Rudy Guiliani Wants In Too!

I have been inundated with calls and mail from the glass industry in response to last week's blog on Joe Torre joining the glass industry. I'll easily place him. The most surprising call, though, was from Rudy Guiliani, who said, he too was interested in the glass industry. I thought somebody was pulling my leg, but I called back and indeed it was hiz honor.

Rudy said, that while he was sure of becoming the next President, he wanted to have a fall back--just in case. He told me that any job that was good enough for Joe Torre was just perfect with him. We discussed his work history and what he was looking for, and came up with these 'talking points' for Rudy's campaign to get a job in the glass industry.

• In his last job, as Mayor of NYC, he negotiated with Unions on many issues. Rudy knows there are many unionized glass companies and he knows he can help them stare down the unions.
• Rudy fought the Mafia with great success. Just put him loose in your accounts receivable office and you will have no bad debts--guaranteed.
• Rudy knows quite a bit about Bullet and Blast Resistant glazing.
• Rudy told me that glass is important and should not be legislated away because it breaks. He thinks office workers everywhere should have a glass window to look out of.
• Mr. Mayor, ever the leader, wants to change the name of low-e to High-E, figures it will sell better.
• Since Rudy has been married three times, he knows all about family plans in medical insurance, payroll deductions, and prepaid legal plans, therefore he could run any glass company's HR department.
• Rudy has also been impressed with glass and mirror. He has a mirror in his office, in his house and on his campaign bus that he looks at every chance he can.
• Since Rudy is traveling back and forth between New Hampshire, Iowa, Michigan and Florida, he knows all the airline schedules and could help a company's travel department.
• Rudy prefers a company with a Republican base, no wait, now it's a liberal base, no wait, now it's a conservative base...don't worry about this...he'll fit in anywhere.
• Rudy figures he can help a nation-wide company sell their glass in New York City...after all every single person in New York believes him and will buy from him.
• His only strange request is that he not have to entertain guests and visitors at a Mets game. Once a closed mind, always a closed mind.
• Please note--he may not be available until June, or maybe November.

So, he would be the perfect person to help any glass company. As before, please send your job requirements and offering salary to me at paulbaseball@msn.com and I'll make sure that Rudy follows up on all serious offers.

Joe Torre Wants to be in the Glass Industry

On a delayed flight a couple of years ago I was sitting next to Joe Torre, and we had time to really understand each other. He told me about baseball and dealing with George Steinbrenner, and I told him about the glass industry and Chuck Kaplanek. I told him how happy I was, and he told me how unhappy he was. The boss DOES make all the difference. He was so impressed that he said he would be glad to join Floral Glass if he ever left baseball.

Well, everyone who can read a newspaper knows that Joe is now out of work in one of the more classless ways ever dreamed up by an idiotic boss.

Joe called me and said he was ready to start working. I explained to him that the business had been sold to Oldcastle Glass and we were not able to hire him, as we were no longer involved with the firm. This is when he threw me the curve ball. Joe said, "Well, since I can't work for Chuck, why don't you become my agent and get me a job in the glass industry you love so much?"

After an hour on the phone, Joe appointed me as exclusive bargaining agent for the glass industry. I asked him why glass. He said he had been following the industry ever since our chance encounter in that airplane and he saw an industry that was slow and steady, no ups and downs like a pennant race. He also read stories about glass tops breaking all over the country, and he figured that someone has to replace them, so why not him? The main reason, he said, was because I had told him about low-e glass, and that soon, everyone in the world would be using low-e, and he figured that would be a lot of people for him to sell glass to.

