EDITORIAL: Bright lights, brighter outlook

I'm writing this editorial from a hotel overlooking the brilliantly lit and bustling Las Vegas strip. This description also is apropos for the Las Vegas Convention Center this particular week in March, where bright lights shine on hulking metal machines and nearly 128,000 attendees bustle about the 2.8 million-plus ft² of exhibit space to check out the latest and greatest the equipment makers and their suppliers have to offer.

ConExpo/Con-Agg and the collocated IFPE (International Fluid Power Exposition) did not disappoint. Walking the expansive halls and sizable outdoor lots, and chatting with many exhibitors over the course of the week, I sensed a mostly positive outlook for the business being conducted on site, as well as a general good feeling for the economy and industry moving forward.