the floor at Nordstrom.  And obviously he’d would be shaking his head all of the time at my antics… and if he was around today and reading this post, he’d tell me to quit it, so I’ll move on, but know this I miss the man pretty badly.  He left this crazy world way too soon.

Elsewhere…

This past week there was a regional glass show in Texas and I stopped on through.  A few comments… 

--  One of the main speakers was from the National Association of Home Builders and he was very interesting.  He did note that many of the economic indicators are moving in the right direction, just not anywhere near where they have to be.  The most fascinating stat was how they track the housing markets.  6 months ago, only 12 of these areas were positive in three main economic indicators they use.  Today 101 are positive in all 3.  Again a long way to go since that’s only a third of the areas in the study, but that is improvement…

--  Also got to see and hear the fiery & passionate Deron Patterson of PPG.  That is one dude that can bring it.  Jeremy Kaeding of SAGE was impressive in his presentation as well.  While there it was great to run into old friends Greg Oehlers and Jack Wickstrom, looking dapper in their Tri Star Glass gear.  As I noted last week about Bob Larson joining Premier Glass Products and the great team they have, I was able to see a lot of that team, including for the first time in a quite a while the always classy Larry Long.  Nice to run into Bob Cummings of Trulite.  Have not seen him in a while, and he continues to be the most optimistic and friendly guy around.  Even to me!  Last it was great to see Bob Lawrence in person.  I get to e-mail him from time to time, but nothing beats seeing such a good person face to face.

-- I finished the Steve Jobs autobiography this week on the planes (2 planes NO INTERNET.  Ouch!) and it was solid though not spectacular.  If the book could’ve just been a case study of his business life it would’ve been perfect. 

--  Last this week, a neat stat on candy… Highest volume candy sales in the US in 2011.  Snickers 470M, followed by M&M’s 383M and Reese’s at 343M.  Wow, just imagine what those M&M numbers could’ve been if I wasn’t on a diet first 6 months of the year!  But seriously, those are some mind numbing numbers.

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Crazy and idiotic… ignoring no trespassing signs and urban exploring doesn't end well.

--  Check out this one, a woman is mad when she is told she has to pay for a ticket for her 10 WEEK old baby at the movies.  So many issues here, but check out the pictures, that kid looks older than 10 weeks to me and a movie ticket still cheaper than a babysitter…

--  Even as a proud Ohio Bobcat, I would never approach a REAL bobcat… yet this woman did and paid the price… and honestly she deserved it.  Never understand why people don’t listen…

VIDEO of the WEEK

You may have heard about the glass that fell on a player at the end of an NHL Playoff game… here is the video evidence!  Wild.

Are we wasting more $$$

So last week I defended my positivity, amazingly this week I start off with a little bit of a negative edge. There are just some items that set me off and this is truly one of them. Readers of this blog know that I have never really been a fan of the Department of Energy. I have found them weak, feckless, and usually smitten with one side of the story with no desire whatsoever to learn the other. Lately the DOE has been in the news thanks to adventures in the solar world and loan guarantees gone bad, and this week, they yet again made the wrong kind of news. Evidently the DOE started a contest for “app” developers to create programs for consumers to measure how much energy they use. This contest offers over 100K in cash prizes available. The problem? There’s no need for the contest! There are already several apps out there! In addition, do we really need to spend 100K on something so frivolous? It just boggles the mind. Meanwhile the DOE blows off legitimate products that could use a bump of cash and support, but a contest to create something already created makes the cut. Unreal.


Elsewhere…

-- A pretty wild story this week on Serious Energy and the adventures that may or may not be happening over there. Here’s the link, an interesting piece to say the least and with a title like “Serious Energy in Serious Trouble” yeah I think that may be worth a read.

 -- A few major personnel moves from this week… Dan Plotnick has joined Guardian in the Asia Pacific region. A great grab for the guys at Guardian, Dan is a super talented guy and he’s one person brave enough to read my stuff in China. Bob Larsen has hooked on at Premier Glass Products. A good group just got better. I have known Bob a long time dating back to us sharing a board of director assignment together and they just don’t make em much better than him.

 -- Also Consolidated Glass Holding Group named its CEO with the announcement of Tom Ryan. Welcome to the wild and wooly glass and glazing industry Mr. Ryan. -- If you missed it last week Rod Van Buskirk had his debut blog and I have to say it was a great maiden effort. Rod’s work looks to be a “must read” every time out and considering it will only come quarterly, there’s surely no excuse to miss it.

-- And speaking of “missing it” if you haven’t checked out the latest issue of Glass Magazine, you need to. Seriously one of the best all around issues I have seen. From cover to cover, great articles, information and advertisements. Congrats to Jenni Chase and the team at Glass Magazine on a job well done.

