Moving On, Moving Forward

(Because this platform was not available at original time of posting, it is also up on LinkedIn.  Search for me- and connect too- to keep getting these each week!) 

Not sure if you heard the news last week that the one and only Andrew Haring was leaving the NGA and returning to the for-profit world in an undisclosed position.  There’s an “LOL” needed because you had to have heard… the news hit, and it spread pretty much like nothing I have seen.  And for good reason.  Andrew made a significant and incredible mark on our industry in a relatively short time. He threw himself into his role at NGA and went full speed at educating about the greatness of glass and glazing and all along the way built lifelong friendships. And from that I can easily say many, many, people would do anything for him.  Me included. It was an absolute honor to work with Andrew, learn from him, watch him, and experience the awesome results. I love him and love what he has done for our space overall.  I have many favorite memories of the Andrew NGA years but the main one for me was in 2022, Germany, glasstec show.  Where a gaggle of people walked up to our NGA booth.  They saw Andrew there wearing the OG Glass Nerd hat and they had a meltdown of epic proportion.  It was like watching video of kids excited to see the Beatles way back in the day- or Taylor Swift now.  They were almost in full convulsions repeating over and over “glass nerd.  LinkedIn.  Glass nerd.” Because as we came to find out, they spoke little to no English.  But from his LinkedIn profile and the brand, he was known, and it was like meeting the ultimate superstar in the space. That was awesome.

Bottom lines…. He’ll be missed for sure at this level, and wherever he goes, he’ll bring the same fire and approach and that company will be incredibly fortunate.  And NGA?  It’s been here for 75+ years and the Haring effect absolutely helped it, and it will continue to roll on as the leading glass and fenestration trade group in North America.  Plus shows like GlassBuild and BEC will always be the staples where the industry with gather, grow, and learn.  Good things ahead there and for all for sure.  Thank you, Andrew, for all- you are a tremendous human and talent and I can’t wait to see what’s next!

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  I am honored to be taking part in an upcoming webinar (April 29^th) from the team at Acelab.  I have talked about them previously and have had their founder Vardhan Mehta on my podcast.  Vardhan and his wildly talented team have built the ultimate Architectural connection platform.  A setup created by Architects (Vardhan and many others on staff are registered Architects) for Architects.  This platform is making a huge difference in being able to connect with designers and firms get your product details successfully in their hands and in their projects.  So this webinar will have me doing a piece on our space including forecasts, product trends, education, and innovation and Vardhan and others will be talking about the art of getting in front of the decision makers and the overall specification process.  More details on sign up coming soon!

 

--  And one area I’ll be talking about are things like backlogs and indexes.  We had good news in the latest backlog report from the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). The backlog report is 8.2 months (decent) and the bigger news was their Construction Confidence Index came in with a score of 61.9! (50 is the threshold) That number even seemingly surprised the experts involved in calculating it- see this quote:

“Given headwinds such as high borrowing costs, emerging supply chain issues, project financing challenges and labor shortages, the persistent optimism among nonresidential construction contractors is astonishing,” said ABC Chief Economist Anirban Basu. “Last month, contractors reported rising backlog and greater conviction regarding likely growth in sales, employment and profit margins.

So there ya go folks… kinda cool to see.  Now will it continue?  Next index report is the Architectural Billings Index this coming Wednesday.  Last month it was ticking upwards.  Do the gains stay?  From the data I am seeing, I think it may retract some.  But given what the ABC report just showed- anything is possible.  We’ll keep on it….

 

--  Good news for a good guy/family.  Thomas Lee IV has been elevated to President of Lee & Cates Glass.  Tom Lee III will continue to be active in the company but in a more strategic advisory fashion as Chairman of the Board. Thomas will now take on decision-making and strategic direction for the company. Tom and Thomas have been unabashed supporters of our industry for a long time, and this is a great move to keep their momentum rolling.  Congrats to Thomas and Tom on the move and best to them and every at L&C going forward!!

