The IECC hearings were held last week in Charlotte and as an industry we did get a couple of “wins” but overall we are still chasing our tails. Codes and code implementation and enforcement are usually positive things from a business sense, but not when they are illogical or impossible to produce with some sort of efficiency. The ironic thing in these fights is usually most of the manufacturers are one side and the consultants and advocacy group are on the other. Why we can’t ever take the best of both (like Dr. Tom Culp always tries to push) is beyond me. As an example, I truly believe the manufacturer side is not B-S’ing you when they talk about structural integrity. Believe me they know and work with the products- have installed it etc. So when a consultant or politico breaks into a speech that a Vinyl curtainwall can go 20 floors in the sky and hold up the same as metal or steel… well sorry, not in my world. Anyway, bottom line is the fight goes on.
Elsewhere…
-- I have to say that no other cause has ever done a better job of being commercially active than Breast Cancer Awareness. The folks behind that effort in getting the pink involved EVERYWHERE should be commended for their efforts. It’s all over the place- in magazines, TV, Football players, hockey players using pink sticks and so on. It’s absolutely amazing. Hopefully all of this will lead to the advancements needed to strike down this and other related diseases.
-- Last week’s note on USGBC raised several comments to me personally and one on the post itself. The issue that some people have is the program is just not realistic in some levels. People will use products to get “points” or “credits” and they may not be the best products for the long term life of the structure. It becomes a game in a way. And quite frankly the fact that glass doesn’t count as recycled material or powdercoat and liquid paint count the same are among other issues. I don’t deny that it has made people aware of green building and it does do some good things- but the issues that Henry Gifford and other naysayers have are legitimate.
-- I missed making my NBA picks last week… so here they are… take em to the bank… in the East… no doubt despite having no other players the Miami Heat will win. LeBron is just a beast and once these guys figure out how to play 3 on 5 every night…look out. In the West… hard to argue with the Lakers- just too much talent there… funny that Kobe is now more popular than LeBron. And in the finals I like the Lakers to repeat…
-- The PPG story on the supply of the WTC glass at least is happier than it was a few months ago. It’s a shame the glass will be fabricated in China though, but I guess it’s still a win. Kudos to PPG for staying on it like they did as the initial reaction on all parties was that this deal was done and there was no turning back. Kind of proves that some things are not over until they are over.
-- Last, this election day is huge as you may know. This really will be fascinating to see what happens but end of the day, let’s hope that the folks we are sending to Washington start working for US and doing what needs to be done to advance this country.
LINKS of the WEEK
Thanks to the many incredible and aware technology savvy people who sent me how to do the links popping up in a new window. Trying it today- let’s hope I don’t screw it up. Anyway THANK YOU all for the help!
-- It’s funny I have my daughter helping me with some on line stuff… but not as intense as FireFox hiring a 12 year old boy to search for bugs in their system. There’s actually good money in finding “bugs” so my friends who helped me with these links, you all should look into that!
-- Moral of this story, never trust your buddy to get you a tattoo… because you may not like that lewd image on your back…
-- This guy caught a HUUUUGE fish in the Hudson River… scary man, scary.
VIDEO of the WEEK
The trend of animating scandals has been growing… there was Tiger Woods and others but now the craft folks have done an animated video of what went down with Charlie Sheen last week. It is quite comical I must say. Almost feels like you were there…
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
USGBC in the crosshairs
For years I have been blogging about the NFRC and along the way I had more than a few people tell me I was missing the boat. That while the NFRC had issues, my sights should’ve been on the USGBC and their LEED program. I understood their angst but I never really dug into it. Well I guess now I don’t have to as a class action lawsuit against the USGBC has been filed and this one should be very fascinating to follow. The suit was filed by a gentleman named Henry Gifford who for years has been outspoken about the USGBC and LEED programs. Gifford basically alleges everything and more that the anti-USGBC crowd has been crowing about for years. After the suit was filed the blogosphere blew up with articles and comments about this issue as it will be a hot one. Right now the USGBC OWNS the green building world. Many others have come in and tried (Spirit, Green Globes, SEED, etc) and never came close to getting the footing that USGBC and LEED enjoy.
Great reading HERE for the actual complaint and HERE for an opinion piece comparing Gifford to Rosa Parks. Check out the comments below on the 2nd link as some interesting takes including Gifford himself with a quick comment. As one poster there said perfectly it’s like “as the Green Building Turns”
H/T to the Green Building Law Blog for great coverage.
Elsewhere…
-- Somewhere I think the Phillies and Yankees lost because I predicted them in the World Series… anyway I look forward to a Giant-Ranger tilt… love the stories behind the Rangers… but this will surely be a series of great pitching (Giants) vs. hitting (Rangers)…. Surely not as sexy of a match up (like Yanks-Phils_ but should be very good.
-- The good news that the overall Architectural Billings Index breaking the magical 50 mark for the first time in almost 3 years is probably tempered some by the regionality of the scores. The scores for the Northeast and Midwest surely skewed the score as the West and South are still showing very meager results. Still though, positive news is awesome. If the momentum continues it would jive with the predictions that the comeback will hit our industry in the 2nd half of 2011. Still a long way away but at least possibly light at the end of the tunnel. To read the official report on the ABI, click HERE.
-- And speaking of the links, I have been trying to get them to pop up in their own windows but I am inept at making that work. No clue why it won’t work for me, so until I figure it out (or someone smarter walks me though) I apologize for making you click forward and back.
-- Back to the good news economy wise… you have to assume PPG having a record 3rd quarter earnings wise is also good news for the overall state of business. Though I am sure that the PPG sales guys probably hate when announcements like that come out for the obvious reasons…
-- I was in Vegas last week and every 2nd commercial was for a personal injury lawyer… that’s what the world has come to out there- which is sad. Best tag line from one of these classic ambulance chasers was: “In a wreck… Get a check”…. Yeesh…
LINKS of the WEEK
We already hit a few links above… but a couple more industry related ones actually…
-- First a quick slideshow on fraudulent construction products and how close they look to real…
-- Cool video story of a new “liquid” curtainwall. Very interesting concept but is it realistic?
VIDEO of the WEEK
Saturday Night Live took on the latest Brett Favre controversy with a classic approach… making fun of his Wrangler Jean ads… classic!
Great reading HERE for the actual complaint and HERE for an opinion piece comparing Gifford to Rosa Parks. Check out the comments below on the 2nd link as some interesting takes including Gifford himself with a quick comment. As one poster there said perfectly it’s like “as the Green Building Turns”
H/T to the Green Building Law Blog for great coverage.
Elsewhere…
-- Somewhere I think the Phillies and Yankees lost because I predicted them in the World Series… anyway I look forward to a Giant-Ranger tilt… love the stories behind the Rangers… but this will surely be a series of great pitching (Giants) vs. hitting (Rangers)…. Surely not as sexy of a match up (like Yanks-Phils_ but should be very good.
-- The good news that the overall Architectural Billings Index breaking the magical 50 mark for the first time in almost 3 years is probably tempered some by the regionality of the scores. The scores for the Northeast and Midwest surely skewed the score as the West and South are still showing very meager results. Still though, positive news is awesome. If the momentum continues it would jive with the predictions that the comeback will hit our industry in the 2nd half of 2011. Still a long way away but at least possibly light at the end of the tunnel. To read the official report on the ABI, click HERE.
-- And speaking of the links, I have been trying to get them to pop up in their own windows but I am inept at making that work. No clue why it won’t work for me, so until I figure it out (or someone smarter walks me though) I apologize for making you click forward and back.
-- Back to the good news economy wise… you have to assume PPG having a record 3rd quarter earnings wise is also good news for the overall state of business. Though I am sure that the PPG sales guys probably hate when announcements like that come out for the obvious reasons…
-- I was in Vegas last week and every 2nd commercial was for a personal injury lawyer… that’s what the world has come to out there- which is sad. Best tag line from one of these classic ambulance chasers was: “In a wreck… Get a check”…. Yeesh…
LINKS of the WEEK
We already hit a few links above… but a couple more industry related ones actually…
-- First a quick slideshow on fraudulent construction products and how close they look to real…
-- Cool video story of a new “liquid” curtainwall. Very interesting concept but is it realistic?
VIDEO of the WEEK
Saturday Night Live took on the latest Brett Favre controversy with a classic approach… making fun of his Wrangler Jean ads… classic!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Big News!
Update 10/18 -6:30AM
As you will read more in EWeekly, our industry has won a pretty significant victory in the code world as the ASHRAE appeals panel has OVERTURNED the two most controversial and possibly damaging code items from ASHRAE 90.1-2010. Folks, plain and simple this is a great moment for us as an industry. The plan for reduction of the window to wall ratio and the new minimums for Visible Light/Solar Heat Gain have been rebuffed. The excitement is because our industry worked together with a common goal and for the first time since we started this concerted process (I started in 2004) we have a victory. (We've even lost when we won votes at NFRC 49-6... so believe me to get a win like this is huge) The bottom line is we are stronger as an organized group than we are as individuals and quite frankly we are only trying to do what's sensible. No one is against energy efficiency- quite the opposite really, but we want to do it logically without destroying our industry. This announcement surely starts that process. Congrats to Dr. Culp and the Aluminum Extruder Council, Urmilla Sowell and Bill Yanek of GANA, Marg Webb and IGMA, Guardian, AGC, and Pilkington for filing the appeals and fighting it to the end. Truly monumental!
Elsewhere…
-- I was completely bummed to miss Solar Power International last week in LA. When I went last year it was an amazing show and people were so incredibly hopeful. So to those of you who went, any insight on the mood there would be great. Something tells me it wasn’t as cheery as last year but probably still better than most shows have been.
-- Best line of the week… the guy who said the housing market forecast was in various “shades of lousy”… oh man that line just hit it on the head. So if the housing market is “shades of lousy” the commercial building market must be shades of words that can’t be typed on a family blog eh?
-- Is there anything more frustrating than flying? Seriously? Last week I saw TSA make a big issue out of an IPAD. The TSA agent said the IPAD either had to ride alone in a bin OR stay in the guys briefcase. Umm, I don’t get that logic- do you? Well when the guy complained off to extra screening he went.
-- Then on the plane- the packed, steamy hot plane… two rows ahead me (and shockingly not my row) a young lady boarded late holding a child that had to be at least 1. She only had one seat. A middle seat. And so that row, even though the child was small, it sure wasn’t a “baby” in my mind had 4 people jammed in for 3 hours. Miserable. The thing I thought was that baby is bigger than a lap top, yet you can’t hold a lap top on your lap for takeoff or touchdown….
-- Look out Ashley Elementary, my son was passed the activist gene… young Zach was elected to student council… I can’t wait til he starts a blog railing about the new evil lunch procedure and how the lunch ladies just mark in lockstep with the paraprofessionals working the floor.
LINKS of the WEEK
-- Every so often someone comes out raging about the LEED program. Add this Toronto professor to the list- great arguments here.
-- A bizarre experiment with a Happy Meal… what will it look like 180 days after buying it…
VIDEO of the WEEK
Folks this story is 7 minutes long but simply amazing. Its about a soldier that was impaled by a live rocket propelled grenade. Simply stirring and interesting and props to good friend Greg Carney for sharing it. Check it out.
As you will read more in EWeekly, our industry has won a pretty significant victory in the code world as the ASHRAE appeals panel has OVERTURNED the two most controversial and possibly damaging code items from ASHRAE 90.1-2010. Folks, plain and simple this is a great moment for us as an industry. The plan for reduction of the window to wall ratio and the new minimums for Visible Light/Solar Heat Gain have been rebuffed. The excitement is because our industry worked together with a common goal and for the first time since we started this concerted process (I started in 2004) we have a victory. (We've even lost when we won votes at NFRC 49-6... so believe me to get a win like this is huge) The bottom line is we are stronger as an organized group than we are as individuals and quite frankly we are only trying to do what's sensible. No one is against energy efficiency- quite the opposite really, but we want to do it logically without destroying our industry. This announcement surely starts that process. Congrats to Dr. Culp and the Aluminum Extruder Council, Urmilla Sowell and Bill Yanek of GANA, Marg Webb and IGMA, Guardian, AGC, and Pilkington for filing the appeals and fighting it to the end. Truly monumental!
Elsewhere…
-- I was completely bummed to miss Solar Power International last week in LA. When I went last year it was an amazing show and people were so incredibly hopeful. So to those of you who went, any insight on the mood there would be great. Something tells me it wasn’t as cheery as last year but probably still better than most shows have been.
-- Best line of the week… the guy who said the housing market forecast was in various “shades of lousy”… oh man that line just hit it on the head. So if the housing market is “shades of lousy” the commercial building market must be shades of words that can’t be typed on a family blog eh?
-- Is there anything more frustrating than flying? Seriously? Last week I saw TSA make a big issue out of an IPAD. The TSA agent said the IPAD either had to ride alone in a bin OR stay in the guys briefcase. Umm, I don’t get that logic- do you? Well when the guy complained off to extra screening he went.
-- Then on the plane- the packed, steamy hot plane… two rows ahead me (and shockingly not my row) a young lady boarded late holding a child that had to be at least 1. She only had one seat. A middle seat. And so that row, even though the child was small, it sure wasn’t a “baby” in my mind had 4 people jammed in for 3 hours. Miserable. The thing I thought was that baby is bigger than a lap top, yet you can’t hold a lap top on your lap for takeoff or touchdown….