-- A job well done to the folks at Technical Glass Products- they launched a new website and it is simply super. Clean, sharp and tons of info. Plus it looks to feature a great social concept including a blog from Jeff Razwick that I am holding out high hopes for.

-- Last this week… NHL hockey hits playoff season… I have been warned I am not allowed to pick the Canucks, Capitals or Penguins. Fans of those teams have demanded I don’t jinx them. Sadly (especially being a Pens fan) I wasn't picking those teams anyway as I am going with a Cup Final of Chicago vs. Boston… for the Hawks I think Patrick Kane carries this team and Bruins are a solid, well coached team and I think they are going to repeat and hoist the Cup again.

LINKS of the WEEK

-- The date on this one should be April 1, because it reads like a joke. A 28 year old college student sues her school because they won’t allow her to keep a guinea pig as a pet in the dorm. My goodness.

-- An awesome, awesome link… if Twitter was invented in the 80’s. Someone very creative with A LOT of time on their hands created this masterpiece.

 -- This article is mind blowing for the story and the writing. The story is crazy and the writing makes my blog look like a Pulitzer winner.

VIDEO of the WEEK

One of the best parts of the just passed NCAA Basketball tournament is the showing of “One Shining Moment” after the final. But because the game runs so late, many people don’t get to see it. However in case you missed it, I grabbed it for your enjoyment. And yes, the mighty, mighty Bobcats make 3 appearances in the video.

 

Mr. Positive

((Note, posting early this week as internet access could be an issue on Sunday... Yikes!))

In what could be considered a really ironic twist, I have been getting beat up lately for being too positive. It’s funny because I used to be seriously negative, but I guess time and circumstance has mellowed me. The latest dust up is when I talked about the fact that most people at last week’s industry get together were trying to stay positive. I was taken to task by a few folks because they said it’s basically not true, the majority of our industry is not seeing what I am seeing and so on. And while I think I am more positive than most and am looking for bright spots I am not alone. This week a few items came riding to my rescue. First off on the residential side of things the CEO of Toll Brothers, a major US homebuilder said he “sees improvement everywhere” and on the always excellent WDWeekly, Senior Editor Christina Lewellen had a great piece about the housing industry showing signs of life. Lastly, the AIA ABI continued in positive territory for the 4th straight month. These are just a few of the factors I believe are part of bigger push forward. So I think my optimism is in the right place. And I am not overboard like the people I had talked about a few weeks ago here (“the economy roaring back post”) but I am staying on that positive side of the street.

Elsewhere…

-- Major omission from my BEC post and that was getting to see the best barrister in the entire land, Mr. Kim Mann. He looks so much calmer now that he doesn’t have to worry about what I may say or do!

-- Really interesting read with the owner of the Empire State Building here. His stance on LEED is absolutely refreshing and in my opinion completely correct.

-- You may have seen the interesting story about the lawsuit involving Apple and the person who walked into the glass wall. Well thanks to the awesome Katy Devlin (she does more than write and sing, she finds great stories too!) we have this great piece on the history of people suing after they run into walls. Amazing.

-- Several weeks ago I asked for Twitter recommendations and I have gathered a few and next week, we’ll share with all, so if you have any that should be added to the list, feel free to drop me a line.

-- Baseball starts up in full this week… and so I’ll go on record with my official (wrong) pick. I think the Battling Bucs will win it all…. Go Pirates… oh wait that is an April Fools Day joke (a dream though really). We’ll go Yanks over an upstart Washington Nationals team in the World Series.

-- Last this week, yet another link… but very appropriate for the audience. This time a video… Guardian Industries was featured in a very nice piece about “Made in Michigan” on a local TV station here in Michigan. Was very cool to see it and was fun to hear people talking about glass the next day while I was out and about. Here’s the piece, excellent stuff…


LINKS of the WEEK

To be added when I get internet access, hopefully Monday.

VIDEO of the WEEK

Good friend and industry consultant extraordinaire Rich Porayko was involved in this video that seriously went viral. Almost a million views and will be seen soon on the Travel Channel. Great stuff Rich… beware the nasty Llama chasing your pals away.

BEC Recap

Well last week was the annual GANA BEC conference and as I have done for many years, below is a recap of who was there and how it went and so on. Overall it was good to see some tremendous industry people in attendance. I think everyone there was keeping positive attitudes as it relates to the economy and pushing forward to keep their operations in a good place. So for the most part below is a very BEC and people-centric post, much more “Page 6” like than normal as I used to do multiple posts for this event, but now only doing one.

