How far are you prepared to go?

When looking for a little extra motivation in these trying times, sometimes the right movie and/or book can do the trick.

One film that always works for me is The Untouchables.

In one dramatic scene, Sean Connery (playing a gritty Chicago cop) and Kevin Costner (as Elliot Ness) are meeting in a Catholic church. They're debating how to address the Mafia's recent change in tactics, specifically its willingness to shed blood more liberally to achieve its criminal objectives. In other words, the Mafia had just changed the rules of the game, and the FBI was going to have to adapt to the new reality. Sound familiar? As the scene reaches its climax, Connery's character looks at Elliott Ness and asks, "How far are you prepared to go?"

As you know, the rules of the economic game have changed recently. My, how they've changed!

But if you're like me, you believe every problem has its solution. Now don't misunderstand; I'm not trying to sugarcoat your problems or mine. Indeed, every situation is different. As I've found in discussions with several NGA members, many glass shops are adjusting to their new economic realities by branching out into new segments, and doing quite well. Some are finding tougher sledding.

We here at the NGA are adapting our business model by exploring new market opportunities, improving our service and innovating like never before. For example, we recently announced a strategic alliance with Architectural Testing Inc. to extend our state-of-the-art training programs -- notably http://www.myglassclass.com/ -- to the retail window and door market.

One quality that all successful people share is the willingness to meet challenges head-on. Are you conveying that attitude to your staff? Or are you leaving them to wonder what your plan is...or even if you have a plan at all?

NGA members know it is better to prepare than repair. Whatever segment you serve, you understand that the cost of fixing a job done poorly is high. It can turn a profit into a loss in no time flat. The same lessons apply in our role as managers and leaders.

In short, now is the time for leaders to lead.

Looking for some added support and guidance?

Read John Maxwell's "The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player." Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel gave a copy to each member of his staff prior to the season as mandatory reading. I just finished it on my trip out to Vegas for GlassBuild America. Powerful stuff. Much like The Untouchables, it really gets your juices flowing to overcome obstacles.

One last shameless plug. (I know... I know...) Whatever you do, especially if you’re an auto glass retailer, get some added fuel for these challenging times by attending the 2009 NGA Auto Glass Conference and Executive Forum http://glass.org/events/at_ov.htm You'll find a world of great ideas and insights there – on leadership, strategy, technical excellence, you name it. Feb. 18-20 in Orlando.

I’ll even throw in the good weather!

—David Walker, Vice President of Association Services, National Glass Association

Is green glass an enhancement of protective glazing?

I attended the Protective Glazing Council Annual Symposium Nov. 11-13 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Va., where the driving concern seemed to be the “trend of complacency” in the industry. It’s been seven years since the last catastrophic terrorist attack in the United States, and the government’s focus has shifted from security to green and sustainability. This change in priorities is working at the detriment of the industry, said Brian Pittman, director of marketing and communication, PGC.

The U.S. Green Building Council expects 10 percent of new construction to be green by 2010. And the new president-elect wants 60 percent of new buildings to be carbon neutral by 2030.

With the theme of the symposium “Protective Glazing in a Green World; Sustainability & Protection,” PGC members tried to emphasize that the green movement can go hand-in-hand with security glazing. “Green is an enhancement of protective glazing; they can work together,” Pittman said.

Different presenters also attempted to drive home the same point. “Conflicting requirements for sustainability and security lead to compromises and trade-offs,” said Richard R. Paradis, senior engineer, Steven Winter Associates, Washington, D.C. “Avoid conflict of choosing between sustainable and security goals. Employ a single design strategy to accomplish multiple goals.”

Said Marc LaFrance, technology development manager, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy: “Protective glazings can be very energy efficient and probably a better opportunity to build efficiency into the higher price premium products.”

In a panel discussion, PGC members asked a GSA representative what they can do to interest more government folks in such meetings. Willie Hirano, engineer, Office of Construction Programs, Public Buildings Service, responded that the funding for security projects is down. “It doesn’t help to just push a security product. We need to see the whole window, not parts and fragments, but all the aspects, energy and security,” he said. Down the road, GSA specifications will probably have coordinated energy and security requirements, he added.

Energy efficiency is taking over terrorism concerns for Building Owners and Managers Association members too, said Ron Burton, another panel member, from BOMA, Washington, D.C. “We’re starting to see that buildings labeled ‘sustainable’ get more rent in the market." Energy use is the second largest expense in a building; first is taxes, he said.

PGC needs to become more involved in government relations and reach out to congressmen and senators to educate them, said Bill Yanek, executive director, PGC International. The organization plans to have a Congressional hearing on protective glazing, probably jointly with AAMA and GANA, in the future, he said. The council also will work more closely with BOMA that has a large political committee.

What’s your take on the green vs. security issue? Can they work hand-in-hand or are they mutually exclusive? Drop me a line and let me know.

Click here to read reports from the PGC Annual Symposium.