-- Look out Ashley Elementary, my son was passed the activist gene… young Zach was elected to student council… I can’t wait til he starts a blog railing about the new evil lunch procedure and how the lunch ladies just mark in lockstep with the paraprofessionals working the floor.
LINKS of the WEEK
-- Every so often someone comes out raging about the LEED program. Add this Toronto professor to the list- great arguments here.
-- A bizarre experiment with a Happy Meal… what will it look like 180 days after buying it…
VIDEO of the WEEK
Folks this story is 7 minutes long but simply amazing. Its about a soldier that was impaled by a live rocket propelled grenade. Simply stirring and interesting and props to good friend Greg Carney for sharing it. Check it out.
Monday, October 11, 2010
End of era
Up and down news week for me…. First on the down side, the depressing news about the closing of Mid Ohio Tempering by the UGC… It really is very sad and upsetting news…. aside from folks losing their jobs (which is very depressing obviously and the most important) there’s a historical piece here as the original founder of this company, Jack Deyo, is another one of those guys (like I noted Eric Rapp to be last week) that would be first ballot industry hall of famers (in my opinion). Seeing his place go down in this manner, with him helpless to do anything (UGC and Jack parted a few years ago) had to be pure misery. The facility, which possibly could’ve had a buyer (especially with rumors of a west coast guy opening up in Columbus) will be remembered in my mind for its commitment to quality and customers. I guess stripping the facility and sending equipment elsewhere was the better deal in their minds. My thoughts go out to all of the folks affected by this news and I hope they can land somewhere good. (And if the rumor of someone opening in C-Bus is true, the new company has ready-made and motivated workforce)
Elsewhere…
-- Now on the upside, the UGC location in Pittsburgh made a great hire of Rob Taliani formerly of Arch. Great guy and yes I am biased as Rob is a very close friend. But still he will do extremely well for that group, especially now that he won’t have the worries of competing with his fabricators or having to go after general contractors like leadership from his old company has been quoted on. (Yep I know I am beating that dead horse... but those interviews were blog material gold!)
-- Ok, enough bad news for now… a major congrats to Darand Davies of Dallas Glass (Salem, OR) for winning the Hartung/Guardian “Beat the Heat” competition. Darand is a tremendous guy and operator and it is very nice to see people like that get some great publicity.
-- Usually on line discussions in or about our industry aren’t very popular. Don’t get me wrong, there’s tons of opinions out there shared privately everyday but putting yourself out there is rare. Well recently a phenomenon of sorts took place over at business social media site LinkedIn when they question was asked “do we have a dearth of qualified people in the façade industry?” This discussion brought tons of replies and really is an interesting question overall. We as an industry do have some holes, especially in attracting new/young/fresh talent… though we also sometimes mis-use or miss flat out quality talent as well. End of the day though I found it interesting that there was a pretty good on line discussion of an issue that will have ramifications somewhere down the line.
-- Last week while in one of my hotel stays I came across the movie “Taken” starring Liam Neeson. This is one of those movies that I just love to watch… he’s like Jack Bauer, so that’s big, I love the action, and quite frankly is my daughter ever got in trouble (like his in the movie) I wish I could morph into that character. Simply awesome.
-- By the way I did not make a post season pick last week for baseball because my choices back in April- Yanks vs Phillies is still alive. I do though want the Rangers to make it, as I love that line up and the storylines with the Rangers are amazing. (Josh Hamilton’s comeback, Ron Washington’s issues, Ian Kinsler being the rare Jewish baseball stud and so on)
LINKS of the WEEK
-- I have had some cool structures featured here… and you can add this one to the list… the balancing barn!
-- Thanks to an old pal, AKA “The Freight Train” for this one.. a great story on Barry Sanders Jr. as he is headed towards some of the same greatness his father showed. Something tells me Lions fans are hoping that he can come to Detroit!
-- The newest disease for the tech world… “Toasted Skin Syndrome” for when you work too long with your lap top... on your lap…
VIDEO of the WEEK
From a friend of the blog in New York… just an awesome shootout style of goal in Hockey… kids name is Kaspars Daugavin and I have a feeling you may be seeing his name more often in the future.
Elsewhere…
-- Now on the upside, the UGC location in Pittsburgh made a great hire of Rob Taliani formerly of Arch. Great guy and yes I am biased as Rob is a very close friend. But still he will do extremely well for that group, especially now that he won’t have the worries of competing with his fabricators or having to go after general contractors like leadership from his old company has been quoted on. (Yep I know I am beating that dead horse... but those interviews were blog material gold!)
-- Ok, enough bad news for now… a major congrats to Darand Davies of Dallas Glass (Salem, OR) for winning the Hartung/Guardian “Beat the Heat” competition. Darand is a tremendous guy and operator and it is very nice to see people like that get some great publicity.
-- Usually on line discussions in or about our industry aren’t very popular. Don’t get me wrong, there’s tons of opinions out there shared privately everyday but putting yourself out there is rare. Well recently a phenomenon of sorts took place over at business social media site LinkedIn when they question was asked “do we have a dearth of qualified people in the façade industry?” This discussion brought tons of replies and really is an interesting question overall. We as an industry do have some holes, especially in attracting new/young/fresh talent… though we also sometimes mis-use or miss flat out quality talent as well. End of the day though I found it interesting that there was a pretty good on line discussion of an issue that will have ramifications somewhere down the line.
-- Last week while in one of my hotel stays I came across the movie “Taken” starring Liam Neeson. This is one of those movies that I just love to watch… he’s like Jack Bauer, so that’s big, I love the action, and quite frankly is my daughter ever got in trouble (like his in the movie) I wish I could morph into that character. Simply awesome.
-- By the way I did not make a post season pick last week for baseball because my choices back in April- Yanks vs Phillies is still alive. I do though want the Rangers to make it, as I love that line up and the storylines with the Rangers are amazing. (Josh Hamilton’s comeback, Ron Washington’s issues, Ian Kinsler being the rare Jewish baseball stud and so on)
LINKS of the WEEK
-- I have had some cool structures featured here… and you can add this one to the list… the balancing barn!
-- Thanks to an old pal, AKA “The Freight Train” for this one.. a great story on Barry Sanders Jr. as he is headed towards some of the same greatness his father showed. Something tells me Lions fans are hoping that he can come to Detroit!
-- The newest disease for the tech world… “Toasted Skin Syndrome” for when you work too long with your lap top... on your lap…
VIDEO of the WEEK
From a friend of the blog in New York… just an awesome shootout style of goal in Hockey… kids name is Kaspars Daugavin and I have a feeling you may be seeing his name more often in the future.
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Mid Term Test
We are just a few short weeks away from a moment that could have a massive effect on our business lives. Like no other time in my life, the mid-term elections are something to follow and hope that whatever the outcome, positive movement for business happens. It’s seemingly every month that the ABI totals mention the icy cold credit markets, which is pretty much hampering a large part of our industry. Will the outcomes in November be able to get things to thaw? I hope so. Regardless and sadly we are headed for a very cold winter that’s for sure. I do look forward to what the analysts and experts in our industry predict for 2011 and I’d expect to start seeing some of those comments soon.
Elsewhere…
-- Hey did you see that construction spending went up 0.4% in August? Break out the champagne! The increase was led by government projects… you know like there’s anything but government projects these days…
-- One of these years I’m gonna have to get to glasstec. Just reading all of the coverage makes it sound so unreal.
-- Saw at glasstec the announcement of a new warm edge spacer technology. The material from Infinite Edge Technologies was founded by Eric Rapp and I think it’s just tremendous to have Eric and family back in the day to day grind of our industry. I’m a big fan of the Rapp clan and quite frankly when the Glass Hall of Fame opens; Eric Rapp needs to be a charter member. Best of luck guys!
-- We had winners in Solutia’s awesome World of Color Awards. The winners were very cool, so unreal uses of color and style. To view the winners and some awesome runners up, you can click HERE. Kudos again to Solutia for a great concept.
-- The whole “Death Ray” glass theme that played all over the network morning shows was comical to me. Everyone I know outside of the industry sent me a link to it, asking me about it etc. Only in our industry can we get the oddest publicity ever. I do have to say though having been at many Vegas pools during the summer, that if it was even hotter than normal, it must’ve been insane.
-- The inane Donald Trump window order debacle is sad and infuriating. There is no doubt several people could’ve supplied windows for his building instead of going to China, but at the end price won out and he played the supply card. It’s the same thing that happened on the bottom floors of the new WTC when the Port Authority took the money and ran, then made a ton of excuses to cover their behinds.
-- Hockey starts this week!! And I am so looking forward to it… and I am sure you are looking forward to my picks to win it all… I think the West will come down to Vancouver and the Red Wings, with Detroit going back to the Cup yet again. In the East, it really is time for Ovechkin and company to take it and they’ll get there with an epic 7 game win over the Pens. (It hurts to even type that) And the Cup will go to DC, with the Caps winning in 6. And yes I’d be thrilled to be wrong.
LINKS of the WEEK
-- Funny link… Top 10 songs that make men cry…. And I have to disagree with some of these but fun none the less. I cry at the end of movie's like Rocky or The Natural... not at songs.
-- This is awesome… ever see the commercials with the “Most Interesting Man in the World”? It’s for the beer Dos Equis and the commercials have reached cult status… well this link introduces you to the actor who plays the role and his background just cracked me up!
-- Remember that crazy US Open Tennis video from a few weeks ago with the fight in the stands? Well the young guy who was in the middle of it, just got in trouble again.
VIDEO of the WEEK
You may have seen this, but it’s from Australia’s Top Model and the announcement of the winner goes woefully wrong. The big question is do you think this was an honest mistake or a plan… because the coverage they are getting from this screwed up announcement is bigger than ever. (At about 50 seconds in you see the host change the decision. It’s like trainwreck)
Elsewhere…
-- Hey did you see that construction spending went up 0.4% in August? Break out the champagne! The increase was led by government projects… you know like there’s anything but government projects these days…
-- One of these years I’m gonna have to get to glasstec. Just reading all of the coverage makes it sound so unreal.
-- Saw at glasstec the announcement of a new warm edge spacer technology. The material from Infinite Edge Technologies was founded by Eric Rapp and I think it’s just tremendous to have Eric and family back in the day to day grind of our industry. I’m a big fan of the Rapp clan and quite frankly when the Glass Hall of Fame opens; Eric Rapp needs to be a charter member. Best of luck guys!
-- We had winners in Solutia’s awesome World of Color Awards. The winners were very cool, so unreal uses of color and style. To view the winners and some awesome runners up, you can click HERE. Kudos again to Solutia for a great concept.
-- The whole “Death Ray” glass theme that played all over the network morning shows was comical to me. Everyone I know outside of the industry sent me a link to it, asking me about it etc. Only in our industry can we get the oddest publicity ever. I do have to say though having been at many Vegas pools during the summer, that if it was even hotter than normal, it must’ve been insane.
-- The inane Donald Trump window order debacle is sad and infuriating. There is no doubt several people could’ve supplied windows for his building instead of going to China, but at the end price won out and he played the supply card. It’s the same thing that happened on the bottom floors of the new WTC when the Port Authority took the money and ran, then made a ton of excuses to cover their behinds.
-- Hockey starts this week!! And I am so looking forward to it… and I am sure you are looking forward to my picks to win it all… I think the West will come down to Vancouver and the Red Wings, with Detroit going back to the Cup yet again. In the East, it really is time for Ovechkin and company to take it and they’ll get there with an epic 7 game win over the Pens. (It hurts to even type that) And the Cup will go to DC, with the Caps winning in 6. And yes I’d be thrilled to be wrong.
LINKS of the WEEK
-- Funny link… Top 10 songs that make men cry…. And I have to disagree with some of these but fun none the less. I cry at the end of movie's like Rocky or The Natural... not at songs.
-- This is awesome… ever see the commercials with the “Most Interesting Man in the World”? It’s for the beer Dos Equis and the commercials have reached cult status… well this link introduces you to the actor who plays the role and his background just cracked me up!
-- Remember that crazy US Open Tennis video from a few weeks ago with the fight in the stands? Well the young guy who was in the middle of it, just got in trouble again.
VIDEO of the WEEK
You may have seen this, but it’s from Australia’s Top Model and the announcement of the winner goes woefully wrong. The big question is do you think this was an honest mistake or a plan… because the coverage they are getting from this screwed up announcement is bigger than ever. (At about 50 seconds in you see the host change the decision. It’s like trainwreck)
Sunday, September 26, 2010
What can be said...
Well I’m sure people aren’t clicking here this week to get my feelings on the new cast of Dancing with the Stars. No I’d bet (and I know because of e mail traffic to me) that because of my past associations that they want to know how feel on the return of Leon to the glass business. Well I am going to possibly disappoint because I am taking a different tact. Everyone and their mother (including mine, she’s feisty about this issue!) has an opinion on Leon himself, but for me there’s 2 other parts to this deal. Rick Silverstein and Manny Valladares are partners in this thing and that’s the huge key. Rick (or it “Richard” now? I’ve known the guy 10 years never once heard him called “Richard”) is very well known and connected with the customer base in South Florida, while Manny is easily one of the most talented guys I have ever had the honor of working with. So while the publicity comes from one side, the real meat comes from these guys. Now there is no doubt there are tons of other issues that will be at work here and this will be something to watch/monitor/comment on, but I think for now it will be interesting to sit back and see what tone is set and how the overall acceptance or possible lack thereof plays out.
