From the fabricator: Working through the dog days of summer

News of big price increases hit the industry the last few weeks. There’s no question that costs have gone up on everything, not only in our industry, but in our lives as a whole. Whether it’s groceries or building supplies, the cost to produce, handle and ship has been rising pretty consistently in recent times. In most industries, a price increase is what it is; but in this one, nothing is easy or as it seems. Will this be an increase that sticks, or will this just be another footnote in our crazy past of handling costs? There’s a ton of dynamics at play here, and it sure will be something to watch.

Elsewhere….

• The Olympics kicked off this past Friday and I had two main thoughts:The lack of a moment of silence for the athletes murdered in 1972 continues to be a major stain on the Olympic movement. While small and private memorials have been held, the Olympic organizers absolutely refuse to recognize or honor the victims of that heinous time on a legitimate, world stage. So my message to the organizers: keep avoiding facing it head on and the drumbeat for the need to honor the victims will just keep growing. Why doing the right thing is so hard here is beyond me. Also beyond me, most of that opening ceremony! Weird and bizarre are two words that sum up most of it. Plus, who woulda thunk The Pet Shop Boys would have a song played during an Olympic opening… crazy.
• Congrats to the National Glass Association for an Olympic-sized victory this week. The NGA was one of the groups behind the HR 4078 legislation that will streamline the time-consuming permitting process, bring transparency to rules issued by agencies as a result of an out-of-court agreement, and prohibit agencies from issuing a cascade of regulations when a change of administration occurs. Basically, this bill reduces the massive red tape that small business owners have to face when building their business. Nice to see the National Glass Association really getting into it, and let’s hope the Senate now does the right thing and continues this momentum.
• The update on GlassBuild America: Tuesday, July 31, is the last day for the awesome rates at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel. So jump off this blog now by clicking here, and book before the rates go up. The actual hotel block is still available through August 21, but you know you’re going to the show, so why wait? Book now!
• Last this week... a good friend of mine called me this week and took me to task about my blog. It’s boring and the same stuff over and over again he excitedly told me. He mentioned that he still reads it weekly but it's just not cutting it lately. I heard him out and agreed with a lot of it, as this summer has been very slow for news and opinion, and it does seem like some subjects have been more prominent than others. We are in the dog days, and I have found myself caught up in it. In any case, I am aware of it and will keep grinding along to try to bring you the blog you expect and have been supporting since 2005. I appreciate everyone who reads, comments, e-mails, etc., so keep it coming.

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

The author is founder of Sole Source Consultants, a consulting firm for the building products industry that specializes in marketing, branding, communication strategy and overall reputation management, as well as website and social media, and codes and specifications. E-mail him at MaxP@SoleSourceConsultants.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.