Before I jump into the BEC recap and sightings a few quick thoughts…

One I am so proud to be an Ohio University graduate. What an effort by the Bobcats in this tournament. Team played with heart and grit and represented the university nicely!

Also the video I ran last week on my blog of Emmanuel Kelly elicited more positive response than any video I have ever posted. If you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and check it out here. Amazing story.

Ok on to BEC….

-- Before we talk people, two comments on the conference. First off Keith Boswell of SOM was a part of a panel on Tuesday morning. His presentation was pretty intense, insightful, and relevant. One of the best pieces I have ever seen. On the flip side, there was a speaker on Monday that could’ve been the worst I have ever experienced. First off his speech was supposed to be about “How to position your business for the upcoming recovery” and it was nothing close. It was more “how can I drop bizarre clichés and use other people’s words to make a few bucks in front of you folks.” It was disappointing because that title was as misleading as it comes. Put simply, think of a really bad Saturday Night Live sketch of a “motivational” speaker and that’s what you had here. I am still blown away at that catastrophe. He should be sent to interrogate war prisoners, after an hour of that, they’d give up the goods.

-- People wise…. Time to name drop… Always nice to see Henry Taylor of Kawneer, he puts his heart into this event and I am proud of him. Also chatted with the cool and crisp Jay Phillips of Guardian who happens to be the incoming GANA President. Was thrilled to get a hug from one of my all time favorites, PPG legend Jan Rogan. Happy to see Stanley Yee of the Façade Group back at this event for the first time in a while. Stanley is a classy and eloquent voice that this industry is VERY lucky to have. I always wonder why he even associates with me!

-- Got a few seconds with Greg Carney who is ALWAYS in demand. He really is the cream of the crop in the consulting world. Neat seeing Aimee Davis of Solutia, the fact she jammed in a trip here with her crazy schedule was nice. Making her first appearance at BEC was PR guru Heather West, getting to catch up with her was a pure honor. Conversed with guys who are not only great at what they do but also respect and understand the rigors of blogging… Jon Kimberlain of Dow Corning and Chuck Knickerbocker of TGP. Was great to meet in person for the first time a couple of guys I have respected from afar, Oliver Stepe of YKK, and John Wheaton of Wheaton Sprague.

-- And more… first time in a while seeing Alex Kastaniuk and Joe Carlos of TriView. Alex sports a very cool Fu Manchu mustache and both guys were pretty stoked about their business these days. Happy for em! Didn’t get to talk to Courtney Little of Ace Glass but his presentational work was strong and impressive. Got to spend a few minutes with Mark Spencer of Sapa and he looked like he could suit up for Army football right now. Fun to see George Petzen of LinEl. No one gets more out of these conferences than George. Plus he was showing some really cool BIPV images on his Ipad that were impressive.

-- The Viracon contingent for some reason still puts up with me- good to see the tweeting Seth Madole in person, as well the fashion model Cameron Scripture. I did see Garret Henson for a second but now he’s a powerful VP, he really can’t be seen in the company of a guy like me.

-- A major congrats to Mike Stroupe of DM Products- he had a hole in one while out in Vegas, but rumors are it was an 85 yard hole and he used a 3 wood…. Can that be? LOL. Rich Porayko was also on hand, glad he could take a moment away from doing insanely good promotion for Hartung/Agalite to visit.

-- And last but certainly not least; the spacer world was well represented with guys like Joe Erb of Quanex, Mike Gainey of Azon, and Mark Silverberg from Technoform. When I saw Mark he was talking with Stan Yee and it was a reminder that we have great minds working for us in our world.

-- So that was it- I was bummed that I missed a few people- according to the roster Julie Schimmelpenningh was supposed to be there but if she was, she did a great job ducking me.

Next week, the post will return to normal and I have a bunch of items already lined up.

LINKS of the WEEK

-- Why Arena Football shouldn’t be considered a sport… this team owner fires his whole team while at a pre game dinner… at the Olive Garden…

-- You will read this story and just shake your head. A 13-year-old girl, MySpace, older guys, lack of parental supervision and more. Unreal.

-- I have been saying we live in a lottery society, and this article backs that up big time.

VIDEO of the WEEK

Thank you to Rod Van Buskirk via his Dad actually. A wild illusion video featuring a window. The comments at youtube try to blow it up, but still a wild watch none the less. Thank you Rod!