Elsewhere
-- Last week E Weekly did a great poll asking if respondents saw the economy in the commercial glass industry as Good, Average, Weak or Very Weak. When I last checked the results 83% said they saw it as either weak or very weak. 13% saw it as average and 3% saw it as good. Um can the 3% who saw it as “good” give me a call? I’ve got glass and metal that I’d love to sell you! Seriously though I’d love to know where those folks are and/or what business they are in, because I think even in the best regions and best industry segments, being “average” is probably the tops.
-- Congrats to Mike Nicklas for his return to JE Berkowitz. Good guy who’s return to JEB is a win-win for all parties. Plus it really wasn’t the same for me seeing Bob Price at the show sans Mike. Certain combos in my life are a must…. like me and Peanut M&M’s, Russ and Jim on Apogee Quarterly calls, and guys from Walker Textures in really amazing suits. And so this too gets back to normal and order returns to my life.
-- Heard from Henry Taylor on the BEC show and love the direction that he and Brian Pitman and the gang at GANA are planning for this year’s event. There’s no doubt with times different (at least for 97% of us-see above) that the BEC must evolve and improve and that’s what’s happening. Henry is reaching out all over and I expect the results to be outstanding. We’ll surely have more on this as it gets closer, but I’m very excited about the initial planning.
-- Coldwell Banker just came out where the cheapest and most expensive homes are in the US, and the results while not surprising are disappointing to me for sure. The most expensive homes are in the following cities:
1. Newport Beach, CA (Obviously where the 3% live!)
2. Palo Alto, CA
3. Rye, NY
4. San Francisco, CA
5. La Jolla, CA
Well I guess the California cost of living is a little crazy eh?
On the flip side… your cheapest homes can be found in…
1. DETROIT, MI (yippee…we won something! Oh no… this is not a good one to win… especially with a house that will be for sale… I think I am going to throw up now)
2. Grayling, MI
3. Sioux City, IA
4. Cleveland, OH
5. Muncie, IN
-- Last, we are about to enter a really awesome time of year… great holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas) Sports! (Football, Hockey and Hoops stare, World Series baseball) and fall weather that can be very nice to many parts of the country. The next 3 months are usually wonderful from a social standpoint and surely something to look forward to.
LINKS of the WEEK
-- What to do if a Bear attacks? Use a zucchini from your garden. This woman did and it worked!
-- One of the great shows this summer was Hard Knocks on HBO. It was inside access to the NY Jets. Now HBO is bringing that format to hockey for the Pens-Capitals Winter Classic game. Oh boy, the DVR will be tuned up for this one!
-- Just a bizarre story from Wisconsin about “Sexting” and a District Attorney. You just read and shake your head.
VIDEO of the WEEK
Of all the videos I have posted over the years, none had the traffic that last week’s Bobcat Mascot had. Crazy…. Only my school… Anyway this week, a great goal from a soccer game with just a very excited play by play guy. (actually worth it for the play by play guy!) It’s not Mascot on Mascot crime, but it is good!
Elsewhere
-- Last week E Weekly did a great poll asking if respondents saw the economy in the commercial glass industry as Good, Average, Weak or Very Weak. When I last checked the results 83% said they saw it as either weak or very weak. 13% saw it as average and 3% saw it as good. Um can the 3% who saw it as “good” give me a call? I’ve got glass and metal that I’d love to sell you! Seriously though I’d love to know where those folks are and/or what business they are in, because I think even in the best regions and best industry segments, being “average” is probably the tops.
-- Congrats to Mike Nicklas for his return to JE Berkowitz. Good guy who’s return to JEB is a win-win for all parties. Plus it really wasn’t the same for me seeing Bob Price at the show sans Mike. Certain combos in my life are a must…. like me and Peanut M&M’s, Russ and Jim on Apogee Quarterly calls, and guys from Walker Textures in really amazing suits. And so this too gets back to normal and order returns to my life.
-- Heard from Henry Taylor on the BEC show and love the direction that he and Brian Pitman and the gang at GANA are planning for this year’s event. There’s no doubt with times different (at least for 97% of us-see above) that the BEC must evolve and improve and that’s what’s happening. Henry is reaching out all over and I expect the results to be outstanding. We’ll surely have more on this as it gets closer, but I’m very excited about the initial planning.
-- Coldwell Banker just came out where the cheapest and most expensive homes are in the US, and the results while not surprising are disappointing to me for sure. The most expensive homes are in the following cities:
1. Newport Beach, CA (Obviously where the 3% live!)
2. Palo Alto, CA
3. Rye, NY
4. San Francisco, CA
5. La Jolla, CA
Well I guess the California cost of living is a little crazy eh?
On the flip side… your cheapest homes can be found in…
1. DETROIT, MI (yippee…we won something! Oh no… this is not a good one to win… especially with a house that will be for sale… I think I am going to throw up now)
2. Grayling, MI
3. Sioux City, IA
4. Cleveland, OH
5. Muncie, IN
-- Last, we are about to enter a really awesome time of year… great holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas) Sports! (Football, Hockey and Hoops stare, World Series baseball) and fall weather that can be very nice to many parts of the country. The next 3 months are usually wonderful from a social standpoint and surely something to look forward to.
LINKS of the WEEK
-- What to do if a Bear attacks? Use a zucchini from your garden. This woman did and it worked!
-- One of the great shows this summer was Hard Knocks on HBO. It was inside access to the NY Jets. Now HBO is bringing that format to hockey for the Pens-Capitals Winter Classic game. Oh boy, the DVR will be tuned up for this one!
-- Just a bizarre story from Wisconsin about “Sexting” and a District Attorney. You just read and shake your head.
VIDEO of the WEEK
Of all the videos I have posted over the years, none had the traffic that last week’s Bobcat Mascot had. Crazy…. Only my school… Anyway this week, a great goal from a soccer game with just a very excited play by play guy. (actually worth it for the play by play guy!) It’s not Mascot on Mascot crime, but it is good!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Looking back and looking ahead
Well another GlassBuild is in the books. Overall I thought the show was very positive. The vibe there did fall on the side of hopeful and the buzz about the future was encouraging. Yes there were some rough parts, like some slow and spotty crowds and some key people missing, but considering the climate we are in, I would easily deem the show a success. The people that came and walked the show gained from the new and exciting things they saw, and for the most part the exhibitors should have gained from a focused attendee base, not just people using the show as an excuse to be in Vegas. The hope here is when we meet back up in Atlanta next year that we’re talking about how much better things are then now.
Elsewhere…
-- One theme that I spent time on was the fact that back in 2005 when things were rolling, did any of us sit back and say “wow this is great!” Chances are you didn’t, so I think when times change again we’ll be able to appreciate them more.
-- Vegas itself really is an amazing place… from the awesome architecture and design (and my goodness the interiors of the CityCenter were incredible) to just the cheese factor that is Vegas. Like hundreds of people watching the show out outside of Treasure Island. Lip synched songs and fire I guess attracts em in. But the other wild thing is getting up at 4AM to catch the 6AM flight and seeing the hotel lobby and casino packed. That can only happen in Vegas.
-- Also from last week… the worst cab ride ever… so I get in the cab at 4:15AM for the airport… the driver tells me that she can take me through the city, it will be quicker and cheaper than the highway. I tell her that’s great, I just want to get there as quick as I can because you never know about the airport. She then proceeds to drive the slowest I have ever seen someone drive a cab in Vegas. There were drunk partiers moving faster than us! Then as we approach a stoplight and with her almost all the way through, the light turns yellow and she JAMS on her brake and reverses the car. I was freaking out and she says “Can’t be running lights in Vegas”… Arghh… so As we keep floating along she says “what time is your flight?” and I say “6” for which she replied “Wow you sure are cutting it close!”…. Yep thanks to you I am! Anyway I made it but that was one cab trip to forget…
-- Great to see Henry Gorry of Guardian at the airport… a true gentleman and class act in this world of ours.
-- Speaking of Henry we talked about the codes coming down the pike for a bit. Plus in talking with other folks too, I don’t want to misconstrue where I sit or where many of our bretheren in our industry sit. We are not in any way, shape or form against energy efficiency. When we battle on the codes it’s because of the way they are laid out, plan to be implemented or logic behind them. Believe me we all want the same stuff.
-- Also a funny aside… people forgetting how the NFRC came to be… many folks now think that the NFRC was created solely to be proponent of energy efficiency on the residential side. Pushing for better windows, but in reality their creation was in part due to bad characters on the residential window side who were making windows with false performance claims attached to them (like single pane windows promoted as “Double Low E and Double Argon”). One of my angles all along with NFRC has been they were needed on the residential side because of the end user being an amateur in the game, but they’re not providing the value on the commercial end because we are professionals. Anyway I found it interesting that history is sometime forgotten.
LINKS of the WEEK
-- Now that I have a Kindle, this is a great idea to put all the books I have laying around to good use.
-- How about this… older men stay attractive for a decade longer than they used to… meaning a 55 year old man is still desirable according to the story. Best part of the story is baldness is no longer a stigma! Yee ha.
-- If you stole towels from the Hilton last week in Vegas, better hope you don’t get caught… this person got 3 months in jail… and really does anyone take towels anymore?
VIDEO of the WEEK
Low moment in my alumni life.. As a proud Ohio U graduate I knew beating Ohio State was a long shot… but worse yet, the video below. The Ohio mascot decided to attack the Ohio State mascot… and it was pathetic… and embarrassing… and just plain sad. Bobcats bow their heads all over the world on this display of stupidity. (watch bottom right of screen)
Elsewhere…
-- One theme that I spent time on was the fact that back in 2005 when things were rolling, did any of us sit back and say “wow this is great!” Chances are you didn’t, so I think when times change again we’ll be able to appreciate them more.
-- Vegas itself really is an amazing place… from the awesome architecture and design (and my goodness the interiors of the CityCenter were incredible) to just the cheese factor that is Vegas. Like hundreds of people watching the show out outside of Treasure Island. Lip synched songs and fire I guess attracts em in. But the other wild thing is getting up at 4AM to catch the 6AM flight and seeing the hotel lobby and casino packed. That can only happen in Vegas.
-- Also from last week… the worst cab ride ever… so I get in the cab at 4:15AM for the airport… the driver tells me that she can take me through the city, it will be quicker and cheaper than the highway. I tell her that’s great, I just want to get there as quick as I can because you never know about the airport. She then proceeds to drive the slowest I have ever seen someone drive a cab in Vegas. There were drunk partiers moving faster than us! Then as we approach a stoplight and with her almost all the way through, the light turns yellow and she JAMS on her brake and reverses the car. I was freaking out and she says “Can’t be running lights in Vegas”… Arghh… so As we keep floating along she says “what time is your flight?” and I say “6” for which she replied “Wow you sure are cutting it close!”…. Yep thanks to you I am! Anyway I made it but that was one cab trip to forget…
-- Great to see Henry Gorry of Guardian at the airport… a true gentleman and class act in this world of ours.
-- Speaking of Henry we talked about the codes coming down the pike for a bit. Plus in talking with other folks too, I don’t want to misconstrue where I sit or where many of our bretheren in our industry sit. We are not in any way, shape or form against energy efficiency. When we battle on the codes it’s because of the way they are laid out, plan to be implemented or logic behind them. Believe me we all want the same stuff.
-- Also a funny aside… people forgetting how the NFRC came to be… many folks now think that the NFRC was created solely to be proponent of energy efficiency on the residential side. Pushing for better windows, but in reality their creation was in part due to bad characters on the residential window side who were making windows with false performance claims attached to them (like single pane windows promoted as “Double Low E and Double Argon”). One of my angles all along with NFRC has been they were needed on the residential side because of the end user being an amateur in the game, but they’re not providing the value on the commercial end because we are professionals. Anyway I found it interesting that history is sometime forgotten.
LINKS of the WEEK
-- Now that I have a Kindle, this is a great idea to put all the books I have laying around to good use.
-- How about this… older men stay attractive for a decade longer than they used to… meaning a 55 year old man is still desirable according to the story. Best part of the story is baldness is no longer a stigma! Yee ha.
-- If you stole towels from the Hilton last week in Vegas, better hope you don’t get caught… this person got 3 months in jail… and really does anyone take towels anymore?
VIDEO of the WEEK
Low moment in my alumni life.. As a proud Ohio U graduate I knew beating Ohio State was a long shot… but worse yet, the video below. The Ohio mascot decided to attack the Ohio State mascot… and it was pathetic… and embarrassing… and just plain sad. Bobcats bow their heads all over the world on this display of stupidity. (watch bottom right of screen)
Thursday, September 16, 2010
GlassBuild America Day 2
Day 2 of GlassBuild came through with bigger crowds and more enthusiasm. I felt day 2 was going to be the make or break of the show and personally the crowds being stronger puts this show in the “make” category. Now obviously this is not a show to compare with the good ole days of 2005, but for the timing and place we are in the economy, it really was a positive showing.
