I was with an icon of the home improvement industry the other day. He has been in business for more than 40 years, and he has built, and continues to grow, a fantastic business. His company image has evolved, and he says that he gives back to the community more than he did in his [...]

There has been a lot written about the new apps for IPhones and smartphones, and I would say justifiably so. Consumers are driving businesses to become more creative with mobile technology.
One major area where I have noticed a change in technology is the Internet. People are accessing the web more with mobile devices now than [...]

The EPA just announced that the third party cleaning verification will not be added on to the LRRP rule. This is great news for an industry that continues to figure out ways to overcome the turbulent economy. There are many organizations that helped make this a reality. You all deserve to take a bow. It [...]

What’s that old saying? “Misery loves company.” There is certainly a lot of forecasts, comments and indications that window business has slowed down compared to the start of the year. I heard a comment from someone recently that said, “The first part of the year was just a tease.”
I will say this is certainly shaping [...]

The Northeast Window and Door Association (NWDA) held its annual Washington D.C. fly in last week. I had the opportunity of not only attending the event but leading several meetings with a handful of Pennsylvania Congressmen and their various staff members.
There were a few topics we discussed during each of the meetings. The first topic [...]

Our industry was just notified by the EPA that Window World of St. Louis has agreed to pay $19,529 as a civil penalty because they ‘failed to notify owners and occupants of at least 20 St. Louis area residential properties built before 1978 of lead-based paint risks prior to performing renovation work at these locations.’ [...]

I get the opportunity to travel around the country and learn the philosophies of many small business owners. I am both excited and relieved to say that the entrepreneurial spirit and creativity of small business owners are alive and well. The small business owner, in my opinion, really is the unsung hero of our recovering [...]

I thought I read something about parts of the country having some snow (sarcasm)! It has been an unbelievable and perhaps better put, an unbearable winter for most parts of the country. There are parts of the country where roofs are literally collapsing under the weight of massive snow. There were over a hundred cars [...]

At the end of this past year, I was speaking to the owner of a long-time remodeling company. We were discussing the new version of the tax credit, and the fact that it has been significantly altered from the 30 percent, up to $1500, that our industry has enjoyed for the past two years.
A quick [...]

It seems as if the door and window industry is heading for a record-setting fourth quarter. Just like last year, there definitely is strong sales momentum. There is an even greater sense of urgency and sense of responsibility among window manufacturers to get their products built in a timely manner for their respective dealers.
With the [...]