Window Film - 2007 - September/October

Volume 11, Issue 5 - September/October 2007

IWFA Update
Community and Communication

I’ve been contributing columns for nearly two years. In anticipation of each issue, I follow roughly the same “process.” The editor courteously e-mails me a reminder and a deadline; then I think about what you might like to read, ask colleagues if they agree … and I wait until the last possible moment to begin writing. (And I wonder where my kids get it from!) Only once have I failed to submit my story in time to be published, but I cut it pretty close every time.

This month I am going to do things differently. Not only am I writing three weeks before my deadline, but I am also setting forth without a topic. You see, just because I think a particular subject is interesting, or timely, doesn’t mean you do. And this column, this magazine, this industry—they ultimately are all about you.

I could write about SEMA (again). After all, the bellwether show provides a perfect opportunity to assess how far we have progressed and predict what changes are in store for our future. And it’s at SEMA that we evolved from a backroom afterthought to a mainstay in the booming aftermarket industry. I could highlight the legislative efforts being spearheaded by the Inter-national Window Film Association (IWFA), such as the progress we are making in energy initiatives. I could write about the appointment of a new chairperson to head a taskforce aimed at building a nationwide educational and (potentially) rebate program for window film as an energy conservation device. I could even speculate on potential threats to our long-term success, such as counterfeit films being marketed as performing against a certain standard.

I would be happy to use this column to explore any of those topics. After all, I think all of these subjects would make for a valuable contribution to Window Film magazine. But what I want to write about most is whatever you want to read. So I sent a note to the editor, Drew Vass, and asked if readers have requested that the publication focus on any particular issue. He explained that I’d stumbled upon priority number-one for Window Film: getting closer to its subscribers. Together, we decided to kick off that initiative with my column.

This is where you come in. For all the talk about MySpace and YouTube, e-mail is still the Internet’s “killer application.” Use it. Write to dvass@glass.com and let us know what you would like to read in these pages. Either we’ll write about it ourselves, or we’ll find an outside expert to cover it. Either way, our goal is the same. We aim to make certain your questions are answered and your thirst for information is quenched.

Tom Niziolek is director of sales and marketing for Madico Inc. and president of the International Window Film Association (IWFA). Mr. Niziolek’s opinions are solely his own and not necessarily those of this magazine.