A Tough Deal

A pretty significant story hit last week but yet seemingly did not get much traction outside of its home market.  A bankrupt solar manufacturer (based in Pennsylvania) won a 27 million dollar judgment against a Chinese company that reneged on a pretty crucial deal.  The story is pretty fascinating in that the bankrupt company had a chance to properly reorganize if the Chinese company did not run from their deal.  A good accounting of the story is HERE.  The insight from this is being careful with who you are dealing with, especially when there’s so much at stake.  And because of the foreign entities in this deal, who knows if the judgment will ever be paid.  In the end the shame was the solar manufacturer was actually being extremely responsible and trying to do the right thing, only to be thwarted by a company who at least according to the court of law did not come through on its commitment.

Elsewhere…

--  Can you believe its August?  My goodness this year is just flying by.  Wow.

--  I was alerted to an article via the excellent Twitter feed of Conners Sales Group (@ConnersSales) that the Pittsburgh Convention Center has been upgraded from a Gold LEED Building to a Platinum LEED Building.  The structure was certified Gold in 2003.  The story did not explain how or why this structure made the jump.  For me that’s a new one.  And I’d love to see how some of these buildings that were certified Gold and Platinum years ago look now with true energy targets (vs. results) to see if they really are that great.  I guess anyone who reads this knows I am not a fan of LEED, and its things like this that continue to make me question the way they do things.  If someone has the insight on why and how this happens and why it’s not a mainstream thing please e mail me- I’d love to know and share.

--  The “Bird Glass” issue at the new Viking Stadium has gotten pretty newsworthy. When you have heavy hitters like the New York Times and Katy Devlin both weighing in on it, you know it’s big.  My thoughts?  It’s a PR job by the Audubon group to get their name in the paper and get more donations/support.  Why else go public?  The stadium is still a while away from being built and I am sure with more discussion and dialogue a compromise could be worked out.  But by coming out the way it did- to me it smacked of a powerplay to try and get the public to shame the builder into it.  If this was closer to “go” time, I could see it, but it’s my guess that discussions were probably not that far along and this got used as a chance to hit the news.  Maybe I’m wrong… but just a feeling.  Oh and in the end, I do believe that a compromise will happen.  (And note- I do know we have great bird glass technology in this industry and want to see it used, just not thrilled with the way this one came down)

--  So last this week more GlassBuild America talk.  I have to admit, being associated with the show gives me a unique perspective on it and also makes my biased… but I am what I am… so here goes…  Right now I am as excited as I have ever been about the event.  I am hearing that pre registration numbers are awesome and I know from talking to various folks around the industry that more are attending than they have in the past.  And people are coming with significant plans, either to find products, services, people or information that will help them in what is now becoming a healthy market.  At the end of the day this show is OUR show.  It’s an event that is difference maker when it comes to your business and your career (it’s how most reps find new lines as an example) It’s the biggest and most impressive show you can attend in North America and it’s the one event where you can network, learn, find new products and services AND do business at all levels all in one place.  So I think this year if you are not going you will not only be missing something epic, you will be in the minority for sure. 

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Get ready to use your phone to open your hotel door… I’m not sure I like this...

--  I don’t get people some times..  if you see a lion in a cage, are you really going to stick your hand in???

--  Great… another computer related issue to worry about…

VIDEO of the WEEK

I don’t really understand Rugby…. But this clip is fun to watch for the pure action of a steamrolling run and hit.  I would bet the NFL is probably already calling the guy who did the steamrolling!

Remembering Active Al

Our industry lost another unique and special person in the last week.  A gentleman who did things his own way and did them extremely well.  The passing of Al Shaprio, also known to many as “Active Al” was a stunner and bummer to me.  Al was a character through and through but one that would take legitimate interest in the lives of the people he was dealing with.  While he owned a few extremely successful operations, it was Active Glass that I dealt with.  And despite being a nice guy, Al was unforgiving.  He paid you fast (best around) so he expected to be first in line for everything.  He rode me hard but also made sure that he took care of me and my company too.  He also had a huge heart, when my children were born, Al sent thoughtful gifts that we still have to this day.  He always asked about everyone in my life as well.  And while I didn’t communicate with Al much in the last several years because my life had changed, when I ran into him, he was always as warm as ever- always offering to give me as much business as I could handle (even if I wasn’t a fabricator anymore) and note, that no one will pay me faster… Anyway, it was a shocking piece of news, and I am so sorry to see him go.  My condolences to his family.  Our industry and world lost a great one….

