It is unusual for the fenestration industry to fall within the scope of presidential action. It happened in February 2009 with President Obama’s signing of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, also known as the stimulus package.The law was designed to boost sales of energy efficient building envelope components, including windows and doors. The idea was to create jobs and reduce ...
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Robbyn P. Wysocki, an attorney with the Dallas-based Wysocki Legal Group P.C. recently sent out a notice to the firm's small business clients to make them aware of a provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that may offer them a way to regain some cash if their businesses were profitable in previous years, but operated at a loss in 2008. Under the ARRA, small businesses that had a ...
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With the recent passage of SB 2499 (“Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Extension Act of 2009”), all businesses with exposure to tort claims–including personal injury claims–need to be keenly aware of Medicare’s reimbursement rights. Medicare’s reimbursement rules are changing, and businesses should consider modifying their liability and settlement strategies. ...
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For better or worse, the headlines in today's WDweekly present a real snapshot of the today's economic landscape. Read just about any forecast or outlook today, and it will likely include a mix of optimistic signals that the worst is over, but also cautionary notes that the struggles will continue for some time before the economy can truly be considered healthy.Among this week's stories, I was ...
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Nothing feels better to me than the beginning of summer. And from an industry perspective, it’s great to see things warming up a bit. With the spring came news that workers were returning to window and door plants, and I suspect many distributors and dealers brought back employees as business picked up in the office and in the field.Whether you attribute the increase in activity to normal ...
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As consumer product companies embrace the reality of empowered consumers and the Internet-enabled world, many have been moving to an “open innovation” product development model, report Pat Conroy and Art Ash of Deloitte LLP. This model is based on the idea that information can now be gathered on a mass scale by using both external (end users, suppliers, academia, etc.) and internal ...
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Given the worldwide concern over the environment, pollution levels and global warning–and the increasing political and government involvement in these areas–it's no surprise that consumers have an increasing interest in "green" building.However, caution and care should be implemented by all involved, given the increasing frequency of claims and litigation arising from ...
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House Majority Leader John Boehner visited Deceuninck North America this week. His district includes Monroe, Ohio, where the vinyl extruder is one of the largest employers, so he has good reasons to visit the company, learn more about its operations, and hear its concerns.This is the latest example of what appears to be a trend–our industry speaking up more to Washington officials. Viwinco ...
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Happy Earth Day. It's April 22 and millions of people will be marking the occasion by talking about the environment, global warming, recycling, and more. Many companies are marking the occasion too. What about your company? That's our poll question of the week.Why do I ask? I guess to see just how many window and door companies are truly embracing "green." Most companies in our industry ...
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As a candidate, President Obama promised "change." Although I don't necessarily think it came from the White House, "change" is now evident in the window and door industry.The change is being applauded by many. With the enactment of the stimulus package, there is now a real tax incentive for homeowners to upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes. Manufacturers and ...
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