The first few weeks of 2014 got the year off to an adventurous start, taking me from the wintry beauty of Italy’s Veneto to the mild warmth of the Arizona desert.First up was the VicenzaOro Winter show in Vicenza, Italy. Unlike those who arrived for the start of the show and were met with heavy rain, we who attended the latter part were greeted with blue skies and beautiful views of the Dolomites! Energy at the show was high, and the overall consensus among our international manufacturing friends was a feeling that business in the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) is slowing, and the focus (and hope) for the coming year is the good old U.S. of A! Here’s hoping they are correct, and that our start-of-year growth is a harbinger of a good year to come.A highlight of the show was seeing America’s own Le Vian—showing for just the second time at VicenzaOro and positione