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 […]

As the midterm elections came to a close, I received countless direct mail pieces from various candidates. Because of my background in sales and marketing, I’ll admit, I looked at these campaign advertisements more closely than the “average” person. In the process, I noticed that many times I received the same piece more than once […]

I am proud to say that I have grown up in the door and window business. And as a result, during my nearly 30 years in the industry, I have seen a great deal of evolution. I have met and worked with some unique and terrific entrepreneurs – both in manufacturing capacities and from the […]

It’s been another busy year in the door and window industry, with legislation, company closings and more generating headlines. With that in mind, here are the stories that saw the most web traffic on DWM in 2017. 1. After Closure of B.F. Rich, What’s Next? In February, the sudden closure of window maker B.F. Rich […]

DWM blogger Mike Collins talked with fellow blogger Tyson Schwartz about Schwartz’s recent promotion to president of Soft-Lite Windows. Part I is running today; Look for Part II at the end of August. Fellow DWM blogger Tyson Schwartz was recently named president of Soft-Lite Windows. Schwartz’s 25-year climb from the sales ranks to the senior […]

Tyson Schwartz has been appointed the new president of Soft-Lite Windows in Streetsboro, Ohio. Jim Barreira, CEO of Soft-Lite’s parent company, Harvey Building Products, made the announcement on Friday. Schwartz had previously served as Soft-Lite’s chief sales and marketing officer. “Tyson has an incredible wealth of industry knowledge and is highly regarded in the window […]

Soft-Lite Windows, a sponsor of the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and McGruff the Crime Dog, now offers its dealers a program that allows them to become crime preventers in their own backyards. Dealers who join the sponsorship program will work with NCPC and Soft-Lite to educate consumers about home crime prevention strategies, particularly around […]

I have ‘talked’ about technology many times before, and I have to say that I am constantly playing with the new technology that comes out. I love working on my iPad or iPhone when I am mobile—I use many different apps to stay connected and organized. —Tyson Schwartz

With the Internet, email and now texting, customers now have “light speed” response expectations. Email has almost gotten too slow, and texting is taking over as a faster way to communicate. When a customer texts you, a prompt response is expected. But what has happened to the personal touch customers used to get? Has the […]

Since the “opt out” clause was eliminated from the Lead Remodeling Repair Paint (LRRP) regulations, there has been a tremendous amount of energy expended trying to get the clause put back into the regulations. When the “opt out” was first eliminated, I do not think anyone was absolutely certain what would happen to our industry. […]