Now on to what was seen and heard…
-- Always a great thrill to see Raj Goyal, now doing consulting for Technoform. A major class act and a credit to our industry for sure. And Technoform’s booth for the 2nd day in a row was jumping… those guys are probably thrilled with the show so far.
-- Heard from many people that the GEF (Glazing Executive Forum) was super. Major kudos to Matt Rumbaugh and his team for the success.
-- I attended the GlassBuild reception for the very first time… this is my 15th show and I never made it to a reception until now… It was jam packed and great food on hand. Man I blew it missing the past 14.
-- Cool as cucumber Jay Phillips of Guardian was everywhere on the floor. Guardian may not have had a booth but Jay covered the real estate on the floor like he was riding one of those Segway motor scooters. He was everywhere.
-- Very thrilled to meet in person Newton Little of Ace Glass in Arkansas. Good man who donates a ton of time for the betterment of our industry.
-- Best business cards… Tom O’Malley of Doralco… just the coolest layout and very eye catching… I think I may have to ask him if I can borrow his design. These cards were the same width as a normal card but slightly shorter height- but the key was the font and design of the card was dynamic.
-- Got to see the gang from the Glass Association of North America. Brian, Urmilla and Sara all doing well… Brian very pumped with the new headquarters that also features a video room. My gosh giving him more tools is scary good. And speaking of GANA a belated congrats to Ashley Charest on the birth of her 2nd child.
-- Running into Patrick Muessig and Dave Mills of Azon is always a treat and I always, always learn something good from those guys.
-- Standard Bent had some outstanding stuff in their booth, including a cool Pittsburgh Penguin logo that my soon would drool for.
-- There was an Elvis impersonator on the floor… even got a picture with him (if they send it, I’ll post it) but the problem was it was the skinny Elvis… I wanted a picture with Fat Elvis… would make me long for my old co worker #28 Roger Collette.
-- Awesome display of Shower Door greatness in the Alumax booth… it was like a forest of shower doors, so many neat and different styles put me into creativity overload. Just great stuff.
Missing…
-- Supposedly Dr. Tom Culp was on the floor but never saw him.
-- Also I had heard that Christine Shaffer of Viracon was not coming but you can always hope that she'll show right? Seriously though you know you are a superstar when people know you are not coming but still hope that you somehow show up. Believe me I wasn’t the only one bummed on that absence.
-- And same goes for Scott Surma… shocked he didn’t sneak on out but considering Scott already goes hog wild for 24 hours a day, not sure how he woulda crammed this in…
So one more day and I still have a ton to see- plus my daughter demanded I bring her “free” stuff from the floor, so I’ll have to go Pen hunting. Next week on my normal post we’ll wrap up the show.
Now on to what was seen and heard…
-- Always a great thrill to see Raj Goyal, now doing consulting for Technoform. A major class act and a credit to our industry for sure. And Technoform’s booth for the 2nd day in a row was jumping… those guys are probably thrilled with the show so far.
-- Heard from many people that the GEF (Glazing Executive Forum) was super. Major kudos to Matt Rumbaugh and his team for the success.
-- I attended the GlassBuild reception for the very first time… this is my 15th show and I never made it to a reception until now… It was jam packed and great food on hand. Man I blew it missing the past 14.
-- Cool as cucumber Jay Phillips of Guardian was everywhere on the floor. Guardian may not have had a booth but Jay covered the real estate on the floor like he was riding one of those Segway motor scooters. He was everywhere.
-- Very thrilled to meet in person Newton Little of Ace Glass in Arkansas. Good man who donates a ton of time for the betterment of our industry.
-- Best business cards… Tom O’Malley of Doralco… just the coolest layout and very eye catching… I think I may have to ask him if I can borrow his design. These cards were the same width as a normal card but slightly shorter height- but the key was the font and design of the card was dynamic.
-- Got to see the gang from the Glass Association of North America. Brian, Urmilla and Sara all doing well… Brian very pumped with the new headquarters that also features a video room. My gosh giving him more tools is scary good. And speaking of GANA a belated congrats to Ashley Charest on the birth of her 2nd child.
-- Running into Patrick Muessig and Dave Mills of Azon is always a treat and I always, always learn something good from those guys.
-- Standard Bent had some outstanding stuff in their booth, including a cool Pittsburgh Penguin logo that my soon would drool for.
-- There was an Elvis impersonator on the floor… even got a picture with him (if they send it, I’ll post it) but the problem was it was the skinny Elvis… I wanted a picture with Fat Elvis… would make me long for my old co worker #28 Roger Collette.
-- Awesome display of Shower Door greatness in the Alumax booth… it was like a forest of shower doors, so many neat and different styles put me into creativity overload. Just great stuff.
Missing…
-- Supposedly Dr. Tom Culp was on the floor but never saw him.
-- Also I had heard that Christine Shaffer of Viracon was not coming but you can always hope that she'll show right? Seriously though you know you are a superstar when people know you are not coming but still hope that you somehow show up. Believe me I wasn’t the only one bummed on that absence.
-- And same goes for Scott Surma… shocked he didn’t sneak on out but considering Scott already goes hog wild for 24 hours a day, not sure how he woulda crammed this in…
So one more day and I still have a ton to see- plus my daughter demanded I bring her “free” stuff from the floor, so I’ll have to go Pen hunting. Next week on my normal post we’ll wrap up the show.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Day 1 at GlassBuild America
Day 1 on the show floor was surely a fun one for me. I hadn’t been to a GlassBuild for 2 years so this was great to be back among the action. Overall I thought the day was solid, the crowd came in waves and I saw some booths swamped with people. That said I know some folks may have commented that it was slow or light but I think for a first day when all was said and done it was better than you think.
Seen and heard and experienced on the show floor…. Larry King or Page 6 style…
-- Before hitting the floor I ran into Rick Friel of Cardinal… he was looking great proving west coast living must agree with him…
-- Best look of the day… the gang from PPG looking nattily clad in their very cool vests… yes the great Rob Struble strikes again with that idea. I need to beg him for one of those!
-- Loved the GGI wide open booth… went over to say hi to my brother but he was always entertaining someone…
-- No Starship Enterprise booth this year as no Oldcastle showing. Dang.
-- Speaking of OC, neat to be on the same team now as former OC’er Cathy Finney. After years of competing at our old places it’s great to be on the same page at Vitro America.
-- And on the note of my new company, I got to meet many of my co workers for the first time and it was very nice, just love the energy they are putting out right now. Though I think they all look at me and wonder what planet I’m from.
-- Best giveaway so far… the cool hats from Glassopolis… those guys raise the bar every time they leave the house.
-- Great to run into blog reader and friend Paul DeGray… and it was pointed out to me and I agree that he is a dead ringer for Billy Joel…
-- Saw Greg Carney which is always a highlite…looking good too.
-- Speaking of looking good, usually Danik of Walker Glass takes the title, but on day 1, his boss Ross Christie broke out the A game with the best outfit. So the title stays in the Walker family as they continue to be the best dressed guys in our industry… by far.
-- Off the beaten path on the show floor was a cool booth of switchable interior stuff by Polytronics. If you are walking the show on day 2 or 3, worth the visit.
-- The top mind and quite frankly most talented person in our industry Julie Schimmelpenningh of Solutia was working and walking the floor… always a pleasure to see her and the fact she even is OK with being seen with me is an honor.
-- Hearing that Jeff Leone of Arch won’t be here… and that’s OK since he obviously knows our industry so well because he knows not to "compete with his fabricators" and that he also needs to work closer with General Contractors… so you see he has it all figured out!
-- CRL’s booth was packed as usual… unreal what they do.
-- Last, the amazing Edgetech booth… no one brings it at this show like these folks. This year had a cool racing theme and a stocked bar… needless to say every time I went down there to say hi to guys I know the place was a madhouse.
On Day 2, I plan on walking the show more, getting to hopefully spend some time at Technoform (who looked very busy today) and also searching out some new products too. Plus a report on the reception too. Check back on Thursday for that update!
Seen and heard and experienced on the show floor…. Larry King or Page 6 style…
-- Before hitting the floor I ran into Rick Friel of Cardinal… he was looking great proving west coast living must agree with him…
-- Best look of the day… the gang from PPG looking nattily clad in their very cool vests… yes the great Rob Struble strikes again with that idea. I need to beg him for one of those!
-- Loved the GGI wide open booth… went over to say hi to my brother but he was always entertaining someone…
-- No Starship Enterprise booth this year as no Oldcastle showing. Dang.
-- Speaking of OC, neat to be on the same team now as former OC’er Cathy Finney. After years of competing at our old places it’s great to be on the same page at Vitro America.
-- And on the note of my new company, I got to meet many of my co workers for the first time and it was very nice, just love the energy they are putting out right now. Though I think they all look at me and wonder what planet I’m from.
-- Best giveaway so far… the cool hats from Glassopolis… those guys raise the bar every time they leave the house.
-- Great to run into blog reader and friend Paul DeGray… and it was pointed out to me and I agree that he is a dead ringer for Billy Joel…
-- Saw Greg Carney which is always a highlite…looking good too.
-- Speaking of looking good, usually Danik of Walker Glass takes the title, but on day 1, his boss Ross Christie broke out the A game with the best outfit. So the title stays in the Walker family as they continue to be the best dressed guys in our industry… by far.
-- Off the beaten path on the show floor was a cool booth of switchable interior stuff by Polytronics. If you are walking the show on day 2 or 3, worth the visit.
-- The top mind and quite frankly most talented person in our industry Julie Schimmelpenningh of Solutia was working and walking the floor… always a pleasure to see her and the fact she even is OK with being seen with me is an honor.
-- Hearing that Jeff Leone of Arch won’t be here… and that’s OK since he obviously knows our industry so well because he knows not to "compete with his fabricators" and that he also needs to work closer with General Contractors… so you see he has it all figured out!
-- CRL’s booth was packed as usual… unreal what they do.
-- Last, the amazing Edgetech booth… no one brings it at this show like these folks. This year had a cool racing theme and a stocked bar… needless to say every time I went down there to say hi to guys I know the place was a madhouse.
On Day 2, I plan on walking the show more, getting to hopefully spend some time at Technoform (who looked very busy today) and also searching out some new products too. Plus a report on the reception too. Check back on Thursday for that update!
Monday, September 06, 2010
One week away!
The big GlassBuild America show is next week and my plan is to do a “live” blog at least 2 of the days. For those of you new to this blog, when I go to shows I make observations and also cover it in a “Page 6” style. I am excited for the show and believe it will be a good one as the people attending are serious about business/education/networking etc. Plus I haven’t been to a show in 2 years, so to get to catch up with so many people across the industry will be a treat.
Elsewhere…
-- Well last week started a new adventure in my life. Getting going at Vitro was fantastic and I can’t help but being excited about the future there. People who read this blog weekly have followed my range of emotions from the good, bad and ugly- and there’s been way too much of the last two… so it’s really refreshing for some good. Now hopefully the economy will also pitch in and we can start getting some good news there too. In any case I am pumped to be where I am at and I am really looking forward to getting to know the people here.
-- The downside of the past week was the unemployment numbers. The construction industry has a 17% unemployment rate which is vicious. That is just really concerning and those numbers were added to after scores of firings from Arch Aluminum. More excellent people were let go throughout the week. Other companies in our industry will surely benefit from the talent that is now out there. Between some of the fantastic people still available from Zeledyne, to these new Arch releases, the opportunity to add talent is pitch perfect. (and yes I know the business environment is not conducive to adding people, but I’d think you have to look down the line some)
-- Back to the show stuff… The best part for me is the ability to be a part of the live hurricane test demonstration that happens to be sponsored by Vitro. (kudos to Alice Dickerson for that coup) If you have never seen hurricane impact material tested in person, it really is a treat. There’s I think 5 different chances to check it out, so make plans to do so. Seeing the glass and aluminum hold up drives home the point of how great the impact material is during a storm and the tremendous advancement we have made as an industry.
-- Also I’m hoping also to get to the Decorative Glass seminar as a chance to see guys like Bernard Lax (Pulp Studios) and Ed Trainor (Trainor Glass) in action is a treat. Plus Decorative is a great industry segment.
-- Cool effort from YKK in announcing a video contest to promote green building. I like the idea and concept and will be interested in seeing how it plays out. Very creative approach to get folks interested and involved.
-- A few weeks ago I talked about the packaging of products and how the packages are getting smaller but the price stays the same… and yesterday I got an update. Went to buy dog food again and the bag on sale was now 38.5 pounds and the label on the bag said “Now 10% more free!”… yet it was the same price as it was when the bag was 40 pounds just a few months ago. Just amazing how this works…
-- Pro Football kicks off this week and here’s my fearless predictions… some years I’m dead on… but most I am way off.. so take em with a grain of salt… Super Bowl this year will be New England (behind a truly healthy Tom Brady) against Green Bay. And I like, the Pats to win it. Now as a Steeler fan I have to admit that I am hoping I am wrong and I’m jinxing New England, but they do scare me because they are flying a bit under the radar.
Links of the WEEK!
-- This guy called off his wedding when he found out his fiancé owed a ton of cash for her college studies. Amazingly shallow relationship eh?
-- 99 day cross country trip on a lawnmower. Yep what a world we live in… and the trip actually had sponsors!
-- Now this is a wild story… heavy drinkers tend to outlive those who don’t drink alcohol. Man science is special.