 

--  An impressive feat from one our own this past week.  Erin Spellman of IGE Glass Technologies ran the Boston Marathon and absolutely crushed it out there in some wicked hot conditions.  Way to Go Erin!   I run a ton but 26.2 miles at a time? Nope.  No way.  That is awesome stuff and the best part?  Erin ran to raise money for charity.  The cause she repped was the Pediatric Oncology Research and Treatment group at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.  Erin’s efforts brought in almost 13k!  Love it. Very very cool!  

 

--  The Wall Street Journal recently had an article on skilled trades and the impact that “Gen Z” is making on it.  I know I have been banging the drum a ton lately on workforce development, but it is a big need and top priority.  Good read HERE on it. 

 

--  Last this week… the experts are predicting an above average hurricane season ahead. The obvious hope is whatever major hurricanes develop that they stay out into the ocean and just mix the fish and don’t hit land.  Our industry has been a major leader in the hurricane resistance space and it’s something to be proud of, but I’d still prefer to see a very quiet season ahead. 

 

LINKS of the WEEK

Happy Passover this week!  We did some creative things with Matzoh growing up but never this intense!

 

Flukey rain and floods in the UAE

 

This is a “special” way to try and break in… wow.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

To Nashville this week and the terrific team at Alexander Metals.  This is the Jack Massey Center at Belmont University.  Classic job and all looks great.  Nice collaboration partners here with Alexander including Tubelite, Tristar Glass, and Stanley Access.  Congrats to all on a job well done!! 

 

Catch Up Time

No traditional lead story this week- just a lot of catching up with tidbits of information and happenings around the glass world.  Plus, if I write about the adventure with interest rates and dire predictions from this past week, I may get too depressed to continue, so I’ll save that for another time.   So let’s jump into some lighter industry related fare!

 

--  My trip to Texas was fabulous.  The hospitality extended by the TGA-NTD was awesome and appreciated.  Great group there and giving serious energy into the Texas Glass Conference IV (in Austin) next month and GlassBuild (in Dallas) this fall.   I have to thank Valerie Nagy of Hartung Glass- she extended the initial invite and dealt with my schedule snafus, Michelle Ordonez of QPC who dealt with my diva like issues at the hotel level (lol) and of course the great President of the North Texas Division Kristina Buckett of Dallas Flat Glass Distributors who made it all go.  Plus, it was amazing to visit with the legend Sam Hill of Oak Cliff and the juggernaut that is Chris Hill who is rocking with a lot of good things going with the his Salient Engineered Product company.  Was neat to visit for a few minutes with Austin Jones and Amber Jones of PGP.  Those folks are crushing it out there and both so impressive. My first extended convo with either of them.  Enjoyed chatting and meeting for the first time Rachel Tilbrook of Southern Stretch Forming, Valerie Jones of Granbury Door + Window, and BC Putnam of DFGD- I expect to see them all at GlassBuild and glad I can add them to my network! Cool people!  And last but not least loved seeing Brian Risinger and Joe Lamberston of Country Glass and I am not the only one who recognizes their great swag- as soon as Joe walked in to the lunch someone commented that the Country Glass folks always bring the A game clothing wise.  All in all that chapter is a good one and I enjoyed my time in town with everyone. 

 

--  I have noted a few times on here the roll that Josh Burg of Glass Enterprises has been on and that continued recently with the acquisition and re-launch of a massive operation in Connecticut that at one time looked like it was doomed.  Josh and team were able to take over a truly state of the art glass facility and now are rolling out some of the best quality possible.  Perfect match of a plant that had it all but just needed the right people to come along and that has happened.   Congrats Josh and best going forward and I have a feeling that there’s a slew of moves coming from Josh and GEI that will keep that positive momentum rolling. 

 

--  And while we’re congratulating people, Bill Daubmann of My Shower Door and D3 Glass has done it again.  Bill was recently inducted into the Southwest Florida Business Hall of Fame.  A worthy person getting a truly deserved honor.  Happy for Bill there- and he’s not resting on any laurels.  He’s still grinding... opening new shops and locations with the same energy as before all the while promoting the industry as whole- which you know I love.  Congrats Bill and keep it going!