Elsewhere…

--  Are we as an industry in line for another battle?  This past week the Urban Green Council took some shots at glass and its usage.  Now what they said was not all wrong, in fact they made some good points about choosing materials wisely.  However the title alone of “Urban Green Council Warns Against Glass Envelopes” does not portray us well.  Especially in this short attention span society where most folks will only read the headline and move on.  In any case it needs to be said that we’re still vulnerable and still not a product of choice.  Oh and my metal friends, there was a blast on you guys in there too…. So just a heads up, that once again we have people taking shots…

--  Each month I read Glass Magazine and pick out the best ad of the issue.  This month the kudos go to the gang at Quanex.  Their ad for TriSeal was clean, sharp and bold. Good work with a really smart use of call out bubbles.  It caught my eye for sure.  Well done!

--  Also in the always-excellent Glass Magazine was a very powerful letter and picture to the editor by Joe Bruce of Guardian.  I have known Joe for many years and he’s a tremendous guy, and his letter on returnable racks and the cost of people discarding them was excellent and spot on.  We can be our own worst enemy in this industry sometimes.  Hopefully people will read Joe’s letter and be smarter and more respectful with other people’s property.

--  As you surely know GlassBuild America is coming and I am starting to see more and more press releases on products that will be on the floor.  One product that will catch people’s eye will be AGC’s

Dragontrail™It is an ultra thin glass that is mostly used in mobile devices and tablets but will also have expanded use in architectural applications.  AGC will be doing a ball drop test in their booth showing this off and it will be something to see.  I believe it’s just a matter of time before “thin” glass starts to hit in many different applications…  Good call by AGC to show it off at a show with the power and size of GlassBuild.

--  Last this week… the Architectural Billings Index continued to soar.  I think from a sales standpoint things are solid out there.  Not getting any complaints on that.  Cash flow is a different story… that continues to be the bugaboo for many.  Hopefully things will normalize on that end soon.

LINKS of the WEEK

This can’t be real right?  A long list of deal breakers for a man looking for dates…

Are Krispy Kreme donuts that good?  Like being robbed at knife point good? 

Count me as one who hates baseball’s “unwritten rules” 

VIDEO of the WEEK

I’m a huge fan of voice impressionist Frank Caliendo.  This past week he used his immense talent to read a letter from basketball player LeBron James in the voice of actor Morgan Freeman.  Just tremendous stuff (more if you are fan of Frank and followed the whole LeBron saga)

Awards and Champions

We have the World Cup of Glass final coming up but before that, let’s talk about some other winners- the folks that have made it to the finals of the Glass Magazine Awards.  These awards are truly the industry gold standard, nominations come from the industry and voting is done by the industry.  Winning here is a huge honor.  Once again this year amazing candidates from all over the country have been nominated.  In the  “Best Sales Representative” category I am familiar with all three finalists and picking a winner will be pretty impossible for me.  I have known Dan Pompeo for a very long time and he is amazing- tons of energy and he always comes through.  I have gotten to deal with Stacey Quesada of Glass Apps on a few occasions and her attention to detail and follow up is one of the best I have ever worked with.  Zach Passman has always been a guy I have been told great things about, so seeing him on this list was no surprise at all.  So this vote will be incredibly hard for me.  But I will eventually pick one, and every one out there you need to do the same- for this category and the others as well.  Here’s the link, click, read and vote.  These folks are all winners in the fact they made it this far and it will be fun to see who gets the nod for being the best in 2014!  Voting ends July 31^st…

Elsewhere....

So it’s the finals of the World Cup of Glass.  Our three finalists are USA, Germany, and Italy.  Each won a “group” over the last few weeks.  Now they face each other.  4 categories… points are 3 for winning, 2 for second, and 1 for 3^rd.  Most points win… here goes:

Innovation:

USA 3

Germany 2

Italy 1

USA actually gets lucky that it faces these two in this category.  While the US is strong in innovation its not dominant.  But compared to its competition, it still takes this category.

Quality:

Germany 3

USA 2

Italy 1

Maybe it’s a myth but I do subscribe to the theory that Germany is the home of the best quality products around.

Products:

USA  3

Italy 2

Germany 1

US dominating here, based on sheer product range and usage.  Picking 2^nd was harder but went with Italy based on their decorative product lines.

Industry Support:

USA 3

Italy 2

Germany 1

I almost went with Italy at 1 because of how they really step up to support GlassBuild but the Italian contingent is not that active at the trade or code level so there’s no way they could be first. 