Video of the WEEK!
You may have seen this video already, it’s from the US Open and it’s a fight in the stands there… normally this stuff doesn’t appeal to me, but this was like watching a car wreck happen… it just boils over and the reactions are wild. By the way I’d love to know what you could be arguing about at a tennis match….
Elsewhere…
-- Well last week started a new adventure in my life. Getting going at Vitro was fantastic and I can’t help but being excited about the future there. People who read this blog weekly have followed my range of emotions from the good, bad and ugly- and there’s been way too much of the last two… so it’s really refreshing for some good. Now hopefully the economy will also pitch in and we can start getting some good news there too. In any case I am pumped to be where I am at and I am really looking forward to getting to know the people here.
-- The downside of the past week was the unemployment numbers. The construction industry has a 17% unemployment rate which is vicious. That is just really concerning and those numbers were added to after scores of firings from Arch Aluminum. More excellent people were let go throughout the week. Other companies in our industry will surely benefit from the talent that is now out there. Between some of the fantastic people still available from Zeledyne, to these new Arch releases, the opportunity to add talent is pitch perfect. (and yes I know the business environment is not conducive to adding people, but I’d think you have to look down the line some)
-- Back to the show stuff… The best part for me is the ability to be a part of the live hurricane test demonstration that happens to be sponsored by Vitro. (kudos to Alice Dickerson for that coup) If you have never seen hurricane impact material tested in person, it really is a treat. There’s I think 5 different chances to check it out, so make plans to do so. Seeing the glass and aluminum hold up drives home the point of how great the impact material is during a storm and the tremendous advancement we have made as an industry.
-- Also I’m hoping also to get to the Decorative Glass seminar as a chance to see guys like Bernard Lax (Pulp Studios) and Ed Trainor (Trainor Glass) in action is a treat. Plus Decorative is a great industry segment.
-- Cool effort from YKK in announcing a video contest to promote green building. I like the idea and concept and will be interested in seeing how it plays out. Very creative approach to get folks interested and involved.
-- A few weeks ago I talked about the packaging of products and how the packages are getting smaller but the price stays the same… and yesterday I got an update. Went to buy dog food again and the bag on sale was now 38.5 pounds and the label on the bag said “Now 10% more free!”… yet it was the same price as it was when the bag was 40 pounds just a few months ago. Just amazing how this works…
-- Pro Football kicks off this week and here’s my fearless predictions… some years I’m dead on… but most I am way off.. so take em with a grain of salt… Super Bowl this year will be New England (behind a truly healthy Tom Brady) against Green Bay. And I like, the Pats to win it. Now as a Steeler fan I have to admit that I am hoping I am wrong and I’m jinxing New England, but they do scare me because they are flying a bit under the radar.
Links of the WEEK!
-- This guy called off his wedding when he found out his fiancé owed a ton of cash for her college studies. Amazingly shallow relationship eh?
-- 99 day cross country trip on a lawnmower. Yep what a world we live in… and the trip actually had sponsors!
-- Now this is a wild story… heavy drinkers tend to outlive those who don’t drink alcohol. Man science is special.
Video of the WEEK!
You may have seen this video already, it’s from the US Open and it’s a fight in the stands there… normally this stuff doesn’t appeal to me, but this was like watching a car wreck happen… it just boils over and the reactions are wild. By the way I’d love to know what you could be arguing about at a tennis match….
Sunday, August 29, 2010
The Green Hype
***** My normal weekly post is below... I updated before the news on my new job broke. For more on that check out the story on E weekly above and please feel free to check out this week's post below.
One of my favorite reads each week is from Glass Magazine’s sister publication WDweekly. This past week John Swanson had an interesting piece on whether the marketing boom of being “green” had run its course and it’s truly a great question. Two years ago you could attach the word green to anything and bam you had an instant marketing piece. But there is no doubt that now other priorities, along with tightened budgets have changed that. Plus do not discount the fact that enough people reacted negatively to folks who “greenwashed” and that too has lessened the push. Green is a lifestyle that will persevere for years and years, but for now the marketing sparkle has surely dimmed. And maybe that’s a good thing in the way that people will actually try to be green before they promote it. Anyway this Wednesday, John will have a follow up on his question, and if you are not getting WDweekly, you can click here to sign up. Surely worth it.
Elsewhere…
-- Part of John’s piece that I was discussing above was the news that UL (Underwriters Laboratory) is getting into the green standards game. I’ll reserve total comment for now, but I can tell you from folks who have had to work with UL on the solar side, this is not the greatest of news. But we will see…
-- I hated missing the GANA Fall Conference last week, from the e mails I got from attendees it sounded like a fantastic event. Plus some interesting rumors popping up too that were surprising. But the big stuff was that as advertised I heard the speakers were strong and that especially Tom Culp’s piece on the energy codes was very informative. (I think if you asked Tom for directions to the corner store, he’d make those incredibly informative. The guy just has the goods) Anyway one of the main takeaways was the changes are still afoot, Tom and the industry are still doing everything possible to protect the industry, and the more you know, the better off you will be. This is a story that won’t go away soon.
-- Only one more week of pre season football… ahhh can’t wait for the real stuff…
-- Curious what everyone’s thoughts are on the new skyscraper that is being proposed to be built near the Empire State Building. Obviously the owner of the Empire State Building is not happy because it will not only make his building smaller, it will affect views and add a ton of competition for the same renters/lessees etc. And considering the amount of cash the owner of the Empire State Building is dishing out to remodel his building, I can understand the angst. That said, I am all for the building under one condition… it has to look good. The skyline there is iconic and this building has to meet those standards. Then again I am not a New York guy, so I am sure others who love and love in the city will have their own thoughts. Still a great conversation starter. The story on this deal can be found HERE.
-- Sick stat of the week… did you know that combined… the Democrats and Republicans have raised almost 1 billion dollars for the upcoming mid term elections? What is wrong with this picture? That means they have picked up a billion dollars in donations that go towards awful mudslinging tv ads and robocalls. It’s just crazy to me the money that is spent in an election cycle….
Links of the WEEK
-- Last week the China traffic jam popped everywhere… and ready for this, as fast as the news spread about the jam, the traffic disappeared… yep according to this story the jam just "vanished"
-- Interesting stuff from baseball last week when several teams had their financial records leaked to the web. One was the Florida Marlins and the backlash has been severe.
-- Wild story about losing millions in the market as a day trader but yet owing the IRS 172 million! And the guy who lost it, didn’t even know who the IRS is…
Video of the WEEK
The video quality is not great, but worth the 30 seconds when you see an epic fail at trying to score a goal in soccer. Believe me, if this was me, I woulda whiffed completely, but this one is almost as bad… yeesh.
One of my favorite reads each week is from Glass Magazine’s sister publication WDweekly. This past week John Swanson had an interesting piece on whether the marketing boom of being “green” had run its course and it’s truly a great question. Two years ago you could attach the word green to anything and bam you had an instant marketing piece. But there is no doubt that now other priorities, along with tightened budgets have changed that. Plus do not discount the fact that enough people reacted negatively to folks who “greenwashed” and that too has lessened the push. Green is a lifestyle that will persevere for years and years, but for now the marketing sparkle has surely dimmed. And maybe that’s a good thing in the way that people will actually try to be green before they promote it. Anyway this Wednesday, John will have a follow up on his question, and if you are not getting WDweekly, you can click here to sign up. Surely worth it.
Elsewhere…
-- Part of John’s piece that I was discussing above was the news that UL (Underwriters Laboratory) is getting into the green standards game. I’ll reserve total comment for now, but I can tell you from folks who have had to work with UL on the solar side, this is not the greatest of news. But we will see…
-- I hated missing the GANA Fall Conference last week, from the e mails I got from attendees it sounded like a fantastic event. Plus some interesting rumors popping up too that were surprising. But the big stuff was that as advertised I heard the speakers were strong and that especially Tom Culp’s piece on the energy codes was very informative. (I think if you asked Tom for directions to the corner store, he’d make those incredibly informative. The guy just has the goods) Anyway one of the main takeaways was the changes are still afoot, Tom and the industry are still doing everything possible to protect the industry, and the more you know, the better off you will be. This is a story that won’t go away soon.
-- Only one more week of pre season football… ahhh can’t wait for the real stuff…
-- Curious what everyone’s thoughts are on the new skyscraper that is being proposed to be built near the Empire State Building. Obviously the owner of the Empire State Building is not happy because it will not only make his building smaller, it will affect views and add a ton of competition for the same renters/lessees etc. And considering the amount of cash the owner of the Empire State Building is dishing out to remodel his building, I can understand the angst. That said, I am all for the building under one condition… it has to look good. The skyline there is iconic and this building has to meet those standards. Then again I am not a New York guy, so I am sure others who love and love in the city will have their own thoughts. Still a great conversation starter. The story on this deal can be found HERE.
-- Sick stat of the week… did you know that combined… the Democrats and Republicans have raised almost 1 billion dollars for the upcoming mid term elections? What is wrong with this picture? That means they have picked up a billion dollars in donations that go towards awful mudslinging tv ads and robocalls. It’s just crazy to me the money that is spent in an election cycle….
Links of the WEEK
-- Last week the China traffic jam popped everywhere… and ready for this, as fast as the news spread about the jam, the traffic disappeared… yep according to this story the jam just "vanished"
-- Interesting stuff from baseball last week when several teams had their financial records leaked to the web. One was the Florida Marlins and the backlash has been severe.
-- Wild story about losing millions in the market as a day trader but yet owing the IRS 172 million! And the guy who lost it, didn’t even know who the IRS is…
Video of the WEEK
The video quality is not great, but worth the 30 seconds when you see an epic fail at trying to score a goal in soccer. Believe me, if this was me, I woulda whiffed completely, but this one is almost as bad… yeesh.
Monday, August 23, 2010
The Rough Waters
Two forecasts came out last week with frustrating results. The monthly ABI was up 2 points but still weak and the analysts there continue to worry about the volatility in the marketplace. The other forecast I saw was the Producer Price Index and that was pretty depressing. The numbers of course were low, but the commentary was downright frightening. Check out this line:
"Public construction, once the bright spot of the industry, is petering out and we are hopeful that the stimulus money allotted by congress for infrastructure will be spent soon and help stem the tide. Virtually all of the sectors of commercial construction are down, and represent a cumulative 15% decrease. "
Ouch. That is simply not fun. The “stimulus” money is supposedly still out there and I know a lot of folks hanging their hats on that to help ride this out. In any case, and no matter the report you read, these are challenging times and the companies that handle these times the best, will be the horses when it turns... and I still believe the turn is coming....
Elsewhere…
-- Yesterday I came across these amazing inserts from Glass Magazine that were focused on the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s in the glass industry. Really cool stuff… hopefully there are plans to do a 2000’s to add to the collection. In any case if you have these inserts they are awesome.
-- Man I hate missing another GANA event. I am sure Brian Pitman and the gang will be tweeting from the Fall Conference and I will follow along that way.
-- BIM’s popularity is not just in my head… McGraw Hill just reported that BIM usage went up 40% from 2008 to 2009. There is no question that with everyone striving for efficiencies, that BIM usage will continue to grow.
-- Being out of work gives you time to notice things you usually don’t pay attention to. This week I noticed that while buying Dog Food, the bag was now 35 pounds instead of 40… but the price was the same! So I started to really take a look at things and saw in a bunch of cases that food and other items were priced the same but came in smaller packages or quantities. I guess that’s a sneaky way at getting a price increase…. Obviously in our industry that’s not something we can do, unless it’s scrimping on dessicant or sealant, but if you do that, you’ll pay in the end.
-- I also noticed that at the book store there were like 30 different magazines dedicated to Quilting. Never knew how popular Quilting could be! By the way there were only 10 magazines dedicated to Fantasy Football… so obviously the Quilting world is bigger than football.
-- Funny NFRC stuff last week when they accidently sent out a note about Benson Industries becoming an “independent” ACE organization (Approved Calculation Entity)….. by the time that most of conspiracy theorists got done reading and tried to understand how a manufacturer could be “independent” the NFRC corrected the error with a new e mail. Sometime I think they do that on purpose to see if I am still paying attention.
-- Last, congrats to friend of the blog Steve O’Hollaren of ICD for winning an IPAD from GANA. Use it well my friend and feel free to connect to the blog from it!
Links of the WEEK!
-- Classic here… only in China can you have a 62 mile long traffic jam that has lasted 9 days! Worth the click but like a friend noted to me, “how can this happen?” Crazy stuff and I though traffic in Chicago and Dallas were bad.
-- Interesting study in Europe for how long we wait in lines for stuff like the Post office and grocery store. I wonder if anyone ever did one of these here in North America. Maybe that can be my next gig?
-- An awesome Glass house… I am sure someone in our industry supplied tons of stuff here…
Video of the WEEK!
Great video putting some style and music to the whole Brett Favre “indecision” situation…. I love how folks have the time and patience to put some of this stuff together…
"Public construction, once the bright spot of the industry, is petering out and we are hopeful that the stimulus money allotted by congress for infrastructure will be spent soon and help stem the tide. Virtually all of the sectors of commercial construction are down, and represent a cumulative 15% decrease. "
Ouch. That is simply not fun. The “stimulus” money is supposedly still out there and I know a lot of folks hanging their hats on that to help ride this out. In any case, and no matter the report you read, these are challenging times and the companies that handle these times the best, will be the horses when it turns... and I still believe the turn is coming....
