From the fabricator: I want to be a 'zero'

At one time, being a “zero” was a bad thing. You didn’t want to be a zero or hang out with people known as zeroes. And you surely didn’t want your house or building to be classified as a zero. Well, that is all changing. Based on current energy trends, being a zero not only will be cool, it will be the norm. This week, a report came out that predicted zero energy buildings--buildings that produce as much energy as they consume--will grow at a compound annual rate of 43 percent, with revenue from zero energy buildings reaching almost $690 billion by 2020 (yep that’s a “b”) and nearly $1.3 trillion by 2035 (and that’s a “t”). Folks, that is just exciting. And yes, I know these are world numbers and the initial push and growth will come in Europe, but I am confident we here in North America will be in the mix. Glass and glazing products obviously will be a part of that effort, and while some may be pricier than others, performance will finally be valued! Count me in as a "zero", and when I talk about these great products, keep in mind being a “zero” is their destiny.

Elsewhere…

• What a fun Super Bowl last week. I’m happy for Eli, the Giants and their fans. But I want to talk commercials and specifically one major company that really blew a golden opportunity. Budweiser just came out with a new beer called Bud Platinum. Great name. They had the FIRST ad of the Super Bowl. Great spot. And their ad was completely forgettable. Stunning, since Bud had created so many great campaigns over the years. The lesson here is even if your brand is popular and you did great things in the past, if you stumble on the big stage that is all forgotten.
• Loved the Clint Eastwood ad, though Clint could read the instructions to setting up a children’s toy and make it sound inspirational and intense.
• This past week was the International Builders Show in Orlando. It was the first one I have missed in many years. However, I heard from many who attended and even got pictures of the snazzy YKK booth to keep me in tune. I also heard about the hit of the show, the PPG Polar Bear. Bummed for sure that I missed being involved in that adventure. Rob Struble and team always know how to get the floor buzz. Overall, the reports were that the show was dramatically smaller than in the past, but traffic was solid and attitudes leaning positive. So, that’s good. I do think people need to attend events like this because if you don’t, you miss the products that will make your business survive and thrive.
• Congrats to Kerry Haglund and her team at the Center for Sustainable Building Research on their fantastic new website. This website is an insanely good tool, and the amount of information and detail is fantastic. The key of this site is the ability to provide people with the intelligence they need to build better buildings using material from our industry. Plus, I’d assume if you want to be a "zero", you’d need to be friendly with the info provided there. Well done Kerry!
• Last this week: more kudos. WA Wilson added two young talents to their sales staff in Josh Perilstein and Justin Benline. And yes, Josh is my nephew, so I am biased here. (He’s actually the Peyton Manning of his family; his brother Evan is really Eli-like.) Bias aside, Josh joins after a great stint with the quality folks at CRL and Justin from inside the office. It’s nice to see younger folks getting out there in our world. We need to keep growing our depth (Greg Carney has been pounding this theme for years) and getting that next generation active and involved. By the way, if you are a customer of either of these guys, don’t hold their connections to me against them!

Read on for links and video of the week...

The author is founder of Sole Source Consultants, a consulting firm for the building products industry that specializes in marketing, branding, communication strategy and overall reputation management, as well as website and social media, and codes and specifications. E-mail him at MaxP@SoleSourceConsultants.com.

The opinions expressed here are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Glass Association, Glass Magazine editors, or other glassblog contributors.