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.”