One of the greatest things about this industry is the people. You really do form relationships that quickly turn into friendships, as many of you know. Yes, we are industry colleagues first, but sometimes the lines are quickly blurred and you can’t help but call a particular colleague a friend. They ask about your kids, […]

Yes,that headline is a little cheesy, but if you have been to this door and window trade show held every two years in Germany, you undoubtedly agree. Here are just a few of the interesting takeaways from my trip here, my third so far. The forward thinkers are paying attention. One of the many CEOs […]

The comments from a Generation X or Baby Boomer manager that could reside anywhere in America go a little like this. “I can’t deal with these darn millennials. They are lazy. They are entitled. I can’t communicate with them.” But Dustin Anderson, president of Anderson Glass in Waco, Texas—and the man who serves as the […]

The saying “nobody likes change” really is true. Most people hate it and some will do everything in their power to fight against it. But as I sat in an industry seminar last week at the WinDoor trade show in Canada, I realized “adapt” is a better word. It’s much less scary — and it […]

Has the green movement run its course? About ten years ago, companies were clamoring to highlight their latest environmentally friendly products. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) launched its Greenbuild Conference and Expo 16 years ago, and the show enjoyed tremendous growth in the years leading up to the recession. You might say green has […]

I was editing a column for one of DWM’s sister publications about how you can’t teach passion. It immediately made me think of a presentation I heard in August on grit by Angela Duckworth, who penned the best seller Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. While the column I read says you can’t teach […]

This was definitely a different show thanks to Hurricane Irma, but GlassBuild 2017 in Atlanta was still a great venue to talk to both suppliers and window and door manufacturers about the state of the industry. Here are some of my key takeaways/observations: Doors are booming: The big news at the Roto booth was a […]

Before I start this new blog series, let me say that I wrote this one, and attended this conference, before the events that happened in Charlottesville, Va. So while I found one particular session incredibly relevant, a mere one week later, it became even more so. The event I am referring to is the two-day […]

DWM is wrapping up its nominations this week for our feature article in our upcoming June-July issue on the fastest–growing dealers. We started this list in 2013, and since then we’ve featured 24 companies that were on the fast track to growth. That doesn’t count the five that will be featured this year. What makes […]

Ah, the age-old question: “What keeps you up?” You hear it a lot, but last week while attending the meeting of the Moulding and Millwork Producers Association (MMPA), a speaker stopped mid-session to get feedback. As always, the answers were insightful. Here are a few of them: “The U.S dollar.” “The softwood trade agreement.” “With […]