When I was a child, one of my favorite movies was “The Wizard of Oz.” What an amazing piece of work it was, with music that remains timeless. I will never forget how, whenever Walt Disney announced that it would be showing this classic, I could hardly contain myself until the day arrived. My whole family would gather around our cabinet-model television that looked more like a chest freezer than a TV, and woe to anyone whom dared speak once the show began. I will never forget how much my family enjoyed the show―and still does to this day. They certainly don’t make them like that anymore.
As I think about the adhesives and sealants industry, I am reminded of the similarities between our industry and this American classic, for good and bad. Just like in the movie, many of the actors in our industry are the same; they just wear different costumes at different times and in different places. Fortunately, for our industry, we recently had someone take out the “Wicked Witch” that has dogged our industry for many years. This witch wreaked havoc everywhere she went, making crazy deals, destroying markets and doing more to promote the idea of commoditization than anyone we had ever seen before. Munchkins everywhere are dancing with joy, including 6-ft, 3-in.-tall me.