So...to the glass industry of the United States of America...I hereby offer the services of Joe Torre, manager extraordinaire, to work for your company. Here is what he feels would be appropriate for a man of his experience:

• A three year, no cut contract.
• Steady year-round work...he is tired of only working the spring and summer, and an occasional fall.
• A company with a Chief Executive who doesn't interfere with employees way down the line.
• A firm that sells low-e glass.
• Third base coach on the company softball team.
• Joe wants to use his experience with the Japanese market, but admits no experience with European countries (Please, someone tell this to Asahi/AGC).
• He would like a company that will send him to train in Florida, preferably in February or March.
• A company that is considered 'major' in the industry, rather than a minor player.
• A company where he doesn't have to autograph his finished goods every day.
• A position with Lyle Hill's company in Chicago, where he could have occasional afternoons off.

Joe has long been associated with winning. He will be able to help any company move from third place to first place in our industry. Joe guarantees that press coverage of his new employer will increase and that can only be good. He is hoping to find a company with many branches across the USA, where he can help align these branches into defined divisions, each contributing to the profit picture.

Remember, as Joe's exclusive agent for the glass industry, I will work hard to get him into the right position. FIRST, I'll take your phone call to talk about Joe; SECOND, we'll set up a meeting on the THIRD of next month; don't come up SHORT, STOP and think what Joe brings to the table; we'll negotiate so nothing is LEFT on the table; RIGHT on! we'll CENTER our thoughts on low-e so the sales PITCH will be OK with Joe and when we are done, we'll CATCH some sleep after this negotiation.

Don't make an error, Hire Joe (and his wordy agent). Email me at (what else) paulbaseball@msn.com

Finding Time to Run A Glass Business

At last week's Grand Rapids trade show, during my presentation on working with your glass vendors, I discussed one piece of a road map. "Take time ahead of an annual meeting with your key vendor to study what you are buying, talk to your receiving department, the finance department and your sales group. There are basic questions to see if your vendor is treating you well. (These points were discussed at the seminar, and are free to our readers, just drop me an e-mail at paulbaseball@msn.com).

The actual vendor meeting should be about an hour long, and the prep time should be 4 to 5 hours.

A hand rose up from the back, (there were actually people sitting in back AND front), and Patti Lampl, an industry consultant specializing in personnel in the glass industry, asked the Chevrolet question of the day. "If this set-up, the actual meeting, and the follow through take up about ten hours, and you work with multiple vendors, you then loose a lot of time to actually do the work!"

I was silent for a few seconds, and the only answer I could give her was a one syllable phrase "YES". Someone in the audience blurted out, sure If we do all this purchasing by the book, then we won't have time to sell.

One of the toughest decisions any manager/owner has to make is how to use his/her time. And yes, emergencies can arise, snow and high winds change every body's plans, but let's set a starting point with time.

Here is an agenda for a single owner, 4-6 installers, 1 shop person, a bookkeeper and and counter person.

The owner should spend 50% of his/her time directly with customers, getting new work, confirming work, following up at job-sites where you already have work. 10% hiring and training workers. If you have low-turnover, they your training should be top notch! 10% running the business of the glass business, working with vendors, the phone company, meetings with your insurance advisor,etc. The last usable 10% should be working to grow the business for the future. This includes attending trade shows, learning from your peers, studying trade magazines and web sites.

I would place the purchasing annual meeting in this zone of life. What can you and the partnership of your vendor be doing in the future. If the meeting is just who's got the lowest price...take a step back. Remember, your key vendor is the one that has your philosophies and if needed, you would be glad to work there. You may have two or three key vendors, one for auto glass, one for aluminum and one for flat glass. This 10% cut of time isn't for today's problems, it focuses on next month opportunities.

The last 10% is time for you and your family. A week or two of vacation, and a couple of days here and there for you to learn, attending trade shows, getting in-depth tour of a vendor's facility. (how many have actually seen glass made at a floater)? Maybe a two-day course in how to use a computer to help you make your shower door drawings.

Everyone in business has a struggle in filling their time usage dance-card. I strongly recommend that you do create and actively use your time to learn from and work with your vendors.

