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Welcome!
Welcome to the September edition of New(S)olutions, our monthly newsletter.
In this edition, we will tell you about our prestigious Crystal Achievement Award, a controversial tower at ground zero, a custom solution we provided, a new project award, focus on giving you some helpful business tips, ask some questions, share some humor and update you on the state of our industry. Don't forget to take our poll!
Additionally, through Facebook, Twitter, our blog and our presence on the Behance Network we are well positioned to help you connect with us. Please let us know what you think.
If you would like to forward this newsletter to friends or colleagues, it's easy! Just click on the Forward email link at the bottom of this newsletter.
And please, give us your comments and suggestions on things you'd like to see and how to improve our newsletter. Email your suggestions to marketing@cc-aep.com. Sincerely,
Custom Components Company
"Your Custom Solutions Provider" |
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Custom Components Wins Glass Magazine's Crystal Achievement Award
Custom Components Company was recently awarded Glass Magazine's prestigious Crystal Achievement Award for 2011 for Most Innovative Hardware Product. The award winners are selected by a panel  of judges representing all segments of the glass industry. The awards recognize the best products, glass applications and innovations in the commercial, retail and fabrication markets.
"The level of competition this year...shows a tremendous effort within our industry to continue to push the boundaries, while still providing quality on all levels to satisfy the architectural community, as well as building ownership," said 2011 Crystal Achievement Award Judge, Les Young, project manager, W&W Glass LLC, Nanuet, NY.
"I'm really glad to see the unique qualities of glass being used in so many different ways," said fellow Judge John Stevenson, design director, Richard Wittschiebe Hand Architects, Atlanta. "It is great to know the [glass industry's] innovation, technology and special expertise is continuing at a rapid pace."
Click here to see our award winning entry
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Visit Our New Website!
Custom Components Company announces the launch of our new website. The new site www.cc-aep.com, has been completely redesigned to make it more  user friendly, more informative and easier to navigate. We wanted to created a new website that reflects the quality of the products and services we provide. The new site is designed to showcase our products and projects, as well as provide information, photos, drawings and specifications that the architectural and building community needs to assist them in making their project decisions. Visitors can view the vast array of Custom Components' products and services and see past and current project details. The new site also includes links to current news and the company blog, corporate e-brochure, online store, the ability to subscribe to the company's newsletter and a contact page where visitors can ask questions and request information.
Click here to go to our new website
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A Controversial Tower Rises At Ground Zero
There is no denying that One World Trade Center (WTC), the 104 - story tower now rising at the northern end of the Ground Zero site, is a tremendously ambitious  commercial real estate venture. The building, owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, with the developer Durst Organization holding a 10 per cent stake, will contain 3.1 million square feet of office space when completed in late 2013. Below grade, connected to the WTC site's vast underground transportation infrastructure, there will be 55,000 square feet of retail, and near the top, the tower will include a two-level observation deck and a restaurant. But when the designers of the $3.19 billion project describe the building, they generally focus first on it's potential as a symbol: "It will serve as the marker of the 9/11 memorial on the skyline," says David Childs, consulting design partner to Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). Read more
Source: htttp://archrecord.construction.com
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Seven Steps To Sales Success
Early in the life of our company, a management consultant sat across a conference table from me and drew an organizational chart with me in the top box. From my vantage point, however, I was at the bottom, supporting those above me. It's a perspective that remains true today. Management should be a two-way street. At our company, we live by three guiding principles: Do the right thing (which starts with integrity and honesty), friends first and hard work. That philosophy extends from the executive leadership team through every department. Taken together these principles make up a singular belief: Do right by your clients, create client relationships that transcend the deal and work hard to ensure nothing damages, detracts or deviates from the relationship. The following seven strategies reflect this belief and have helped our business grow from start-up to market leader.
1. It's not about the sale. Sales are an opportunity. Relationships build bonds for the long term. We hear the line all the time, "What can I do to help your organization?" When was the last time you posed that question to a client or candidate - and really meant it?
2. Hire right, empower your people and invest in tools and relationships. At our company, each employee has the audience to suggest changes and improvements, even during his or her first week on the job. We have invested millions of dollars in cutting-edge technology and tools to better support our people in helping our clients.
3. Know your clients. Demonstrate a sincere interest in their challenges and decision-making process. When appropriate, request a seat at a table where those decisions are made. If you're confident in your ability and your partnership with your client, tie your compensation to your client's success.