 

--  Saw that Paragon Tempering, with locations in both Ohio and Michigan (one on each side of the border) was out and about appearing at a high school recruitment fair and promoting the good about our industry.  I love it. Keep doing this stuff folks.  WE NEED TO KEEP SHOWING UP out there to promote what we do.  Not a surprise that Paragon is ahead of the game- the leader there is the great Dan Wright and he’s always top notch.  Plus Dan is a good man and friend of mine for many years. (Which in having to deal with me 20+ years ago, Dan deserved a medal!) 

 

--  Also out promoting our world these days is one of the smartest in our space- Dr. Charlie Boyer.  Charlie is presenting at the University of Virginia this coming week.  I think he may be the busiest “retired” guy around.  Great that he’ll get the kids at UVa thinking Glass and Glazing!  

 

--  Charlie is also involved with Vacugask with the trailblazer Michael Spellman and the sales GOAT Art Huard. Vacugask is the gasket that is making this heavy push into VIG happen more efficiently and smoothly.  Brilliant invention and I am starting to see it everywhere.  Happy for those guys for developing a groundbreaking product that will allow an easier implementation of VIG throughout the space-no matter who the manufacturer is!

 

--  And last this week… Happy Birthday wishes out to two guys that do a ton for our world in different ways- so best wishes for awesome B-days go to Andrew Haring and Joey Aragon- hope you both have great ones and many many more!!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

I love Florida- but the Gators now entering people’s homes surely do freak me out…. This one chilling in the kitchen!

 

Wow- dealing with traffic to just step out the front door!!

 

In Florida its gators that enter… in Australia it’s these guys

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

This beauty in Utah ended up in my LinkedIn feed and I immediately marked it for a Project of the Week play.  This is Onset Financial and was designed by Axis Architects.  The post I saw was from Pierre Langue from Axis.  Perfect design and the glass (which I believe is Viracon) looks tremendous.  Congrats to Pierre and everyone else that had a hand in this one! 

Headed to the Big D

Thrilled to be headed to the great state of Texas this week to visit with the North Texas Division of the Texas Glass Association.  I love the opportunity to meet and network as well as share some of the latest insights in our space.  And there’s quite a bit of news to cover too, so that will be fun.  I continue to have the utmost of respect and appreciation for all of these regional and local chapters and their mission to help their members stay ahead of everything in their path.  This by the way is the first part of the Texas two-step for me, with another visit in May for the epic Texas Glass Conference IV.  I’ve been honored to speak at the first 3, and now am trying to figure out what to bring for number 4.  In any case if you’re in North Texas- get signed up for the TGA-NTD Lunch on 4/10 and I’ll see you there!

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  In case you missed my latest podcast, links are below. It was a great learning experience for me on paints and coatings and expectations in the field with Neil Chrisman III and Chris Incorvaia, then a deep dive into fabrication, products, training and more with the force Tom Donovan of Thompson IG.  Thank you for checking it out!

VIDEO 

AUDIO.  And as always audio can be not only be found on iTunes, but Spotify or wherever you download your podcasts.

 

--  The latest Architectural Billings Index came out recently with a slight glimmer of hope that things may be turning around.  The score of 49.5 (50 is break-even) is the highest total the ABI has seen since July of 2023.  The projection was always a slow period for 8 months or so and this is somewhat tracking. We’ll see what the next few months bring. Design contracts were also up and inquiries with its 2^nd best month in the last 12.  Now this all could be an aberration, but I am trying to stay positive and regardless we still have to navigate some bumpiness for a while. 

 

--  Hey great news for a tremendous team.  Big time congrats to the gang at Clover Architectural Products on their 10^th Anniversary!   So happy for Tom O’Malley, Ed Kearney, and Jim Stremplewski on this awesome achievement and best wishes for many more years of success.  Fantastic company, people and products that always makes our space look good!