Final Total

USA 11

Germany 7

Italy 6

Final Conclusion:  This was a fun exercise to do… The one downer is that we’re not unified from a world standpoint when it comes to code and design.  That is something that needs to be improved upon.  I will say that it gets me excited that events like GlassBuild America bring ALL of these countries together on one floor, so you can see the greatness in action from all over!

--  Speaking of GlassBuild America, I am really excited about a few things… but the one call out I’d like to make this week is to the folks who stepped up and are taking major sponsor roles.  These are companies that realize that they are supporting the industry and the industries largest North American show, while also getting amazing brand recognition all in one fell swoop.  So major props to Quanex, Bohle, Dip Tech, GGI, Hartung Glass, Kuraray America, Diamon Fusion, YKK, Guardian, SAPA, Dow Corning, FMI, and Pilkington North America for stepping up. 

--  Last this week… a quick personal note- my nephew Josh, who has been in the industry now for several years including his current run at WA Wilson got engaged over the weekend.  Congrats to Josh and we’re thrilled that our family is getting a great new addition with Nicole!

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Fellow road warriors please read this one on the shared hotel computer… I have always been wary…

--  Another travel note… this would NOT be good… bicycle style seats on planes.  Yikes.

--  A drought in California and yet homeowners getting flack for their lawns?  What???

VIDEO of the WEEK

I have always liked Weird Al Yankovic and his song parodies.  Harmless good fun.  His latest is “Foil” as a take off on “Royals”

The Final 3 are Set!

So as the soccer World Cup ends, our version in the glass world still has two more steps to go.  This week was the debut of the good ole USA and they did not disappoint, but I have a feeling they will find the finals much tougher!  For this round the foursome was USA, Spain, Japan, and Russia.  Since its been a few weeks a quick reminder on the categories for scoring- Innovation, Products, Quality, and Industry Support.  For this round the glaring omission of France really played out because when the tallies were added, Russia really was not ready for this tourney.  While they have what is considered to be an awesome trade show, they’re still quite a bit behind in every other category at this point. Japan and Spain both had solid showings and may have done better in a different group.  Spain with its dominance on the decorative side and strong support of the industry showed well and Japan with major float players and some solid innovations helped mask its limited industry support.  Meanwhile the USA won the group because innovation is still strong and industry support significant despite what many may think. 

The final totals:

USA 15

Spain 10

Japan 10

Russia 5

So next week is the final… it will feature USA, Germany, and Italy.  There is no question this will be a very difficult one to score with each country bringing so much into the process. 

Elsewhere…

--  A hearty congratulations to Steve O’Hollaren of ICD for passing his LEED Green Associates exam… that is NOT an easy test… great work sir, can’t wait to call you with lots of LEED related questions!!

--  While we’re patting people on the back, kudos also to Dip Tech on the launch of their new blog/newsletter.  The folks there obviously put a ton of time, thought and planning into it because it was a really sharp and organized effort.  Something I look forward to receiving on a regular basis!

--  The Dodge Momentum index up again for 3^rd straight month.  Overall the indicators have been solid and momentum for sales has shown to be positive.  The worry I believe continues to be cash flow.  All in all though summer is off to solid start.

--  I think I was the last person in the US to see the movie “Frozen”- so I finally did.  I enjoyed it as it was typical Disney.  But the reason I write this is I read that people have been waiting up to 6 hours to meet the “princesses” at the theme parks.  SIX HOURS.  It got me thinking, is there anyone that I would wait 6 hours for- to just get to say hi to.  I mean if it was a 6 hour wait and you get some time with the person then sure I could name a few, but just to shake a hand or get a picture?  Not sure I can come up with a living person. 

--  Pretty cool case study I read recently on the social effect of “green” products.  Two sets of hand sanitizer were laid out at a trade show.  One was marked with one basic title.  The other with a similar title but noted it was “green.”  So during the event the table was watched onsite and discreetly.  When someone was standing at the table, the large majority went for the “green” product.  When no one was working the table, the totals flipped the other way- many more went for the regular product.  Goes to show you we still have a society that has people who say the right things and may publicly try to do, but in private still do what they are more comfortable with.

LINKS of the WEEK

-- If you have seen the amazing 30 for 30 on Pablo Escobar, do so- in the meantime his legacy lives on with hippos.  Tons of hippos.

-- While we are talking animals- woman banned from zoo... and deservedly so!

--  Rooftop solar doing great down under

VIDEO of the WEEK

A friend of mine had posted this on Facebook and I just can’t believe it- a car and a bear… a big bear…