As all of you know, part of my job is to travel to industry events to gain the pulse of the market and then share that with you our readers. What are the hot issues? What do door and window companies have to do to compete in an increasingly competitive marketplace? Well for the past [...]

“What?” may be your immediate reaction to the premise that Congress isn’t all bad. At a time when sequesters, fiscal cliffs and budgetary woes dominate the news, this is a pretty hard story to sell. Okay, I’m not really selling it, I am just presenting a different view—one relayed to me, and other attendees of [...]

This week I am attending the annual meeting of the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) and one of the key themes was innovation. For the full presentations on this topic click here but here are some additional observations.When Robert Tucker encouraged companies to focus on innovative products and systems he reminded them to not stop [...]

It’s time for my annual observations from the International Builders’ Show—things you may not find in our videos or print coverage. What did you see or hear at the show that was interesting? Let us know your best of IBS. Best quote regarding state of the market:  “Our sales will be up 25 percent this [...]

Sometimes a company name is creative and different, sometimes it gets right to the point and others it’s a combination of both. For example, Ace Hardware’s name tells you what it sells, and Build a Bear is a creative name for what kids can do at that retail location. Here at DWM, we want to [...]

Just in case anyone has noticed, because I know you are all avid readers of my blog, it has been awhile since I posted. In fact, my last blog was written the week that one of our editors Penny Stacey went on maternity leave. And guess what, she is back so now I have some [...]

I am sure that headline pulled you into my blog but you may have to be an avid reader of my entries to get the full picture. What did I fall in love with again? A new door. Yes another and that may have my husband none too happy. I have been covering the door [...]

I have attended door and window industry trade shows and meetings for almost 15 years now, and it’s nice to see when associations that have been hosting trade shows for decades (48 in the case of the Association of Millwork Distributors—AMD), mix it up so to speak. Roundtable discussions have been a great marketing tool [...]

GlassBuild is full of products and presentations but the best part is always the people. It’s a great chance to see and catch up with some of the people you get to work with all year, and make some new friends and colleagues. So here are my final thoughts on the show, the products and [...]

From a unique product idea to some great conversations, here goes my impressions from GlassBuild America day two. Best product: I saw a lot of innovative products today but I have to give the award to VEKA for its Solutions product—the “Sol,” standing for solar. The window includes a solar collector that harnesses the sun [...]