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You Bet Your Glass: December 2011

At the end of October, I had the pleasure of travelling to western
Canada, Edmonton to be precise, for the first time in many years.

At the end of October, I had the pleasure of travelling to western Canada, Edmonton to be precise, for the first time in many years. The purpose of this venture was to attend the Canadian Glass Association’s Glass Connections conference and to man a table-top exhibit for one of my clients, Sunview Patio Doors, where they were introducing a thermal performance aluminum door design for the high-rise residential construction market.

This trip to Edmonton was top drawer compared to my first encounter out there many years ago. While a university student, I headed west to find a summer job with a few friends and spent four months working as a carnie for a small midway show out of Edmonton that travelled throughout northern Alberta and Saskatchewan. We set up and ran rides as well as all the usual carnival games of chance to take money from unsuspecting pockets at local fairs and rodeos in such burgs as Edson, Hinton, Lac la Biche, Fort McMurray and Meadow Lake, to name a few. Needless to say, carnies don’t enjoy the luxurious confines of a Delta hotel at the end of their workday, as did the attendees at the CGA conference. But I digress…

The CGA once again did a great job of putting together a very entertaining and enlightening event and the hundred or so who attended came away with something new worth knowing. Five excellent speakers discussed a variety of topics pertinent to our industry ranging from products to reduce condensation, curtain wall interface construction methods, structural glass applications and glazing in green buildings. Between presentations, delegates spent time learning about products available to them through one-on-one discussions at the table-top displays surrounding the seating area.

Besides the presentations, changes to the CGA executive and some major additions to the association were announced.

Richard Verdon stepped down as CGA president at the end of his two-year term. During his brief time as leader, Richard did a great job of turning the CGA into a coast-to-coast organization. He recruited the AIPVFQ (Association des industries de produits de vitrerie et de fenestration du Québec) to come under the CGA umbrella. Richard also was instrumental in helping glazing contractors in Manitoba and the Atlantic provinces get their new associations off the ground, and as a result, the CGA was thrilled to welcome the Glazing Contractors Association of Manitoba and the Glazing Contractors Association of the Atlantic provinces into the fold.

Richard will serve as past president for the next few years and will continue to assist the new groups in finding their way. There will be a lot of work to do by all involved.

David Husson whose term as past president concluded, was honoured for his involvement, hard work, and contributions to the CGA. Retired from the daily grind now, David was instrumental in the founding the association in 2002 and served as president in 2008 and 2009.

David Langton, with Competition Glass in Kelowna, B.C., will take the reins as president of the CGA for the next few years. David also serves as the president of the Glazing Contractors
Association of B.C.

What really struck me during my few days in western Canada was the level of interest and desire to be involved shown by the people I met in all matters relating to the glass and glazing industry. There’s a real spirit of commitment out there and a strong desire to contribute and make a difference. It was refreshing to see and I hope the new associations get similar involvement and enthusiasm from their local glazing contractors.

The next Glass Connections conference is planned for the spring of 2013 in Montreal, and based on my experiences at the past two events, I would strongly recommend that you attend, bring some of your employees or set up a table-top display. It will be time and money well spent.

Frank Fulton is president of Fultech Fenestration Consulting. He has been in the industry for 30 years and can be reached via e-mail at fultech.fc@gmail.com.