jchase's blog

My local public school system’s reaction to the horrific events of December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Conn., has been swift. Within days of the shooting, I received letters from both of my children’s schools stating that new security procedures had been put in place. Within weeks of the shooting, a new security system had been installed at both buildings. While on December 13, 2012, I could enter my child’s elementary school at any time of day, as of January 2013, I had to show identification before being buzzed in a front door that remained locked at all times. Discussions are currently underway as to how the school district can further secure its buildings, and similar conversations are taking place across the country.

“School districts are concerned about safety after the Sandy Hook shootings, and as a result, there is more emphasis on security strategies to keep children safe in case of an attack,” says Valerie Block, senior marketing specialist for DuPont. “Upgrading windows and doors with security glazing is being considered by a number of school districts, along with surveillance and alarm equipment, staff education and training, and emergency response procedures.”

S. 146, the School and Campus Safety Enhancements Act of 2013 is currently on the Senate calendar for review. Introduced in January 2013 by Sen. Barbara Boxer, the act “would authorize the appropriation of $40 million annually over the 2014-2023 period for the Department of Justice to make grants to state, local and tribal governments to improve security at elementary and secondary schools. Grants could be used to install metal detectors and surveillance equipment, train school personnel and students, and carry out other safety measures.”

For our part, “there may be one thing we in the American fenestration industry can do after the terrible event in Newtown, Conn., and the many irrational, violent shootings and bombings we’ve all witnessed over the past decades in this country,” says blogger Rod Van Buskirk. “As building product and construction professionals, we can offer greater safety by educating design professionals, building owners and public officials about threat-resistant products and design techniques.”

The “Architects’ Guide to Protective Glazing” is designed to further that education. It contains information on the security glazing products available—from ballistic glazing to fire-rated glass—including specifications, applications and product options.

Architecture will continue to play a role in securing our schools, whether in the form of new or retrofitted facilities. As Van Buskirk points out, educating the design community about security glazing products and applications is “obviously not the only step we need to take to improve public safety, but it is one step.”

Chase is editorial director of Glass Magazine, GlassMagazine.com, e-glass weekly and e-glass products. Write her at jchase@glass.org.

Time is running out to nominate your best product, project or employee for the 2013 Glass Magazine Awards, with the deadline to submit nominations coming up next Tuesday, April 16.

This year marks the return of the Best Installer, Best Sales Rep, Best Project Manager and Best Production Supervisor awards. To view candidate criteria and submit a nomination, click here. And remember, after determining the finalists in each people-centric category, the editors of Glass Magazine will open voting up to the industry on GlassMagazine.com, where winners will be determined by popular vote. Thousands of glass industry members voted last year, and we're hoping for even more participation in 2013.

In the most innovative product and project categories, Glass Magazine Awards will be given for the following:

• Most innovative curtain-wall project
• Most innovative curtain-wall product
• Most innovative storefront/entrance project
• Most innovative decorative glass project: commercial interior
• Most innovative decorative glass project: commercial exterior
• Most innovative decorative glass project: residential
• Most innovative decorative glass product
• Most innovative energy efficient glass project
• Most innovative energy efficient glass product
• Most innovative hardware
• Most innovative bath enclosure project
• Most innovative machinery/equipment 
• Most innovative commercial window
• Most innovative website
• Most innovative software

More information about the 2013 product and project categories―in addition to instructions for submitting nominations―is available here. 

Chase is editorial director of Glass Magazine, GlassMagazine.com, and e-glass weekly. Write her at jchase@glass.org.

One of the things I value most about working in the glass industry is its sense of community. Even though we are an industry of thousands, we are a tight knit group. When a glass company fails, we all feel it. When a groundbreaking product is introduced, we all get excited about its potential. And when a member of our industry is injured or killed on the job, we all mourn. My prayers and condolences go out to the family, friends and coworkers of the employee at Insulpane of Connecticut and Orchard Glass Distributors in Hamden, Conn., who was killed last week on the job.

Chase is editorial director of Glass Magazine, e-glass weekly and GlassMagazine.com. Write her at jchase@glass.org.

