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Happy New Year!
Welcome to the January edition of New(S)olutions, our monthly newsletter.
To start the new year, we thought it might be appropriate to picture some of our new projects above. They are, from left to right, Lynn University Remembrance Plaza, Palazzo Apartments at Vitruvian Park and Mesa College. All have been featured in past editions.
In this edition, we will make a huge announcement, tell you about our New Year's resolutions, focus on giving you some helpful business tips, share some humor and update you on the state of our industry.
We at Custom Components Company would like to wish you every happiness, success and prosperity in the New Year. Thank you for being our partner. We look forward to continuing our relationship in the coming year.
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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 Big News! Custom Components Company Acquired By Grey Mountain Partners
Grey Mountain Partners ("Grey Mountain") has acquired Custom Components Company ("Custom Components"). Headquartered in Tampa, Fla., Custom Components is a niche building materials manufacturer, fabricator and supplier of aluminum, stainless steel and glass architectural engineered products including interior and exterior railing systems, interior aluminum office fronts, and stile and rail doors.
Beth Lesniak, Vice President of Grey Mountain, said, "Custom Components' niche product line, value-added services, technical leadership, and strong management team are a critical part of our go-to-market and acquisition strategy in the glass sector."
"The combination of Global Security Glazing and Custom Components Company will enhance our security- and commercial-focused products and open up new end markets and geographies," said Lesniak. "We are excited about this investment and the opportunity to cross-sell and grow Custom Components' product offerings and services."
More Information:
Custom Components Company is extremely pleased and energized to announce the sale of the company to the newly formed Consolidated Glass Holdings, LLC (CGH) an affiliate of Grey Mountain Partners (www.greymountain.com) a private equity firm founded and organized around a single guiding principle: ..."helping portfolio companies achieve operational excellence"
Everyone has been very patient with us during this process, and we want to emphasize that we have emerged a much stronger company, and can assure everyone that contracts will be completed to everyone's satisfaction, and all vendor invoices will be paid in full. Under separate cover we will be forwarding new Contractor Pre-qualification information and to our vendors, W-9 forms stipulating our new EIN number and corporate identity information. Updated financial information will also be made available in all credit relationships.
The other companies that have recently been recently acquired by "CGH", include; Columbia Commercial Building Products (www.ccbpwin.com) with corporate offices in Rockwall, Texas, and Global Security Glazing (www.security-glazing.com) with facilities in Selma, Alabama. Separate from "CGH", Grey Mountain Partners recently consummated the purchase of the BINSWANGER organization with over 70 retail outlets nationally. This acquisition will stand alone from the "CGH" group of companies, but will provide an ongoing relationship for the distribution of products and services supplied by the "CGH" group of companies.
The exciting part of this amalgamation, of these and future companies will be that we now can coordinate resources to provide a more complete and greater breadth of product offering, specifically addressing a wider range of aluminum extrusions, glass and glazing requirements for the commercial and institutional market place. The operating philosophy of Grey Mountain is ..."to focus on building value by helping each of their portfolio companies execute one simple overall strategy: surpass their competitors and better serve more customers"
Custom Components Company will continue to operate from our Tampa facility, and there are no immediate plans that will adversely affect our employee base, vendor relations, or contractual agreements.
ABOUT GREY MOUNTAIN PARTNERS
Grey Mountain Partners is a Boulder, Colo.-based private equity firm that focuses on partnering with management to create lasting value through operational improvements and buy and build strategies in fragmented markets. Grey Mountain invests in lower middle-market companies across a wide range of industries and in transactions with enterprise values between $30 million and $150 million. For more information, please visit www.greymountain.com.
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We Resolve...
