From the fabricator: And yet another shift

Usually, the spring in our industry is quiet news wise, but 2011 has not followed that path, and last week we had yet another special alert pop up. The announced retirement of Guardian Industries Glass Group President Russ Ebeid hit the wires and signaled yet another shift within our industry. Once upon a time, people would complain to me that our industry was stuck in neutral, the same faces in all the same places. Well, this sure isn't the case anymore! As for Russ, there's a ton to say, but according to the report he isn't due to retire until the fall, so I'll hold off on my tributary comments until the time is right. Needless to say, he will be missed.

Elsewhere...

• Best e-mail of the week came from a industry buddy of mine who commented on the high profile retirement announcements of Ebeid and Russ Huffer. He sarcastically said, "Wow, two great job openings now for me to choose from.. gonna be a tough call on which one I will take... ." I love it. (And now just one of the two jobs is open anyway!)
• From the "If a tree falls in a forest but no one is there to hear it" files... if a company (or group of companies in this case) gets sold (or infused with money and new leadership) but no one wants to admit it to the press (but they've told all of the employees and are telling customers) did it really happen? What I don't get is why you don't announce it? Unless something else is at play... I'll give it another week, still makes no sense.
• Those of you who have been reading this blog since 2005 know that one of my pet peeves is the whole price-fixing lawsuit situation. This past week, Jeld-Wen filed suit against several glass manufacturers. The whole thing is sad, in my opinion, because at the end of the day the cost of defending yourself through our legal system is far more than just settling. So even if you are innocent (and I believe the folks in the U.S. are innocent), you end up paying. The most recent suit against the manufacturers was recently settled, but Jeld-Wen decided to "opt out" and go it alone. And why not? They are a big company with deep pockets. They can now see if the manufacturers will again decide if it's worth fighting. When is enough... enough? I don't know, maybe I'm just mad because I suffer through predatory practices daily and deal with it.
• OK, time to finish on a lighter note.... The playoffs have begun in the NBA and NHL. In the NHL, my picks for the Cup are the Red Wings and Capitals, or as my son says, "the worst match up ever" because he is not a fan of either team. I was going to pick the Canucks, or Montreal, but knowing I have good friends that are big fans of those teams, no way could I put the hex on them. I think the Caps will win it all. In the NBA, it should be a wild playoff season with a ton of teams that could win it. I'm actually going with a long shot in the West... Denver. (Yep, I picked 'em last year too) to face Chicago in the finals, with Bulls winning it all. Though I wouldn't be surprised to see the Heat win. I avoided picking the Spurs out of respect for the incredible Luna family, owners of Champion Glass in San Antonio. If I jinxed the Spurs, I'd never get to see a game with those guys again! In any case, it should be a fun two months of playoffs in both leagues and a great nightly diversion to the daily adventures of our world! 

Read on for links and clip of the week...

Max Perilstein is chief marketing officer for Vitro Architectural Products, Memphis. Write him at mperilstein@vitro.com.

The opinions expressed here are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Glass Association, Glass Magazine editors, or other glassblog contributors.