Some thoughts from Glass Expo in Grand Rapids

Greetings from Grand Rapids, Michigan. I feel like a foreign correspondent reporting back home. It is always exciting to be at a glass trade show, in any part of the country. I just have a few minutes, and I want to pass on one key observation.

Glass shop owners and glass industry leaders are here asking and answering questions of each other. I overheard a fabricator asking a customer how could he improve his service, and I observed shop owners getting information on new products.

The point is, people here are learning how to improve their businesses and our industry. And, these people are our current and future leaders. People who want to learn make time to do it. They budget precious dollars to get this learning experience. And they profit by it.

You don't have to travel to Grand Rapids; you don't have to spend money. Dealers associations work hard to disseminate information. Magazines publish articles that will inform you in the various segments of our industry. All you have to do is be committed to learn, invest your time in teaching yourself, and then teach your company.

So, do you budget time and money to learn? Trust me, it is worth it.

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

A few minutes ago I read a news-break update that Isiah Thomas and the New York Knicks Basketball Club have been found guilty of sexual harassment in the offices.

Wait a minute you say, a professional basketball organization is involved with locker-room humor and men traveling around the country. Certainly this is acknowledged in this environment. The 'wrong' buzzer is squealing now in the background. Sexual harassment can and does happen everywhere in business, there are no places where it is acceptable under current law and custom.

An off-color joke can be considered harassment. Certainly any touching, and direct sexual overtures are way over the line. Hanging a pin-up calendar can be grounds enough for an employee to file a complaint.

Here's what you do. As soon as possible, write a statement that should go in your employee manual stating that your company frowns on any sort of sexual harassment. Appoint a senior level person, or the owner, to receive all complaints regarding harassment. Have a meeting with the whole company explaining that you do not tolerate sexual harassment, and that anyone who feels they have been harassed, or made to feel uncomfortable, should speak with the appointed listener. This listener should immediately investigate any claim, report back to ownership, and then together, meet with and counsel the offending party, if you find there is one. Explain that one person did find the behavior offensive, and counsel the offender on what not to do in the future. Go back to the complainant and explain that you have indeed counseled all involved, and any further complaint will be taken more seriously.

If a second complaint comes in, you really have to talk with the offender. It doesn't matter that they think it was innocent or cute. A letter of reprimand needs to go in the personnel file, and probably a suspension for a day or two, without pay, will get every one's attention. A third valid complaint should cause dismissal.

If you just laugh this away, it will come back to bite you. No questions asked. Your company can be liable for big bucks, as well as you individually if you do not create effective action to stop the harassment.

I had an interesting case a couple of years back, where one male supervisor said something like 'C'mon girls, let's load this cart'. Of course, all the loaders were men, a few of Hispanic background, where calling a man a girl is extremely offensive. This employee filed a complaint with the state Equal Opportunity Employment Commission, there was an investigation, which said that our supervisor was indeed saying an offensive comment. To make a long story short, we paid a $5,000 fine, in this male-to-male conversation. The moral of this story is that you have to be careful, always, in what you say in the workplace.

Any questions? Drop me an e-mail at paulbaseball@msn.com and I can send you a one-page sexual harassment statement to go into your employee manual.

Preparing an Emergency Book

One of the most important tools for any company, in any industry, is to have an emergency procedures book. It doesn't have to be fancy, just a simple binder will do. But, it will be the most important book you have when an emergency comes up.

Yes, it will happen to you. No one is immune. Whether a lightening strike, or a vehicle accident, it will happen.

