It’s no secret, females in the glass and glazing industry are clearly a minority. Personally, I’ve been to many, many conferences, seminars and meetings where I was one of maybe a handful of women in the room. However, over the past few years it does seem like the number of us attending these meetings is increasing.
In the glass industry and many others, women are leading the way for some of the country’s biggest names in business. With that in mind, let’s talk about powerful women for a moment. eBay, Yahoo and Google have more in common than an online domain. High-ranking executives from all three were listed in Fortune magazine’s 2007 list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business:
Rank Name Company Title
3. Meg Whitman eBay President/CEO
20. Sue Decker Yahoo President
29. Sheryl Sandberg Google VP Global Online Sales & Operations
Also making the list (and close to my heart) was Cathleen Black, president of Hearst Magazines. I just love a magazine … and when they’re about my own personal indulgences (shoes and clothes, as found in Harper's Bazaar), well that’s just fine by me.
But what about the glass industry women leaders? There’s more out there than you may realize. Women serve as presidents and/or CEO of more than half a dozen contract glazing companies in the United States. You’ll be able to read about some of them in the March issue of USGlass, which will feature our annual Big Book of Lists.
And if you know a woman who’s running a glass business, it’s still not to late for you to tell us about her. Just click this link http://usglassmag.com/bigbook/ to download the form. Send it in and help us recognize these great leaders.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
The Skinny on Lean
One of the things I like most about my work is how I'm constantly learning. I still have those "Ah! I never knew that!" moments. And I think that's true of everyone out there; you have to keep learning. I mean, it's impossible to know EVERYTHING, right?
For me, my latest "aha!" learning experience was finding out how common it is to customize fenestration and even glass processing equipment. I never knew. Until recently I guess I figured that when Company ABC goes to buy a line from Machinery Company XYZ, they would buy exactly what they see before them. Instead, more often than not, individual companies are changing those lines up to meet their specific production needs. And one of the big reasons for customization is lean manufacturing.
Even in the simplest of ways, I try and apply some kind of "lean thinking" to my own everyday routine. For example, I keep my sneakers with my gym bag in the closet where my coat is. That way when I'm heading out to the gym I don't have to go to three different closets. Instead, everything is in the closet by the door, so I can grab it and be on my way.
In my office, I keep paper right beside my printer so that when I run out it's all right there. Pencils and pens are beside a notepad that's right beside the phone. I'm not saying everything is perfectly neat and organized; I've certainly got my share of clutter. But the more you can do to eliminate waste--anything that keeps you from working efficiently--the better off you'll be.
Over the years I've visited a lot of different glass plants and so many of them do really have a flow to them. Glass comes off one line and it's easily moved on to the next. Whatever form of lean manufacturing they are following, I've yet to speak to anyone who said it hadn't improved their production process.
Tell us about some of your lean tips and ways they've helped make your company more efficient and more productive.
For me, my latest "aha!" learning experience was finding out how common it is to customize fenestration and even glass processing equipment. I never knew. Until recently I guess I figured that when Company ABC goes to buy a line from Machinery Company XYZ, they would buy exactly what they see before them. Instead, more often than not, individual companies are changing those lines up to meet their specific production needs. And one of the big reasons for customization is lean manufacturing.
Even in the simplest of ways, I try and apply some kind of "lean thinking" to my own everyday routine. For example, I keep my sneakers with my gym bag in the closet where my coat is. That way when I'm heading out to the gym I don't have to go to three different closets. Instead, everything is in the closet by the door, so I can grab it and be on my way.
In my office, I keep paper right beside my printer so that when I run out it's all right there. Pencils and pens are beside a notepad that's right beside the phone. I'm not saying everything is perfectly neat and organized; I've certainly got my share of clutter. But the more you can do to eliminate waste--anything that keeps you from working efficiently--the better off you'll be.
Over the years I've visited a lot of different glass plants and so many of them do really have a flow to them. Glass comes off one line and it's easily moved on to the next. Whatever form of lean manufacturing they are following, I've yet to speak to anyone who said it hadn't improved their production process.
Tell us about some of your lean tips and ways they've helped make your company more efficient and more productive.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Rhyme Time
When I was in high school I took two years of creative writing. And yes, it was the class that truly helped me know what I wanted to do with my life. I’d always loved to write, but the course, along with a really great teacher (Mrs. B., as we called her) helped cement my goals.