According to glassblog contributor Rod Van Buskirk, there are a few contract glaziers in every market that don't follow the rules. In an effort to cut costs, they might install improper product, underpay their employees, or disregard their union expenses. And with so many building owners focused on the bottom line, these companies sometimes win the job over their honest, quality, possibly higher-priced competitors.

Apparently, this is also true in the fabrication side of the business, where 48 percent of this year's Top Glass Fabricators said competing against low-quality companies would be their biggest challenge in 2013.

So how do you, as a high quality company, compete? How do you set yourself apart from competitors that rely on cutting corners to guarantee the lowest bid? And how does the extra effort affect your margins? As an industry, we're all looking for solutions to this problem. What is yours? 

Chase is editorial director of Glass Magazine. Write her at jchase@glass.org.

In each issue of Glass Magazine, we ask three executives representing the commercial, retail and fabrication segments of the market to answer a question of importance to the glass and metals industry as a whole. Now, it's your turn to ask the question.

Our G3 series of articles addresses everything from product trends, to market conditions, to customer demands, to personnel issues. And as we move into 2013, I'd like to hear what questions you have for  industry peers. Below are links to some of the topics we covered in 2012. If you have suggestions for future topics, please email me or post a comment below, and I'll do my best to get your questions answered.

What are end users asking for in terms of products and services?

What are the most challenging, and rewarding, aspects of custom projects?

How does your company use social media to connect with customers?

What are the most common glass and glazing products that are value engineered out of a project? What can you do to ensure this doesn't happen?

Chase is editorial director of Glass Magazine, GlassMagazine.com and e-glass weekly. Write her at jchase@glass.org.

Looking at the year ahead, industry executives say the promotion and sale of energy efficient glass and metal products will remain critical to growth, both on the company and industry level. Nearly 60 percent of respondents to this year's Top Glass Fabricators survey say energy efficient products offer the most sales potential in the coming year, and glass and metal manufacturers see opportunity in the product segment as well.

"I’m bullish in 2013 on energy solutions,” says Scott Thomsen, president, Flat Glass Group, Guardian Industries. "Four years ago, [approximately] 1.65 billion square feet of commercial space was completed. Since then, that number has dropped down to [about] 650 million square feet. So, today you have more people fighting over a smaller pie, and the best way to increase your margins is to increase the value proposition of the products you sell.

"We were also very close to ASHRAE lowering the window-to-wall ratio," Thomsen points out. "I think for the first time there is full recognition at all levels of the value chain that we need to either improve the energy efficiency of the glazing or face less glazing,” he says.

Kelly Schuller, president, Viracon, says one of the biggest challenges facing the industry going forward involves educating customers about “value-added fabricated glass features that allow for high window-to-wall ratios.”

Developing energy efficient solutions and communicating their benefits to customers will be paramount in 2013, agrees Mike Turner, vice president of marketing for YKK AP America. “It is each company's responsibility to convey a clear value proposition and premium service to create demand,” he says.

The question is not whether or not the need for energy efficient products exists, or whether our industry is capable of providing them. The real challenge lies in our ability to effectively show the building community the value proposition they offer. Agreed?

Chase is editorial director of Glass Magazine, e-glass weekly and GlassMagazine.com. Write her at jchase@glass.org.

In an upcoming opinion piece in the January/February issue of Glass Magazine, economist Jeff Dietrich discusses the recent fiscal cliff deal and its effects on the economy. A familiar face at GlassBuild America, the senior analyst at ITR Economics knows our industry. His forecasts seem to always be right on the money. So that said, I will leave it to him to explain the ins and outs of the fiscal cliff deal and what it means for our country. For now, however, I had to share an analogy he references that compares the U.S. government's fiscal issues in terms of the family budget. 

Fiscal Cliff Simplified

• U.S. Tax revenue: $2,680,000,000,000
• Fed budget: $3,760,000,000,000
• New debt: $1,080,000,000,000
• National debt: $16,066,000,000,000
• Annual sequestration cuts: $ 109,000,000,000

Now, pretend it’s a household budget

• Annual family income: $26,800
• Money the family spent: $37,600
• New debt on the credit card: $10,800
• Outstanding credit card balance: $160,066
• Total budget cuts so far: $109.00

Possible solutions: 1) Ask family members to invest in your future. 2) Believe that a 2 percent raise next year will solve everything.  3) Apply for more credit cards.

