Vice President Joe Biden, along with U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Roland Burris and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley visited the former Republic Windows & Doors facility, now owned by Serious Materials, .....read more

Having completed its move to a 90,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Spokane, Wash., VPI Windows is positioned to have another record year in sales, despite the limping economy ...read more

Window and door manufacturers, distributors and dealers, including many leading names in the industry, were among 13,500 employers nationwide that recently received letters  ...read more

The House Energy and Commerce Committee began hearings last week on global warming legislation, designed to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions about 80 percent from today's levels by 2050 and increase energy independence.  ...read more 

Following its work with the National Association of Home Builders to develop the National Green Building Standard for residential projects, the International Code Council has initiated a “Green Building Code Development Project”...read more

• Housing, Economic Growth Now Heading to Higher Ground
  From Nation's Building News

• When Will Sales Turn Around?
  From Inc. Magazine

• James Milgard Has Made a Name for Himself
  From the News Tribune

Christina Lewellen,  senior editor of Window & Door

Lots of companies in this country got a warning letter from OSHA this week, nudging them to explore new ways to keep work-related injuries at bay. About 14,000 companies, including many in the window and door industry, received the notification that "workers in your establishment are being injured at a higher rate than in most other businesses in the country."

The letter goes on to acknowledge that some companies may struggle with implementing an effective workplace safety game plan and suggests turning to experts for help. "You may wish to consider hiring an outside safety and health consultant, talking with your insurance carrier, or contacting your state’s workers’ compensation agency for advice," the letter states.

How do you keep up with safety regulations, and how do you make sure your workplace safety plan is effective? There's probably no short answer, but please send me an email and give me the nutshell version. Did you receive the letter, and if you did, do you plan to make some internal changes?

The Talk..., Page 2

"Are You Celebrating Earth Day?"

Our poll results suggest there's very little enthusiasm at most window and door industry companies for this environmental occasion.  Some companies do get into the spirit of the day, however, and maybe more of us should.