One assignment we had was to go through the newspaper find an interesting little news clipping and then write a poem based on the story. For the life of me I can’t remember what I wrote or my news clipping, but I can remember one of my classmate’s (the first couple of lines anyway). She’d clipped a story about some guy stealing a few cases of beer from a local store and her poem started like this:
“Could it be possible? Could it be true? Someone has stolen two cases of brew.” That’s all I remember; it was so catchy it just stayed with me all these years.
Anyway, I started thinking about some of our news items this past week on USGNN, and while there was no mention of stolen beer, there was a story titled “Security Glass Foils Attempted Robbery.” (Here's the link: http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=7595789&nav=menu86_2) That got me thinking and so I put together this little ditty about security glass. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Security Glass Wins Again
The day would soon be ending.
The teller watched the clock tick, ticking.
Counting down the minutes, the time it was descending.
But then something did happen.
A man walked in the bank.
Moving closer to the counter, beside the large fish tank.
The teller smiled politely.
And the man did do the same.
But the reason for his visit, cannot be taken lightly.
A glass wall was between them.
He thought so little of it.
When he reached into his pocket and slipped across the note.
The teller took the paper.
She chuckled at this caper.
Her back she turned to him and then she walked away.
The man he stood there puzzled.
Not sure what had just happened.
And when his hand, it hit the glass, his fist was left a’hurtin.
The glass it was so heavy, nothing light and flimsy.
“I can’t break this! I’m sure to miss. There’s nothing left to do.”
So he turned and left the bank.
For glass had foiled his plan
“I never knew,” the thief did think, “ that glass could be so tough to break.”
One assignment we had was to go through the newspaper find an interesting little news clipping and then write a poem based on the story. For the life of me I can’t remember what I wrote or my news clipping, but I can remember one of my classmate’s (the first couple of lines anyway). She’d clipped a story about some guy stealing a few cases of beer from a local store and her poem started like this:
“Could it be possible? Could it be true? Someone has stolen two cases of brew.” That’s all I remember; it was so catchy it just stayed with me all these years.
Anyway, I started thinking about some of our news items this past week on USGNN, and while there was no mention of stolen beer, there was a story titled “Security Glass Foils Attempted Robbery.” (Here's the link: http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=7595789&nav=menu86_2) That got me thinking and so I put together this little ditty about security glass. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Security Glass Wins Again
The day would soon be ending.
The teller watched the clock tick, ticking.
Counting down the minutes, the time it was descending.
But then something did happen.
A man walked in the bank.
Moving closer to the counter, beside the large fish tank.
The teller smiled politely.
And the man did do the same.
But the reason for his visit, cannot be taken lightly.
A glass wall was between them.
He thought so little of it.
When he reached into his pocket and slipped across the note.
The teller took the paper.
She chuckled at this caper.
Her back she turned to him and then she walked away.
The man he stood there puzzled.
Not sure what had just happened.
And when his hand, it hit the glass, his fist was left a’hurtin.
The glass it was so heavy, nothing light and flimsy.
“I can’t break this! I’m sure to miss. There’s nothing left to do.”
So he turned and left the bank.
For glass had foiled his plan
“I never knew,” the thief did think, “ that glass could be so tough to break.”
Friday, January 4, 2008
Hello 2008!
If you’re like me, the first week of January is always a tough one. Not only do you still have leftover Halloween candy in the pantry, but plenty of other sweet treats leftover from the past two months worth of holiday celebrations are still calling your name. So we resolve to eat less and exercise more … at least until mid-February when Valentine’s Day and chocolate covered everything comes around. So forget the resolutions of eating less and exercising more (that should be an everyday, all-year, way of life anyway).
The other thing about early January, at least for me, is finding inspiration. It’s cold outside and snow is all over the ground. I’m sitting here wanting to write about something new and exciting and all I see is snow!
But then today my husband sent me this link: http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19869/page1/
It’s interesting to me because just a few weeks ago I wrote about how the glass box architecture of years past is becoming rare in terms of what we’re seeing today. I liked reading this article and seeing the images of so many worldwide buildings.