Spring Clean Up

I can’t remember the last time I sat at the computer and didn’t have a lead story for this blog. Well this week I have a combination of writers block and lack of story inspiration leading the way. The lack of stories is a good thing; we’ve had more than our fair share of drama lately, so I am not complaining. But the lack of action is bad from a writing standpoint. So because of my conundrum I have decided to clear off my desk and just hit you with a bunch of quick comments and tidbits, so here goes:

-- Congrats to Bernard Lax at Pulp Studios- he had a good week, announces the acquisition of California Glass Bending and launches a redesigned website. Bernard is truly a visionary.

-- Can this weather really be true? What a bizarre and mellow winter. I still think an ice storm for Easter is coming, but regardless this winter has been an amazing event and one that the folks who are on the global warming train will be pointing to. (And the last time I wrote on global warming a year or two ago, I got a ton of comments- just making an observation here, not an opinion)

-- However, these crazy conditions have had its rough moments…. So best wishes go out to the fine folks at Quanex and their TruSeal factory in Kentucky after they were roughed up by the severe weather that ran through their area last week. I think we all thought we dodged the weather bullet in our industry, but evidently not. Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery for all!

-- As many of you know I am a fan of LinkedIn. When used correctly it’s a great source. Anyway, my friends from Thermal Windows had a great link on their Twitter feed about how LinkedIn is a hackers dream. Check it out here.

-- OHIO! LOVING the Ohio Bobcats. First, My Alma mater did me proud with the stunning upset win over Michigan. It was made even better because I was at a hockey tournament with my son, watching the hockey while all of the parents were checking their phones for the scores. Me being the only Ohio fan in a Michigan crowd, stood out like a sore thumb because I was getting fired up when everyone else was depressed. Anyway, a great win… but then winning Sunday night and making the SWEET 16 is beyond explanation. This is just too cool. Ohio vs North Carolina...Friday night in the Sweet 16, it's like a dream....

-- Saw that the end of the printed encyclopedia has come… at least from one major supplier. That is sad but correct. Now when can we tall the architectural community that the time and need for binders have passed?

-- Thanks to the awesome Steve O’Hollaren of ICD for a great link about a losing coach going all “Mike Tyson” in a fight. I put this one up here instead of in the links because its just too comical not to share- plus it was an honor that Mr. O’Hollaren took the time to drop it to me!

-- OK, the desk is still a mess, but a little more clear… I am sure next week we’ll be all be back to normal and with a quick visit to BEC, I will surely have some news I hope!

LINKS of the WEEK

Because I had two very good links up top… only one link here this week… we’ll return to normal next week. Yes I know my linkaholic fans are devastated… but I promise I will make it up to you!

-- My marketing pals will enjoy this link but I think it has mass appeal… “Retail Fails” as some really poor sign positioning in the stores get caught and shown here.


VIDEO of the WEEK

It took me a while, but I finally saw this incredible video shared via my brother. It’s from the Australian X Factor show and its 6 really inspirational and exceptional minutes of video.

Roaring Back! Really?

As many of you know, I have become a very positive person on this blog. I am always trumpeting good news or positive reports and I have tried to focus on the good instead of the bad. However this week I was thrown by something more “positive” than what I would bring. On Friday morning, I heard a news reporter actually say the following: “And signs that the economy are roaring back are more prominent than ever…” Now that throws me. Economy improving? Yes. Economy stabilizing and showing points of hope? Sure! (though these pesky gas prices may beg to differ) But “roaring” back? No. And no for the world we all play in. We have a lot of optimistic plays going on, but there’s still ways to go. So it really makes me wonder, do you see the economy “roaring back” and it’s just my old self-creeping back or was this just a case of an overly hyped newsperson? Hey I would LOVE for her to be dead on by the way….

Elsewhere…

-- Another negative point against the “roaring” economy? The New York Times here pointing out a massive spike in food prices coming our way. In fact, I think that is already happening, the last time to the super market blew me away when I saw the new pricing.

-- OK enough of the negative… some positive and interesting news… the gang at Viracon are teasing via social media an announcement of some new products. That should be very interesting to see what comes out. Plus I like the effective use of the medium too. The announcement is due sometime this week…

-- Speaking of social media, I have written about the folks I like to follow on Twitter, but I should be asking all of you, who you like to follow, so please e-mail or comment here on anyone I should be following along with. I’ll be sure to check out and share.

-- Fun offer that was sent to me by one of my clients… It was an offer via one of those on line deal websites that with your windshield replacement you’ll get two $10 coupons for a local spaghetti restaurant. Love that incentive of food for glass. Considering the way the windshield world works that could be the clincher for some people in choosing one group over the next.

-- A major Mahalo nui loa to a good friend of mine who recently sent me some very high quality chocolate from the great state of Hawaii. He was moved to do it because of my frequent mentions of M&M’s on here. All I can say is for an M&M fiend like me, moving up to the good stuff was like going from ground chuck to kobe beef.