The book should list:

• Owner's home phone, cell phone; owner's spouse cell phone; and the phone numbers of owner's family
• Key employee's home and cell numbers
• Phone numbers for police, fire and ambulance (if not 911) and the non-emergency number for each group
• Closest hospitals main numbers, emergency room numbers
• Phone numbers for electric, gas, water, and oil heat companies for emergency shut-off; also the numbers for emergency service and information on service interruption
• Your local sewer authority for back-ups in the system; or the cesspool servicing firm
• An environmental spill containment firm; a pre-set company on this issue will save you a bundle
• Your insurance agent, who you should call after the emergency is under control; your worker's comp insurance carrier if this is an injury to an employee
• Your lawyer; if the emergency involves injury to a non-employee, your lawyer and your insurance agent have to get into this quickly
• If you a union company, the phone numbers for the business agent and leadership of the local you deal with
• A garbage clean-up and hauling company for when you drop a load of glass on the side of a road.
• Phone numbers, office, cell, and home for: electrician, plumber, heat and air-conditioning
• Your phone carrier and your local service company that handles your phone sets and wiring
• The computer company that set up your office network
• A restoration company that can come in to mitigate smoke and water damage
• Here is an odd one--if you need to keep something cold, such as PVB, vinyl, for making laminated glass, a dry ice delivery company
• A crane repair company
• A tow truck for your fleet; and a mobile tire fixer that can go to a location where your truck is down
• The body shop you want a down vehicle to go to
• A repair company for your fork-lift
• The central station number and the installer's number for your burglar and fire alarm system
• Your locksmith to help you seal your building, or to gain access where needed
• The number for a public relations or advertising agency that you have worked with; in a serious accident you need a predetermined list of who can talk to media and what their limitations are
• The dispatcher's of your main vendors, if you have to delay or reroute shipments that are on the way to you
• Your bank, if you have to stop checks that may be stolen or lost credit cards, or who you can turn to for an emergency loan
• Your landlord, if you rent
• If you own and have tenants in part of the space, their key people phone numbers

This will take a winter weekend to put together. If you have multiple locations, create a list for each location. Update the book once or maybe twice a year. Keep a copy by your work desk, at your home, and tucked into the trunk of your car. If you travel, stick the phone lists in your suitcase. Emergencies only happen when you are in far-away places.

Hiring for the Ethnic Marketplace

The ethnic marketplace is growing in the United States. Glass use is cross-cultural, in that people of all cultures need glass replaced. Don't confuse economic class with cultural class. Poor people of any culture wont buy a new frameless shower, but middle and upper class in every culture are customers for heavy glass.

You goal is to make it as easy as possible for every culture to buy at your shop. It is a basic law of business that customers will buy from a company that they feel comfortable with. In your approach to selling in the ethnic marketplace, the first step is to have a counter or salesperson be fluently bi-lingual in the target language and English. The next time you hire, make this a requirement for hiring. You will pay more for a bi-lingual person, but it should prove to be worth it.

Oh, a detail...How do you hire someone who is bilingual? You state your need in your help-wanted ad. If this doesn't bring in the right candidates here are the back-door ways to hire.

• If the target market is big enough for you to want to sell into, there will usually be a newspaper in that language. Place your help-wanted here.

• First and second generation ethnic groups in America have the highest percentage of religious affiliation of any group. Find the church or temple, make an appointment to meet with the leader. Explain that you wish to hire someone with language skills. Every leader I ever contacted was brimming with ideas and candidates. They know who needs a job, know who can do a job, and who has the desire to work hard. This was my best source of hiring of dual-language speakers.

• Contact the state or county employment center. Explain fully what you need. In some areas, State referral systems often have a rule requiring that every applicant be sent to you, and the employment counselors can't prescreen. Even if this is the case, it is worth it. Spend a day on short interviews and bring back serious candidates for second interviews. PS, never hire someone without a second interview. Try to make the second interview at the same time as the start of the shift they could be hired for. If they can't get out of bed for an interview, they surely won't make it for a daily job.

• There may be a city council member who is of the ethnic group you want. Contact their office and you will get a couple of candidates. Politicians love this kind of phone call and will almost always come through for you.

The most important advice is: Don't forget you are in the glass business. Your first criterion in hiring is: Can the person serve your customers with your products? Hire someone that is trainable in glass, or has some construction related experience. Maybe a strong background in retail will be most important if you have the capability to teach the glass business.