Is continued consolidation the future of the door and window industry? Given the latest high-profile deal — the merger of Ply Gem and NCI — it certainly seems to be. “The mega deal is the order of the day in building products right now,” said Michael Collins, an investment banker and a partner in Building […]

When it comes to dealers in the door and window industry, a great many are family-owned businesses. Those tight-knit connections can help companies experience the kind of rapid growth that DWM recognizes each year in our Fastest-Growing Dealers feature, which will appear in the upcoming June-July issue. The Woodshed of Colorado Springs epitomizes those deep […]

The Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1, and that means door and window manufacturers and dealers are preparing for what could be another busy few months in coastal areas. But it might not be as hectic as initial predictions indicated. Last week, The Weather Channel updated its forecast for the 2018 season. The network […]

The news this week was not ideal for window installers — or for some people in older homes who might need windows replaced. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the results of a mandatory two-year study on the economic impacts of the unpopular Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting rule (RRP). After looking at the evidence […]

Earlier this week, DWM founder and publisher Tara Taffera shared her thoughts on Fensterbau, the massive biennial trade show for the door and window industry that recently wrapped up in Nuremberg, Germany. Today, I’m cleaning out my notebook from the big event. Big attendance: According to show organizers, Fensterbau Frontale and Holz-Handwerk, a co-located event […]

Here we go again. You might have seen the news this week that the Energy Star program could be facing huge changes if the administration’s 2019 budget plan is approved as submitted. (Admittedly a huge if. As someone smarter than me once pointed out, this annual Washington tradition is a lot like sending a letter […]

The International Builders’ Show wrapped up last week in Orlando, Fla., but it’s still with me in one way – the blisters on my feet that have just begun to heal. It was my fourth trip to what’s dubbed the largest annual light-construction show in the world, and I think I broke a personal record […]

From a new administration in Washington that’s really shaken things up in the energy-efficiency realm to devastating hurricanes that tested the limits of impact products and building codes, 2017 was quite a year for the door and window industry. Some of the biggest changes came via the legislative and regulatory regime in D.C. The election of […]

Labor shortages. Workers who don’t last more than a week. Young people who aren’t interested in careers in the trades. If you’ve been paying attention to the door and window industry for the past few years, you’ve heard variations on these themes almost daily. The lack of skilled labor is a huge issue that affects […]

You know you’re deep in the weeds of what my blog colleague Jim Plavecsky calls “busy season” when you finally blog about a major event you attended three weeks ago. I’m talking about the 53rd annual World Millwork Alliance (WMA) convention and trade show, which took place earlier this month in Charlotte, N.C. It was […]