BEC Packs a Powerful Punch

At right: BEC chairperson Henry Taylor of Kawneer welcomes attendees to the BEC Sunday morning.

What was for the first few days faux French chic is now just French schtick as the Paris theme has begun to wear on me. I think it’s the fact that the hotel feels if you put a “le” in front of it, that makes it French. As I made my way to “Le center de convention”, I passed “Le Buffet”. No wonder the French hate us. Look what we’ve done to them.

Anyway, Day Two of the Building Envelop Contractors (BEC) Conference packed a powerful punch. More than 400 people turned up at 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning in Vegas to hear Vitro’s Hugo Lara’s keynote speech. And those same 400+ people were still there at 4:30 p.m. after only two short breaks and a working lunch. It was intense.

We will have extensive coverage on usgnn.com™ and in USGlass magazine in the coming weeks, but let me just give you the highlights. Except in this case, the highlights are more lowlights. Specifically (and with apologies to the French):

1. Le Attack: The glass industry is under attack from a whole variety of separate arenas: energy reduction advocates, government and regulatory agencies, code organizations and green advocates. Each presents separate challenges to the industry but all are communicating a “glass is an energy-hog” message that’s resonating. We, as an industry, have to fix this.

2. Le Noveau Products: The day of the highly-energy efficient alternative glass product has arrived. Presentations about the various types of new variable transmittance glasses dominated the discussion yesterday afternoon. “Doesn’t matter whether you like it or not, this is the future,” said one attendee.

3. Le Economie: All I will say is that three separate speakers, each using different data each said a variation of the following sentence. “We will not return to 2007 levels of non residential building activity until 2014.”

Despite its intensity, the day moved quickly and to me, the real story was the people. At most events, people are up and down and in and out the sessions. Not this one. Everyone who came, came to learn and soaked up as much of the sessions as they could. If I had to bet on the companies that were going to survive until 2014, it would be the guys in this room.

Bon Voyage from Le Vegas.

Bon Jour from Glass Week

At right: GANA marketing chair Christine Shaffer of Viracon makes a point during the committee's meeting on Saturday morning.

Got out to Glass Week yesterday afternoon after a flight that actually went according to plan. The weather in Vegas was windy and cool yesterday but expected to be beautiful today through Tuesday. The annual golf tournament Monday afternoon will be a nice respite for all those who have toiled away inside for nearly a week in heavy committee meetings and work groups.

Glass Week is the all-encompassing name for a variety of events co-located during one seven day period. The Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance (IGMA)’s annual conference just ended (see related coverage at http://www.usgnn.com/) and the Building Envelop Contractors (BEC) conference begins later today. Sandwiched in the middle is a full GANA seminar program that’s taking place right now.

If Glass Week were a TV show, this year it would be called “Survivor.” Though the recession has hit the glass and metal industry particularly hard, it and GANA are still here and attendance levels are comparable to last year. “It’s been a challenging year but we have made adjustments and gotten through it,” said GANA executive vice president Bill Yanek.

“Outgoing president Mike Ondrus [of Glasstech] has done an amazing job in a difficult year,” he said. “Like the rest of the industry, GANA had to adjust and he has helped us through a challenging year.” Yanek presented Ondrus with the GANA President’s Award during the association’s formal dinner last evening.

“My father had a saying,” said incoming president Tom Crawford of Donisi Mirror Company. “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger. Well we, as an association, are stronger.” Crawford took over as president at last evening.

Among the newer, hotter topics at the conferences were the expanded efforts of the Fire-rated Glazing division, the new efforts to incorporate and service emerging technologies such as solar glazing and the integration of the Glazing Industry Code Committee (GICC) into the GANA structure.

GICC was formed nearly 20 years ago as antidote to the knock-down, drawn out fights different segments of the glass industry (i.e. temperers vs. laminators) traditionally had before the various code-setting bodies. The idea behind GICC was that it would become a place where the various segments of the industry could come to find consensus and compromise so the industry could instead go forward with a unified effort before the code groups. It had existed as a separate entity until recently and will now come under the auspices of GANA. Julie Schimmelpenningh is serving as temporary chair and the group has hired Thom Zaremba of Roetzel & Andress to serve as a code consultant to the committee.

As I write, GANA technical director Urmilla Sowell is updating the group about all the technical activities in which the association is involved. Urmilla reminds me why GANA is so important. It is all substance.
The events during Glass Week continue through Tuesday morning. The Paris Hotel in Vegas has been garnering good reviews as a venue. GANA marketing committee chair Christine Shaffer of Viracon reminded attendees of how well Las Vegas markets itself. “As you got off the plane, you saw posters for the various shows. At this hotel, you’ve been called “madam” or “monsieur”. It’s all part of marketing,” said Schaeffer who mentioned that the Paris Hotel markets itself as the “sexiest hotel in Vegas.”

The recession, alas, kept many spouses and significant others from attending this year, turning trip to the sexiest hotel in Vegas from an “oh la la” into a “no la la.”