I look at these images and the glass the buildings display and I can’t help but be impressed. Not only was someone creative and genius enough to design such structures, but glass has a part—in many of them a major part—in defining what type of structure each building is.
The nearly all-glass Gherkin (see the image at left, © from www.freefoto.com), for example, has “an aerodynamic profile that reduces wind load and creates a difference in air pressure between the inside and outside that draws cooler outdoor air in through the panels in the façade.” The article explains that this unique feature, along with “abundant” natural light (made possible by glass) means the building consumes as little as half as much energy as other office buildings its size.
Images like these bring a certain level of inspiration to what I do. When I see what’s possible to create with glass it’s exciting to think about what we’ll see in the ten years … perhaps even sooner.
The other thing about early January, at least for me, is finding inspiration. It’s cold outside and snow is all over the ground. I’m sitting here wanting to write about something new and exciting and all I see is snow!
But then today my husband sent me this link: http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/19869/page1/
It’s interesting to me because just a few weeks ago I wrote about how the glass box architecture of years past is becoming rare in terms of what we’re seeing today. I liked reading this article and seeing the images of so many worldwide buildings.
I look at these images and the glass the buildings display and I can’t help but be impressed. Not only was someone creative and genius enough to design such structures, but glass has a part—in many of them a major part—in defining what type of structure each building is.
The nearly all-glass Gherkin (see the image at left, © from www.freefoto.com), for example, has “an aerodynamic profile that reduces wind load and creates a difference in air pressure between the inside and outside that draws cooler outdoor air in through the panels in the façade.” The article explains that this unique feature, along with “abundant” natural light (made possible by glass) means the building consumes as little as half as much energy as other office buildings its size.Images like these bring a certain level of inspiration to what I do. When I see what’s possible to create with glass it’s exciting to think about what we’ll see in the ten years … perhaps even sooner.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Seeing Clear
Anyone who’s been reading this blog for a while now knows I’m a big fan of architectural glass—especially when it’s used in innovative, exciting applications. I’ve written about examining the glass in storefronts and hotel rooms, sometimes even crouching in the streets to see what type of glass is being used. I’ve even been in restaurant bathrooms where glass was used extensively, from the stall doors to the counter tops.
But there was more glass than just the restroom—railings, banisters, the bar top, walls. It was a lot of fun to see. You can go to the website, www.sushisamba.com and see a photo gallery of the Chicago restaurant, but it’s just not the same as seeing it for yourself.
Aside from the fact that Chicago is just a great city, it’s also a great place for glass and architecture--stroll down Michigan Avenue and you’ll see that. Lots of big cities are moving toward increasingly transparent architecture. You may have seen this story on USGNN.com yesterdayhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2007/12/26/ST2007122601985.html that talked about how Washington, D.C. architects are taking their designs away from the boxy, brick and limestone buildings and using more glass.
The most excitin
g, glass-clad bathroom I’ve yet to view was at Chicago’s Sushi Samba restaurant; I took the picture you see here of the entrance. It was dark in restaurant and a camera phone doesn’t take the best quality pictures, so it’s hard to see all of the glass and to truly get the full effect, but hopefully it will give you some idea of what it was like—I’d never seen anything like it. In addition to the floating glass mirrors, there were also frosted glass stall doors and even a glass shelf (you know, for a lady’s purse).
g, glass-clad bathroom I’ve yet to view was at Chicago’s Sushi Samba restaurant; I took the picture you see here of the entrance. It was dark in restaurant and a camera phone doesn’t take the best quality pictures, so it’s hard to see all of the glass and to truly get the full effect, but hopefully it will give you some idea of what it was like—I’d never seen anything like it. In addition to the floating glass mirrors, there were also frosted glass stall doors and even a glass shelf (you know, for a lady’s purse). But there was more glass than just the restroom—railings, banisters, the bar top, walls. It was a lot of fun to see. You can go to the website, www.sushisamba.com and see a photo gallery of the Chicago restaurant, but it’s just not the same as seeing it for yourself.