Elsewhere…
-- Yesterday I came across these amazing inserts from Glass Magazine that were focused on the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s in the glass industry. Really cool stuff… hopefully there are plans to do a 2000’s to add to the collection. In any case if you have these inserts they are awesome.
-- Man I hate missing another GANA event. I am sure Brian Pitman and the gang will be tweeting from the Fall Conference and I will follow along that way.
-- BIM’s popularity is not just in my head… McGraw Hill just reported that BIM usage went up 40% from 2008 to 2009. There is no question that with everyone striving for efficiencies, that BIM usage will continue to grow.
-- Being out of work gives you time to notice things you usually don’t pay attention to. This week I noticed that while buying Dog Food, the bag was now 35 pounds instead of 40… but the price was the same! So I started to really take a look at things and saw in a bunch of cases that food and other items were priced the same but came in smaller packages or quantities. I guess that’s a sneaky way at getting a price increase…. Obviously in our industry that’s not something we can do, unless it’s scrimping on dessicant or sealant, but if you do that, you’ll pay in the end.
-- I also noticed that at the book store there were like 30 different magazines dedicated to Quilting. Never knew how popular Quilting could be! By the way there were only 10 magazines dedicated to Fantasy Football… so obviously the Quilting world is bigger than football.
-- Funny NFRC stuff last week when they accidently sent out a note about Benson Industries becoming an “independent” ACE organization (Approved Calculation Entity)….. by the time that most of conspiracy theorists got done reading and tried to understand how a manufacturer could be “independent” the NFRC corrected the error with a new e mail. Sometime I think they do that on purpose to see if I am still paying attention.
-- Last, congrats to friend of the blog Steve O’Hollaren of ICD for winning an IPAD from GANA. Use it well my friend and feel free to connect to the blog from it!
Links of the WEEK!
-- Classic here… only in China can you have a 62 mile long traffic jam that has lasted 9 days! Worth the click but like a friend noted to me, “how can this happen?” Crazy stuff and I though traffic in Chicago and Dallas were bad.
-- Interesting study in Europe for how long we wait in lines for stuff like the Post office and grocery store. I wonder if anyone ever did one of these here in North America. Maybe that can be my next gig?
-- An awesome Glass house… I am sure someone in our industry supplied tons of stuff here…
Video of the WEEK!
Great video putting some style and music to the whole Brett Favre “indecision” situation…. I love how folks have the time and patience to put some of this stuff together…
Sunday, August 15, 2010
A really big show
We are now just a month away from GlassBuild America in Las Vegas and I have been amazed at the momentum the show is gaining. Maybe it’s because I am in a different position in life (and industry) but the buzz for this show is gaining. Yes I think tight budgets probably will keep some folks away, but I am also hearing from so many that are going for the need to network, diversify, and stay ahead of the masses. I think the interesting angle here will be the actual buzz on the floor- especially regarding the way the industry and economy are headed. Shows like this and the BEC are great bellwethers for what’s to come.
Elsewhere…
-- The world of BIM continues to get that traction everyone was expecting a few years ago. The latest smart move came from Guardian Industries with their PR on their BIM Design support and program for the architectural community. BIM is growing and when an industry horse like Guardian steps up and into the fray like they have, it only bodes well for the future of the platform.
-- As many of you know I am a solar junkie, so I got a kick out of some of the news items at Glass Magazine last week. On one day there was a headline: “Solar Industry Growth Slower Than Expected” and then 2 days later another story that was titled “BIPV Market Gaining Traction”…. so continues that world of half the people seeing the glass full and the other half seeing it empty.
-- Still loving the fact that football season is here… hating that it means summer is basically over…
-- Next week is the GANA Fall Conference and that is always a super event. I hate the fact I’ll miss it, and the big thing I am bummed about missing is the energy codes update from Dr. Tom Culp. Those codes are going to be major players in our life and getting into the crux of them is a must. And no one can break things down like Dr. Culp. In addition, my good friend Helen Sanders of SAGE will have a presentation as will two guys I really like in Joe Erb of Edgetech and Chris McMahon of Technoform. Add that and the tech info and it’s a winner of a few days.
-- And no I am not sucking up to Helen, Joe and Chris and as I don’t think any of them read this weekly therapy session… but still they are super people with great presentations on tap for sure.
-- Is the BP Oil spill done? Cleaned up? Plugged? Funny how that story dominated for so long and then bam it just goes quietly away.
-- I am not a big golf fan, but the end of the PGA Tournament with Dustin Johnson getting a penalty after the round was pretty unreal. Goes to show that you always have to be thinking, especially if it’s the 72nd hole of a major tourney….
Links of the WEEK
-- This guy would fake seizures to get out of paying his restaurant bill… wow… simply amazing world we live in eh?
-- If you know me, you know I love Disney… so this story pains me some… a woman is suing the park because Donald Duck “groped” her… I mean seriously? I guess it could happen but knowing and seeing the characters like I do- there just doesn't seem to be any way this can happen.
Video of the WEEK
Classic Fantasy Football commercial from ESPN… and so true… though the player, Chris Johnson, was a dream last year… so I don’t think anyone got mad at him… but the first game where he doesn’t score a TD or run for 100yards or more and all heck will break loose…
Elsewhere…
-- The world of BIM continues to get that traction everyone was expecting a few years ago. The latest smart move came from Guardian Industries with their PR on their BIM Design support and program for the architectural community. BIM is growing and when an industry horse like Guardian steps up and into the fray like they have, it only bodes well for the future of the platform.
-- As many of you know I am a solar junkie, so I got a kick out of some of the news items at Glass Magazine last week. On one day there was a headline: “Solar Industry Growth Slower Than Expected” and then 2 days later another story that was titled “BIPV Market Gaining Traction”…. so continues that world of half the people seeing the glass full and the other half seeing it empty.
-- Still loving the fact that football season is here… hating that it means summer is basically over…
-- Next week is the GANA Fall Conference and that is always a super event. I hate the fact I’ll miss it, and the big thing I am bummed about missing is the energy codes update from Dr. Tom Culp. Those codes are going to be major players in our life and getting into the crux of them is a must. And no one can break things down like Dr. Culp. In addition, my good friend Helen Sanders of SAGE will have a presentation as will two guys I really like in Joe Erb of Edgetech and Chris McMahon of Technoform. Add that and the tech info and it’s a winner of a few days.
-- And no I am not sucking up to Helen, Joe and Chris and as I don’t think any of them read this weekly therapy session… but still they are super people with great presentations on tap for sure.
-- Is the BP Oil spill done? Cleaned up? Plugged? Funny how that story dominated for so long and then bam it just goes quietly away.
-- I am not a big golf fan, but the end of the PGA Tournament with Dustin Johnson getting a penalty after the round was pretty unreal. Goes to show that you always have to be thinking, especially if it’s the 72nd hole of a major tourney….
Links of the WEEK
-- This guy would fake seizures to get out of paying his restaurant bill… wow… simply amazing world we live in eh?
-- If you know me, you know I love Disney… so this story pains me some… a woman is suing the park because Donald Duck “groped” her… I mean seriously? I guess it could happen but knowing and seeing the characters like I do- there just doesn't seem to be any way this can happen.
Video of the WEEK
Classic Fantasy Football commercial from ESPN… and so true… though the player, Chris Johnson, was a dream last year… so I don’t think anyone got mad at him… but the first game where he doesn’t score a TD or run for 100yards or more and all heck will break loose…
Monday, August 09, 2010
No post this week
Taking the week off... Have great stuff lined up for next week though... In the meantime be sure to check out the very interesting blog post by Sahely on renewable energy....
Hope everyone is well.... Have a great week!!
Hope everyone is well.... Have a great week!!
Monday, August 02, 2010
And a Marketing guy shall lead them
So as the news trickled out that Arch Aluminum hired a new CEO, my e mail box filled with questions on how I felt about it and so on. Basically I had one feeling and that was one of bemusement since they hired a strategic marketing guy. It’s “inside baseball” stuff but trust me I chuckled heartily when I saw it was marketing exec as CEO. Outside of that, I really had no other thoughts aside from what I noted a few weeks ago about Arch and AGC both having new management teams in place. It should be a very interesting process to look back on and see what worked and what didn’t.
Elsewhere…
-- And yet a few more management members at Arch were let go with the news that CIO Kevin Aubuchon and the VP of Materials Management Donna Aubuchon were out. Again from experience these two were tremendous, and amazingly the work Donna was doing in controlling inventory was rough and unpopular, so that’s a massive shame she couldn’t see it all through. But like everyone else, I am confident that they will end up in a better place.
-- Another comical note this week… the DOE asked the NFRC for more research and testing on long term energy performance and so on. And the sad story continues with the DOE enabling the NFRC…. The reason it’s sad/comical is the guy from DOE who specifically requested this was Marc LaFrance. And Marc usually talks a big game about keeping the NFRC and their powers in check, but when push comes to shove, he buckles under. So much so that I have noted here in the past, when Marc “rages” at the board for their mis-steps (you know like ignoring consensus etc) they just totally tune him out. Oh well, the beat goes on.
-- You have a couple more weeks to get your entries in for the Solutia World of Color Awards… Click HERE for the website and more information. What an awesome c0ntest.
-- Do you realize this past weekend was the last weekend free of Football until November? My gosh time is flying by. Anyway 6 Sundays until the real stuff starts in the NFL.
-- Last this week, PPG came out with a white paper on their Clarvista ™ Shower Glass line and I have to say if I ever need a white paper about my life, I’m begging Rob Struble and his crew at PPG as they have a knack for those things. And if this white paper is even half as successful as the SB 70 one they did a few years ago, look out.
LINKS of the WEEK
Two great reads for you…
-- First up, the glass industry is filled with family businesses and when I saw this article linked by Tony Leto on my LinkedIn site, I knew I had to put it up here. Great read about the whole family business dynamic.
-- Super read on the “new” economy of America where even when you are broke, you still pony up the money to buy an IPad. This article gives tons of examples that make you just scratch your head.
VIDEO of the WEEK
This is just an awesome Sports related video… a great mix of music and words and just all of the pop sports action of the past few years. I am amazed at the ability some people have to put this stuff together. Good stuff.
Elsewhere…
-- And yet a few more management members at Arch were let go with the news that CIO Kevin Aubuchon and the VP of Materials Management Donna Aubuchon were out. Again from experience these two were tremendous, and amazingly the work Donna was doing in controlling inventory was rough and unpopular, so that’s a massive shame she couldn’t see it all through. But like everyone else, I am confident that they will end up in a better place.
-- Another comical note this week… the DOE asked the NFRC for more research and testing on long term energy performance and so on. And the sad story continues with the DOE enabling the NFRC…. The reason it’s sad/comical is the guy from DOE who specifically requested this was Marc LaFrance. And Marc usually talks a big game about keeping the NFRC and their powers in check, but when push comes to shove, he buckles under. So much so that I have noted here in the past, when Marc “rages” at the board for their mis-steps (you know like ignoring consensus etc) they just totally tune him out. Oh well, the beat goes on.
-- You have a couple more weeks to get your entries in for the Solutia World of Color Awards… Click HERE for the website and more information. What an awesome c0ntest.
-- Do you realize this past weekend was the last weekend free of Football until November? My gosh time is flying by. Anyway 6 Sundays until the real stuff starts in the NFL.
-- Last this week, PPG came out with a white paper on their Clarvista ™ Shower Glass line and I have to say if I ever need a white paper about my life, I’m begging Rob Struble and his crew at PPG as they have a knack for those things. And if this white paper is even half as successful as the SB 70 one they did a few years ago, look out.
LINKS of the WEEK
Two great reads for you…
-- First up, the glass industry is filled with family businesses and when I saw this article linked by Tony Leto on my LinkedIn site, I knew I had to put it up here. Great read about the whole family business dynamic.
-- Super read on the “new” economy of America where even when you are broke, you still pony up the money to buy an IPad. This article gives tons of examples that make you just scratch your head.
VIDEO of the WEEK
This is just an awesome Sports related video… a great mix of music and words and just all of the pop sports action of the past few years. I am amazed at the ability some people have to put this stuff together. Good stuff.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Another needed boost
Very interesting that another price increase has hit the streets. Obviously, just like the last one, it’s pretty imperative for it to stick. It’s probably too soon to tell if the last one held, but this one-two punch of price bumps is crucial to the overall long term health of the industry. And yes I know that no one ever wants to pay more, especially when things are so tight, but hopefully this correction is yet another step in the right direction.
Elsewhere…
-- I saw the blurb last week on the new South Carolina glass manufacturer named “Super Duper Glass”… now I would love to know who they are… gotta admit, the funky name sticks… though there’s probably no truth to the rumor that “Super Duper Glass” beat out “Neato Cool Glass” or “Totally Awesome Glass”…
-- Another good guy out of work… Bill Rooks was let go on Friday by Arch Aluminum. Bill has been in the industry a long time, with most of it at Ford/Visteon/Zeledyne. Tremendous person who I know will land squarely on his feet and make some company very very happy.