-- Congrats to Tom Lee and the folks at Lee & Cates Glass for being named NGA’s member of the month for March. I have had a few conversations with Tom and he’s always been an absolute gentleman to me. I’m happy he and his team are getting positive recognition.

-- Last this week… March Madness is upon us! All I can say is O-H-I-O! Very cool that the alma mater of yours truly and AGC’s Rodger Ruff is in the field and ready to go. I can't believe they drew Michigan though... wow, what a tough break. And I now live squarely in enemy territory! Anyway, as for the brackets, I think Kentucky got no breaks with their tough region, but they will still win it all. That team is just too good.

LINKS of the WEEK

-- And speaking of the great Ohio U, it also made the news when it made a student remove a hit tub from his dorm room. Wow. When I was there my room was so small I could barely fit in it, let alone a hot tub!

-- Awesome link that fits the theme of this week’s blog… how what you can do on social media can have major effects… quickly.

-- Yet another area to worry about with your identity or that of your company. Yikes.

VIDEO of the WEEK

Well we have had a pretty strong social media flavor to this entire post, so why not finish with a video that came via the social media world. Found this awesome video via Guardian Industries Facebook page. (I am not a Facebook guy at all, but I like what Guardian is doing on their page) It is ironically a video from another “Guardian” this one being the journalistic outfit in the UK. A classic and well-done ad that is truly brilliant in my opinion. Check it out.

Some positivity amongst the worry

Thankfully this was a quieter week after the adventures of the past few. Honestly I think we all needed to catch our breath. While there’s unfortunately a few more dominos to fall, hopefully some stability can start to seep back into our world. With that the latest Architectural Billings Index came in positive for the third consecutive month and the analysts are trumpeting it as more positive than past upturns. The problem is this uptick may be coming way too late for a lot of folks, so while its exciting that good things seem to be on the horizon, we still have bumpy roads to navigate.

Elsewhere…

-- And on those bumpy roads it’s going to cost a lot more to drive. The doom and gloom on the ever-rising gas price debate is close to hitting fever pitch. Stories this week had the price of gas going anywhere from $6 to $8 a gallon! I have to think if the circumstances reach that conclusion all bets are off on any positivity in our industry.

-- Does anyone wear a watch anymore? Reason I ask is I don’t and I always use my phone for the time. But this week, I left my phone in the car by accident and had the amazing adventure of asking folks “what time is it” and being shocked at how many didn’t know because they wore no watch or had to fumble for their phone to tell me.

-- Reminder on the awesome Glass Magazine Awards. The nominations are due April 16th, so plenty of time, but picking the winners with the amazing talent out there will be wild. Especially in “Best Salesperson” and “Best Installer”- just so many deserving candidates…

-- Speaking of someone who ranks as the “best” in a field, easily one of the best writers in glass media is Katy Devlin. She is also an incredible musician who is continuing to build a great career on that side of the world. Her voice on her latest tune “Boy in 4G” is really amazing. Seriously check out her stuff at katdevlin.com – I have always said it and will continue to do so, we’ll all be watching her at the Grammy’s someday soon.

-- My thoughts and prayers out to everyone caught in the horrid weather of the past week. This winter has been bizarre for its lack of snow and cold, but the trade off of severe storms is not a welcome one. Hope everyone is staying safe and Mother Nature will cut some breaks on the tornado outbreaks.

-- Last this week, nice announcement on a partnership with Dorma and Brivo Systems on a new line of electronic access control systems. Pretty slick stuff and with our world needing that bigger dose of security and protection, these guys really positioned themselves well.

LINKS of the WEEK

What type of wrath will this guy face for scamming Nuns? Would not want to be him.

When is an advertisement “too sexy”? At least one expert has an issue with one featuring supermodel Kate Upton eating a hamburger…

This is a really interesting story on TV’s failing after a short period of time and the lawsuits that come with it. For how good technology is right now, some items just are not made as well as they used to be.

VIDEO of the WEEK:

Here is the best of February “Fails” from our society. Some real amazing ones- especially around the 1:10 mark. I guess we love to take part in others pratfalls… I know I do, because if video followed me all day, I’d be in these videos monthly!

Post Mortem

There’s no doubt that the Trainor story was a huge event in our world. The emotion and fallout was and continues to be intense. The news of their closure was a surprise more from the fact that it was a ceasing of operations and not a Chapter 11 re-organization where they would stay operating. So it was that finality that was the knockout punch. As for the emotions and feedback from the industry, the biggest thing is the welfare of the employees. My heart goes out to those folks, all of whom had been pumping along and then BAM its over. No last paycheck, no benefits. Just over. You’d have to be a very cold person to not feel terrible there and hope that those guys and gals can find new employment elsewhere in our world. Surely there are some talented people now available. In any case talking to some of the folks caught up in this is heartbreaking and I hope for only the best for them.

