Welcome to the inaugural posting of Building Matters . . . . a quick read on all things building from the folks at Griffin & Company. With our combined experience of some 75 years in the building industry (and counting!), we aim to bring a certain viewpoint on the industry. We’re not builders, remodelers, designers, engineers, bankers, economists or statisticians. Simply, we are communicators and marketers. We own old homes and new homes. We’ve built homes. We’ve done our own remodeling with both design/build firms and independent architects and contractors and most importantly, we’ve worked with many of the leading building product brands. I know that I’ve toured no fewer than 20 different manufacturing plants around the country in the past 20 years and I must have one of the largest collections of used trade show badges on the planet!
So we hope to bring this unique blend of industry involvement to our followers and provide a certain perspective that hasn’t always had a voice.
Last week I attended Greenbuild for the first time. I figured since Griffin & Company has been a USGBC member since 2007, I should see what the trade show was all about. It was in one of my favorite cities – Chicago – and was full of energy and excitement. Such a nice change from other recent shows in the industry. And I was especially pleased to have been invited to the gala dinner honoring Alex Wilson as recipient of the second annual Hanley Award. 
Particularly noteworthy was the prevalence of energy auditing software and devices such as the thermography hand-held units that are now more affordable than ever. Nate Kredich, VP of Residential Market Development for USGBC, told me that some 30,000+ attended Greenbuild this year, up from about 26,000 last year. After I left, I found myself walking a little faster and thinking more optimistically about our industry and its resilience. We will recover and be better for it. And I feel fortunate to be a part of one of the country’s most important industries.
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