January 1st is always the time people make their resolutions for the new year. This year Custom Components Company has some of our own:
We resolve... ... to be a leader and innovative supplier of top quality railing, interior office frames and doors, sun control devices and other architectural elements. ... to keep a proactive relationship with the architectural, design and building communities. ... to become the "go to" company in the industry. ... to separate ourselves from the competition by extensive construction knowledge and innovative product designs, while listening to the needs of building and design professionals. ... to distinguish ourselves by being creative and adaptable to address specific design and engineering challenges for our clients. ... to be committed to pursuing environmentally sustainable initiatives and continually looking for avenues to use resources wisely and reduce our impact on the environment. ... to continue to treat our clients, suppliers and employees with fairness, honesty and respect. Sincerely, Custom Components Company
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Custom Components Company Recognizes Attendance Awards - Sets Safety Record
At our recent Christmas luncheon we took the time to recognize those employees that recorded superior attendance during 2011 and celebrate a new safety record.
Two employees, William Hootman and Houston Reames had perfect  attendance during 2011. For their efforts they received certificates of recognition (pictured at left) and a monetary award. Others recognized for their attendance in 2011 were: Edwin Feliciano, David McGinnis, Mike Ramos and Paul Yelapi (three quarters of perfect attendance), Olga Cardona, Roger Frey, Ron Gross, Denise Hicks, Ken Klingberg, Eric Locklear and Andy Menard (two quarters) and Ken Booth, Angel Burgos, Victor Diaz, Mark Kirchoff, Lamar Rich, Luis Suarez and Rich Torrey (one quarter).
In addition, we set a new safety record. Custom Components Company has now gone 2,247 days (that's over 6 years!) without a lost time accident. Congratulations to all on this incredible achievement.
Click here for a larger image
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First We Build It, Then We Protect It
At Custom Components Company we take a lot of pride in the quality of workmanship that goes into each of our products. Once the product is  built, our quest for excellence doesn't stop there. We are committed to ensuring that the products our clients receive are in the pristine condition they were when they left our plant. That's why the employees in our shipping department are specially trained and take the extra care when packaging and shipping our products to the client's job site.
The process begins with crates and other materials that are custom designed for the particular product leaving our dock. Not only is the packaging designed to protect, but also to make installation easier when the product arrives at the project site. An example of this is our current Museum Tower (Dallas, TX) project. Each floor of the massive project is packaged in a separate crate and identified to speed and ease installation.
We then stay in close client contact during the installation phase to make sure that the custom product that our clients receive from us not only meets, but exceeds their expectations.
Click here to see packaging examples
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Got Shingles
A man walked into a doctor's office and the receptionist asked him what he had.
He replied, "I got shingles."
She said, "Fill out this form and supply your name, address, medical insurance number. When you're done, please take a seat." 
Fifteen minutes later a nurse's aide came out and asked him what he had. He said, "I got shingles."
So she took down his height, weight, and complete medical history, then said, "Change into this gown and wait in the examining room."
A half hour later a nurse came in and asked him what he had. He said, "I got shingles."
So she gave him a blood test, a blood pressure test, an electrocardiogram, and told him to wait for the doctor.
An hour later the doctor came in and asked him what he had. He said, "Shingles."
The doctor gave him a full-cavity examination, and then said, "I just checked you out thoroughly, and I can't find shingles anywhere."
The man replied, "They're outside in the truck. Where do you want them?"
Source: www.contractorcity.com
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Does Anybody Care Anymore?
The last time I looked, there was some pretty intense competition out there, no matter what industry you're in. I guess that's why it is so hard for me to understand why some people and companies don't seem to care very much anymore about how they treat their customers or potential customers.
The potential loss of revenue due to losing a customer is sizable. And here's the best thing, 81% of customers don't tell you they are leaving. They just leave. Add to that the cost to acquire a new customer, and we're talking some serious dollars here. Then, why the apparent apathy?
Let me give you two personal examples. We have a landscaper that we have been with for seven years. We have had our issues from time to time, but he generally does a good job and is quite reasonable. On the last issue we had, regarding the replacement of some bad (and guaranteed) sod, this guy has proven totally unresponsive. After numerous phone calls and notes on his invoices (I know he looks at them!). We still are waiting for a response. In the last note, I even threatened him with the loss of my business. I'm still waiting! I can't believe he has that much business that he can afford to throw away long time customers.