Now onto the business side of this where the reaction was swift too. There were excellent, well thought-out comments left on my blog last week about that side of it. Eventually I see the Trainor case becoming a case study because there are teachable moments here from a business standpoint. You have all of the factors in place, family dynamics, multiple locations, industry prominence, misjudged expansions into markets and products (the decorative and solar were great angles, just wrong time, place and focus) and much more. All of that plays out in the big picture of things.

So yet again we start another era in our industry as we have a bunch of times in the last few years. And while I am very positive about our future and there are a lot of very good things happening in our world, there’s still the worry and malaise that hangs over us. Bottom line… I hope we are continuing to learn from these events, and gaining the knowledge that will make us stronger and smarter as people, companies and industry as a whole.

Elsewhere…

-- Pretty big story popped late Thursday and into Friday that Serious Materials was closing the famous Chicago plant that they took over a few years ago. (The plant that featured a sit in, made national news and eventually had a visit from Vice President Biden when it reopened.) That closing is now delayed but we had some interesting moments leading up to it. The story here is a remarkable read about what happened. In any case this one will bear watching because it will be fascinating to see who possibly steps up in this.

-- Congrats to the awesome Carol Land of the Glass Association of North America as she celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary this past weekend. Carol is one of my all time favorites and I am thrilled for her and her husband for hitting this awesome milestone!

-- Last week the AABC Energy Management Guideline for building owners, design professionals, commissioning authorities, and energy management professionals came out. (That was a mouthful eh?) Once again it shows a weakness in how our industry is perceived. 256 pages in all and it covers everything under the sun building product wise that can help the building save money and be efficient with the exception of glass/windows. Nothing on improving the window as a way for better efficiency but hey if you want info on low flush toilets, its in here. H/T and thanks to Chris Ketchum of RavenBrick on this one, I would’ve never have seen it otherwise.

-- Last this week, a great marketing read via link that was tweeted out by Guardian’s Earnest Thompson. It’s how cars get their names and as anyone who has had to name products knows, it’s not easy or fun. This story reminds me about a lunch I had once with the legend of Ford Glass and Visteon Mr. Lowell Rager, when the “Versalux” line of products were announced. At that lunch I heard about the demise of the greatest glass name ever “Jade Ice” and the launch of the line of names that sounded like vacuum cleaners or dishwashers. No matter how it may sound, some things just fit better than others and from this article Earnest sent shows it’s an issue all over.

LINKS of the WEEK

-- NFL legend Troy Aikman sees some cracks in the massive wall that is the popularity of the NFL. He may be on to something…

-- Scamming the scammers… no one is clean in this story.

Not sure what is worse on this link- the overall story, the writing, or the inane comments. It’s a journalism train wreck!

VIDEO of the WEEK

Once again my brother dug back into his video vault for this one. Flight of the Conchords are a very creative group and this song fits that. It’s funny and raunchy and has 24 million views on Youtube, so my bro is not the only one who thinks its worthy.

Smart News

We had an interesting/exciting/hopeful move in Washington DC this past week with the introduction of the “Smart Energy Act” by a bi-partisan group of representatives. This movement contains many provisions that can bring positive results to our industry with the push on retrofit being the most promising. The support on that business segment and the fact our world is littered with bad buildings that waste energy faster than I can finish a bowl of M&M’s is a point of emphasis that somehow always gets lost in the wash. While so much focus is on making sure new buildings are up to code, we as a society give old buildings a pass. This effort will hopefully help change that. The only frightening part is that the DOE is involved and as many of you know I am not a fan. So as long as the DOE and the typical Washington gridlock doesn’t damage the process, this bill has hope.

Elsewhere…

-- And yes I know I am nicer on the blog these days. So it is shocking I just made a negative comment! Ironically I actually get more e-mail complaining that I am TOO nice on the blog than anything else. In any case as nice as I have been the DOE still frustrates me to no end.

-- Loved the announcement from Glass Magazine on their new awards. I am absolutely thrilled that they’ll be some personal recognition happening. We have so much talent in this industry that doesn’t get the pub it deserves, and doing it in the format laid out, is really spectacular. Heck my mind is racing nomination wise right now! Just a brilliant idea by Jenni Chase and team. The Crystal Achievement Awards were always the gold standard in the industry and now they have taken the entire process another great step forward.

