A Grand Adventure

Four years ago my sister, Rebekah, and I drive from Los Angeles to Fredericksburg, Va. We mapped out the journey so we could be sure and take in a few key sightseeing spots, namely the Grand Canyon. Neither of us had been there before and I have to say, the experience was beyond words. While there, we decided to hike down one of the paths to a first rest point; it was just over one mile in (the Grand Canyon offers several hiking trails; before you take on the trails, though, you can review maps that show you certain rest points. It also explains how much water, food, etc. you should have when hiking to certain points). The trek down was fairly simple; hiking back up was more challenging. Nonetheless, we prevailed and returned safely to the top (despite having to share the already-narrow trails with those doing the mule rides in and out of the Canyon).

Since that journey in 2003, the Grand Canyon itself hasn’t changed all that much, but the options visitors have to experience it certainly have. On March 28 the Grand Canyon Skywalk will officially open to the public (check out the image above provided by contract glazier Giroux Glass). This cantilevered, shaped-glass walkway extends 70 feet from the canyon’s rim and is suspended more than 4,000 feet above its floor. Thanks to glass flooring, you can look straight down to see the Colorado River running right below your feet. Amazing, is it not?

To think, glass made something like this possible. The flooring was made with DuPont’s SentryGlas® Plus structural interlayers and glass from Saint-Gobain. According to DuPont, analysis of the flooring showed that the floor can hold the weight of 120 people and still maintain safety ratings during 100 mile-per-hour winds. It’s hard to believe that glass, which in its truest form breaks so easily, can be so strong.

I think it’s exciting, all that glass can do. I look forward to the day my sister and I hit the road again, stopping to visit the Grand Canyon, so we can walk out on the Skywalk (Though I’m sure we’ll do another hike, too).

It has been a long, busy week. We got a little taste of spring earlier this week with sunny, 70-degree days, but that's faded away and now things are once again "normal." Thinking about the weather and returning to "normal" conditions got me thinking about the condo market (stay with me here, I have a point).

Like many in the industry, I've done my fair share of traveling over the past couple of years, hitting most every major city a time or two, from Chicago to Vegas to L.A. and San Diego. Asides from the fabulous shopping these cities each offer, they also have something else in common--they've all been experiencing a great deal of construction growth, including condo projects. Good news for the glass industry, right? Condos certainly need windows so occupants of those high-rise, high-end homes can see the cities' incredible views.

Mid last year, though, the condo market began to taper. Whether it was a case of supply and demand or increasingly expensive construction costs some of those anticipated condos were stalled; others became offices instead. Either way, residential housing across the board slowed. But glass companies with which I've spoken say they really have not seen or felt the effects of this slowdown.

I asked an economist about this and he said it's not that the condo market is dead ... there's still a need and a demand, it's just that things are returning to more "normal" conditions (kind of like the weather this week.)

OK, so maybe me weather-condo comparison was a stretch; I really just wanted some way to bring the warm, sunny days back, if only in my mind.

What has your company seen within the condo market? Send me an email and let me know.

Earlier this week I attended GANA's 10th Annual Building Envelope Contractors Conference, which took place in Las Vegas. Considering the amount of construction going on there, Vegas was certainly an appropriate venue to host educational programming for contract glaziers and others involved in the commercial glass and glazing business. More than 500 attended; everyone with whom I spoke praised the event for its many offerings, ranging from top-notch speakers and sessions to it's strong networking opportunities.

If there was a key word to describe this year's conference it would have to be green. As I wrote a few weeks ago, green building design seems to be here to stay. Speakers at the conference talked a lot about the different aspects of green, namely LEED certification and the ways that glass can play a role. The thing is, energy costs are continually increasing and they are not going back down. We have to fine ways to help offset those increasing costs, and glass and glass products are just one way that our industry can do its part. We'll be covering this topic more in future issues of USGlass magazine, so be sure and keep an eye out for those articles.

Also at the conference was keynote speaker Rocky Bleier, who played pro football for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bleier was a part of four Super Bowl wins, but had also been injured in combat in Vietnam. After surgery after surgery and being told he would never play pro football again, he beat the odds and today travels the country sharing his motivational story and encouraging everyone to be the best that they can.

On an exciting, personal note, I had the opportunity to meet Bleier afterwards--he even let me wear his four Super Bowl rings (check out the above image)! I'm not that much of a football fan, but I can say this, wearing those rings (though only for a moment) was quite exciting.

March Madness

I openly admit it, I'm stealing from Max Perilstein's blog (fromthefabricator@blogspot.com) ... that is, his blog is the inspiration for mine this week.

First, he mentioned basketball ... NBA basketball, but still basketball. With that in mind and the ACC tournament next week, followed by the NCAA tournament, I just had throw in my Go Tarheels! cheer, just this once. The Heels might not be #1, but they are still in the top 10 and Duke is not (and that's really all that matters).

Enough about that.

While March may be the month for basketball, for those of us in the industry who have spent the first couple of months bouncing from one conference or meeting to another, it's also the month when your travel schedule likely slows down a bit. Sure, there's something here or there, but you may find that you get a few more consecutive days at your desk. You've learned a lot over the past couple of months. You've heard interesting speakers and presenters ... maybe you've even picked up a few tips of the trade and best practices suggestions. Now, how will you be using all of your new-found wisdom?

