Features Community Event reports
THE FUTURE IS CLEAR

Education, demonstrations, new products and an inspirational speech
from “Canada’s Ultimate Hockey Dad” were on the slate at Win-door North
America 2009.

Live impact testing was a new feature of Win-door North America this year. Six times each day, professional engineer Dominic Massie of Air-Ins shot a wooden timber, representing a typical piece of debris, into a tempered, laminated window, as attendees witnessed the dramatic results. The demonstration helped to highlight the importance of thorough testing when it comes to glass products.

Education, demonstrations, new products and an inspirational speech from “Canada’s Ultimate Hockey Dad” were on the slate at Win-door North America 2009. The three-day trade show and exhibition took place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown Toronto Nov. 17-19. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Win-door trade show.

Win-door 2009 brought together professionals from all parts of the business. Suppliers, manufacturers and installers could all be found in one place. This allowed for almost unprecedented networking and educational opportunities for the more than 2,500 industry stakeholders who attended the show.

Above are some of this year’s Pioneers of our Industry. Front row, from left: Stanley Rokicki, Reg Pollard, Guy Gingras, Raymond Dallaire, Barry Murphy, J.F. McCracken, Al Rankin, Ray Caravaggio, Paul Loewen and Clare Knechtel. Back row, from left: John Mathews, Ray Ouellette, Jim Parker, Pierre Grand’Maison, Eddie Rochmann, Abe Wiebe, Bob Mason, Bill Fast, Michel Pion, Laurie Davies, Peter Kohler and Ralph Spanier.
Dominic Massie of Air-Ins Inc. holds a 2×4 he will use as ammunition to demonstrate hurricane impact testing.
Dale Rivers of Riverdale and Brian Rankine, President of Great Lakes Windows & Doors.
Martin McAnulty, Publisher of Glass Canada; and Al Dueck and Sasha Blazevic of Duxton Windows & Doors.
Edgetech I.G. won the James Parker Best Booth award at Win-door 2009. Accepting the award on behalf of the company from Jim Parker, right, is Andrew Moore of AHI, the Edgetech I.G. sales representative for Eastern Canada.
“Canada’s Ultimate Hockey Dad” Walter Gretzky and Win-door 2009 Show Chair Matt Kottke of Truth Hardware.
Hurricane impact testing in action. It’s a vivid demonstration of why such testing is necessary for consumer safety.

Al Dueck, president of DUXTON Windows & Doors, has been attending Win-door for the last 10 years. He says the show has changed over time, but still delivers where it matters most.

“Whether it’s a big show or a small show isn’t necessarily the most  relevant point,” says Dueck. “I come through the door, and before I know it I start bumping into people I know, and meet some people I never have before. Along the way I find out some interesting ideas or components, and renew industry contacts. It’s a great opportunity to strengthen your industry relationships and expand your knowledge of some fundamental aspects of the Canadian window and door industry.”
The trade show portion of Win-door 2009 opened on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m., which allowed attendees to tour the show floor in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

Along with features familiar to those who have attended the show in past years, Win-door 2009 also featured the IG Alley, a special section of the show devoted to insulating glass and related suppliers.

Live demonstrations of hurricane impact testing were also a new feature of this year’s Win-door exhibition. Six times each day, a professional engineer shot a wooden timber, representing a typical piece of debris, into a tempered, laminated window, as attendees witnessed the results.

“This was a real first for us,” said show manager Patrick Shield. “Never in our 15-year history had we been able to present this kind of active testing on the show floor. It proved to be a great hit with show attendees.”

The demonstration area was surrounded by Plexiglas to provide protection. The impact test itself used a pneumatic cannon to fire a nine-foot length of 2×4 lumber directly into the sheet of glass. The cannon launched the projectile at roughly 45 feet per second, mimicking how such a projectile would move when propelled by extremely high winds.

Video footage of one of these demonstrations is available on www.glasscanadamag.com.

Wednesday’s schedule got underway with the Canadian Window and Door Manufacturers Association (CWDMA) technical codes and standards update, delivered by Jeff Baker of Westlab Inc. Baker spoke on NAFS = 08 Standard and the 2010 building code, with an emphasis on how it would affect the business of association members. He also presented information on new ENERGY STAR requirements, including what we can expect to see over the next two years.

