Wausau names market managers to assist with government, healthcare and educational projects

To better support its customers, Wausau Window and Wall Systems announces three market managers with expertise in specific building applications: Lisa May specializing in healthcare projects, Steve Gille in education, and Tom Mifflin in governmental and military.

Download the full press release

Filed under: CLIENT NEWS, Wausau Window and Wall Systems | Comments Off on Client News 5/19/09

Appleton Coated announces U360 Competition for 2010 celebrating “Print with Purpose”
Entries due December 11, 2009

Celebrating the vital role print plays in the marketing mix, Appleton Coated launches the U360 competition for 2010. As the name implies, “U360″ calls for entries that embrace all-around excellence in communication, design and execution and demonstrate the power of “Print with Purpose.”

“Today’s business climate challenges print to look beautiful and to communicate for results and to deliver in a way that builds strong brands,” explains Phil Cavalier, vice president of marketing for Appleton Coated. “U360 reflects that the judging will take on a more holistic assessment of the project – from concept and writing, imagery and design, and finally quality of print and bindery execution.”

The U360 competition evolved from Appleton Coated’s UBJ competition, formally known as U B the Judge. “Our new competition will move from an event-based, peer-judging platform to review by a North American panel of creative, communication, and print professionals,” adds Cavalier.

Submissions must be printed all, or in part, on Utopia and/or Curious Collection papers, accompanied by a completed entry form, produced in 2009, and postmarked no later than Dec. 11, 2009.

All winners will be featured in a showbook, which will be distributed throughout North America, showcased on the Appleton Coated Web site, and featured in other marketing materials. Previously, five Platinum and five Gold award winners were selected from five geographies. In 2010, U360 winners will represent nominations from clients, designers, printers, merchants and other representatives within the entire North American marketplace.

For more information about U360, Utopia and Curious Collection, visit www.utopiapaper.com.

Appleton Coated offers the most comprehensive lineup of premium, coated papers available today, marketed under the Utopia brand. From the elegance of Premium to hardworking Utopia Three, the Utopia family of coated papers offers six ways to ignite a passion for paper and the environment. Appleton Coated is headquartered in Kimberly, Wisconsin.
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Filed under: Appleton Coated, CLIENT NEWS, Events, Type-Paper-Print | Comments Off on Client News: 5/15/09

The 2009 American Institute of Architects (AIA) 2009 National Convention and Design Exposition reported:

• 22,400 registered attendees
• 10,000 virtual attendees
• 900 exhibitors, spread across three expo halls

Most exhibitors commented that show floor traffic was slower than the year before in Boston, where 25,000 people were in one building. Many exhibitors expressed that attendance was better than they expected given the current, economic climate. Some were confused by the AIA’s willingness to simulcast educational seminars online and worried that this may have contributed to lower attendance. Others applauded the move to digital presentations and downloads, which allowed more architects to learn from the presenters.

While the numbers indicate slightly more exhibitors than the 875 in 2008, several exhibiting companies noted that booths were smaller in size and due to the larger floorplan, still presented many vacant spaces. The AIA expo coordinators were quick to re-purpose the empty booth space. Some reported that exhibitors were informed if an adjacent space was vacant and were allowed to annex the area. In other areas, available spots were filled with couches, cafe tables and even outlet strips for recharging laptops and mobile phones.

The AIA 2010 expo will be held June 10 – 12, 2010, at the Miami Beach Convention Center. The venue offers a more traditional floor plan in four halls and two levels in one building. Thousands of architects already have reserved their spot on the beach, anticipating better times ahead.

Filed under: Tradeshow Thoughts | Comments Off on Tradeshow Thoughts: By the numbers at AIA 2009

Video conferencing at Wausau enhances green business practices and communications, while saving money and time
“Video conferencing helps reduce the company’s carbon footprint by lowering associated emissions from flying or driving. It also saves travel time and lowers costs for what would otherwise be short meetings,” says Wausau’s President Rick Marshall. “Incoming video ‘callers’ just ‘dial’ an IP address number and our system auto-answers — whether it’s the corporate boardroom at Apogee, an architect with a desktop computer and peripheral video camera, or a customer on the job site using a laptop with a webcam.”

Read the full press release at WausauWindow.com or click here to download a PDF.