There's a new show on Fox called "Are you Smarter than a Fifth Grader?" And while your first thought may be of course I am, think about it--how often do you use the information you learned in elementary school? The show asks contestants questions like what's the largest species of bear? How many teaspoons are in 5 tablespoons? In the word "unfortunately" what is the suffix? While you may know the answers, you might also have to think a bit to recall them.

Attending an educational conference (like next week's BEC conference in Vegas) can be a similar matter--if you don't use what you learn, that is. These events are a great way to learn not only about the industry, but also about worldwide matters and issues that do affect you and your business. The next time you attend a conference, maybe take just one thing you've learned and find ways to apply it to your daily work practices or those of your entire company. If this is something you've done or do already send me an email and tell me about it.

Go Green

How green is your company? It's an issue it seems as though everyone, everywhere is talking about--the green scene, green buildings, green design--how green are you?
For the glass industry especially we here talk about it almost daily. Just scroll through the stories and articles on www.usgnn.com and you're likely to see at least a couple of related stories each week. Attend an industry conference and you'll hear a presentation that talks about green buildings and design. Walk the aisles of a trade show, such as the AIA show that will be happening this May in San Antonio, and you will find hundreds of products for reducing heating and cooling costs.
Not too long ago "green building" was classified as an industry trend. As the victim of some seriously bad hair and fashion crimes of the 1980s, I can say this--I know what a trend is. It's something that's really hot and exciting and within a year or so it fades away. Green building, however, seems to have some staying power (at least that's what I hear).
And for the glass industry, their are so many opportunities. The question, though, is how do we get more glass products in buildings? I've heard companies say before that they are not competing so much with others in this industry, but with other building products--other building products that may be classified as more energy efficient, perhaps? Maybe even better for the environment? I would be interested in hearing what you do to keep your company and your products ahead in the architectural market--ahead of wood, concrete, etc. What can the industry do to keep glass on the cutting edge? Post your comments or email me at egiard@glass.com.

Yesterday on www.usgnn.com we ran a news link about how a 10-foot lite of glass plummeted from the 24th floor of a Miami building. Luckily, no one was injured. While no one yet knows what caused the glass to fall, similar situations are not uncommon. Every few months, it seems, we hear stories of glass falling from windows, and, sadly, often there are injuries or even death.
While in yesterday's case there was no one was actively involved in the accident, sometimes these situations do happen as a result of human contact. This made me think about how important it is that safety be everyone's top priority when it comes to working with glass, whether inside the plant or on a job site.
The thing is, even though glass is a product that offers many, many benefits to end users, it's still glass--it breaks, it has sharp edges and it can hurt. Who hasn't, at some point, been cut by glass? Maybe you stepped on a broken piece of glass with your barefoot or broke a glass in the kitchen then sliced your hand while picking up the pieces. It happens. But regardless of the situation, we can all be more careful when working with glass.
With that said, I would like to share a story with you about my younger brother. A few years ago, while he was till in his early 20s, like many young men in their early 20s, he was more concerned about going out and having a good time than he was with his school work. Typical, right? Anyway, he was out with his friends one night and they had been having a really good time, if you know what I mean. My brother find that he has locked himself out his house. So what does he do? He wraps his hand in a towel and well, need I say it? You know what he did--he slammed his hand through the glass so he can reach through to unlock the door. Clearly, he had been watching way to many action movies, because while he did unlock the door, he also wound up with a good number of stitches. Luckily, my baby brother has grown up and matured--but we still like to laugh about the crazy things he used to do.

What If ...

A little more than one year ago I attended the Annual Meeting of the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance, which took place in Palm Springs. Jeff Tobe, the Coloring Outside the Lines Guy, was the keynote speaker. In his presentation Tobe challenges his audience to find ways to be more creative at work and to also look for ways to do things differently than they've done in the past ... to be able to give customers something they cannot find anywhere else.
Well, I was so impressed with Tobe's presentation I bought his book, "Coloring Outside the Lines," and also an audio presentation, as well.
This past week at work I started thinking about what drives me to be creative at my job ... what keeps me motivated. So while driving home I decided to listen to that audio presentation (it just happened to be in my car, you know). And while it was not exactly the same presentation from that meeting a year ago, much of it was. I listened again as Tobe posed the challenges to everyone listening to color outside the lines ... to push the limits a bit, if you will, but always with the caution: Color outside the lines, but don't fall of the page. In other words, know what your limits are as well as those of your customers.
The glass industry is constantly evolving. Thanks to technology, products have been created that not only look nice, but also "do" things: they can mitigate against impact, keep rooms cool or warm, change from clear to opaque, even clean itself. With all of these innovations, I started to think about about how creative companies in the glass industry can be. Think about it--at one time glass was just glass, and now look at what we have. According to Tobe, many great ideas come from two little words: what if? When I look at some of these glazing products, I like to think that, perhaps, many came to be while a group of people working together looked at glass and asked the question: What if? What if glass could clean itself? What if glass could go from clear to opaque? What if ... the list goes on.
At first glance, and to those who do not work in it, the glass industry may seem (dare I say it) boring. I disagree. I think it's exciting. I am constantly amazed at the developments that unfold, and these creations help me, too, to stay creative at what I do. I look at these products and at our industry and say "What if ..."