Thanks for a Great Ten Years
by Tara Taffera

Ten years ago in November, Key Communications launched DWM magazine and I’m proud of everything we, and more importantly, the industry, has accomplished in that time. It was great fun to put together this special anniversary issue and to take a look back as well as ahead to the future (though doing so in these days is slightly more difficult).

Familiar Faces: When flipping through all of DWM’s issues from the past ten years, I couldn’t help but reminisce when remembering people I used to work with closely, such as Susan Douglas, former NFRC administrator, and Alan Campbell, former WDMA president, who sadly passed away several years back.

Innovations: While researching the innovations from the past ten years, it also was interesting to look back on the innovations that weren’t—or that weren’t as big as many may have thought. For example, in our January February 2002 edition, DWM wrote a cover story on self-cleaning, or low-maintenance glass, as well as a few updates along the way. While the product is being used, it hasn’t grown as much or as quickly as many may have originally thought.

"It was also interesting to look back on the innovations that weren’t."

But here’s the thing about innovation. My husband recently suggested I watch a documentary on Coca Cola which he thought was really interesting. One thing that stood out to me is the part in which a company representative talked about how the company spends a significant amount of money on investments in unique products. For example, the company currently is investing in coconut water. It is not ready for prime time, per se, but the company believes this will be a big seller and the representative explained that some innovations take time to grow. So, who knows? Maybe in our 20-year anniversary issue I’ll be talking about how far low-maintenance glass has come after all.

Accomplishments: When it comes to DWM’s accomplishments over the past ten years, I think my honest answer might surprise you: It’s hearing from readers who say they enjoy our articles, our videos, our news articles, etc. When writing this column, I received an example from Robert Grady of Paradigm Windows, who sent a response to my last column which talked about the need to verify green marketing claims (see DWM October, page 4). Following is an excerpt from his letter.

“Your article is spot on. I am forever sending my work product to our engineer for securitization; either to shoot me down or validate the claims I will craft in an ad. It’s easy to create prose with these high-fa-lootin’ claims when the product meets or exceeds the criteria. That part is easy… it’s the fuzzy ground… like the R-5 program where I wonder what I can or cannot claim.”

So thanks, Robert, and all of our readers. We enjoy keeping our readers informed, and look forward to continuing to do so into the future.


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