Next Week in Nashville

The first-of-the-year surge of trade shows and conferences is winding down. I know many of you have spent a good part of January and February flying from city to city, conference room to conference room, even code hearing to code hearing. Yes, these past two weeks have hosted the International Code Council (ICC) hearings. I, along with the other members of our editorial team, was able to listen in to the daily hearings via web cast. While there was a good bit of discussion over codes relating to the glass industry (which you can read about at www.usgnn.com), I think the best part happened before the beginning of each and every code hearing when the moderator reminded everyone to turn off their cell phones. For those failing to do so there was an automatic $10 charge if the phone rang. I expect to hear that one popping up at many, many future industry meetings.

Speaking of future industry meetings, next week the NFRC’s spring meeting will take place in Nashville. I’m heading to that one myself to cover it for USGlass and USGNN.com. Be sure and check in to USGNN for daily updates, as the group is continuing to move forward on CMA certification language.

Nashville is a great city for anyone who’s into glass and one of the best displays can be found at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. There, you can stand beneath and absolute massive overhead glazing display that features 5,000 panels from Naturalite; glass was provided by Viracon. Check out this link for more details: http://www.viracon.com/gallerydetail.php?field=product_cat&data=laminated&project=7

I visited the Opryland Hotel nearly ten years ago, before I knew anything about glass. Come to think of it, I don’t even remember the overhead glazing. Rest assured, I do plan to visit it again this trip and will definitely take pictures. Be sure and check back next week for more details.

Anyone for Some Code Hearings?

Since I know you have all been reading your USGNN everyday this week, I’m sure you’re well aware that the International Code Council (ICC) code change hearings are happening right now in Palm Springs. The code change world is one I’m pretty glad to have only limited involvement, though this code change cycle is a big one for the glass and fenestration industries (read some of the updates here: www.usgnn.com).

As I’m sure many of you are well aware, it’s not the most exciting of venues. I’ll give you an idea of what it’s like. Yesterday evening, a little before 5 p.m. EST I was tuned in to the code hearings webcast. Hearings were about to begin on a new code and the moderator made an announcement … a schedule change if you will. He said, “The schedule says we will be going until 6 p.m.; that’s wrong. We will be going till at least 7 p.m. and if we’re still not done, we’re going to keep going until we are.” Remember, that’s an at least 7 p.m. Pacific time … Considering those hearings start each day at 8 a.m., that’s a long, long day.

Sitting through hours and hours (hours and hours) of rebuttals and re-rebuttals may not be on the top of your must-do list, but it’s a good thing that it is for some people. Well, let’s say it’s good that they do it. After all, as someone told me a few years ago when I asked him why it was so important to be involved in code development: “Codes drive the marketplace and if you don’t lead you’re going to follow in the dust and you’re going to have other people dictating how best to use your products. So it’s really to make sure that your products are best represented in the marketplace and they’re used for the smartest and most functional reasons.” (Want to know who said this? Click here to find out: http://www.usglassmag.com/USGlass/2003/0304/Science.html).

If you want to really grasp the good that’s come from code changes and hearings, just look at all the hurricane-prone states and jurisdictions now requiring impact-resistant glazing. Years ago, laminated glass suppliers, manufacturers, window manufacturers and others went to the code bodies and said, “Hey, we’ve got products here that can help mitigate hurricane-caused damage; products that can improve safety and pass required testing.” Maybe those weren’t their exact words, but you know what I mean. The bottom line is that the codes changed because the industry spoke up and got involved.

Whether or not you’re involved in the code change process, good things do come out of it, and we’ve got safer homes and buildings to show for it.

Airplane Reading

Air travel provides a really great opportunity for me to do something I don’t get to do enough: read. One of my favorite airplane reads is Real Simple magazine. I only buy it when I’m traveling, but I really enjoy it. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a magazine that provides articles on making life a bit easier … you know … organizing tips, easy recipes, green living, that sort of thing.

So yesterday I flew from Atlanta to Las Vegas and, yes, I picked up a Real Simple to read on my 4+ hour flight. I was enjoying the articles and one in particular grabbed my attention. “Going Green,” the magazine spread read. It was about how a couple in California transformed their home to be eco-friendly. I was intrigued; I mean glass is certainly green, so surely they upgraded their windows.

Here’s some of what the article talked about: They made their house more energy efficient with GreenFiber Cocoon insulation, which is made from recycled newspapers treated with borate. They use fireplace logs made from recycled coffee grounds. They used paint with no VOCs. Efficient appliances, composting, water aerators and more.

