Everybody is talking about the upcoming regulations that will take place for window installations in houses built prior to 1978. The new regulations are designed to protect pregnant women and children from the hazards of airborne lead particles that may arise from disturbing painted surfaces during the process of window installation. The fear is that [...]

When I saw the Colts jump out to a quick 10-0 lead last night, I thought maybe this was going to be one of those Super Bowls that I end up watching just to see the Super Bowl commercials. However, much to my pleasant surprise, it wasn’t. Not only was it a great Super Bowl, [...]

Well, 2010 is upon us, and this is the year that ENERGY STAR will start shining brighter. I say this because it will mean so much more! Starting July 1 of this year, the DOE requirement for insulating glass certification will go into effect as a prerequisite for ENERGY STAR labeling of windows, doors and [...]

Christmas and the holidays are fast approaching and the USPS is running feverishly to deliver the approximate 1.9 billion Christmas and Season’s Greetings cards that are sent out this time each year in the USA. That’s right … the number is 1.9 billion, and the expense is roughly the same number of dollars if you [...]

Well, that time of the year is here when CEO’s are finalizing sales forecasts and operational budgets for 2010. While in the process of making sales calls, I always like to get a read on what business owners see happening in 2010. In years past, most of these executives have had a fairly clear vision [...]

Just when you thought it was safe to decide how to manufacture a window, new legislation proposals are in the air to once again stir things up in the door and window industry.Earlier this year, the industry was stunned when literally over night, legislation was put into place bypassing the existing ENERGY STAR requirements with [...]

The Glassbuild show is rapidly approaching and I have been calling all of my customers and potential customers to see who is going and who is not. Some are saying that they are staying home this year because the economy is still bad, and they simply cannot see spending the money to travel to Atlanta. [...]

The fenestration industry was very saddened last week to hear of the passing of Peter Lisec. I first met Peter in 1986 at the Glasstec show in Dusseldorf. This was my first year in the fenestration industry, and I remember how impressed I was with his machinery designs, which fully leveraged the advantages of automated [...]

Great news! Most economists are calling for an end to the recession this quarter. Some are predicting what they call a “V-shaped” recovery (a quick and sharp rebound), while others are calling for a “W-shaped recovery,” with a second downturn in the near future brought on by what they say are inevitable tax hikes. However, [...]

States are drowning in stimulus money to weatherize homes. They have so much money that is mandated by the stimulus bill, that they don’t know what to do with all of it. The amount of federal money earmarked for weatherization of homes is ten times what was originally planned by Congress this year and 20 [...]