Filed under: CLIENT NEWS, Wausau Window and Wall Systems | Comments Off on Client News 5/11/09

with poster show, documentary screening, open house, workshops

Two Rivers, Wis. — Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum celebrates a decade as the only museum dedicated to the preservation, study, production and printing of wood type. With 1.5 million pieces of wood type and more than 1,000 styles and sizes of patterns, Hamilton’s collection is one of the premier wood type collections in the world.

Hamilton began producing type in 1880 and within 20 years became the largest provider in the United States. Today, volunteers of the Two Rivers Historical Society preserve this legacy and host educational demonstrations, field trips, workshops and offer opportunities with this vast wood type collection. The museum also illustrates antique printing technologies including the production of hot metal type, hand-operated printing presses, tools of the craft and rare type specimen catalogs.

“Hamilton has hosted a terrific range of artists, printers and designers in the 10 years since we opened our museum. Our anniversary will be a chance to reconnect and celebrate,” says the museum’s founder, Jim Van Lanen, Sr.

Upcoming special events include:

Workshop with Jim Sherraden of Hatch Showprint
May 22-24, Memorial Day Weekend
Jim Sherraden of Hatch Show Print, Nashville, Tenn., is known internationally and regularly leads letterpress workshops throughout the country.
The cost is $400 per person for a weekend-long opportunity to work side-by-side with one of the world’s premier letterpress printers and designers. To register contact the museum for more information.

Type Face Sneak Preview
May 29, 9 p.m.
An advance screening of Kartemquin Film’s “Type Face” documentary showcases the successes and challenges facing Hamilton Wood Type. Directed by Justin Nagan, the one-hour film will be shown at the Washington House, 1622 Jefferson St., down the street from the museum. Learn more about the documentary and its filmmakers at http://typeface.kartemquin.com/. To register contact the museum for more information.

Open House at the Museum
May 30 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
The first of several events throughout the coming months welcoming local, regional and national visitors to Two Rivers, Wis. Throughout the day, demonstrations of wood type being cut on a pantograph, and printers printing with wood type.
Free, no registration required.

Tenth Anniversary Commemorative Poster Show
May 30 – September 7
All summer, letterpress printers and designers from across the country will exhibit their original poster designs. Specially selected by the museum’s directors, a partial list of printers includes Dennis Ichiyama, Richard Zauft, Nick Sherman Bill and Jim Moran, and others.
Also on display is an 1893 plaque that Hamilton made for the Columbia Exposition in Chicago. It features 48 different wood fonts, measures 51×22-inches and boasts the smallest wood type ever created. The plaque is the only known copy that exists and needed to be printed without being inked. See more at http://www.woodtype.org/columbia-exh.shtml
Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum is located at 1619 Jefferson St., Two Rivers, WI  54241. In addition to the special events, the museum is open May – October, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Saturday, and 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday. Those planning to visit during these normal hours of operation are encouraged to call ahead, 920-794-6272.
For more links and images, please visit http://www.flickr.com/groups/hamiltonwoodtypemuseum/

Filed under: Events, Type-Paper-Print | Comments Off on May Events: Hamilton Wood Type celebrates 10th anniversary

Each year, the volume of pre-show mailers seems to decline as more opt for e-mail promotions instead of printed ones. This year, the few we did receive via postal carrier were mostly double-sided postcards. Of the 25 mailed pieces received in advance of the conference, 18 had some form of green messaging.

Notable, green message:

