Here are some pictures of one of the dinners we shared with great customers while in NYC for the DHI Conference. We truly enjoyed getting the chance to know everyone better. Thank you to everyone for such a fun night!
Nov 17
DHI in NYC
I had an absolutely marvelous time at the DHI Conference in New York. It was my first trip to the city and I cannot wait to go back!
As expected, the conference was smaller than in years past. The acquiring of smaller companies by larger entities definitely played a part in fewer exhibitors over recent years, as did the economy. But I am not convinced that those conditions worked against us.
Fewer exhibitors made for a more relaxed atmosphere. There was no need to rush to be able to get through the entire hall. Attendees were able to spend more time at each booth learning about new products. That is what a manufacturer hopes for when investing time and money to exhibit, good quality conversations with existing and prospective customers. I think that was accomplished. Thank you to everyone who stopped by the Mesker and Design booth.
The exhibit hours were not the only way our team spent time with our customers. We spent two nights having a great time with our customers over dinner. This was my favorite part of the trip. I always enjoy getting together with other door & hardware industry professionals in a relaxed atmosphere. It was a good venue for getting to know each other better, discussing ideas, and making friends.
I hope to see you all in Las Vegas!
Of course this post wouldn’t be complete without pictures of interesting doors I found in NYC.
Elevator Doors in Chelsea's Market
Short Door on Side of St. Thomas Church
Beautiful Old Hinges & Embellishments
Another Door at St. Thomas Church in Manhattan
Beautiful Pull
St. Thomas Entrance
Beautiful Outer Doors at Front Entrance
You might be seeing this as a Christmas Card in the near future :~)
Gorgeous strap hinges
mmm makes me hungry
Large Barn Type Sliding Doors
Very Artsy Door Pull in Soho
Nov 16
New Products from the Hollow Metal Industry!
As you know, the economy is affecting the Hollow Metal Industry profoundly. My customers are always on the look out for creative ways to move inventory.
I received an email from a very good customer of mine introducing a new product he created. I just had to share. His email went a little something like this:
Is business slow? Looking to get rid of some dead inventory? DIVERISFY!
You’re looking at the first in a long line of innovative new products from the Hollow Metal industry!
Introducing the BCS5000! Be the first in your trailer park to own one!
Patent Pending!
How about you? Do have any industry changing product ideas? I’d love to hear about them!
Nov 15
Sharing the Commercial Door & Hardware Industry
I had the opportunity to participate with my NAWIC Chapter in “Career Talks” with a local girl scout troop.
I was putting together some things to show the girls what exactly I did for a living ie plans, specifications, a handing chart, etc. My 19 year old daughter walks in and asks what I’m doing. After telling her that I was sharing what I did for a living with a group of young ladies, she says “you should teach them how NOT to sell doors!” Ha Ha, I said, then reminded her that this industry has helped to support her for 17 of her 19 years!.
It is a little crazy what we do, and it’s certainly hard to explain our field to other people but the Commercial Door & Hardware Industry has been “crazy” good to me. I am fortunate to have stumbled into Pleasants Contract Hardware as a temporary receptionist so many years ago.
Below is a picture of me, Joy Gotwalt, with Joytech Construction, the troop leader and several of the young ladies we had a chance to chat with.
Nov 06
NAWIC Chapter gets Hands-On BIM Training
The NAWIC Greater Gainesville Chapter was honored to hold our October meeting at the Rinker School of Construction on the UF Campus. Dr. Ray Issa, Holland Professor & Director, Center for Advanced Construction and Environment, provided us with a short lecture then hands-on training of Building Information Modeling (BIM).
Building Information Modeling (BIM), is the digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility. BIM is the process of generating building data allowing for management of this data through the building’s life cycle.
BIM provides thorough virtual building, eliminating many of the uncertainties found during the actual construction phase. This method of management is far more practical and efficient than previously existing methods.
The BIM method produces three-dimensional drawings that include building geometry, spatial relationships and properties of individual building components. These individual components carry actual attributes including specification information, costs, selecting and ordering properties, etc. This makes the estimating process far more effective and efficient.
Our group was excited to move to the computer labs and have actual hands-on training with BIM using Revit. I was able to draw a masonry wall and include a door and window. Our time in the lab was way too short and we were all asking for a second lesson! We will keep you posted on future opportunities to get your hands wet with BIM.