Recently, we found ourselves less than pleased with the quality of our house cleaning service (not we're not rich, we both work full time). Being action oriented we began to look elsewhere and contacted a prospective new service. The owner made an appointment to visit us and give us an estimate. She never showed up and never even called! Again, I can't believe it.
I was raised in the Midwest where a very strong work ethic was instilled in me at a very early age. I guess I just can't understand the way some people and companies approach their businesses. A former boss had a phrase for this type of behavior. He called it "satisfactory underperformance."
There is another side to this. Run your business like you care about your customers and potential customers. From what I've observed lately, you'll be miles ahead of most of your competition.
Dave Janosz
Marketing Manager
Custom Components Company |
"The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves"
Do you manage your people with Fear, or with Love?
How do you manage or motivate your employees? Do you manage your employees with fear, or do you inspire support from your employees as a way to meet your company's objectives and goals?
Managing people with Fear:
I love this quotation: "The beatings will continue until morale improves." This is one of the best examples of how to motivate or manage out of fear. It's like saying: I'll pay you $100,000.00 a year, and for every mistake you make, I'll take away 10%. As opposed to: I'll pay you $85,000.00 and for every innovative or creative idea you come up with that adds to the bottom line, I'll pay you an additional 10%. One is motivating negatively, and the other is motivating positively.
Managing out of fear is no way to manage your employees, if you expect them to produce beyond their capability! When you manage out of fear you back your employee into a corner and dare them to make a mistake. What happens is, they not only do what's safe and under the radar, but they will also not put effort towards being more efficient or creative in fear of making a mistake. If you're goal is to be average then manage your employees with fear! Read more
Source: John Rovi at usgnn.com
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Construction Activity Update
The latest federal government figures on construction spending have been released showing November 2011 construction spending estimated at a seasonally adjusted $807.1 billion annual rate, 1.2% (+ or - 1.6%) above the revised October estimate of $797.4 billion. The November figure is 0.5% (+ or - 1.9%) above the November 2010 estimate of $803.0 billion. During the first 11 months of this year, construction spending amounted to $724.8 billion, 2.5 percent (+ or - 1.1%) below the $743.6 billion for same period in 2010.
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ENR Announces Best Of The Best Project Awards 2011
Engineering News-Record (ENR) is pleased to announce the winners of its fourth annual Best of the Best Projects Awards, a national competition that recognizes design and construction excellence based on regional winners of ENR's seven regional publications' Best Projects 2011 Awards. Winners will be profiled in the February 13, 2012 issue of ENR.
"One of the judges called me personally to tell me how impressed he was with the entries," said Janice L. Tuchman, ENR editor-in-chief. "I was delighted to tell him that I agree completely. We are proud to showcase such fine work.
"Out of 119 regional Best Projects winners, an independent jury of design and construction professionals selected 18 winners in categories ranging from green building to transportation. Projects were judged on safety, innovation, contribution to the industry/community, aesthetic and functional quality of design and construction craftsmanship.
One project, to be announced in the February 13, 2012 issue of ENR, will also be selected for the Editor's Choice Award-a single project that stood out to ENR's editors as an outstanding achievement in 2011.
ENR's Best of the Best 2011 Award Winners: Read more
Source: McGraw-Hill Construction
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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, FL 33626
1-800-516-9474
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Visit Our Website
It's user friendly, informative and easy to navigate. The 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 a vast array of our products and services and see past and present project details. The site also includes links to current news, the company blog, corporate e-brochure, online store, the ability to subscribe to the company newsletter and a contact page where visitors can ask questions and request information.
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Visit Our Online Store
Visit our new online store. It has been completely redesigned and upgraded. We've added more products, more photos, a better shopping cart and loads of other features to enhance the online buying experience.
Click here to go to our online store
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Construction Spending Hits 17 -Month High in November
Construction spending totaled $807 billion in November 2011, the highest level since June 2010, as home building, private nonresidential construction and public construction all increased compared to October, the Associated General Contractors of America reported in an analysis of new Census Bureau data. Association officials cautioned, however, that public spending will drop even further in 2012 because of delays in enacting needed infrastructure bills and planned cuts to many federal construction programs.