By Sahely Mukerji, news editor/managing editor, Glass Magazine

Graduating glasstec

It's been a couple of weeks since I returned from Düsseldorf, but I am still digesting the fact that I had the chance to cover the world’s largest glass show. I feel so grown-up in glass age!

The enormity of it hit me while sitting on the plane headed to Düsseldorf and looking at the floor plan of the show. Nine halls? I was going to cover more than 1,300 exhibitors spread over more than 73,000 square meters of net exhibit space? My panic radar was on red. I tried to collect myself thinking about Nicole’s advance pep talk: “Do the best you can, I know you will, and remember, you can’t cover it all.” Nicole hadn't missed a glasstec in more than a decade, but had to cancel this trip at the last minute due to a family emergency. She knew what I was heading into.

“You can’t cover it all.” Invaluable words, as far as glasstec is concerned. Of course, it didn't hit home until I was at the show. As I walked to the fairgrounds from the tram stop the first morning, I remember thinking to myself, “it’s not that bad that I’ll miss my workout the next few days, because if I walk briskly, this hike will tide me over.”

And then I got to the fairgrounds.

It took me a couple of days to orient myself--yes, I am directionally challenged--and then it was a matter of very precise planning to get to places that I needed to get to and at the time specified. For instance, the press office was nearest to Hall 17 and our booth was at Hall 13--long hike; Glaston’s press conference was in Room 1, Conference Center South, and the Messe press meeting was right after at the press center--short hike; meeting with Lisec folks in Hall 17 and a symposium at Hall 11 right after--long hike.

You get the picture. The walk from the tram stop to the fairgrounds was peanuts in comparison to walking the floors.

Eventually, I bettered my sense of direction and knew exactly--down to seconds--how long it would take to walk from one hall to the other. And once I got that down, I couldn’t get enough of the show. I had a hard time dividing my time between symposiums and booths, choosing one symposium over another, and constantly got distracted by the amazing products on the floor while on my way to a particular booth for a meeting. All my meetings took longer than I estimated, and that’s probably just European. They make you sit, have a drink, chat about various issues that don’t have much to do with glass, and by the time you get to their product, it’s time to rush off to another meeting.

At the end of the day, it was an experience of a lifetime to cover glasstec. The products and the technology were mind-boggling, and all that walking reminded me of good old India. We walk a lot in India, but 14 years in this country, and I have gotten spoiled rotten.

And funny thing, even after walking the halls for five days, I had it in me to walk more in the Altstadt, Königsallee or the Kö, and go for a long stroll along the Rhine, up to the harbor, to watch the night skyline of the city. It was almost as cool as the show, but not quite.

"Cool." Now, is that a word a grown-up would use?

Click here to read glasstec coverage.

By Sahely Mukerji, news editor/managing editor, Glass Magazine

Top 10 worst things overheard in an auto glass shop

If you look closely, I swear Dow Automotive’s Dale Malcolm bears a resemblance to David Letterman. He certainly did at the International Auto Glass Safety Conference in Las Vegas, where he and industry colleagues Mitch Becker of Abra Auto Body & Glass, Bob Beranek of Automotive Glass Consultants, and Brian Clayton of Cindy Rowe Auto Glass presented their “Top 10 worst things overheard in a glass shop."



10. I have to use this cheap crap; it’s all the insurance company will pay for.

9. My testing shows the body primer works better on the glass than the glass primer!

8. I don’t think the customer will notice that, do you?

7. The glass shop down the street said they have no problem installing over a little rust.

6. I’ve been installing for seven years, and I never remove cowls and I have never had a leaker.

5. Pinchweld primer? We don’t need no stinkin’ pinchweld primer.

4. I’ll be done in a minute ma’am, and you can drive your car right home!

3. I haven’t had a problem…yet.

2. You had rust on your car, so we couldn’t warranty the installation.

1. A-grass, what’s that?

—By Jenni Chase, senior editor, retail and auto glass, Glass Magazine

After the campaign dust settles

Remember when "change" and "hope" were just words? When not every one knew the difference between a "hockey mom" and a "pit bull"? When "Maverick" was just a Mel Gibson movie, and William Ayers was not a household name? And, remember when the Dow was nearing 14,000? When Iraq was top of mind for the presidential candidates?

It’s been quite a campaign. And tonight, it will all be over—providing we don’t have a repeat of the hanging chads of 2000. So, what’s next? And, more importantly, how is it going to affect the glass industry?

As the campaign dust settles, the president elect will have an enormous, unenviable job awaiting him. And the decisions the next president makes in the early months of his term will have a huge impact on the country, the world and, yes, even the glass industry.

Earlier this month, Glass Magazine Publisher Nicole Harris posted a blog about the top ten jolts to the glass industry. When the next president takes office, he will have to pay particular attention to Harris’ top three: The decline of the housing market (and now the nonresidential market as well), the corresponding credit and financial crisis and the rise of energy costs.

How will the next president do it? How will he fare? And, how will it affect our industry?

E-mail me, or post your thoughts. And vote, if you haven't already!

—Katy Devlin, commercial glass & metals editor, retail glass co-editor, Glass Magazine