 

--  Who’s back of the week?  Two guys.  First up Lance Cotton is back in the industry as President of Isoclima’s NAFTA Region.  This includes the Global Security brand and what used to be Dlubak Specialty Glass and is now under the Isoclima Specialty Glass heading.  Lance is an incredible talent- especially when it comes to these products.  Heck many of them he had a massive part in developing/executing.  So good to have him in our world full time again and working with a very talented team.  Then news that Steven Acker has rejoined Wicona / Hydro Building Systems as the Commercial Director- North America. Wicona continues its unparalleled success in North America and is really rocking and getting Steven back in the saddle is a heck of a move. Congrats Steven and Wicona on a nice move!

 

--  News this past week broke that View Glass filed for bankruptcy and will effort a move to emerge as a private company.  Never great when an operation in our industry makes the news like this and it has been truly a case study/interesting journey for this company.  This whole thing really has book/Netflix doc potential.  Anyway, a lot of stories can be found online- one with some specifics to this latest move is HERE. 

 

--  So, I had mentioned in the latest Glass Magazine the excellent resources available for recruitment and workforce.  I should’ve also pointed to the National Glass Association “Workforce Toolkit” that has an absolute treasure trove of content for everyone trying to build and retain labor.  If you haven’t checked it out recently- go HERE now for more. 

 

--  The great Bill Sullivan of Brin was first to send me the story of the All-Glass Entry breakage leading to a 35-million-dollar award.  If you haven’t seen the video or read the details- check it out HERE.  From what I understand the temperer and glazier were off the case earlier in the process. 

 

--  Last this week… gotta make my annual baseball picks… season is already underway but a long enough one where I am fine with making a prediction at this early state.  I think the Braves finally get through the National League playoffs and win the pennant there.  Meanwhile I’m going with the Seattle Mariners in the American League.  At the end, the champs will reside in the ATL.  Should be an interesting season overall.  Will the Yankees make a run?  Dodgers with all that payroll and starpower?  Can the Detroit Tigers shock the world?  We’ll see….

 

LINKS of the WEEK

The days of the “Mall” continue to wane- especially when landlords stop paying the electric bill.

 

THIS IS UNREAL- saw blade from jobsite almost does serious damage- caught on tape.  Safety folks- safety! 

 

Curious on how my friends in the KC area feel about this.  Me personally?  Billionaires should be paying for the own stadiums… good for the voters there. 

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Complete coincidence that the project of the week features Thompson IG when I have the reminder up on the podcast featuring their Tom Donovan.  This project came to light because it was an award winner from Guardian Glass and was recognized during Guardian’s BEC reception and award event. 

This was the winner in the Early Adopter category, and it is the Godfrey Hotel in Detroit.  Outstanding project and all stakeholders crushed it.  From beautiful primary glass via Guardian, to Thompson fabbing it and the fine folks from Edwards Glass installing it- this deserved to be a winner.  Congrats to all involved!!

New Pod- Paints, Innovations & More

The latest “From the Fabricator” podcast is now live for your listening and/or watching pleasure. Kicking it off with 2 guys who are incredibly detailed and strong on the paint and finishing sides. Neil Chrisman III and Chris Incorvaia were great in running down the various issues on that area of the world- many of which I had no idea and some that are a continuing pain for which solutions were offered.  Neil is flat out brilliant on this subject matter (The King of Paint) and Chris was incredibly impressive too.  Good learning for me.  Then next up was Tom Donovan of Thompson Innovative Glass and I had no idea about some of his travels, but I did know the focus on systems and service he has in place and they’re paying off as Thompson is rocking right now and Tom is a force out there.  Plus, I can’t wait to see the heated glass he mentioned among other innovations. Good conversation range overall.  So please check it out!  The pod keeps growing to unimaginable heights (on iTunes especially) and that is thanks to all of you.  I appreciate it!

VIDEO 

AUDIO.  And as always audio can be not only found on iTunes, but Spotify or wherever you download your podcasts.

 

Elsewhere

 

--  Incredibly sad news this week on the passing of Larry Johnson of Quanex.  When I saw it, I truly was stopped in my tracks and my heart goes out to Erin and his family along with the entire group at Quanex.  Larry was an absolute titan and winner in this industry.  He was an extremely key component in the explosive growth of Edgetech and then at Quanex after they made the acquisition.  The biggest appreciation I have for Larry is that he was sincerely an industry guy.  He supported as much as he could and was in the forefront always.  And even when times were tough, the industry could ALWAYS count on Larry’s backing. That was huge.  This really is a massive loss across both the residential and commercial spaces as Larry had so many connections in both and was driver of some of the most important industry awareness ever created.  Again, condolences to his family, friends, and co-workers – Larry will be missed dearly. 