I'm neither an economist nor a politician, so I'm not taking sides on the issue. But if you'd like to weigh in on how the fiscal cliff deal will effect your business in 2013, feel free to comment below.

Chase is editorial director of Glass Magazine, GlassMagazine.com and e-glass weekly. Write her at jchase@glass.org.

Following several years of change and consolidation in the glass fabrication business, Glass Magazine published the Top Glass Fabricators list in December 2011, identifying leading companies in that market segment. We are working now to update this annual list for the January/February 2013 issue. I have received many submissions ahead of the December 10 deadline, and the results have been encouraging. So far, an overwhelming majority of companies have reported that sales are headed in the right direction, with sales volumes increasing in 2011 over the previous year. Looking ahead, the majority of fabricators are also reporting that they anticipate adding product lines as part of their future expansion plans.

While these survey results are preliminary, I say "so far, so good." To make sure your company is included in the Top Glass Fabricator rankings, please fill out the survey by December 10. If you need a copy, please email me and I will send the survey to you ASAP. And to those of you who have already participated, thank you. As is the case for all the industry leader lists we publish, we aim to provide benchmarks for the industry, and these markers are always a reflection of each company’s participation. 

Chase is editorial director of Glass Magazine, GlassMagazine.com and e-glass weekly. Write her at jchase@glass.org.

You turn to your spouse while having a romantic dinner out and say, “You know what would make a good commercial for interior glass doors?”

And yes, this did actually happen. My husband and I were seated near a private dining area in a local restaurant that was sectioned off by sliding glass doors. A little boy who looked to be about six years old was effortlessly sliding the doors open and closed. I thought to myself, what a great way to show how aesthetically pleasing, functional and easy-to-use glass interior doors can be. Am I right?

You visit the art museum and are most excited about the exhibit on airport design and the use of glass curtain walls.

On a recent trip to Denver, my family and I decided to tour the Denver Art Museum, where they had a temporary exhibition taking visitors through six airports designed by Curtis Fentress. I was excited to see that a significant portion of the Sea-Tac (Seattle) International Airport and Denver International Airport exhibits were dedicated to the buildings’ curtain-wall designs. In addition to photographs and models, the exhibits included the hardware used to create the point-supported glass curtain wall in Seattle … displayed as a work of art!

You come up for air after lap 10 at your gym’s pool and take note of what company made the entrance doors to the hot tub area.

Granted, this could be attributable to not being in shape and using any excuse to stop swimming for a moment. But still, I took notice. U.S. Aluminum was the manufacturer.

You get stuck in traffic near the Colorado Convention Center and make your entire family (including the children under age 6) listen to the type of glass it features.

By the way, this happened on the way to the art museum, so it was a banner day for geeking out about glass. The Colorado Convention Center will host the AIA 2013 National Convention, a fact that I shared with my family, along with the details of two curtain-wall facades that use Viracon VE-2M insulating glass in their design.

I know I'm not alone here, or at least I hope I'm not. If you have a "glass geek" story to share, please do!

Chase is editorial director of Glass Magazine, GlassMagazine.com and e-glass weekly. Write her at jchase@glass.org.

As I head to Las Vegas this week, I'm looking forward to seeing everyone on the GlassBuild America show floor. As well as I've gotten to know many of you on the phone or via email, nothing beats seeing each other in person. So, if you're in Las Vegas, please stop by Glass Magazine booth #1277 to say hi. From the welcome reception to the Glazing Executives Forum, this year’s show offers several networking opportunities that we can all use to get to know each other better. 

And speaking of getting to know each other better, I want to thank all of you who participated in the Glass Magazine Awards online voting program to determine the winners in the best installer, production supervisor, project manager and sales representative categories. Voter response was fantastic, and my hope is that this new people-centric program will continue to spotlight our industry’s best people in the years to come.

For those of you I won't see in Las Vegas, stay tuned to GlassMagazine.com this week for live coverage of the GlassBuild America trade show in the form of blogs, videos, photo galleries and more.