It’s not far south of us, but there are a lot of nervous ex-employees in Chicagoland tonight. With Republic Windows and Doors shutting down production and going out of business, their employees are wondering how they’re going to pay their mortgage. They’re not alone.

Early last year, industry giant Pacesetter closed its doors. Last month, another industry giant, Kensington, closed. With the closure of Republic, this bodes poorly for the industry.

Pacesetter made a decent mid-grade window. Both Kensington and Republic made top of the line products.

I wonder who will fall next?