By Donna Heiderstadt
Coming at a time when the industry is poised to “recharge and reconnect,” Design & Construction Week got off to an electrifying start early Tuesday morning during opening ceremonies that shocked, dazzled and inspired. And there were a few laughs, too, thanks to the host, comedian Tracy Locke.
From the start, the audience was mesmerized by a literally shocking performance center stage as a dancer in a welder-like uniform and mask commanded giant bolts of electric current emanating from two large power sources in sync to a dynamic soundtrack.
Then Locke beamed in from a computer screen a la Zoom, treating the event as virtual before sensing that her audience was actually there in person. In a flash, she appeared on stage and walked down to the audience to chat with attendees about what they love about DCW. Brad from Salt Lake City said it was IBS’s New Product Zone and Tammy from Raleigh, NC cited the show’s industry education, saying “you’ll miss out if you don’t attend.”
Introducing the show’s lineup of events were, Rick Judson, IBS Chair, and Massimo Ballucchi, Vice President of Kitchen & Bath for Cosentino in North America and KBIS executive Committee Chair. Jensen pointed to IBS’s 450,000 square feet of exhibitor space and 800+ exhibitors, while Ballucchi noted the 140+ educational sessions available to KBIS attendees, the Global Connect Pavilion and KBIS Match, a matchmaker business app for vendors and attendees. “It’s so exciting to be here in person after two years,” he said. Added Jensen, “This is a great opportunity to connect and that’s what’s been missing for the past two years.”
Next came a little “mental preparation,” courtesy of guest performer Wayne Hoffman, a mentalist who has appeared on the Today show and America’s Got Talent. He astounded those in attendance by asking audience members to think of a certain number or object or place and then reading their minds with amazing precision—including naming one’s favorite car, an old GMC pick-up affectionally called “Grandma,” and calling another’s cell phone after learning just the area code and last two digits. “If you had fun this morning, my name is Wayne Hoffman,” he concluded, “and if not, it’s Criss Angel.”
Basil Larkin, Vice President of Sales at Hestan Commercial and the new Chairman of NKBA, noted that connection is central to the mission of NKBA and in 2022 the organization would move ahead with new initiatives, research and forecasts, as well as revamped programming, including monthly seminars and Voices From the Industry on-demand. He cited DCW as “a nine-year partnership that continues to grow.” KBIS, he said, “is an integral part of doing business since relationships are at the heart of the successful company.”
NAHB Chairman Chuck Fowke said the organization has been there for its members throughout the past two years’ supply chain disruptions, labor shortages and trade show cancellations and is working now to train a next generation of skilled workers. “We never gave up what we do best,” he said, “and we know that better times are ahead.”
This year’s keynote address was given by none other than NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson—all 6’9” of him—who spoke about his early years in Lansing, Michigan, where at age 15 he was bused to an all-white school. After tensions between white and black students ran high for several weeks, the school’s principal, sensing Johnson’s natural leadership skills even at a young age, asked him and the school’s white football quarterback to help quell the conflict by speaking to students, which they did successfully. Recalled Johnson: “I had always been a leader on the basketball court and now I was a leader of students.”
That first season on the school’s basketball team, which was pegged to come in last, Johnson managed to score his first triple double—and got his nickname that day from a local sports writer, who dubbed him “Magic.” And it was on to Michigan State, where he began the rivalry to end all rivalries, playing against “that blond-haired guy” on the Indiana State team in the 1979 NCAA championship. Of course, he was talking about Larry Byrd. “I still hate to hear his name because he’s so good,” Johnson admitted, while also noting that it’s a love-hate, “because your competition can make you better. I owe a lot to him…I am forever linked to this dude.”
Recalling the next year, 1980, when it was the Lakers vs. the Celtics in the NBA finals and Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sprained his ankle before Game 6 and everyone said that’s it. “I was like, man, they still got me.” Johnson revealed that on the team plane on the way to Game 6, he sat in Kareem’s usual seat and said to everyone as they entered, “Never fear, Magic is here.” The lesson? “If you think you’re gonna win, you’re gonna win.” Johnson scored 42 points and was the only rookie to be named finals MVP.
His rivalry with Byrd continued through the 1984 finals, when Johnson admits he “didn’t play well for the first time in my life and I had to cry when my rival won the championship.” He vowed to get better by changing things and related it to business, asking, “are you willing to tweak your business just a little bit” to get the result you want? In 1985, Johnson and the Lakers beat Byrd and the Celtics.
The basketball legend, who worked for his dad’s trash-hauling business as a teen, also had some advice for some second-generation attendees in the audience with their fathers. “They built something incredible for you,” he told them. “Listen to them. And when you’ve finally got the business, you can do it your own way—just make sure he’s not around when you do it.”