Bon Jour from Glass Week

At right: Christine Shaffer of Viracon leads the marketing committee at Glass Week 2010.


Got out to Glass Week yesterday afternoon after a flight that actually went according to plan. The weather in Vegas was windy and cool yesterday but expected to be beautiful today through Tuesday. The annual golf tournament Monday afternoon will be a nice respite for all those who have toiled away inside for nearly a week in heavy committee meetings and work groups.

Glass Week is the all-encompassing name for a variety of events co-located during one seven day period. The Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance (IGMA)’s annual conference just ended (see related coverage at http://www.usgnn.com) and the Building Envelop Contractors (BEC) conference begins later today. Sandwiched in the middle is a full GANA seminar program that’s taking place right now.

If Glass Week were a TV show, this year it would be called “Survivor.” Though the recession has hit the glass and metal industry particularly hard, it and GANA are still here and attendance levels are comparable to last year. “It’s been a challenging year but we have made adjustments and gotten through it,” said GANA executive vice president Bill Yanek.

“Outgoing president Mike Ondrus [of PPG] has done an amazing job in a difficult year,” he said. “Like the rest of the industry, GANA had to adjust and he has helped us through a challenging year.” Yanek presented Ondrus with the GANA President’s Award during the association’s formal dinner last evening.

“My father had a saying,” said incoming president Tom Crawford of Donisi Mirror Company. “That which does not kill us, makes us stronger. Well we, as an association, are stronger.” Crawford took over as president at last evening.

Among the newer, hotter topics at the conferences were the expanded efforts of the Fire-rated Glazing division, the new efforts to incorporate and service emerging technologies such as solar glazing and the integration of the Glazing Industry Code Committee (GICC) into the GANA structure.

GICC was formed nearly 20 years ago as antidote to the knock-down, drawn out fights different segments of the glass industry (i.e. temperers vs. laminators) traditionally had before the various code-setting bodies. The idea behind GICC was that it would become a place where the various segments of the industry could come to find consensus and compromise so the industry could instead go forward with a unified effort before the code groups. It had existed as a separate entity until recently and will now come under the auspices of GANA. Julie Schimmelpenningh is serving as temporary chair and the group has hired Thom Zaremba of Roetzel & Andress to serve as a code consultant to the committee.

As I write, GANA technical director Urmilla Sowell is updating the group about all the technical activities in which the association is involved. Urmilla reminds me why GANA is so important. It is all substance.

The events during Glass Week continue through Tuesday morning. The Paris Hotel in Vegas has been garnering good reviews as a venue. GANA marketing committee chair Christine Shaffer of Viracon reminded attendees of how well Las Vegas markets itself. “As you got off the plane, you saw posters for the various shows. At this hotel, you’ve been called “madam” or “monsieur”. It’s all part of marketing,” said Schaeffer who mentioned that the Paris Hotel markets itself as the “sexiest hotel in Vegas.”

The recession, alas, kept many spouses and significant others from attending this year, turning a trip to the sexiest hotel in Vegas from an “oh la la” into a “no la la.”

Time to Act
It will be no surprise to anyone who works in the contract glazing industry that there are almost no projects out there on which to bid. I can’t find any companies building backlog; most are just eating through it. The stimulus plan, which was supposed to help the construction trades, has done a good job for highway and bridge contractors, but little for the commercial construction industry. The HOME STAR program, which was supposed to help the construction industry, has helped door and window manufacturers and other residential-based suppliers, but done little for the commercial construction industry. And yes, there’s supposed to be more money coming for healthcare and school construction, but those projects aren’t even being drawn yet, let alone gone out for bid.

We could be facing a situation in which great companies have projects on the books for 2011 and 2012 but little confidence that they are going to be around long enough to produce them.

Evidently our elected officials have been hearing some of this because a BUILDING STAR Energy Efficiency Rebate Act of 2010 has been introduced in Congress. The good news that it is designed to provide rebates to commercial building owners that make their buildings more energy-efficient. The bill would cover about 30 percent of the cost of installing energy efficient products and/or related services in commercial and multifamily residential buildings this year. The Associated General Contractors of America estimates that that the $6 billion in funding for the Building STAR program would bring $18 -$24 billion in total spending. The program is designed to work quickly and includes simplified application procedures for building owners.

The bad news is that the bill crafters really don’t understand how glass is installed in commercial buildings. As currently written the bill references only “windows” and does not include storefronts or curtainwall. The Glass Association of North America (GANA) has been spearheading proposed corrections to the bill. It estimates that, as now written, the bill will exclude as much as 70% of the total glazing area in existing commercial buildings. Further it addresses only whole assembly replacement as opposed to the most common methods of commercial glazing including retrofits.

Please visit http://www.usgnn.com/newsGANA20100312.htm for more information about the bill. If corrected, it has the potential to advance energy efficient buildings and help provide stimulus for the commercial glass industry. And, if you are so included, please make sure the position paper produced jointly by GANA, AAMA, AEC and NGA gets to the your elected officials quickly. With some education, this bill could be a great law. Without it, it could be an opportunity lost.