• Aurora office storage; noted USGBC membership and that the card is 100% recyclable in spite of glossy feel
• Bendheim, promoting channel glass as a sustainable choice and daylighting option; offering in-booth and on-line AIA/CES and a chance to win an iPod Touch
• Bradley, promoting Advocate lavatory system as “the greenest lav system available”
• Centria promoting MetalWrap panel system, offering a chance to win a Kindle2; showing BIPV products
• Chief AV mounting solutions, promoting online Design Center; offering chance to win plasma TV; featuring significant green message including FSC, wind-power, recycled ink, SGP printing
• Greenguard Environmental Institute, promoting certification program and product guide; printed on recycled paper (then laminated)
• Hager Companies doors and hardware, offering Ghiradelli chocolates; printed on FSC paper
• Heritage Custom Cabinetry, noting AIA/CES courses and KCMA Environmental Stewardship Program
• Maxxon “green” floor specialists, promoting Greenguard-certified underlayments and LEED-certified projects; notes its own “Maxxon Green Mark” indicating products “are LEED-compliant and help to contribute valuable points toward LEED-certified projects;” includes perforated reply card
• Nawkaw masonry, promoting green, re-useable Reckli formliners for concrete; notes USGBC membership
• NCFI spray foam insulation, offering a free “green” flash drive, “Green Power” giveaway; printed on 100% post-consumer fiber
• Pilkington flat glass, promoting “green… energy-efficient products”
• Reed Construction Data, promoting SmartBIM demos; but green in color
• Richards-Wilcox door hardware, promoting big doors as featured on “Extreme Makeover Home Edition;” noted USGBC membership and that the card is 100% recyclable in spite of glossy feel
• Rutt Handcrafted Cabinetry, noting AIA/CES courses and KCMA Environmental Stewardship Program; also printed on FSC paper
• SAFTIfirst, promoting its NFRC-certified, fire-resistant assemblies and PYRAN, “the only glass ceramic free of toxins and hazardous heavy metals;” also offering a chance to win a flat screen TV
• Saint-Gobain, promoting Greenlite Glass Systems; offering free passes and a chance to win $200
• Viracon, promoting Saflex team-up and high-performance VUE-50 coating; offering a chance to win stained glass kaleidoscope

No green message:

• Aerotek recruiting & staffing, offering a chance to win an iPod Touch
• AIA Trust, promoting members retirement program; offering a chance to win a free massage
• ArchiOffice software, inviting visitors to see its jet-powered VW Beetle
• AWIQCP architectural woodwork standards, promoting Q-certification “a powerful risk management tool” to verify compliance and “provides recourse in the event the work falls short of what you specified”
• Fabral metal wall & roof systems, promoting specialty colors and finishes
• Martin Pierce Hardware, promoting (beautiful) Morphic line
• QuickServ “pass-through systems”

Returning from AIA, a few additional printed promotions arrived in the mailbox:

• Sotett Industries sent two, 8.5×11-inch, full-color brochures of its retractable enclosures (such as over a porch or patio) and a letter suggesting that we meet at AIA
• Transoft Solutions offered a 50% discount on CAD software and an invitation to stop by the booth

Neither featured any green message.

The main reason for noting these companies’ green messages, or lack, is because this subject can be confusing if not clearly and accurately communicated. Perhaps it is more notable that none of these pre-show mailers mentioned — never mind promoted — an equally challenging subject represented in the AIA convention theme, The Power of Diversity: Practice in a Complex World?

Filed under: Green Goals, Tradeshow Thoughts | Comments Off on Tradeshow Thoughts: AIA pre-show printed promos

SAGE’s founder, John Van Dine, honored as one of 40 Minnesotans on the Move

Faribault, Minn. — Finance and Commerce celebrated its 120th anniversary of business publishing by recognizing 40 Minnesotans making business history of their own. The publication recognized John E. Van Dine, president and chairman of SAGE Electrochromics, Inc., as one of the “40 Minnesotans on the Move” for 2009.

Van Dine founded SAGE Electrochromics, Inc., in 1989 in Valley Cottage, N.Y., and after nine years moved the company to Minnesota, where it is now established as the worldwide product leader in electrochromic (EC) glass for the building industry. He has been the company’s president and chairman since inception. He has devoted his career to the development and commercialization of advanced material and processing technologies related to energy-efficient products in the glass industry including photovoltaics (solar cells) in addition to electrochromics. He holds more than 35 U.S. and foreign patents.

Under Van Dine’s direction, SAGE has stood at the forefront of EC glass development for more than 15 years, and today remains the sole provider of SageGlass® glazing, its EC glass product, which entered the marketplace in 2004. Van Dine points out that there is a concentration of industry leading glass fabricators and window manufacturers in the region, and as such, he coined the phrase “the Silicon Valley of the window industry” to refer to the area.

“SageGlass glazing is changing the way people think about glass in buildings,” says Van Dine. “It is glass that is electronically tintable; that is, it can be transitioned from a clear state to a deeply tinted state by the push of a button or a command from a building automation system. In this manner, it blocks glare, making the building more comfortable for the people inside.”