 

--  Glass and Glazing Advocacy Days are coming up again and you can take part in them!  If you care about where we are going and want to push that messaging to those in power in Washington DC this is a great opportunity.  The NGA has the rundown on dates and next steps HERE, so check it out and connect.

 

--  I almost missed reviewing the MARCH Glass Magazine!  So much was happening with events and such it slipped off my radar.  However, I am glad I caught up on it all- as it was a stellar issue.  The key to this one was all the details on recruiting.  EVERYONE needs labor and this issue has several good avenues to examine. Serious resources!!  In addition, I really liked Steven Aki’s (Technoform) piece on curtain wall performance, and I have always been a huge fan of Tammy Schroeder (Linetec) and her piece on finishes would’ve been even better if I read it before my podcast that focused on paints!  Overall, a ton in there and well-done Glass Magazine team!

 

--  Also well done… my Ad of the Month!  The choice was a challenge because so many deserving candidates but this month I am going with UltraFab and their “looking good in black” ad that stood out from a design standpoint and had me interested in more.  Good stuff and congrats to whomever worked on that for them! 

 

--  I recently subscribed to a newsletter from Southern Stretch Forming and came away quite impressed.  It was a mix of industry news, company stuff, and topical world items with some lighter fare intertwined. It may not be for everyone, but I loved the effort and detail and kudos to Rob Seils and the team there for a job well done!

--  Last this week- update… so I went to Jury Duty, was ready to go.  But all the trials for the day there ended up being settled before a jury was invited.  So, my jury services were not needed. Now the question is will it be another 14 years before I’m selected again? 

 

LINKS of the WEEK

Wildest story of the week over who owns a propane tank on a property.  What a mess.  And this is something you’ll see more of with costs on bigger appliances (AC etc) rising.

 

Another snake story- with a twist- and still count me out!

 

Real Estate can be tricky- this one has it all except a normal entrance…

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Found this beauty via the IUPAT Glaziers feed on LinkedIn (I assume possibly Matt Fox steering the controls on that one- nice share regardless) – this was an award winner for Empirehouse in Minnesota! 

They won the Subcontractor Specialty Contractors Project Award from the Minnesota Construction Association for the Allina Health Surgical Care Pavilion Skyway project.  Glass and glazing look fantastic!  Congrats to the team at Empirehouse for a job well done and picking up some nice and deserved recognition!!

Good News, Events, Products, Big Fish and More

Let’s kick off this week with some good things happening with some awesome people in our space.  First up, long time good friend Shelly Farmer has moved to an incredible new position and rising company.  Shelly is now Senior Vice President at Pellucere Technologies.  You may not know much about them now, but you’ll be seeing and hearing a ton and with Shelly’s approach they will be a positive disruptor in our space. Can’t wait.  I am so pumped for Shelly- extraordinary talent and person and nice to see her rise up!  Next on the props, was cool to see the news on Salient Engineered Products continuing its growth with the addition of the premier stadium/arena window system Suite View.  Chris Hill and team are on to something there especially leaning into potentials with VIG.  Smart!  Last on the props, Herzog Glass became the first glazier in the state of Washington to achieve NACC Certification.  Joe Kaiser and the gang there (including my guy Luc Boileau who I drive crazy with 1970’s Penguin talks) are a force in the Pacific Northwest and this just solidifies that even more. Fantastic company leading the way!  And NACC keeps chugging along- kudos to Jeff Dalaba, Ben Beeler, Scott Kennett and team for continuing to bring this crucial program along! 

