This week I’m getting the closest I’ll get to a Spring Break probably until I retire. I have the pleasure of spending the whole week in sunny Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, Fla. How did I get so lucky? Well, the industries I serve offered me a grand opportunity to get away for four days.

I’m working, don’t get me wrong, but it’s hard to consider it “work” when you’re staying at a four-star hotel near the beach. As an aside, there is a sign posted in the lobby that you aren’t allowed to take photos or ask for autographs of any guests. This of course means I’ve been on celeb watch, with my camera and notepad handy. Just in case you’re worried I’m enjoying myself a little too much, here’s what I’ve been up to this week.

After flying in Monday to attend the National Fenestration Rating Council’s (NFRC) 2013 Spring Committee Meeting, I toured the first net-zero building in St. Petersburg and stopped by the Madico Window Films plant to catch up with everyone and take a tour.

Fun side note, Madico played a large role in helping reduce the energy expenditures of the net-zero building. Angie Leonetti, marketing manager, even shared a few exciting updates. The company was filmed for an upcoming episode of TLC’s How It’s Made (the air date hasn’t been announced) and even has plans to assist with the construction of St. Petersburg’s first area net-zero residence. I’ll have more information on both of those as soon as there are more details.

Tuesday, I attended another day of NFRC meetings where members discussed U-factor and Lisa Winkler of Eastman’s Performance Films division led the discussion about solar heat gain codes. I was even able to grab dinner with my grandparents who live in the area (such a cliché, right? My grandparents live in Florida).

After the board meeting for NFRC wraps up Wednesday I’m planning to see the sights! I’m spending my entire afternoon checking out the Tampa area just so I can make sure you guys have plenty of fun things to do while you’re in town for this year’s International Window Film Conference and Tint-Off™ (IWFC). It’s a hard life.

For my final day in Florida, Thursday, I’m heading down to Sarasota to see AntiFog Systems and Accent Distributing to get an update on the state of the industry in Bay-area Florida.

After spending a few days here I can’t wait to spend a few more with all of you at this year’s IWFC. It’s been a real stress to devote almost a whole week to researching the area for all of you, but I guess someone has to do it.