-- Strong new issue of Glass Magazine is out… the digital version can be found HERE. Stuff to look at? The breakdown of the new codes that are popping up out there and a few great ads… two of them being yet another super star piece by Glassopolis… and Kawneer continues its recent run of good eye catchers with a piece on their new Clearwall™ Curtainwall System. (Gotta put the ™ or else I’ll get a nasty e mail from my pal Henry Taylor..) In any case, good reading ahead!
-- Looks like Cap and Trade is dead for now… which is good… and it looks like there’s now more focus on a more comprehensive energy bill… which if done right… with thought, discussion and care, that could be tremendous for the glass industry. Hopefully the hurry to get this bill done ahead of the November elections won’t bring bad things in the way of illogical additions or legislations. (or miss crucial needed items) I am confident that the folks representing us as an industry will be all over that though…
-- Last week I noted the LinkedIn stuff and made a comment about “mini blogs” and that prompted a good friend of mine to send me a note that said “Mini-blogs equal Tweets don’t they”…. And to that my answer is “yes”…. Obviously I swung and missed on that comparison!
-- The weather in DC in 2010 has got to be something to behold… terrible winter, now followed by a vicious summer. No doubt this gives the Global Warming or “Climate Change” folks some ammo in their messages.
Links of the Week:
-- You may have seen this story, but if not, worth the click… an Air France Flight Attendant arrested under the suspicion of stealing thousands of dollars from passengers!
-- ESPN did this piece of the safety of food at the ballpark… a must read before you go and buy… (look out for the mold in the ice machine… ewwwwww)
Book of the Week:
War at the Wall Street Journal by Sarah Ellison. Fantastic insider piece on when the Journal and its parent company Dow Jones was bought by Rupert Murdoch. I love those insider style books and this one had fantastic access. A very easy and engrossing read.
Video of the Week:
Couple quietly videotaping a Bison… yes a real live gigantic Bison… and when they go for a closer look… well…. Mr Bison wanted his privacy… and I get that as I hate when tourists try and videotape me while I am walking around my backyard...
Elsewhere…
-- I saw the blurb last week on the new South Carolina glass manufacturer named “Super Duper Glass”… now I would love to know who they are… gotta admit, the funky name sticks… though there’s probably no truth to the rumor that “Super Duper Glass” beat out “Neato Cool Glass” or “Totally Awesome Glass”…
-- Another good guy out of work… Bill Rooks was let go on Friday by Arch Aluminum. Bill has been in the industry a long time, with most of it at Ford/Visteon/Zeledyne. Tremendous person who I know will land squarely on his feet and make some company very very happy.
-- Strong new issue of Glass Magazine is out… the digital version can be found HERE. Stuff to look at? The breakdown of the new codes that are popping up out there and a few great ads… two of them being yet another super star piece by Glassopolis… and Kawneer continues its recent run of good eye catchers with a piece on their new Clearwall™ Curtainwall System. (Gotta put the ™ or else I’ll get a nasty e mail from my pal Henry Taylor..) In any case, good reading ahead!
-- Looks like Cap and Trade is dead for now… which is good… and it looks like there’s now more focus on a more comprehensive energy bill… which if done right… with thought, discussion and care, that could be tremendous for the glass industry. Hopefully the hurry to get this bill done ahead of the November elections won’t bring bad things in the way of illogical additions or legislations. (or miss crucial needed items) I am confident that the folks representing us as an industry will be all over that though…
-- Last week I noted the LinkedIn stuff and made a comment about “mini blogs” and that prompted a good friend of mine to send me a note that said “Mini-blogs equal Tweets don’t they”…. And to that my answer is “yes”…. Obviously I swung and missed on that comparison!
-- The weather in DC in 2010 has got to be something to behold… terrible winter, now followed by a vicious summer. No doubt this gives the Global Warming or “Climate Change” folks some ammo in their messages.
Links of the Week:
-- You may have seen this story, but if not, worth the click… an Air France Flight Attendant arrested under the suspicion of stealing thousands of dollars from passengers!
-- ESPN did this piece of the safety of food at the ballpark… a must read before you go and buy… (look out for the mold in the ice machine… ewwwwww)
Book of the Week:
War at the Wall Street Journal by Sarah Ellison. Fantastic insider piece on when the Journal and its parent company Dow Jones was bought by Rupert Murdoch. I love those insider style books and this one had fantastic access. A very easy and engrossing read.
Video of the Week:
Couple quietly videotaping a Bison… yes a real live gigantic Bison… and when they go for a closer look… well…. Mr Bison wanted his privacy… and I get that as I hate when tourists try and videotape me while I am walking around my backyard...
Monday, July 19, 2010
The Good and Bad
Does anyone really know what is happening with the economic state of the commercial construction? I think for most people out and about, they will tell you the state is miserable to weak, but seemingly once every few weeks a report comes out that sings the praises of health and growth. (And yes I know there are various reports that say things suck too- but the “good” reports are what are baffling) So what is it? Personally I think it’s both… yes both… I believe that the economy on our side is very weak, but I also do see signs of life, but those signs are minimized by the overcapacity in our world. And overcapacity has led to pricing erosion that has never been seen before. So any bright spots are getting minimized, at least until the herd gets thinned out there and quite frankly you wonder if that will happen. So until then everyone keeps plugging along and all of those positive reports get to be taken with a gigantic grain of salt.
Elsewhere…
-- What a wild and wacky week that just passed. Again I am thankful and blown away by the support out there and there’s no doubt I look forward to hopefully staying as active as possible in our industry.
-- Also as I noted last week, Rick Silverstein was also let go, and on Tuesday, my brother Steve too was released. Since I am easier to reach being out there on forums like this, people have been able to find me, but for them it’s been tougher. And especially giving up phone numbers after so many years, that makes you almost invisible. Anyway, to contact Rick, hit him up at Rsilverstein13@gmail.com and for Steve Stevepglas@comcast.net
-- In the last few weeks I covered both the good news from Guardian and PPG as it results to Solar. Well I missed one other big one on that note which was Pilkington’s deal with Dyesol. That too has absolutely monstrous potential going forward. So proof again that when you have people of the level I have mentioned here and in the past in the solar game, that segment is not going to just go away. Plus when I wrote my first missive, I did get called on the carpet by Solar guru George Petzen, who set me straight on my comments there too.
-- LinkedIn has become a fun aside for me. Some interesting debates and links that I would’ve missed otherwise. Also daily I get to see who I consider right now the Kings of LinkedIn, the guys from Gorell Industries (Brian Zimmerman and Tyson Schwartz) as they are amazing in the way they positively spread the word about their operation and the industry at large. It’s like mini daily blogs from those guys and good stuff. Obviously it all depends on who you are “connected” to, so I guess I am lucky I am in their loop.
-- Lost in last week’s craziness was the fact I wanted to say I am sorry to everyone in Cleveland for the whole LeBron James debacle. My gosh, what a way to get your heart ripped out as a sports fan. The Cavs this year will be the first and only Cleveland sports team I could ever root for, as I hope they somehow find a miracle and do better than the Heat.
-- Football training camps start next week…. Which means Fantasy Football drafts are not far behind…
-- Last, two great industry events are right around the corner and coming up fast… GANA Fall Conference is just about a month away August 23rd in KC. Then the following month is GlassBuild America (along with the Glass Executive Forum) in Las Vegas. Have you made plans yet? During times like this, the better the networking, the better educated, and the better informed you are does set you apart from the masses.
Off to the LINKS
Man I have not done links in weeks… so I am probably rusty….
-- Time Magazine just did a list of the Top 20 reasons to “hate the airlines” and it was pretty good… though I could think of a few more.
-- Pepsi and Coke fighting again, but this time over Pepsi Max and Coke Zero. Umm what are those brands? Gimme a Diet Dr. Pepper anytime over either one…
-- Wild story on a town that instead of replacing the asphalt roads, is letting them return to gravel… geez I guess the stimulus isn’t helping them…
Video of the Week
In case you missed the ESPY’s last week (which were actually good in my opinion… Seth Meyers was tremendous as host) they did a pretty decent take off on the LeBron James “Decision” show. The skit could’ve been better, but still was solid and here it is in case you missed…
Elsewhere…
-- What a wild and wacky week that just passed. Again I am thankful and blown away by the support out there and there’s no doubt I look forward to hopefully staying as active as possible in our industry.
-- Also as I noted last week, Rick Silverstein was also let go, and on Tuesday, my brother Steve too was released. Since I am easier to reach being out there on forums like this, people have been able to find me, but for them it’s been tougher. And especially giving up phone numbers after so many years, that makes you almost invisible. Anyway, to contact Rick, hit him up at Rsilverstein13@gmail.com and for Steve Stevepglas@comcast.net
-- In the last few weeks I covered both the good news from Guardian and PPG as it results to Solar. Well I missed one other big one on that note which was Pilkington’s deal with Dyesol. That too has absolutely monstrous potential going forward. So proof again that when you have people of the level I have mentioned here and in the past in the solar game, that segment is not going to just go away. Plus when I wrote my first missive, I did get called on the carpet by Solar guru George Petzen, who set me straight on my comments there too.
-- LinkedIn has become a fun aside for me. Some interesting debates and links that I would’ve missed otherwise. Also daily I get to see who I consider right now the Kings of LinkedIn, the guys from Gorell Industries (Brian Zimmerman and Tyson Schwartz) as they are amazing in the way they positively spread the word about their operation and the industry at large. It’s like mini daily blogs from those guys and good stuff. Obviously it all depends on who you are “connected” to, so I guess I am lucky I am in their loop.
-- Lost in last week’s craziness was the fact I wanted to say I am sorry to everyone in Cleveland for the whole LeBron James debacle. My gosh, what a way to get your heart ripped out as a sports fan. The Cavs this year will be the first and only Cleveland sports team I could ever root for, as I hope they somehow find a miracle and do better than the Heat.
-- Football training camps start next week…. Which means Fantasy Football drafts are not far behind…
-- Last, two great industry events are right around the corner and coming up fast… GANA Fall Conference is just about a month away August 23rd in KC. Then the following month is GlassBuild America (along with the Glass Executive Forum) in Las Vegas. Have you made plans yet? During times like this, the better the networking, the better educated, and the better informed you are does set you apart from the masses.
Off to the LINKS
Man I have not done links in weeks… so I am probably rusty….
-- Time Magazine just did a list of the Top 20 reasons to “hate the airlines” and it was pretty good… though I could think of a few more.
-- Pepsi and Coke fighting again, but this time over Pepsi Max and Coke Zero. Umm what are those brands? Gimme a Diet Dr. Pepper anytime over either one…
-- Wild story on a town that instead of replacing the asphalt roads, is letting them return to gravel… geez I guess the stimulus isn’t helping them…
Video of the Week
In case you missed the ESPY’s last week (which were actually good in my opinion… Seth Meyers was tremendous as host) they did a pretty decent take off on the LeBron James “Decision” show. The skit could’ve been better, but still was solid and here it is in case you missed…
Monday, July 12, 2010
And a new door opens
So as of this past Friday I am no longer in the employment of Arch Aluminum. And as a buddy reminded me today it’s been like the line from the Grateful Dead… “what a long strange trip it’s been”. There is no doubt the past 7+ years had goods, bads, uglies and really uglies and I wish some things turned out different/better but it didn’t happen that way. Anyway it really is what it is and I am looking forward to my next stop in life. So now I am free to pursue the one job I really want… CEO of the NFRC. Yep no matter what I’ll still have a sense of humor. And by the way to my friends reading this, my phone number is now different, so best way to reach me is via email (maxbcat@aol.com) or via LinkedIn and as I get reorganized I’ll get my number out.
Last word or words on this (for now), a sincere thank you to the many people in the industry I got to get to know during my time at Arch. The last 7 years allowed me the chance to be heavily involved in the industry and be in tune with some of the best and brightest out there. I fully intend to stay involved but then again you never know where life takes you next. But I can say that I feel like the advancements that our industry made in steeling together was born from some (not all obviously) of the push I began in getting people focused/interested on things like NFRC. So that is a good thing to leave behind.
In the few days since this news broke, I’ve received such an awesome outpouring of support along with some great insight. One of my favorites was this:
Suck on the lemons, or make lemonade: what’s it going to be? Only sucking the lemons is like sucking on poison: it’ll only make you sick. Get on with it, the future’s the only great adventure…
Off to the great adventure I go!
Elsewhere…
I was not the only departure from Arch, as this morning Rick Silverstein also was let go. Ricky is a good guy who in the last few months did a tremendous job up against unbelievable circumstances. Basically times are a changing and I don’t think this is a major surprise that eventually an overhaul was coming. It now will be interesting to see how things progress, what changes and who rises and falls. Funny looking at it from an industry standpoint you now have two groups Arch and AGC that have basically new upper management structures in place, starting at virtually the same time, so this will be one to track for sure.
Obviously I am going to end this week’s post here. We’ll morph back to normal, or whatever “normal” is in my world next time out.
Last word or words on this (for now), a sincere thank you to the many people in the industry I got to get to know during my time at Arch. The last 7 years allowed me the chance to be heavily involved in the industry and be in tune with some of the best and brightest out there. I fully intend to stay involved but then again you never know where life takes you next. But I can say that I feel like the advancements that our industry made in steeling together was born from some (not all obviously) of the push I began in getting people focused/interested on things like NFRC. So that is a good thing to leave behind.