4. Really know your clients. Forget the fancy restaurants and morning meetings at a diner. Visit their locations. See what they do... Read more
Source: Jay Cohen - www.sbnonline.com |
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Dictionary of Construction Terminology
Contractor - A gambler who never gets to shuffle, cut or deal.
Bid Opening - A poker game in which the losing hand wins.
Bid - A wild guess carried out to two decimal places.
Low Bidder - A contractor who is wondering what he left out.
Engineer's Estimate - The cost of construction in heaven.
Project Manager - The conductor of an orchestra in which every musician is in a different union.
Critical Path Method - A management technique for losing your shirt under perfect control.
OSHA - A protective coating made by half-baking a mixture of fine print, red tape, split hairs and baloney - usually applied at random with a shotgun.
Strike - An effort to increase egg production by strangling the chicken.
Delayed Payment - A tourniquet applied at the pockets.
Completion Date - The point at which liquidated damages begin.
Liquidated Damages - A penalty for failing to achieve the impossible.
Auditor - Person who goes in after the war is lost and bayonets the wounded.
Lawyer - Person who goes in after the auditors to strip the bodies.
Source: www.contractorcity.com |
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Custom Components - Custom Solution
Custom Components Company is not only a leader in providing custom architectural solutions for new projects, but we also excel in solving complex architectural and construction issues on existing buildings. Such was the case when we recently  completed a project in New York City. While doing research on the Internet, we came across a serious problem occurring at a 42 story condo tower at 325 Fifth Avenue. Glass railing panels were falling from the building, endangering residents and passersby. Not only was glass falling onto 5th Avenue, it was falling into an outdoor playground for a day care center. Our area sales representative, Tom Metcalf of The Metcalf Group, did some additional investigation and felt that this was a situation where our expertise and experience could be extremely beneficial.
In the meantime, the Cooper Square Project Management Division of Cooper Square Realty (New York City), who manages the building, had contracted with Frank Seta & Associates (New York City) , exterior wall and roofing consultants, to study the problem. Seta's review found a design flaw in the railing system that needed an immediate fix, as all 1,236 railing panels had been covered in mesh and plywood by the Department of Buildings, and condo owners, barred from setting foot on the balconies, were none too pleased. In addition, scaffolding was erected to protect pedestrians on 5th Avenue. Further investigation revealed that the railing did not meet building code requirements, in some instances.
Seta & Associates worked jointly with Custom Components Company to develop and test a remedial design to allow the use of the existing railing structure. Mano Labot Associates (Edison, NJ) furnished the product specific engineering. Once tested, Custom Components Company moved rapidly into a production mode. We provided specially fabricated stiffening plates for each post, thus increasing the load carrying characteristics by over 50%. Additionally, new top and bottom glass setting channels and a new top rail were tooled and new metal was extruded. The new top rail fits over the existing cap to extend the railing height to a building code compliant height of 42". The original clear tempered glass was replaced with 7/16'" laminate glass with a DuPont SGP inner layer. We also designed a special glass joint clip that would prevent glass from falling from the building if it did break. The products were manufactured in our Tampa, FL plant and powder coated with a custom color match "Spraylat Newlar" powder that meets an AMMA 2605 ten year warranted finish. At shipment, the product was boxed by individual balcony for easy distribution at the site. Walsh Metal and Glass (Yonkers, NY) worked hand in hand with us for onsite installation and coordination. All work had to be coordinated and performed from exterior swing stages that traveled up and down the outside of the building. In all, 4,280 LF of railing received new glass panels, top railing and glass retention channels.
Click here for before and after photos
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Construction Activity Update
The latest federal government figures on construction spending have been released showing July 2011 construction spending estimated at a seasonally adjusted $789.5 billion annual rate, 1.3% (+ or - 1.9%) below the revised June estimate of $799.8 billion. The July figure is 0.1% (+ or - 1.9%) above the July 2010 estimate of $789.0 billion. During the first 7 months of this year, construction spending amounted to $435.5 billion, 3.5 percent (+ or - 1.3%) below the $451.2 billion for same period in 2010.