He adds that the dynamic glazing blocks as much as 91% of the solar heat gain during the summer and admits it during the winter, reducing energy use associated with heating and cooling. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, SageGlass glazing can reduce a building’s annual energy bill by as much as 28%, and cut on-peak demand for electricity by as much as 25%.

Because SageGlass products can eliminate the need for shades and blinds (in non-privacy applications), building occupants are able to enjoy more natural daylight and retain their view to the outdoors. Research shows that exposure to daylight and a connection to the outdoors improves people’s health and well-being. It also can increase retail sales, improve children’s scholastic achievement, reduce absenteeism, and boost productivity in the workplace.

As part of its mission, SAGE continually strives to excel in organizational leadership, technology development, product design, manufacturing and customer service. These competencies along with the company’s innovative, energy-saving product — which contributes to high-performance buildings in the new “energy economy” — have allowed SAGE to enjoy continued growth in these challenging financial times. The company is planning a six-fold expansion of its operations within the next 24 months.

Looking ahead, Van Dine sees SAGE’s technology used beyond the architectural building market, in a wide range of products including many forms of transportation windows and specialty applications.

Commemorating the accomplishments and anticipating future achievements, Van Dine and the 40 honorees received their “Minnesotans on the Move” award at a ceremony on April 29th at the Sofitel Hotel in Bloomington, Minn. For a complete list of winners, please see the special issue of Finance and Commerce, Minnesota Lawyer and the St. Paul Legal Ledger Capitol Report.

Consistently proven reliable for use in exterior building applications, SageGlass® products help reduce energy bills by controlling solar heat gain and increase worker productivity by allowing additional daylighting, minimizing glare, and enhancing occupant comfort.

To learn more about SAGE and its products, please call 877-724-3321, or visit http://www.sage-ec.com.
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Filed under: CLIENT NEWS | Comments Off on Client News: 4/30/09

American Institute of Architects Expo 2009

I think this is my 10th consecutive year attending the AIA national convention and design exposition. New this year, I will be Tweeting from the show floor. Feel free to follow me on Twitter at heatherwestpr (#aia2009), or watch the upper left corner of our blog for the freshest posts.

Last year’s conference brought us to Boston, where we arrived early and walked the Freedom Trail. This year, we’ve shortened our visit to San Francisco to just 2.5 days with meetings scheduled almost every 15 minutes on Thursday and Friday.

I’m a little anxious about keeping up the pace as the exhibitors are spread across three of Moscone Center’s halls. Thankfully, all of our exhibiting clients are located in the North and South Halls:
AAMA, #2616 South Hall
Linetec, #4121 North Hall
Kolbe’s windows & doors, #1417 South Hall
SAGE Electrochromics, #4031 North Hall

In addition to meeting with clients, journalists and architects, I’m excited to see Moscone West. It features a unitized curtainwall system manufactured by Wausau Window and Wall Systems, as finished by Linetec.

Within Moscone’s halls, Mark will be visiting the Product Pavilions, and watching for the most popular exhibitors and the newest products, as well as trends amongst the exhibitors. He also keeps a close eye on green marketing claims, especially in light of AIA’s “greening the convention” efforts.

We look forward to sharing our observations and thoughts, and to starting plans for next year’s convention, June 10-12 in Miami.

Filed under: AAMA, Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co., Linetec, Tradeshow Thoughts, Wausau Window and Wall Systems | Comments Off on Tradeshow Thoughts 4/27/09

Depending on the forum, it’s generally frowned on to overtly promote yourself or your organization when using Twitter and LinkedIn Groups. You wouldn’t join a professional association and attend your first gathering with the goal of only talking about yourself. Networking online involves similar etiquette.

Listen
The first step is to listen. From listening, we learn how we can best contribute to the conversation. For some, this may be offering professional insights, opinions and advice. For others, it may be sharing articles, studies and other resources. Often, it’s a mixture.