Aside from the fact that Chicago is just a great city, it’s also a great place for glass and architecture--stroll down Michigan Avenue and you’ll see that. Lots of big cities are moving toward increasingly transparent architecture. You may have seen this story on USGNN.com yesterday
Transparency is certainly an architectural trend these days and one that looks to have staying power for some time to come. Do you agree? Is transparency here to stay? Let us know what you think.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Safe & Sound
I’m going to share a story with you that, while may seem humorous at first, is actually, pretty scary. A while back I locked myself out of the house. I was in a hurry, my arms were full, and as I stepped into the garage, closing the door behind me I realized that I’d left the keys inside. Smart. Luckily, I had my purse and in it were my cell phone and my wallet. Good thing about that. It was a little after 5 p.m., I had to be somewhere at 5:30, and the drive to get there would take about 15 minutes.
So what did I do? I called my husband. Of course, I had no idea how he could help me, if at all, being that he was a good 45 miles away at work.
He asked me, “Do you have your purse?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have a credit card or something like that?”
“Yes.”And on that note, over the telephone and in fewer than five minutes, he told me exactly how to jimmy that door open with a credit card. I grabbed my keys and was off (after relocking the door, of course.)
As I drove, all I could think was, it can be just that easy to break into someone’s home. Now, this particular door, which goes from the kitchen to the garage, has a simple lock; if there had been a deadbolt I would have been out of luck. I know this is nothing you don’t already know—locks can be easy to break.
We are living in a world where the need for security is increasing. I know when I’m at home every door and window is locked. Look at big offices and buildings with their sleek all-glass entrance systems. Building owners and managers want to know exactly who is coming and going inside their offices.
Not only are we seeing more electrified access control systems, but more biometrics, too. With biometrics, entrance is granted based on individual biological characteristics, such as a fingerprint. Fingerprints and retina scans are a lot tougher to steal or copy than a PIN number or a swipe card.
I’d like to know, what’s the glass industry think of biometrics? Have you been exposed to this type of product? If not, how much more are you doing with electrified systems these days? And what do you foresee for the future when it comes to keeping buildings—especially those with glass entrance systems—more secure? Let us know what you think.
So what did I do? I called my husband. Of course, I had no idea how he could help me, if at all, being that he was a good 45 miles away at work.
He asked me, “Do you have your purse?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have a credit card or something like that?”
“Yes.”And on that note, over the telephone and in fewer than five minutes, he told me exactly how to jimmy that door open with a credit card. I grabbed my keys and was off (after relocking the door, of course.)
As I drove, all I could think was, it can be just that easy to break into someone’s home. Now, this particular door, which goes from the kitchen to the garage, has a simple lock; if there had been a deadbolt I would have been out of luck. I know this is nothing you don’t already know—locks can be easy to break.
We are living in a world where the need for security is increasing. I know when I’m at home every door and window is locked. Look at big offices and buildings with their sleek all-glass entrance systems. Building owners and managers want to know exactly who is coming and going inside their offices.
Not only are we seeing more electrified access control systems, but more biometrics, too. With biometrics, entrance is granted based on individual biological characteristics, such as a fingerprint. Fingerprints and retina scans are a lot tougher to steal or copy than a PIN number or a swipe card.
I’d like to know, what’s the glass industry think of biometrics? Have you been exposed to this type of product? If not, how much more are you doing with electrified systems these days? And what do you foresee for the future when it comes to keeping buildings—especially those with glass entrance systems—more secure? Let us know what you think.
Friday, December 14, 2007
My Specific Top 5 Industry Events and Why
Over the past almost eight years I've done my fair share of travel, from the exciting to the not-so exciting; big cities to small cities. And as we come to the end of 2007 and prepare for all the travel that awaits us in 2008, I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite events.
#5: GANA’s Building Envelope Contractors (BEC) Educational Seminar for Project Managers, June 1-3, 2000 in Dallas (today called the Contract Glazier’s Educational Conference). This was my very first industry educational conference. I went not knowing much of anything about glass (I’d only been in the industry four months). There was talk of contracts and bid documents, high performance coatings, testing, installations and I was taking notes as fast as I could write. The meeting also gave me the chance to do my first industry plant tour – Vistawall. When I left Dallas I still didn’t know as much as I do today, but I knew more than I when I started. And while it still took a while to really understand some things, like anything else, it’s a learning process, and that’s how I try and look at everything I do.