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Nonresidential Construction Spending Recovery Slows
Nonresidential construction spending increased 2% since January; the recovery was clearly underway for "for lease" private projects with spending up for five consecutive months, although spending for institutional projects has fallen below the January level. The economic outlook will dampen the nonresidential recovery but not halt it. Spending totals will stall in the second half of 2011 and then resume growing, but at a slower pace than previously expected. Commercial developers will slow construction on some projects already started and delay some projects scheduled to start because of dimmer prospects for profit when buildings are completed. Institutional project managers will be forced to slow work or delay starts in 2012 as the flow of construction funds drops in a weaker economy. The spending decline for 2011 is projected at a slightly larger 8.3%, with the expansion in 2012 now expected to be 3.3% (previously 8.9%), and the gain in 2013 is now expected to be 9.5% (previously 13.3%)
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Connect With Us!
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New Project Award - 135 W. 45th Street New York, NY
Custom Components Company announces the award of a new project in New York City, 135 West 45th Street. The new  project is a major new Midtown hotel by Extell Development Co., the Hyatt Times Square. The new structure will be a 53 story hotel with a high-end ground-floor restaurant, a luxury spa and a rooftop bar. Estimated construction cost is above $300 million. The hotel will enjoy a privileged site near the east side of Times Square. The project architect is SLCE Architects and the general contractor is Bovis Lend Lease, both of New York City. Custom Components Company is supplying stainless steel glass railing with point mounted 13/16" laminated glass, stainless steel LED lighted hand rail and glass and stainless steel dividers to American Industries Corporation of Westbury, NY, who will handle the installation.
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9 Financial Rules To Keep Your Business Strong
At the end of the 20th century, only 10 years ago, research showed that half of small businesses failed in the first five years. Recently, similar research showed the mortality rate for small businesses had increased by 20% to half failing in the first four years. Neither of these studies offered a reason for such a high failure rate, nor the acceleration of failures. Of course, there are many reasons why a business fails. But the predominant contributor to small business carnage is failure to understand the financial fundamentals, more specifically, not understanding cash flow or how to capitalize growth.
So if you don't want to become part of a gruesome statistic, take the following suggestions seriously:
1. Produce regular (at least quarterly) and accurate financial statements (balance sheet and profit-and-loss).
2. Hire an accounting firm to help you. Too expensive? How expensive is failure?
3. Purchase and use one of the financial management software programs. Ask your CPA for a recommendation.
4 Track sales-to-expense ratios each month in order to know when to adjust spending.
5. Learn how to monitor inventory levels with regard to projected sales, receivables and cash. Read more
Source: www.manta.com
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About Custom Components Company
Custom Components Company is the premier manufacturer, fabricator and supplier of architectural engineered products, including interior and exterior railing systems, interior aluminum office fronts, stile and rail doors and sun control devices. For clients interested in custom engineered products, Custom Components' Engineered Services Division offers full design, engineering and fabrication of one-of-a-kind architectural elements. Through a national network of independent architectural representatives and an in-house staff of engineers, Custom Components offers the highest level of technical and product assistance to building and design professionals.
For any project large or small, if we don't already have what you need, we will build it for you and make your vision come alive.
For more information, give us a call or visit our website at www.cc-aep.com.
Custom Components Company "Your Custom Solutions Provider"
13902 Lynmar Boulevard
Tampa, Florida 33626
1-800-516-9474
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Visit Our
Website Visit our newly redesigned website. It's more user friendly, more informative and easier to navigate.
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Visit our e-commerce website/online store that provides 24/7 ordering
capability of an extensive line of interior and exterior railing products, interior door and framing products and accessories in a safe and secure shopping environment. To find out how easy it is to navigate our site
check out our User Guide below.