Share
Once you’re contributing to the conversation and engaging in the dialogue, consider inviting others into the discussion. Promoting your Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook page not only brings more voices and ideas, it demonstrates that you:
•    Are familiar with these social media networks and can serve as a mentor, or at least as a friendly contact
•    Belong to a community of professionals with diverse skills, talents and experiences
•    Want to share timely, topical information and connect with others who have similar interests

Similarly to promoting your membership in a professional association, consider appropriate opportunities to note your professionally-minded, social media networks. Examples include adding this information to your:
•    Web site
•    Blog
•    Newsletters, e-newsletters and other periodicals
•    Author / speaker bio
•    Presentations and papers
•    Event invitations and signage
•    E-mail signature
•    Business card

Remember that you also can cross-promote one network with another, such as adding a link to your Twitter feed on your LinkedIn profile, or inviting Twitter Followers to join a LinkedIn Group for more in-depth discussion.

More about Twitter
If you have a micro-blog with Twitter and would like to encourage and retain regular readers,
also consider adding your address to online directories such as:
•    wefollow.com
•    twibes.com
•    twibs.com
•    justtweetit.com
•    twellow.com

More about blogs
If you have a traditional blog and would like to encourage and retain regular readers,
also consider:
•    Adding polls and surveys to give readers a reason to return
•    Inviting guest bloggers
•    Featuring Q&A interviews, perhaps as video presentations
•    Soliciting tagged photos and videos, then sharing and promoting the visual collections and portfolios (with credit to the creators)
•    Requesting reciprocity from those in your blog roll
•    Adding your blog to online directories such as blogcatalog.com and to social media listings in traditional media outlets and Web sites
•    Ensuring compatibility with mobile communications
•    Noting in your social media networks when new blog topics are posted, provide a link
•    Join and participate in industry forums and message boards, link your blog to popular threads
•    Make it easy to follow by adding one-click functionality to monitor with RSS feed
•    Make it easy to share with bookmark and forwarding connections such as
AIM
Ask
Backflip
BallHype
Bebo
Blogmarks
Buzz
Delicious
Digg
Diigo
Facebook
Favorites
Fark
Faves
FeedMeLinks
FriendFeed
Google
Kaboodle
kIRTSY
Link-a-Gogo
LinkedIn
Microsoft Live
Mister Wong
Mixx
Multiply
myAOL
MySpace
Netvouz
Netvibes
Newsvine
PropellerReddit
Segnalo
Simpy
Slashdot
Spurl
StumbleUpon
Stylehive
Tailrank
Technorati
ThisNext
Twitter
Yardbarker
Yahoo! Bookmarks
Also see: http://www.doshdosh.com/list-of-social-media-news-websites/

Filed under: So-Called Social Media | Comments Off on Delicate Dance of Self Promotion in Social Networking

LinkedIn, www.linkedin.com

Features:
•    Profile includes what the individual would like to list for name (based on availability), location, current and past employment, education, recommendations, connections, Web site and contact information
•    An individual’s profile also may list Groups and Associations on LinkedIn
•    Recommendations are offered and sought out by colleagues to demonstrate professional qualifications and experience

Who: 39 million members
More than 170 industries are represented on LinkedIn

What: Invitation-based, online network
•    Two-way, active communication within the sphere of shared Connections, using messaging functionality
•    One-way, passive presentation and observation of information within the larger sphere of members
•    Two-way and group communication within the Groups and other Discussions through which a user participates within the LinkedIn network

When: 24/7
A new member joins LinkedIn approximately every second

Where: Everywhere
•    More than 200 countries
•    About half of LinkedIn members are outside the U.S.
•    English, Spanish, French and German are the languages currently available

How much: Free to join

Observations:
•    Organizations, publications and companies also are starting to set up their own LinkedIn profiles. Due to the emphasis on user-controlled content, LinkedIn seems to be an approachable starting point in social networking for many business leaders, especially those in architectural firms and manufacturing companies.
•    Groups and Discussions present the most dynamic means of interacting with a wider network, beyond an individual’s own Connections. Once engaged, Group participants can exchange information, news items and invitations.
•    For example, searching the term “architect” within LinkedIn, yielded: 459,673 People, 250 Jobs, 259 Companies, 500+ Questions and 190 Groups

Feel free to “connect” with me at http://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherwestpr

Information for the above was gathered from the following source: http://press.linkedin.com/about

Filed under: So-Called Social Media | Comments Off on So Called "Social" Media – LinkedIn