Saturday, August 24, 2013

Glass Industry Fantasy Team

Way back in 2007 I did a list that recognized the “stars” of
our industry and because of the timing I compared them to current Fantasy Football
stars to have fun and drive home the points.
I loved the way that turned out
especially because the timing right before GlassBuild and being able to see all
of these fine folks. So after 6 years,
its time for a new list! Now of the
original list (you can see here) all of the stars are still active in our
industry except Christine Shaffer and Scott Surma. Those two moved on to great opportunities and
we as an industry do miss them tremendously.
Also I wanted to name like 30 people but I had to settle for 6 like the
last time. So I know I am missing some
great ones and I am sorry… anyway here goes…

James Wright, Glass
Coatings and Concepts = Adrian Peterson.
Peterson’s nickname is “All Day” and it’s because he’s virtually
non-stop action. Well so is James, who
is an absolute rising star in this industry and an active participant in many
positive efforts. Plus the work he is
doing with GCC is strong, sharp, and impressive.

Mike Turner, YKK-AP
= Robert Griffin III. Like the dynamic
RGIII, Mike is a serious double threat, a tremendous marketer that also truly
is a technical powerhouse. Crazy
combination but Mike pulls it off with ease.
Plus his team (Company) around him surely puts him in some great spots
to score. (See interview below with
Oliver Stepe from YKK)

Alysa Hoffmeister,
Dip Tech = Arian Foster. Ever since
Foster burst on to the scene he has been outstanding and clutch. Same with Alysa has she has been a
significant part of the incredible growth of digital printing on glass thanks
to her efforts and her companies machinery.
It is not easy developing new markets and getting major pieces into
place, but Alysa has done so with same effectiveness as Foster carrying the
ball over the goal line.

Chris Dolan, Guardian
= Calvin “Megatron” Johnson. I have
known Chris for many years and have seen the growth and progression of the
products under his leadership. Like Johnson
making a tough catch in double coverage, Chris has had to launch and grow products
in the most challenging of eras and has done it very well. Plus any time I can attach a wild nickname
like “Megatron” on to a professional guy like Chris, I gotta do it!

Jon Kimberlain, Dow
Corning = Marshawn Lynch. Lynch is
known to go into “Beast Mode” and take over a game. Well with Jon’s intelligence and drive, I
think he’s in “Beast Mode” 24/7. Not
only is Jon an amazing source for product knowledge and direction but also he’s
now taking on major roles in our industry for which I believe he will do quite
well.

Chris Mammen, M3
Glass Technologies = Peyton Manning.
Manning is that guy that has now proven he can succeed anywhere while
directing a high-octane offense with ease.
Chris is similar in that his company has succeeded at every level and
their product line really could be considered “high octane” for sure. Unlike Manning who only has a few years left,
we’ll see Chris in our world for a very long time and that is a very good
thing.

So there it is… as always tough leaving folks off, but I
think these 6 represent what is right with our industry. They respect and push for their companies,
they volunteer for the industry and they are extremely talented. Congrats to them all!

Elsewhere

-- Last week I had a contest to win a free corporate video and
the winner chosen at random was William Bailes of Bailes Glass. Thank you William for signing up and thanks
to everyone who registered this week as well.
The numbers were amazing and GlassBuild is really looking strong. If you have not made plans, better get
moving, and realize if you have not signed up, you do not want to miss this
event!

-- Last this week… One part of the GlassBuild America world is
the Glazing Executives Forum, and I caught up with the gold sponsor of the
Forum, Oliver Stepe of YKK. Below is
just one question I had asked him as a part of promotional piece we are doing
(the rest can be seen on The Road to GlassBuild later this week) and I wanted
to share so you could get a feel for why I am so fired up on the show and
industry support. Thank you to YKK as
well as the other sponsors- SAPA, PPG, Hartung Glass, Dow Corning, and NSG for
their support!

Thank you for being
the lead sponsor of the Glazing Executives Forum at GlassBuild America. YKK has been a very active participant in
many industry related events, why is it so important for you to be such a great
industry partner?

The YKK Cycle of
Goodness philosophy is rooted in engagement with local communities and industry
in which we conduct business, so YKK AP America’s support of glass industry
education and events is consistent with our long-standing core values. As the
industry entered and endured various phases of the financial crisis and support
for industry organizations and event’s was challenged, it became apparent that
we needed to play a bigger role. It was at that time we stepped up and began
sponsoring GEF. We feel that industry events such as GEF and others are vital
for the continuing education of the industry community and necessary to assure
that industry members remain current with evolving building technologies. If we
and others like us can play a small role in assuring that façades remain
relevant in the built environment by supporting industry events and
initiatives, then it is the calling of us all to do so.

A new all sports channel made its debut last week with Fox
Sports 1. The new anchors of the show
come by way of TSN in Canada and I like their quirky humor. You know since I love everything Canadian and
all. Anyway here’s the best of their
first week on the air.