Whenever I travel to big cities on of my favorite sites is the individual skyline of each. To me, whenever I look at a skyline I never really see one building or skyscraper. Instead I see it and think of it as one structure that defines a given city. Chicago's skyline is probably my favorite, San Diego's is great, too, as is Dallas'. These cities have great architecture, which also have great glass.

Speaking of cities, glass and skylines, earlier this week I traveled to Pittsburgh for GANA's Glass Fabrication conference (read more about it at www.usgnn.com, as well as in future issues of USGlass). While the event is designed to cater to the educational and informational needs of those new to industry (fewer than five years), it also includes a special evening activity. This year that event was a dinner cruise and while it was very cold most people opted to spend the evening inside the boat rather than on the top deck. I was one of those people who spent most of the night inside, though I did go on the top deck for just a couple of minutes so I could get a good look at the many buildings.

Standing outside, though just for a few minutes, it was pretty cool to see some of the buildings I've read about. Of course, there's PPG's Crystal Palace, which you can't help but notice. If you're one whose never seen even a picture of it here's a Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PPG_Place.

The other thing I noticed about the city is that the architecture is a great mix of very old buildings right beside very new buildings--some still under construction. I like how it was a combination of both.

What do you see first when visiting new sittings and taking in the architecture? Send me an email or post a comment telling me about your favorite skylines and buildings.

Talk to just about anyone in the industry and they'll tell you same thing about business: right now the commercial market is strong. And a booming market is good for everyone. You're staying busy, you're filling orders, making some money. What more could you ask?

Read the pages of USGlass and you can learn about what lots of companies are doing during these peak times ... how they are thriving and surviving; what they see as good and what they see as not so good. These big companies are great. They do the big stuff, the tough stuff, monumental jobs even. But think about this: what would your local grocery store, Target or Wal-Mart be without their storefronts and entrances? Those places need glass, too, right? And someone's got to install it, yes? And just who does those jobs? A lot of times it's smaller, locally owned glass shops and businesses that take on this work.

It's easy to get caught up in the fast-paced, excitement of top-of-line glazing installations, but local, small shops are important, too. And I'm not saying we all don't already know this, I just wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation and gratitude. For you see, I love to go shopping (as most women do) and I LOVE to go to Target. Honestly, I can't leave the store without spending $50 ... I don't know what it is (the catchy TV ads, I guess). Anyway, if my local Target didn't have a storefront, well then I would practically be shopping in an open-air market (not that I still couldn't do some serious monetary damage).

Our small glass shops do a great job taking care of local businesses. And while they may not be ones that go down in the glazing hall of fame, they are still important. After all, it is glass we're talking about here and it does break. And broken glass has to be replaced.

Spring is here and much of the country has been enjoying all that the season offers. I, for one, am loving this weather and hope it's here to stay.

Just a few weeks ago I wrote here about how the first-of-the-year travels for many of us were winding down. Just as quickly as that ended, we're now preparing for spring and summer events. The next big excursion for many of us will be the AIA Show next month in San Antonio. This is a great show for the glass industry because it's a prime opportunity to reach architects firsthand.

It's also a great way to see all the innovative products that glass manufacturers and fabricators will be launching. We all know that architects love glass, and I have no doubt that exhibitors this year will not disappoint. I also expect that two of the big themes at this year's show will be green trends and decorative glass. These are focus areas that are here to stay. So be on the lookout to see what companies will unveil.

The AIA show is only the beginning of the industry's spring and summer educational and informative events--more will follow. I truly believe the more you know about the industry, the better you can do your job. If you've not been one to visit trade shows or conferences in years past, maybe now is the time to attend one. You never know what you'll get out of it.

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.