It was refreshing to read Pat Windmeier’s latest column in which he talks about his return to home shows after a four-year absence. Four years ago he decided the shows weren’t worth it because the market was so overpopulated and leads weren’t producing.  

I started reporting on the housing industry in 2005 when the International Builders’ Show was two large exhibit halls and your feet cringed at the mention of attending the show.  Depending on who you speak to, those were the good years or they were unrealistic and unsustaining. Since then we’ve seen a lot of changes: influx of foreclosures, extremely tight lending, record low mortgage rates, banking crisis, saturated inventory, and so on.

When I started to write this editorial, I noticed there was actually a lot of good news in my inbox: Windmeier’s return to home shows, remodeling index returned to 2005 levels, asking home prices increased, and new home prices increased. In addition, Emerson Schwartzkopf’s latest column talks about positive news for the countertop industry. He writes: “Manufacturers are getting bullish on the future ... and making some multimillion-dollar bets on meeting bigger demand.” It’s great to hear good news – and more than one good news story.

Ross Scovotti, CEO and owner of CountertopIQ.com has been traveling throughout the East Coast this fall to visit with various cabinet and countertop companies. Scovotti has been documenting his meetings on his blog where he shares news about the industry, how these companies started and where they are today. It’s a great reminder that every business started somewhere, and all have the opportunity to succeed.

In 2011, approximately 543,000 new businesses were created each month during the year according to Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity released in March 2012. The construction industry had the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity of all major industry groups in 2011. The economy may still be shaky, but the business spirit is still there. Don’t get bogged down by bad news; there is positive news coming out of the economic rubble.