#4: Vitrum 2003 in Milan took place June 25-28, not it’s usual October showing. Many of you who attended will remember, Milan saw record high temps during the show week. While the days were long and the weather scorching, I walked the halls of that show excited and optimistic of what I would see and learn. The show may not be as large as glasstec, but it’s still larger than our shows here and I covered it for the magazine alone. While that may not sound like a great achievement to those of you outside the editorial world, to me it was an accomplishment that I found helped me not only further what I knew about the North American industry, but the international industry, too.
#3: Building Envelope Contractors Conference, Las Vegas, February 20-25 2005. This meeting has become the place to be for the commercial glass and glazing industry. From the biggest to the smallest, contract glaziers flock to Vegas for this annual event. My trip there in 2005 was not my first time there, but it was the first time I presented before such a large group—300+. I was both excited and nervous when I stood before the attendees to share with them the results of the USGlass contract glazing survey. But in the end, it went really, really well. I provided attendees with some information that some later told me was both valuable and helpful. So I know now, that if given the opportunity, I could, without a doubt, do it again.
#2: Glass Processing Days, June 17-20 2005. Flying to Finland is no short trip. But if you want to know what all the world’s greatest glass minds are thinking and doing, you got to go. Sure, some of the sessions are so technical you leave cross-eyed, but the knowledge and experience and the contacts you gain from that meeting are hard to beat. Plus, I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you, the networking and social activities are pretty top-notch, too. After all, it is the land of the midnight sun.
#1: Who knows? That next best thing is still waiting to be discovered. You see, every time I go somewhere or attend a meeting, it’s my number-one favorite. That’s how I try to take everything that comes my way. I like to learn new things and stay open-minded to the developments and changes that are taking place constantly.
Why all this list talk? You ask. Because USGlass is preparing for its Annual Big Book of Lists, which will be in the March 2008 issue. Be on the lookout for more information as to how your company can be considered for one of the many categories.
#5: GANA’s Building Envelope Contractors (BEC) Educational Seminar for Project Managers, June 1-3, 2000 in Dallas (today called the Contract Glazier’s Educational Conference). This was my very first industry educational conference. I went not knowing much of anything about glass (I’d only been in the industry four months). There was talk of contracts and bid documents, high performance coatings, testing, installations and I was taking notes as fast as I could write. The meeting also gave me the chance to do my first industry plant tour – Vistawall. When I left Dallas I still didn’t know as much as I do today, but I knew more than I when I started. And while it still took a while to really understand some things, like anything else, it’s a learning process, and that’s how I try and look at everything I do.
#4: Vitrum 2003 in Milan took place June 25-28, not it’s usual October showing. Many of you who attended will remember, Milan saw record high temps during the show week. While the days were long and the weather scorching, I walked the halls of that show excited and optimistic of what I would see and learn. The show may not be as large as glasstec, but it’s still larger than our shows here and I covered it for the magazine alone. While that may not sound like a great achievement to those of you outside the editorial world, to me it was an accomplishment that I found helped me not only further what I knew about the North American industry, but the international industry, too.
#3: Building Envelope Contractors Conference, Las Vegas, February 20-25 2005. This meeting has become the place to be for the commercial glass and glazing industry. From the biggest to the smallest, contract glaziers flock to Vegas for this annual event. My trip there in 2005 was not my first time there, but it was the first time I presented before such a large group—300+. I was both excited and nervous when I stood before the attendees to share with them the results of the USGlass contract glazing survey. But in the end, it went really, really well. I provided attendees with some information that some later told me was both valuable and helpful. So I know now, that if given the opportunity, I could, without a doubt, do it again.
#2: Glass Processing Days, June 17-20 2005. Flying to Finland is no short trip. But if you want to know what all the world’s greatest glass minds are thinking and doing, you got to go. Sure, some of the sessions are so technical you leave cross-eyed, but the knowledge and experience and the contacts you gain from that meeting are hard to beat. Plus, I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you, the networking and social activities are pretty top-notch, too. After all, it is the land of the midnight sun.
#1: Who knows? That next best thing is still waiting to be discovered. You see, every time I go somewhere or attend a meeting, it’s my number-one favorite. That’s how I try to take everything that comes my way. I like to learn new things and stay open-minded to the developments and changes that are taking place constantly.
Why all this list talk? You ask. Because USGlass is preparing for its Annual Big Book of Lists, which will be in the March 2008 issue. Be on the lookout for more information as to how your company can be considered for one of the many categories.
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