This is all fabulous, but what about the windows? All that the article mentioned was that they used “inexpensive cotton thermal drapes” that “leverage solar heat by blocking it in the summer and catching it in the winter.” Really? Doesn’t glass do the same thing? And if you’ve got to keep these thermal drapes over the windows, don’t you then have to turn lights on, which means you’re using up more electricity. Just a thought.

On another note, I also read a “Green Scene” article in the Delta Sky magazine. This one did talk about the benefits of windows. The article references the book You Can Prevent Global Warming (and save money!): 51 Easy Ways, written by Jeffrey Langholz and Kelly Turner. It talks about how insulated curtains and shades work, but the best option is an EnergyStar window which can “save 50 percent more energy than 10-year old windows and insulate five times better than single-pane windows.”

Maybe someone should pass that info on to that green California couple.

All in th Family

If I had followed either of my parents’ career paths I would today be in the auto parts business (Dad) or working as a nurse (Mom). Instead, I decided to follow my own path and I became a writer. And of that I am glad because I have little interest in knowing anything about cars and I can’t stand needles. That tells me I would not have been much too successful in either of their chosen fields.

But following the career of a parent is not unusual in the glass industry. Actually, it’s quite common. Many glass shops and businesses are family owned and operated, passed down from father to son, father to son, father to … daughter? Yes daughter. A lot more businesses are now being passed on to daughters and these women are managing glass shops and contract-glazing firms.

I was lucky enough to spend time this past week talking to a few of these women who serve as president/CEO of contract glazing companies started by their fathers – Letitia Haley Barker from Haley-Greer in Dallas and Robyn McGinnis from Sierra Glass & Mirror in Las Vegas. I am not going to say anything else about them now, because you will be able to read more about them in an upcoming issue of USG. Patience, patience, patience, please.

Let’s talk more about the family business instead. There are so many out there and I’ve had the opportunity to visit and learn about a lot of them over the years. I think there’s something you find in a family business that you don’t necessarily find in a big corporation. Is it that people care more about the business? Do all the employees become part of the family, making them want to be a part of the business? For all you family businesses out there, what is it for you? What do you think are the distinguishing qualities of a family-owned glass business? Post your replies or send me an email.
Have a great weekend!

A Glassy Distraction

This past Wednesday night the Republican presidential debate was held in the Air Force One Pavilion of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Museum in Simi Valley, Calif. Like all good Americans, I’m sure many of you watched it, and like all good glass people I’m sure the first thing you noticed was the structural glass wall system, right?

Being that you read this blog every week oh so religiously, I know that you know how nutty I am about glass—especially structural glass. I find it intriguing so much that a few years ago I wrote an in-depth article for USGlass about the popularity and growth of point-supported and other types of structural glazing. If you missed the article you can read it by clicking here: http://www.usglassmag.com/USGlass/2003/0309/psg.html.

So considering the fact that the most exciting part about the debate was the location, I’m sure it will come as no surprise that I simply had to find out more about that wall.

I found an article in the December 2004 issue California Construction that talked about the expansion of the Reagan Library with the Air Force One Pavilion, which today houses Air Force One No. 27000. The entire construction project was completed in 2005. You can read more about it here: http://www.707sim.com/.

Here’s what the article, written by Greg Aragon, had to say about the glass wall:
“The pavilion’s grandest feature may be a giant 200-feet wide by 80-feet tall glass curtainwall through which the nose of the jet peers … the $2 million wall will give guests a memorable view of Simi Valley and the illusion of flight if they are looking out from the plane.” The article went on to say that the curtainwall is a 11,280-square foot expanse of glass made up of 15 12.5-feet long by 5-feet tall, 625 pound panes.*

(*the writer’s word, not mine. We all know it should have been "lites.")

In addition, “60-feet tall vertical-bow trusses with spider hardware and structural silicone at each intersection connect the [lites] to each other.” Glass for the project was provided by Viracon.

Walters & Wolf was the contract glazier on the project, working closely with Mero Structures Inc., the company that did the design, engineering and installation of the wall. Norm Shane, vice president of Walters & Wolf, said the massive size of the wall made it an extremely challenging job, combined with the fact that it was such a historical structure.

“The fact that it was a presidential museum made it a significant job,” said Shane. “It’s a monument to one of our presidents and it’s striking to view.”

Striking indeed. Check out these pictures that Norm from Walters & Wolf sent me:

If you want, take a minute and tell us about a significant project for your company, and why it was so meaningful.