FromThePublisher_DWM

Volume 13, Issue 2 - March 2012

From The Publisher

Be Ahead of Your Time
by tara taffera
ttaffera@glass.com

People around the age of 50 will tell you, “all this stuff about going green was all the buzz back in the 70s.” So were the “green innovators” back then ahead of their time? When talking to a few industry folks recently it seems many of them were ahead of their time.

Joseph Piglicampo, president of Joseph Machine Co., told me, “My mind is 20 years ahead. Sometimes that’s not good because you are too far ahead and your customers aren’t ready for it.” (see article on page 26).

In the software article on page eight, guest columnist Nick Carter, president of WoodWare Systems, tells the story of AT&T talking about a cloud-based environment back in the 80s. “The concept of ‘Cloud’ computing has been around for quite some time. It was a great idea, just slightly ahead of its time and the required infrastructure,” said Carter.

These individuals (Pigliacampo), companies (AT&T) and concepts (green) may have been ahead of their time, but the great companies, ideas and visionaries usually are.

So I encourage you to think ahead. In his column on page six, Michael Collins talks about how many companies shy away from innovation in this market. I encourage you to embrace it.

Yes, I know times are tough but I also encourage you to not stay complacent. In the article on page 38, Ed Kalaher, president of Clear Choice Windows, says, “For the industry, I think flat will be awesome and I think flat will absolutely happen. Everybody will be fine with flat.”

Everyone but Kalaher that is. He goes on to say, “I expect explosive growth and that’s not a wish list.”

This is due to the many things the company is tackling from its small office in Canfield, Ohio. From social media to video commercials to simply growing an online presence, all of this, he says, will help with that growth.

So I encourage you to look at these trail blazers and figure out for you and your company how you can be a leader. Some say flat is the new up but I’m with Kalaher: why settle for flat?

This Just In
Be sure to see page 20 for the news from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that it settled with five window companies regarding deceptive energy efficiency and cost claims. It seems the FTC may be trying to send a message to the window industry.

DWM started following this story several years ago and informed readers to pay attention to the FTC’s Green Guides to Environmental Marketing Claims. That was back in 2010, and the commission has proven that window companies cannot make claims that may mislead the consumer. But I also want to point out that I know four of the five companies fairly well and these are organizations that I think many would describe as upstanding ones. A representative of the FTC even told The Washington Post, “We don’t regard [the companies] in these cases as bad companies, and these windows are not necessarily bad windows. Our concern was that they overstated the extent to which those windows can save energy or money.”

Take some time to look at your marketing materials and make sure they fall within FTC’s parameters and that they are not misleading—whether it’s intentional or not.