Pop Up Retail Stores..Good. Pop Up Scrap Yards…Not So Much.

Nike Pop Up Store in Tokyo

One of the newer innovations that we have seen in retailing over the past few years is the development of “Pop-up Stores”. You will recognize these, as they seem to just appear in a particular space for a relatively short period of time and then disappear. As we approach the Halloween and then the Christmas Season, we will see more of them.

The trend has been adopted by a number of well-known companies including Nike, Walmart and Target to name just a few. These pop up stores offer a low cost way to heighten brand awareness, promote particular product lines and, of course, to entice consumers to spend.

If You Think Of The Recycling Industry As Innovation Challenged…Please Think Again.

While there have been many new technologies introduced into the recycling industry over the past few decades, in this blog we want to highlight two recent exciting developments. One is in Canada and the other is in the U.S.

You can be forgiven if the patented process called reverse polymerization does not happen to be in your lexicon . We hadn’t heard of it either until someone brought it to our attention in connection with the various technologies being applied to the problem of recycling the 12 million plus end of life vehicle tires that are generated in Ontario each year.

The Symbology of Metals – Where Art & Business Meet

Metals have had a long history of symbolic relationships. Most notably, the attachment of symbols to metals can be traced to the ancient science of alchemy. Among other things, alchemists were interested in turning base metals into gold and silver. Along the way, they created some very intriguing elemental alchemy symbolic codes. An engaging modern day interpretation was designed by the artist Murray Robertson and can be found at:

www.metalprices.com/introduction/symbols_large_with_artists_comments.htm

From his Glasgow Print Studio, Robertson has more recently been involved in the visualization of many aspects of scientific study.

A few of the many beautiful metal visualizations created by Murray Robertson

The Fine Art of Zigging When The World Is Zagging.

What is it about October that seems to bring out the worst in the financial landscape?

The volatility in the markets has continued in force this week. At the time we are writing this blog, the  price of metals has taken a significant beating, including copper which has fallen about 25% over the last three weeks alone. Additionally, the Canadian dollar has been driven down about 10% against the U.S. currency since its peak in July and the Toronto Stock Exchange, with its heavy exposure to commodities, has dropped about 20% as the “bears” have come roaring back. Forecasters around the globe are busy re-forecasting economic growth and other important indicators.