I had the opportunity to visit GlassBuild this past week and the show didn’t disappoint from many perspectives. From talking with exhibitors to walking the show, it seemed to me that traffic was steady.  As you would expect, there was a lot of interest in new and innovative machines, hardware and products.

It was fantastic to see all of the many exhibitors as the show has done a really great job of making this an ideal event for attendees. It’s interesting to see all of the new equipment on the market today. From seamless welders to new glass lines, our industry has really evolved from ‘swiggle’ and single-point welders.

Having been in the industry for close to 30 years now, it’s always great to see some familiar faces. I have often said that we are in the “biggest smallest” industry. What I mean by that is, building products is one of the largest economic segments in our country, yet the people that get into this industry never seem to leave. People may change companies, but we all seem to love and thrive in this field.

Finally, I have had the opportunity to attend most of the industry trade shows and during those rough economic times, including several years ago, optimism was non-existent. There weren’t as many people attending shows during those times and it was pretty doom and gloom. From walking this year’s show, I saw lots of traffic and, more importantly, a lot of optimism about the future. Many were talking about growth and expansion. This really bodes well for the future of the industry. I left the show excited about what the coming year will bring!

Great Selling!

–Ty