In the few days since this news broke, I’ve received such an awesome outpouring of support along with some great insight. One of my favorites was this:
Suck on the lemons, or make lemonade: what’s it going to be? Only sucking the lemons is like sucking on poison: it’ll only make you sick. Get on with it, the future’s the only great adventure…
Off to the great adventure I go!
Elsewhere…
I was not the only departure from Arch, as this morning Rick Silverstein also was let go. Ricky is a good guy who in the last few months did a tremendous job up against unbelievable circumstances. Basically times are a changing and I don’t think this is a major surprise that eventually an overhaul was coming. It now will be interesting to see how things progress, what changes and who rises and falls. Funny looking at it from an industry standpoint you now have two groups Arch and AGC that have basically new upper management structures in place, starting at virtually the same time, so this will be one to track for sure.
Obviously I am going to end this week’s post here. We’ll morph back to normal, or whatever “normal” is in my world next time out.
Monday, July 05, 2010
Solar is here to stay
Last week I had an item about Solar and the fact that Guardian and PPG had success with their various approaches. Then this weekend, the President announced 2 billion of funding for a couple of solar operations. While it still is a far way off, I really believe Solar will be a big part of the advancement of our industry. And while I agree with a lot of the arguments of the costs vs efficiency crowd, I just believe the need for this country to really get serious about renewable energy is going to win out. The delay of the overall success will obviously be tied to the ability for the economy to start rebounding and sadly that looks like it won’t happen until sometime next year. But still its coming and news like the stuff from last week along with the GANA symposium and the continuation of a solar dialogue at GlassBuild America and the Glass Executive Forum will only help keep the progression moving.
Elsewhere…
-- Hey the NFRC announced that the board is waiving fees to suppliers to get their components in the CMAST library. AMAZING! First off, there should never have been fees; it was yet another blatant money grab by those guys and pretty much now that 6 months into the program they need to do this says to me that they are having issues getting people to play along. Hmmmm…. maybe if they didn’t treat product manufacturers like pure pond scum maybe this thing would be further along. Ya think? As I said before if the NFRC would’ve chosen to work with (and listen to) the manufacturers instead of capitulating to folks like testing labs and consultants (who stand to make serious coin) a better program may have been created. Maybe one that would even be used voluntarily and not jammed down the throat.
-- Congrats to the great folks at Solutia for the grant they just picked up from the DOE. The grant came from the stimulus which was nice to see since this is one group (Solutia) that I know won’t fritter it away. (Especially since Stimulus spending is the only bright spot noted in these drab economic reports) Oh I need to note this is for the film side of Solutia where I actually know nobody… but I figure that if these guys are half as good as the PVB guys, they’re deserving of it.
-- If you missed the details from the recent ASHRAE 90.1 committee, please CLICK HERE. It is absolutely something to get caught up to speed on. There’s good, bad and ugly in there but it is still something to follow and stay aware of…
-- By the way I did pick Germany in the World Cup (I seriously did and am in a poll with some industry folks, so they are witnesses) so that said you know they won’t be winning this week….
-- Did anyone see the hot dog eating contest on the 4th? 54 hot dogs with buns eaten by the champ in 10 minutes. I love food and I love sports, but even this I can’t watch.
-- Finally this week, hope everyone had a great and safe 4th of July. I am continually amazed that every year there’s tons of accidental firework accidents. This years doozy was a guy who set off a rocket that was supposed to be weighed down… after he lit it, because it wasn’t heavy enough, it flew sideways into his house and went kaboom…. No one was hurt but the house is damaged pretty good…. Unreal.
Links of the WEEK
-- Interesting story here on laws in other countries restricting names you can use for your baby…
-- From the travel files… An idea whose time has come… the UPS store is selling luggage boxes… and quite frankly it’s something that I have done on occasion… instead of checking my bags, I ship my stuff via UPS/USPS/Fed Ex ahead of time. Beats the mess of the airports and heck its almost the same price with the bag fees.
-- Long but interesting piece on the National Security folks in Washington and how they work to protect the country. Good behind the scenes reporting here.
Video of the WEEK
Once upon a time in a past life I was a sportscaster and one of the cardinal rules of being a sportscaster is “no cheering in the press box”… you have to be professional… well for the two announcers for Spain this week at the World Cup that rule went out the window…
Elsewhere…
-- Hey the NFRC announced that the board is waiving fees to suppliers to get their components in the CMAST library. AMAZING! First off, there should never have been fees; it was yet another blatant money grab by those guys and pretty much now that 6 months into the program they need to do this says to me that they are having issues getting people to play along. Hmmmm…. maybe if they didn’t treat product manufacturers like pure pond scum maybe this thing would be further along. Ya think? As I said before if the NFRC would’ve chosen to work with (and listen to) the manufacturers instead of capitulating to folks like testing labs and consultants (who stand to make serious coin) a better program may have been created. Maybe one that would even be used voluntarily and not jammed down the throat.
-- Congrats to the great folks at Solutia for the grant they just picked up from the DOE. The grant came from the stimulus which was nice to see since this is one group (Solutia) that I know won’t fritter it away. (Especially since Stimulus spending is the only bright spot noted in these drab economic reports) Oh I need to note this is for the film side of Solutia where I actually know nobody… but I figure that if these guys are half as good as the PVB guys, they’re deserving of it.
-- If you missed the details from the recent ASHRAE 90.1 committee, please CLICK HERE. It is absolutely something to get caught up to speed on. There’s good, bad and ugly in there but it is still something to follow and stay aware of…
-- By the way I did pick Germany in the World Cup (I seriously did and am in a poll with some industry folks, so they are witnesses) so that said you know they won’t be winning this week….
-- Did anyone see the hot dog eating contest on the 4th? 54 hot dogs with buns eaten by the champ in 10 minutes. I love food and I love sports, but even this I can’t watch.
-- Finally this week, hope everyone had a great and safe 4th of July. I am continually amazed that every year there’s tons of accidental firework accidents. This years doozy was a guy who set off a rocket that was supposed to be weighed down… after he lit it, because it wasn’t heavy enough, it flew sideways into his house and went kaboom…. No one was hurt but the house is damaged pretty good…. Unreal.
Links of the WEEK
-- Interesting story here on laws in other countries restricting names you can use for your baby…
-- From the travel files… An idea whose time has come… the UPS store is selling luggage boxes… and quite frankly it’s something that I have done on occasion… instead of checking my bags, I ship my stuff via UPS/USPS/Fed Ex ahead of time. Beats the mess of the airports and heck its almost the same price with the bag fees.
-- Long but interesting piece on the National Security folks in Washington and how they work to protect the country. Good behind the scenes reporting here.
Video of the WEEK
Once upon a time in a past life I was a sportscaster and one of the cardinal rules of being a sportscaster is “no cheering in the press box”… you have to be professional… well for the two announcers for Spain this week at the World Cup that rule went out the window…
Monday, June 28, 2010
Now this is a BIG DEAL
Well just when you thought we were in a quiet news cycle, Alcoa goes out and buys TRACO. Well that spices things up! This is a very interesting deal on many levels. Alcoa which owns the Kawneer powerhouse now has added a very prominent piece to their puzzle. This without question makes an already very good company, better and raises the stakes on the rest of the industry to see who does what next. Plus it also shows that even though the economy is tight that negotiations are going on and deals are being worked on. The other angle is now Kawneer gets to inherit the home of one of the main people who helped push the NFRC debacle on us. I wonder how that position will be going forward, though the damage from the NFRC side is pretty much done. End of the day though this is a huge deal and maybe the start of many others to follow…
Elsewhere…
-- I did take last week off… the first time that I can remember since starting this blog adventure that I skipped a weekly update. Thanks to all that wrote or called to see if I was still alive. The comical part is last Tuesday my phone went on the blink and if you called me you couldn’t even leave a message… so I had an air of mystery about me… no blog… no phone… etc. Anyway I am here still plugging away…
-- Did you happen to catch the depressing news on the ABI? A brutal May total has many scratching their heads… I think the interesting thing is to see if June bounces back or not… it’s a wait and see. Or maybe every architect just read Paul Krugman’s piece in the NYT that stated a third depression is imminent. Either way it’s one to watch.
-- Both PPG and Guardian both had announcements on their various Solar Mirror programs. To me that is a great sign that the solar side continues to move forward. Like everything in our world, things come out with a massive flash (Solar and BIM as great examples) and then they settle down quite a bit. But eventually if they are worthwhile efforts they bubble back to the top. We are seeing it with BIM and with last week’s dueling announcements I think we are seeing the start of it with Solar.
-- Speaking of Solar I wish I could be at the GANA Solar Symposium this week but I have jury duty… seriously… I wish I could get on a trial where some third party group is being accused of ripping off a manufacturer… anyway I am looking forward to doing my civic duty.
-- TV Alert- ESPN has this wonderful documentary series called “30 for 30” celebrating their 30th anniversary with 30 documentaries on subjects that happened in the last 30 years. The last two have been UNREAL. “June 17, 1994” and “The Two Escobars” are absolute much watches. You may be able to buy them from Amazon or rent from Netflix if you can’t find them coming up- but they are simply television at its best.
-- Lost in the shuffle of my week “off” was the announcement of the changes at the top of AGC here in America. I wonder what major changes will happen and how the culture will be affected. Also what effects to the product lines or fabrication side are in store? And how quickly will any changes happen? Hopefully one change is not yanking their folks from working with the industry trades.... It was nice to finally have some AGC representation at BEC this year.
-- Overdue congrats to two very talented gentlemen in our industry…. Kirk Johnson (now with Vitro) and Steve Martin (now with OldcastleBE) both have new gigs and both are tremendously talented guys whose new companies should be commended for adding them. Props to all involved and best of luck at your new gigs!
-- My daughter with her France pick in the World Cup proves that she needs to stick with horses… my gosh France was so bad you woulda though that I picked them!
-- Last, Happy Independence Day to all… and try during this holiday to send positive thoughts and prayers to those brave men and women fighting to protect our freedoms all over the world.
Let’s go to the links….
-- The Paul Krugman depression story… read this only if you want to be VERY depressed about the economy.
-- Interesting story on insider stock picking with Lenny Dykstra and Jim Cramer of CNBC
Video of the Week:
After reading the depressing Krugman piece we have to lighten it up and we’ll do so with this crazy video from some random Home Shopping network and watching a demo go sooooo wrong…. Let’s keep this guy away from all XYZ cutters too…
Elsewhere…
-- I did take last week off… the first time that I can remember since starting this blog adventure that I skipped a weekly update. Thanks to all that wrote or called to see if I was still alive. The comical part is last Tuesday my phone went on the blink and if you called me you couldn’t even leave a message… so I had an air of mystery about me… no blog… no phone… etc. Anyway I am here still plugging away…
-- Did you happen to catch the depressing news on the ABI? A brutal May total has many scratching their heads… I think the interesting thing is to see if June bounces back or not… it’s a wait and see. Or maybe every architect just read Paul Krugman’s piece in the NYT that stated a third depression is imminent. Either way it’s one to watch.
-- Both PPG and Guardian both had announcements on their various Solar Mirror programs. To me that is a great sign that the solar side continues to move forward. Like everything in our world, things come out with a massive flash (Solar and BIM as great examples) and then they settle down quite a bit. But eventually if they are worthwhile efforts they bubble back to the top. We are seeing it with BIM and with last week’s dueling announcements I think we are seeing the start of it with Solar.
-- Speaking of Solar I wish I could be at the GANA Solar Symposium this week but I have jury duty… seriously… I wish I could get on a trial where some third party group is being accused of ripping off a manufacturer… anyway I am looking forward to doing my civic duty.
-- TV Alert- ESPN has this wonderful documentary series called “30 for 30” celebrating their 30th anniversary with 30 documentaries on subjects that happened in the last 30 years. The last two have been UNREAL. “June 17, 1994” and “The Two Escobars” are absolute much watches. You may be able to buy them from Amazon or rent from Netflix if you can’t find them coming up- but they are simply television at its best.
-- Lost in the shuffle of my week “off” was the announcement of the changes at the top of AGC here in America. I wonder what major changes will happen and how the culture will be affected. Also what effects to the product lines or fabrication side are in store? And how quickly will any changes happen? Hopefully one change is not yanking their folks from working with the industry trades.... It was nice to finally have some AGC representation at BEC this year.
-- Overdue congrats to two very talented gentlemen in our industry…. Kirk Johnson (now with Vitro) and Steve Martin (now with OldcastleBE) both have new gigs and both are tremendously talented guys whose new companies should be commended for adding them. Props to all involved and best of luck at your new gigs!
-- My daughter with her France pick in the World Cup proves that she needs to stick with horses… my gosh France was so bad you woulda though that I picked them!
-- Last, Happy Independence Day to all… and try during this holiday to send positive thoughts and prayers to those brave men and women fighting to protect our freedoms all over the world.
Let’s go to the links….
-- The Paul Krugman depression story… read this only if you want to be VERY depressed about the economy.
-- Interesting story on insider stock picking with Lenny Dykstra and Jim Cramer of CNBC
Video of the Week:
After reading the depressing Krugman piece we have to lighten it up and we’ll do so with this crazy video from some random Home Shopping network and watching a demo go sooooo wrong…. Let’s keep this guy away from all XYZ cutters too…
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