I recently returned from the Home Improvement Profitability Summit hosted by Dave Yoho Associates, a sales summit targeted towards the home improvement industry. The audience, which ranged from owners to sales representatives and other personnel received rapid-fire information from all angles for three days. I came away with dozens of insights for companies that have […]

Well, dear readers, it’s almost November, and what a strange ride it’s been since we commenced this COVID-induced journey in March 2020. Journey/nightmare … whatever you want to call it—both words apply. Yes, sales are up—way up, but along with that comes supply chain nightmares, logistical challenges, and a non-existent labor pool, the likes of […]

If you have attended any keynote speaker address in recent years you have probably heard some version of the phrase, “nobody likes change.” Many industries are reluctant to change and I think you could argue that this is particularly true on the distribution side of mouldings and millwork. The sometimes “old-school mentality” is one that’s […]

The employees at Quanex Building Products will never forget the importance of safety. Partly because it’s built into their culture, but also because they lost employee Tim Harris several years ago who was killed when visiting a window plant. Mike Burk will never forget either. Partly, because he has devoted much of his career to […]

“You make stuff better.” “It’s a sacred trust.” “Do you leave things better than you found them?” “Character in action.” What are these statements from keynote speaker Jim Hunter referring to? They are all qualities of a servant leader, a topic Hunter covered during his keynote address to members of the Fenestration and Glazing Industry […]

It’s been a long time since I have done one of my annual trade show lists, but my time at the International Builders’ Show (IBS) this week has given me plenty of fodder for blogging. So, after three days of viewing dozens of trade show booths related to doors and windows, here are the major […]

It’s not often I would give a particular plug for a company but I just can’t help myself this time. So this will be a relatively short blog, but I just wanted to say kudos to MI Windows and Doors for hosting a recent “signing day,” and for participating in a local co-op program. You […]

It is one thing to know about a company’s history, to have had many conversations with the management team, and quite another to see the operation up close. When traveling to Florida this month, I had some time to make a stop at NewSouth Window Solutions in Tampa. The company, which makes and sells its […]

I may have talked about this before in my blog, but the need to educate students about joining the trades as a viable career path is one worth mentioning again. I serve as the publisher of this magazine, and as the editorial director for four others, all of which serve the trades. From door and […]

When you have the opportunity to talk with someone who’s been in the glass business for 43 years—who, along with his company, has survived and thrived after the most recent recession? Well, you take it. Jordan Scott, assistant editor for DWM’s sister publication, USGlass, had such an opportunity, when she interviewed Richard Beuke, president of […]