-- Last week I noted the launch of the excellent new website at CommercialWindows.Org and Kerry Haglund added a comment on the main site of my blog that I felt was needed to be shown here and shared with the e glass weekly audience:

Max, Thanks for the kind words. We feel the work we do is important and makes a difference to the industry. We have some more exciting stuff coming in the future with an upgraded residential site/tool and other projects to be announced in the near future. ~Kerry

The fact that there’s MORE to come here is awesome. Simply wow. I seriously think if Kerry and the folks she works with at the Center for Sustainable Building Research ran the DOE, we’d be soooo much further along.

-- A couple of items from pop culture world this week…

-- Michael Jordan celebrated his 49th Birthday… and without question is the best basketball player to walk the earth. Unreal. I know Magic, Bird, the Doctor and others were great, but no one holds a candle to Air Jordan.

-- The Grammy Awards were a fun watch and GLASS made an appearance as Katy Perry broke a piece of tempered as a part of her set. I love when glass gets involved in anything mainstream. As for the rest of the show- loved Bruce off the top and I just wish I could dance and move like Bruno Mars. Oh and that Adele is a star!

-- Something else I am always tracking and complaining about here are gas prices and they are on the rise again- over $4 per gallon in California now and probably will keep going. That is flat out depressing.

-- Last this week… a great friend of mine sent me a story on the government reading people’s tweets and Facebook pages and the “outrage” of that effort. Well I for one could care less- those are public forums, and if you’ve got something to hide, Twitter and Facebook are not the place for you. Face it, in the electronic world, everything is somehow fair game. And it while it may not be right in every case, it is what it is.

LINKS of the WEEK:

-- Have you been following this story with the Dad in North Carolina who did a wild You Tube rant that featured him shooting a laptop because his daughter complained about doing her chores on line? If not, just click the link. It’s fascinating. Good for the Dad by the way.

-- This reminds me about the stories that people are able to argue with Siri on their iPhone. (Tons of videos of that on line but none have good sound) Anyway, this story is about a “smart” computer at a University library taught to talk back X rated…

This guy lost 200 pounds in a year. GOOD FOR HIM!! Amazing. Hope he can keep it off… I know I sure as heck can never do that.

VIDEO of the WEEK:

Fun one. Watch the upper right hand part of screen about the :14 mark and a young lady will lose track of her steps while texting. I am surprised this doesn’t happen more often!

I want to be a Zero

At one time being a “Zero” was a bad thing. You really didn’t want to be a zero or hang with any people that were known as that. And you surely didn’t want your house or building to be classified as that. Well that is all changing and with the current trends in energy, being a zero not only will be cool, it will become the norm. This week a report came out that “zero energy buildings” (A zero energy building is one that produces as much energy as it consumes) would be growing at a compound annual rate of 43% with amazing landmarks of 691 Billion (yep that’s a “B”) by 2020 and 1.3 Trillion (and that’s a “T”) by 2035. Folks that is just exciting. And yes I know these are world numbers and the initial push and growth will come in Europe, but I am confident we here in North America will be in the mix. Glass and glazing products obviously will be a part of that effort, and while some may be pricier than the next, performance will finally be valued! Count me in as a zero folks and when I talk about these great products of our current and future, keep in mind being a “zero” is their destiny.

Elsewhere…

-- What a fun Super Bowl last week. I’m happy for Eli and the Giants and their fans. But I want to talk commercials and specifically one major company that really blew a golden opportunity. Budweiser just came out with a new beer called Bud Platinum. Great name. They had the FIRST ad of the Super Bowl. Great spot. And their ad was completely forgettable. Stunning since Bud had created so many great campaigns over the years. The lesson here is even if your brand is popular and you did great things in the past, if you stumble on the big stage that is all forgotten.

-- Loved the Clint Eastwood ad. Though Clint could read the instructions to setting up a children’s toy and make it sound inspirational and intense.

-- This past week was the International Builders Show in Orlando. It was the first one I have missed in many years. However I heard from many who attended and even got pictures of the snazzy YKK booth to keep me in tune. I also heard about the hit of the show, the PPG Polar Bear. Bummed for sure that I missed being involved in that adventure. Rob Struble & team always know how to get the floor buzz. Overall the reports were that the show was dramatically smaller than the past, but traffic was solid and attitudes leaning positive. So that’s good. I do think people need to attend events like this because if you don’t you miss the products that will make your business survive and thrive.

-- Congrats to Kerry Haglund and her team at the Center for Sustainable Building Research on their fantastic new website- HERE. This website is an insanely good tool and the amount of information and detail is fantastic. The key of this site is the ability to provide people with the intelligence they need to build better buildings using material from our industry. Plus I’d assume if you want to be a zero (like noted above), you’d need to be friendly with the info provided there. Well done Kerry!