Our sincere appreciation to Dr. Issa and the entire UF Rinker School of Construction.
Nov 01
DHI Future Conference and Expo Concepts
Before I was able to get my thoughts in order and write a post on attending the DHI 2011 Annual Conference, I read this white paper concerning future conventions. Take a moment to read the ideas and report back to DHI with your thoughts/comments/suggestions.
Oct 31
AIA Georgia Annual Design Conference
Wow, I can finally take a breath after traveling for almost two weeks. During my travels I was able to exhibit at a regional AIA Trade Show in Athens, Georgia and attend our very own DHI Convention in New York City. Please be patient as I try to catch you up!
The AIA Georgia Annual Design Conference (Large Venue vs. Small)
Living in FL I thought I was familiar with southern hospitality. I was wrong. The AIA GA members made an incredible impression on me with their warmth and sincerity.
The show was located in the Foundry Classic Center which was a mix of beautiful old brick and modern conveniences. The AIA GA Board of Directors has done a great job at educating their members to the importance of making the exhibitors feel welcome. Having attended many trade shows in the past I have never had so many conference attendees come up and thank me for taking the time, effort and money to exhibit. They spent time at each booth to really learn what each exhibitor had to offer.
I attended the National AIA show in Miami and was overwhelmed. My friend was exhibiting at the show and I was able to spend time with her at her booth. It was chaotic to say the least. Her boss said he would probably never spend the money to exhibit at the national level again. The GA Design Conference was entirely differently. It provided a more intimate setting to allow the architects to discuss their specific needs. Points made to us were interest in more Grade 1 lever designs and the need to meet government specifications.
This experience has lead me to express interest in exhibiting at the AIA Florida Annual Convention being held at The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach July 19-22, 2012..
The AIA South Atlantic Regional Conference will be another possible opportunity to exhibit. It is being held September 19-22 at the Loews Atlanta Hotel in Atlanta, GA. It brings together architect membership from Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
All in all, this was an excellent show and I greatly appreciate the generosity shown by the GA AIA membership
Oct 12
Out and about with customers
On a recent business trip to Atlanta, Nick McCarty (Mesker’s National Sales Manager) and I took customers out to lunch. They picked Chick-Fil-A because it was good and fast so they could get back to the office to sell more Mesker Doors!
I was surprised to find that this particular Chick-Fil-A had a sit down restaurant area where you were actually waited on and lunch was brought to you. There are a few of these restaurant-style Chick-Fil-A’s scattered around. After some research I found the chain grew from the Dwarf Grill, later the Dwarf House, a name still used by the chain.
The restaurant has a “dwarf” sized front door that children can use to enter. I made Nick and Kevin pose at the door to get an idea of the size. You know, I never pass up an unusual door to take a picture of for a blog post!
Oct 07
A perfect biscuit
Every Sunday I cook an old fashioned home cooked meal for my family. I truly LOVE to spend all day Sunday in the kitchen in my apron. It is very therapeutic.
Everything is made from scratch. Of course my dad says it’s not truly made from scratch if I didn’t milk the cow, gather the eggs, harvest the wheat etc. But, it’s as “from scratch” as it is going to get considering I do not have a farm.
I set the dishes out buffet style in my kitchen and lately, the line of diners stretches out into the hall! I am usually serving at least 12, but that is quickly growing.
For the most part I am proud to say my dishes come out quite yummy. But there are a few things I have yet to master. The perfect biscuit is one of them. A few Sundays ago it was time to try again. I read all the recipes, all the tips and techniques to make the biscuit rise, split and be light and airy. After carefully choosing the right kind of flour, freezing the butter before combining, being careful not to over handle the dough and develop gluten I produced my best biscuits on record.
I did not want these beautiful biscuits to go undocumented. In the process of taking a picture of one of the specimens, my husband walks by. He stops when he realizes what I am doing. He shakes his head and with a smirk asks, “are we going to be allowed to eat them?”. I gave him an embarrassed smile and a “maybe” as an answer. It made me laugh at myself and want to share the story. Happy Dining!
The recipe that I chose was Bobby Flay’s Black Pepper Biscuit
Follow Me!