GlassBuild America 2015 is now in the books and it surely
confirmed that we are in the midst of a very positive or “up” cycle in our
industry. Whether it was the busy show
floor, including a 2nd day that had action rivaling some of the best
shows I have attended in my 24 years in the industry, or the insight from the
experts that were provided via forums and express learning, or possibly just
the multitude of meetings and social gatherings throughout the center and town,
you walked away from this event feeling very good about the current economic
landscape as it pertains to our world.
Obviously we have massive challenges, including workforce, supply, and
transportation to name three, but at least we are sitting on what appears to be
a very solid base.
The other main overall takeaway I have is that this is no
surprise. The last few editions of
GlassBuild have been momentum builders with increasing enthusiasm each year. Sharp companies and attendees have been
taking advantage of this and growing their business, 2015 just added more
people to the mix. With the indicators strong I do expect 2016 in Las Vegas
(October next year instead of traditional September) to be off the charts in
regards to exhibits, attendees, and most importantly, business done!
Now on to my annual show review of the people, products, and
adventures on the floor…
Clearly one major stop was the CR Laurence booth because of
their news making last few weeks. It was
enjoyable to get a few minutes with Mr. Friese and Lloyd Talbert to personally
congratulate them on the deal. Also at
CRL spending a few minutes learning from Jeff Phillips and Joe Schiavone was
incredible for me. I love gaining
knowledge however possible! Visited for
basically a split second with old friend Matt Hale of YKK as he had people
lined up waiting to catch up with him.
Never bad to see Dan Poling of Schott though once again I failed to get
a picture of him with me to show my wife I was hanging with a James Franco
lookalike. Ran into Jim Gildea late in
the show and that was great blast from the past. Speaking of the past I had not seen Dave
Alexander of Guardian in quite a while, so that was surely an unexpected
plus. Two of the coolest guys in our
world? Devin Bowman and Dave Vermeulen of Technical Glass Products were there
and I am always blown away at everything that company does.
There was lots of discussion about the now debunked article
in the Wall Street Journal throughout the floor. Was great to catch up on that with the
always-on point Pat Kenny of PPG. More
PPG, the legend Rob Struble was at the show so that could be why things went so
well…. Speaking of “doing well” that would pertain to Ralph Aknin, as it was
great to see him and see him looking healthy and well. Plus getting to meet Sandi Jensen and Leslie
Idems at the same time was a show-maker for me.
Good people.
GlassBuild allows me to meet people who may read this or
industry people I have admired but spent very little time with. In that category, getting to talk with Greg
Abrams and Chris Murphy of 310 Tempering was great. Smart and focused guys who will do well. I was humbled that Dip Tech VP of Sales Erik
de Jongh noted that he read my blog- that was unanticipated but appreciated! And getting a chance to meet the new CEO at
Dip Tech Alon Lumbroso was an honor for sure.
Wanted more time with Gus Trupiano of AGC but failed there. Next event
for sure. Thank you to Dave Hull of
Glass Guru for stopping me to say hi and introducing me to a few of his new
franchisees he was shepherding through the show.
The show always has a reunion feel for me as well as I run
into so many former coworkers I respect tremendously. People like Cliff Monroe of Oldcastle Glass,
Tony Kamber, Joel Smith, and Scott Sallee of AMG, Mike Dishmon of Virginia Glass,
Henry Taylor of Kawneer, Erik Stumpf of CGH, Scott Cook of GGI, and Manny Valladares
of Aldora.
I missed tons and heard from them after, hated not seeing Rodger
Ruff and Scott Goodman of AGC and Tom O’Malley of Clover. Though Tom’s doing so well right now I don’t
think his handlers would allow me near him.
I can always say I knew him
before he got big.
One note on the Glazing Executive Forum… the panel that I
had promoted here on the blog was very good.
The key takeaway this excellent group presented was communication at
every level. So needed, so crucial, yet
so under-rated and under utilized. The
companies and people that are aggressive communicators will be better off in
challenging supply times than those who are not. As for the members of the panel… I did not
know John McGill of YKK and he was impressive.
I do know Chris Cotton of Dlubak/CGH as we share a distinction of being
the “other brother” to more powerful and popular industry siblings. Chris was great too. But the star was Garret Henson of Viracon. I joke a lot with Garret, but in all
seriousness, he was incredible in his presentation and his insight. Strong, clear speaking style that resonates
with our audience. Only Joe Puishys at
BEC this year was a better speaker in my opinion. Sorry in advance Garret for the abuse that
you will get within the walls of Viracon, but you deserve the props.
From a product standpoint- Software was really notable,
including some excellent solutions for the glazing contractor I had never seen
before. Labor saving equipment continues
to be robust, specifically the glass installation/handling machinery. My old favorite Dynamic Glass had a good show
as well; Pleotint smartly landed in the bustling “Dream Showroom” and was busy
from start to finish, while Sage had several well-attended demonstrations on
how to install their product. It was a
very intelligent move to educate the installers and get them familiar and
comfortable with the product.
Best clothes… Past winners PPG and Salem were decent, but
not enough to beat Quanex. Great colors
for women and men, really clean and classy.
On that note, I only get to see fine people like Brian and Kim Kress,
and Ryan Kerch once a year at the show, so was nice to visit them and not only
chat but admire/envy the look!
The show was also strong social media wise. I enjoyed running the GlassBuild feeds for a
few days and interacting with some great companies. The periscope piece is a work in a progress
but was fun to do. Just wish I had an
extra hand or two so I could do all I wanted to do with this stuff!
So that’s the wrap up… bottom line is we are in a good
place, let’s keep moving on it.
Communicate strong and make it happen while the climate is ripe!!
No Links or Video this week because of the insane length of
the main blog. Those will return next
week.
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