The trade show enjoyed its busiest day on Wednesday, with hundreds of glass industry professionals taking the opportunity to review displays by the more than 150 exhibitors.

The educational slate for Wednesday also included two presentations by certified personal accountant Bob Langdon: “Seven Steps to Closing a Profitable Sale,” and “Managing Your Business in Turbulent Times.”

Wednesday evening served up inspiration in the form of a speech by “Canada’s Ultimate Hockey Dad,” Walter Gretzky, father of Wayne Gretzky. It was a rare opportunity to relive one of hockey’s greatest eras through the eyes of a proud father.

Win-door North America also took time Wednesday evening to acknowledge some of the outstanding contributions to the glass industry made by members of the industry.

“The Pioneers of our Industry awards are given to those individuals who helped build this great industry of which we’re all a part,” said Matt Kottke of Truth Hardware. Kottke is the show chair of Win-Door North America 2009. “It’s important for us to recognize what these individuals have done for our industry, as well as to serve as a goal for our future leaders to aspire to.”

Win-door North America wrapped up Thursday, Nov. 19. Highlights from the last day included the CWDMA fall meeting, with an economic forecast by Craig Alexander, vice-president and deputy chief economist of TD Bank, an education seminar on investigating insulating glass failures, and best practices for the glazing of insulated glass units for long-term performance.

Win-door North America 2010 will take place Nov. 16-18 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ont. Please visit www.windoorshow.com for more information.

Sponsors
Win-door North America 2009 would like to thank the following sponsors. Their generous contributions provided everything from cups and lanyards to lunches and free parking for show attendees.

• Livingston Event Logistics
• Novatech
• Richersons Enterprise Ltd.
• Royal Window and Door Profiles
• Trimlite
• Truth Hardware

Pioneers of our Industry
The Canadian Window and Door Manufacturers Association (CWDMA) honoured many of Canada’s window and door leaders with the Pioneer of our Industry awards held at the Win-door North America show in Toronto on Nov. 18. The awards were held in conjunction with the celebration of Win-door North America’s 15th anniversary.

Twenty-two of the honourees were at a special presentation to accept their award from CWDMA’s president Kevin Pelley of Kohltech International and Pioneer committee chair Knut Holmsen of Marvin Windows. Robert Latour of Novatech called up the winners and gave a background on each of their histories and accomplishments. The complete list and bios are available online at www.glass-canadamag.com. The award presentation was followed by guest speaker Walter Gretzky.

The Pioneers and their guests were treated to a special dinner in their honour. Several of the recipients took to the podium at the dinner to “tell their stories” and to thank the CWDMA for the honour.

The Pioneer designation recognizes the nominees’ efforts to promote and to better the objectives of the industry and association nationally.
The Pioneers are:

• Michel Pion  
• Reg Pollard 
• Al Rankin 
• Eddie Rochmann  
• Stanley Rokicki 
• Jack Rooney (retired)  
• Daniel Royer 
• Jack Smith (retired) 
• Ralph Spanier 
• Saul Spears (retired)   
• Dave Townsend (retired) 
• Abe Wiebe (retired)
• Barry Yane 
• Dennis Zentner (retired)
• Glen Abray (retired)  
• Jim Blessin 
• Jean-Louis Bonneville (retired)
• Harry Buhler (retired)  
• Ray Caravaggio (retired)
• Serge Chalifour  
• Raymond Dallaire  
• Laurie Davies 
• Bernie Dudeck  
• Larry Elliott 
• Bill Fast (retired)
• Jake Fast (retired)
• Robert Gilles  
• Guy Gingras 
• Pierre Grand’Maison (retired)
• Robert Hunt  
• Cecil Kline (retired)  
• Clare Knechtel (retired) 
• Peter Kohler  
• Tom Lesosky (retired)
• Len Lockart (retired)  
• Paul Loewen  
• Don Martin  
• Ron Martini 
• Bob Mason  
• John Mathews  
• J.F. McCracken   
• Gérard Milette  
• Barry Murphy  
• Ray Ouellette 
• Jim Parker