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When Other Contractors Cheat
Every market has sleazeballs who'll do anything to make a buck. They'll low ball  bids, use substandard materials, hide shoddy work, weasel out of their warranties, etc. Sleazeballs survive because every market has customers who allow themselves to get fleeced: Customers who don't check references, or the Better Business Bureau, who buy only on price, who don't insist on detailed written contracts, and who/or don't pursue legal action against bad contractors when it's appropriate. So what do you do to insure that you're not losing jobs to shady operators? Well, you can only control your behavior and that of your employees, so that's where you focus. Read more
Source: designandbuiildwithmetal.com |
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5th Avenue Apple Store New Glass Unloading
The flagship 5th Avenue Apple Store in New York City is being renovated. The glass cube is being rebuilt, this time out of 15 huge panels of glass instead of the 90 that were in place. While construction is going on, the store is still open 24/7. Apple and the architects working on designing the Apple Stores have been making use of large expanses of glass. The cylindrical store in Shanghai, China uses curved glass panels that are thought to be some of the largest manufactured to date, and the new Apple headquarters in Cupertino, California will make good use of the same manufacturing process. Click here for photos and video Source: usgnn.com
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Check Out Our New Series 500 Component Railing System
Now available! Our Series 500 Component Railing System. The component system consists of  assembled 42" high railing panels in 2, 3, 4, and 5 foot lengths, in surface mount or fascia mount designs. High quality aluminum construction available in six standard powder coat colors (Black, White, Silver, Greystone, Brown or Bronze). Accommodates 1/4" or 3/8" glass panels (not included). Available with black or grey top and bottom rail vinyl. Round or square cap rail tops off the panels for a aesthetically pleasing and finished look. Core mount, stanchion mount and fascia mount options are available. Click here for details and pricing |
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"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
- Thomas Alva Edison
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Trivia Question
What is the actual size of a 2 x 4?
- 2" x 4"
- 1 1/2" x 3 1/2"
- 1 3/4" x 3 3/4"
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Visit Our Blog
Come view our blog. We created it to help our customers and potential customers improve their businesses.
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What Is This?
What is this? The underside of an alien spacecraft? Hint: It's actually from one of our projects that appeared in an earlier edition of this newsletter. Take a guess, then click on the link below for the answer.
Click here for the answer |
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BioInnovation Center Commendation
In our last newsletter( August 2011) we talked about a project that we recently  completed. BioInnovation Center in New Orleans, LA. It was one of our most challenging and most successful projects to date. We are not the only ones to feel that way. Here is what the construction team leader had to say:
"I would like to take this time to say thank you to all the team members of the BioInnovation Project. In all my years of building and working with many teams, I have never had the opportunity to accomplish the goals we met on the NOBIC project. The team's commitment to quality, safety, and owner's relationship was at the top of the scoreboard...It has been a pleasure serving you all as leader of the team. Without teamwork and a commitment to be the best in the industry, we would not have made it. Again, thank you for your hard work and team efforts."
David Poole
Turner Universal
Project Superintendent |
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What's Your Business Look Like Now? Take Our Poll
Last December, we asked you to take  our poll and tell us what you thought would happen to your sales in 2011. We are asking you to take it again, and see if your forecast has changed. Click on the link below to take the poll, and you can see the results of what you and others in the industry think now. In our October newsletter, we will share a comparison between these results and the December 2010 results.
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Our Corporate Presentation
 Take a look at our corporate presentation. It will give you a detailed understanding of our company, our experience and our capabilities. It also includes an overview of our products and services, our project resume and photos of some of the projects we have worked on. Click here to view the presentation |
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1050B Wins Another Award
1050B Apartments is a LEED Gold certified 100% affordable high rise  apartment building in San Diego, CA. It was recently announced as the winner in the Urban Category of National Affordable Housing Finance's 7th Annual Readers' Choice Awards. Custom Components supplied glass railing and custom sunshade and trellis structures for the $90 million project. |
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Labor Costs, Construction Materials Prices Remain Low, But Contractors Can't Benefit
Retail contractors might be relieved that materials and labor prices in their sector have not shown significant increases from last year's levels, but they would probably be happier if there were more projects coming their way, the latest research figures show. While two major trackers of construction materials prices, Reed Construction Data and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) reported year-over-year increases for products such as diesel fuel, plastic resins and copper ores, the increases are largely due to fluctuations in the global commodities market, according to Kenneth D. Simonson, the Associated Contractors' chief economist. Prices for materials used primarily by U.S. contractors remain down, reflecting the fact that the number of new construction jobs continues to be low. Items that are produced here and used only by the U.S. construction industry, like gypsum, brick, lumber and plywood, the index for those items is down, Simonson says. Those things reflect the very sluggish demand for construction in this country. Read more
Source: usgnn.com |
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In Case You Missed
Us...
In case you missed some of the past editions of our monthly newsletter, you can access them by clicking on the link below.
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Our Business Divisions
 RAILING SYSTEMS INTERIOR OFFICE FRONTS  SUN CONTROL DEVICES CUSTOM PRODUCTS |
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