It feels like a risky time for pep talks. And who can fault anyone for wanting to hurl something at someone trying to shed any positive light in the current situation. But anyone who knows me will tell you I’m a pragmatic optimist. I can understand why some folks are reluctant to receive a pat […]

We’ll start today’s article with a couple of rhetorical questions: Do you want to get paid more for your window and door products? And do you want to do this every time you close a deal? Well, of course you do. As the effects of higher margins spill over into virtually every area of business, […]

Officials for Fortune Brands Home and Security (parent company to Therma-Tru Doors) released fourth-quarter results yesterday, including the company’s 2019 annual outlook. Fourth-quarter sales increased 3 percent year-over-year, with full-year sales ending 4 percent higher than 2017. Expectations for 2019 go against the flow of news in recent months regarding slower construction markets, but parallel […]

BAU 2019 is underway at the Messe München in Munich, Germany, this week, where glass industry companies are displaying their latest technologies. The six-day trade fair features 2,250 exhibitors from 45 countries, focusing on architecture, materials and systems for commercial, residential and interior construction. Amid the exhibitors on hand, Press Glass premiered its 3D Glass […]

A name like Cogliani is suited for carrying a multi-generational business. The sound rolls off of your tongue like something that could be hand-stenciled to the side of an antique work truck. And while—so far as he knows—no such truck exists, says Anthony (Nick) Cogliani, as of January 1, he’s the third generation leader for […]

As the calendar turns, so does executive leadership for some door and window companies in 2019—including both Huttig and Masonite. Huttig, a St. Louis-based distributor, recently announced through one of its regulatory (Securities and Exchange Commission) filings that Rebecca Kujawa will leave the company at the end of January. Kujawa concurrently served as Huttig’s general […]

Every company has a file labeled “eventually.” It’s the living quarters for institutional knowledge and ideas for improvement gathered along the way. When that file gets fat enough, or physical space precludes implementations, there comes a point at which it makes sense to relocate—to simply pack up the employees and move to an entirely new […]

All eyes are on the smartphone these days, and in more ways than one. Not only do we look to these devices for our day-to-day communications and info, but we also see them as sources for technological ideas among other products—including door locks. Auto maker Hyundai recently announced that it will implement fingerprint recognition as […]

From acquisitions to legal rulings, it’s been a year of big headlines for the door and window industries. Join us in the year’s final hours, as we look back at the top five stories with the most web traffic. #5: Levins are ‘Thrilled” to Join Harvey Building Products Family On November 9, Harvey Building Products […]

I just wrapped up my first day of exploring the 2017 Builders’ Show in Orlando.  To those of us (myself included) that were predicting the ‘Death of the Trade Show,’ Mark Twain and I are here to say, ‘those reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated.’  There was very solid traffic on the first […]