Read more
Source: usgnn.com
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Architectural Billings Climb Into Positive Territory
Continuing the positive momentum of a nearly three point bump in October, the American Institute of Architects' (AIA) Architecture Billings Index (ABI) reached its first positive mark since August, according to a December 21 news release. As an economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine-to-12-month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. AIA reported the November ABI score was 52.0, following a score of 49.4 in October. This score reflects an overall increase in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings). The new projects inquiry index was 65.0, up dramatically from a reading of 57.3 the previous month. Read more
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Quote of the Month
"Strive for perfection in everything. Take the best that exists and make it better. If it doesn't exist, create it. Accept nothing nearly right or good enough." - Sir Henry Royce, Co-founder of Rolls-Royce
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Trivia Question
When were hard hats first invented?
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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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Mansion Made Of Glass Goes For A Steal
A seaside mansion in San Diego that was used in TV commercials but never occupied  has sold for a bargain $14.1million - a third of the original $45 million asking price.
The so-called 'architectural marvel' known as The Razor has closed escrow and was purchased by a mystery East Coast buyer who paid for the house in cash.
The property boasts a staggering 11,000 square feet - with four bedrooms and six baths, several fireplaces, a guest house, and an infinity pool - and was originally to be sold at an auction in September. Read more
Source: usgnn.com
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How To Target Customers For Your Business
There is a big ol' myth about business that as long as you have a slew of customers coming in, then you'll be rollin' in the dough.
Well, yes, traffic helps, but if it isn't targeted to match your business product, you are wasting money, time, and loads of energy.
Would you rather have a million people coming into your store and only one person buy from you, or 10,000 people entering your store and 1,000 leaving as buying customers?
Honestly, it is better to have LESS traffic that is concentrated to be a good match for your business, than massive 'low-quality' traffic (aka, customers who don't want what you got!). To know how to target customers for your business, you need to get inside the mind of your customer.
Here are 5 questions you must have the answers for, to help you understand your target customers and position your marketing and business brand accordingly: Read more
Source: www.manta.com
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Connect With Us!
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, view our blog on Blogger.com and see our work on the Behance Network.
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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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Chiseled Tower To Mark Entrance To Istanbul
 A 606-ft-high chiseled obelisk designed by FXFOWLE, New York City, will delineate the eastern entrance to Istanbul when construction finishes in July 2014. Renaissance Tower, as the office building will be known, is being developed by Ankara-based Renaissance Construction Co., which plans to lease most of the 914,900-sq-ft high-rise. Read more
Source: www.archrecord.construction.com
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Will It Ever Get Better? Check Out Our Poll Results
In the last issue of our newsletter, we asked you to give us your prediction as to what will happen in 2012. Every economist and industry expert has given their opinion. Click on the link below to see what you and others like you in our industry said.
Click here for the results
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Stay Inspired All Year Long
It's the new year. People are inspired to begin anew and accomplish great things in their lives.  To make sure that that inspiration doesn't fade all to soon, watch this video. It contains quotes that will help you to stay inspired all year long.. Click on the link below to view the video.
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What's The Difference Between Sales And Marketing?
Too many people don't know, and too many people think they know, but don't. If you want to run a successful business you'd better know the difference. Simply put, sales is getting in front of, or otherwise contacting a customer for the purpose of closing a sale. Marketing creates the environment for that sale to happen. Put another way - marketing is letting people know that you can help them.
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Glass Tunnel Set To Link MetroTo Dubai Mall
A raised glass-covered walkway is to be built to link Dubai Mall, the world's largest shopping  centre, to Burj Khalifa metro station, Emaar Malls Group said.
The air-conditioned tunnel will use five moving walkways to transport passengers from the metro station to Downtown Dubai and then on to the mall, and is slated for completion in 2013.
At peak capacity, the travellators will be able to carry 13,500 people per hour, the company said. The value of the project was not disclosed.
"The Dubai Mall is one of the most visited tourist, retail, and leisure destinations in the world," Mohamed Alabbar, chairman of Emaar Properties, said in an emailed statement.
Click here for a larger image
Source: usgnn |
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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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