When my grandson was not admitted to several colleges this spring, I started wondering why, after all the wonderful awards and accolades he had received from the public school he attended. Then I reread “The Conspiracy of Ignorance: The Failure of American Public Schools.”

Tariffs and trade barriers are complex matters that have plagued U.S. industry, especially steelmakers, for a century and a half.

Read a Competitive Enterprise Institute annual report titled “Ten Thousand Commandments” to learn that federal regulatory controls are bankrupting the nation.

What follows is a summarization of enormously complex issues – ones that have far-reaching implications for American people and industry.

Energy – America’s treasure – was the topic of this column last September. Unfortunately, I may have grossly understated the enormity of this bounty and the need for infrastructure investment to meet needs.

Readers should acknowledge how blessed America is for having an abundance of diverse energy supplies. 

Every three months, the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI) provides a detailed look at the health of the domestic manufacturing sector and reviews the performance of a selected group of its most important subsectors.

The word “economy” can have several meanings. Just visit Merriam-Webster online to verify. In essence, it’s the process or system by which goods and services are produced, sold and bought in a country or region. No matter what definition you want to give the word, however, the mere mention of it can give hope, strike fear or cause confusion. For the sake of the industrial heating world, let’s hope the economy promotes optimism in 2014.

If you have been reading Industrial Heating for a while, you know that I like to reflect a bit at year-end. Sometimes that means considering what has happened in the past year and occasionally looking ahead. We have also discussed what’s important in life – in addition to our vocation, of course.