-- Last this week more kudos. WA Wilson added two young talents to their sales staff in Josh Perilstein and Justin Benline. And yes Josh is my nephew, so I am biased here. (He’s actually the Peyton Manning of his family; his brother Evan is really Eli-like) Bias aside, Josh joins after a great stint with the quality folks at CRL and Justin from inside the office. It’s nice to see younger folks getting out there in our world. We need to keep growing our depth (Greg Carney has been pounding this theme for years) and getting that next generation active and involved. By the way if you are a customer of either of these guys, don’t hold their connections to me against them!

LINKS of the WEEK:

-- Pretty cool home… won a national SEED award.

-- Great blog post from CNN on how much information our military shares with the media. We DON’T have to know all the details, surely not to give the enemy info..

-- Tremendous story on the top 10 stupid things people do on line. Shockingly reading this blog was not listed.

VIDEO of the WEEK:

-- My brother had time after cracking the whip on his newest employees (above) to find this hilarious jewel. The actor Will Farrell doing the starting line ups at an NBA game. Love it. He should do this more often. Classic.

Negative takes the lead

So last week I ran a piece on the positive news from the AIA but was really surprised by the industry reaction that leaned almost completely negative. I figured at least some folks would buy in and look to this report as a positive, but that really was not happening. I think the overall state of our industry (challenging years, deflating pricing, rising costs etc.) coupled with so many wrong reports/projections previous have hardened a lot of people. But with the NASDAQ finishing the week with an 11-year high and the NYSE hitting its best totals since 2008, you would hope we are headed in the right direction. Regardless it looks like it will take a lot more than all of that to get the optimism rolling.

Elsewhere…

-- There was good news last week when AGC announced the reopening of the production line at their Church Hill plant. That line had shut down in 2008, so it is very exciting to see it get back and going.

-- The sequel to the wildly popular “Day of Glass” from Corning is out. I saw it first via tweet by the great Greg Carney. Pretty interesting piece yet again and like the first one I expect it to go viral and be sent around our industry like crazy. By the way, when you watch it, if you’re not freaked out by the 3D Brain Scan part, I’ll be surprised.

-- You know how I love lists. This one, I don’t love so much. The Top Ten miserable cities in America. Full story be found here, but I still have to list the “Top” ten.

10. Warren, Michigan
9. Rockford, IL
8. Toledo, OH
7. Ft. Lauderdale, FL
6. Chicago, IL (Really? That is a stunner)
5. Sacramento, CA
4. West Palm Beach, FL
3. Flint, MI
2. Detroit, MI (OK we get it, people hate Michigan)
1. Miami, FL (Wow)

Again you have to read the article on why, but this one is a head scratcher. My good friend Manny is a huge Miami guy; I can’t wait to hear what he thinks of this list.

-- Great hire last week in South Florida by Superior Window with the addition of Frank D’Aprile as their new Sales Manager. Frank is a good man and has a ton of solid experience and matching up with the folks already in place at Superior, and it looks like a window version of the Miami Heat. Congrats.

-- Congrats to Marg Webb and the folks at IGMA for what sounded like a very successful meeting (Vacuum Insulating Glass- sounding very interesting!) and their new revamped website-which is excellent.

-- Last this week; those of you who follow me on Twitter or are connected to me on LinkedIn may have seen my notes on this item. I had a 6:40AM flight and after we took off the guy next to me started to pound beers. By mid flight he had depleted the planes stock of Heineken and moved to Corona, then threw a Bloody Mary in for good measure. It was simply amazing. I’m blown away by the whole event- obviously I am not a drinker but just can’t get my head around drinking that much, that early. So a few folks said maybe it was fear of flying. My initial thought was he had to be in our industry and would fall in that group mentioned above that is pessimistic. In any case, it surely made the flight go fast and when we landed he bounced off the plane no worse for wear. If I drank that much, they would’ve had to take me out on a stretcher!

LINKS of the WEEK

All three links this week is about just awful judgment… here goes.

-- Amazingly stupid? Woman robs a police officer. I’m speechless.

-- And the beat goes on. This guy is upset over a photo… that he gave up the rights for… read on.

-- And the topper… guy gets Super Bowl tickets for he and his girlfriend. But then he’s diagnosed with cancer and she dumps him… yet she still wants to go to the game… seriously. He at least makes the best out of bad deal.

VIDEO of the WEEK

I actually found this video of ping pong greatness myself… but if my brother wasn’t swamped, I am sure he would’ve found it because he was once a world-class ping-pong player. This baby though will surpass everyone… incredible!