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  Handful of upcoming events to note.  First April 10^th for those of you in North Texas- the TGA North Texas Division is having a lunch gathering and I am thrilled to attend and get to speak and visit with the fine folks there.  Then end of April the annual Top Glass Conference in Toronto is back with a new 2-day setup, day 1 with fabricator tours and day 2 trade show and education sessions. Good stuff as always from Patrick Flannery and Glass Canada. Last mid-May- on the 16^th and 17^th to be exact, the Texas Glass Conference is back.  Traditionally odd numbered years has TEXPO, and even numbered is the Texas Glass Conference. That conference continues to grow and extend its reach and is a great outlet for learning and networking.  Looking forward to it all!

 

--  I am still processing all that went down in Nashville a few weeks ago and one of the most memorable and most important sessions was from Cal Beyer (SAFE Project) and Dave Argus (Karas & Karas Glass) talking about addiction, recovery and support-with a focus on how we can work with and handle it in our professional and personal lives.  It was REAL.  A truly intense and helpful session overall and got me going so much that I connected with these guys to set up a podcast for this summer.  Too important of subject to not continue the dialogue and these guys brought so much insight, compassion, and class that I can’t wait to spend more time with them on the pod so we can reach more people in the industry.

 

--  With so much going on I missed the Vitro announcement on the launch of Sungate ThermL™- a new Low E that is formulated for the 4^th surface of an IGU.  Looks good and smart move by Vitro to develop this.  More and more focus is on having multiple coatings on IGU surfaces so this plays right into it. 

 

--  You know I love when we get out in the community and so I was fired up when I saw the smooth Dan Shields of Fabricated Products Group taking part in a career day at Alan B. Shepard High School. (I’m a space geek so love the HS name too)  Dan spent time with the sophomores there and gave them the rundown on why being in our industry is worth considering!  So many great opportunities for the youth.  Thank you, Dan, for taking the time to spread the gospel. The battle for interest in our world will never end, so the more we can get out and about- the better!

 

--  There are quite a few accomplished fishermen/women in our industry (Terry Hessom, my favorite in  this category, could’ve gone pro, yet stayed in the glass biz) and this past week our world made the news thanks to an absolutely amazing haul from Chad Williams of Insulite Glass.  Chad caught the world’s largest Paddlefish! At over 164 pounds this thing is a monster! See the pictures and more HERE and congrats to Chad for an epic pull!  Thanks to Sterling Guyette there for the heads up! 

 

--  Last this week… So I have Jury Duty scheduled for Tuesday.  This is the first time I have been called since 2010 when I desperately wanted to be chosen (long story) and despite being the only person there who WANTED to be chosen, was not, and was released by 11AM that day.  So what happens this time around?  Will let you know…

 

LINKS of the WEEK

--  The best College basketball player going right now is Caitlin Clark of Iowa.  She’s captivated a ton of people including me.  Long profile of her here. It’s a long shot for her team to win it all this year but I’d surely love to see it.

 

--  Deep dive into GE being broken up to save it

 

--  Cockpit seat caused an in-air plunge?  Unreal. 

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

It’s March.  It’s Madness.  So, to pay honor to this month which is dominated by college basketball I had to get a project that had some sort of connection to the sport, and that’s why this one from United Architectural Metals at UCONN makes the cut.  UCONN is the defending champ and as of this writing, they’re favorite to win it all again.  Meanwhile this project from Tom Nesbitt and team at UAM is the University of Connecticut New Engineering and Science Building in Storrs, CT and it’s a real beauty.  Custom UAM unitized curtain wall installed by Massey’s Plate Glass. This was a real winner all the way around.  Kudos to everyone who took part in this one!

Amazing Project and People

I had noted last week that I was afforded a great opportunity while at BEC in Nashville.  Troy Johnson, President of Apogee Architectural Services (Harmon) asked if I wanted to visit a jobsite that they had rolling in town.  For me timing was a nightmare (with my responsibilities to BEC) but Troy and the Harmon folks were accommodating and at 6:45AM on Day 2 of BEC we shoved off to Nashville Yards Parcel 3a, AKA, NYP3a. When complete the building will be known as the Pinnacle Tower. This is a 37-story beauty that will be in the Nashville Yards sector of downtown.   The job is a stunner.  Not your typical skyscraper thanks to an inspired design by Gresham Smith.  The building narrows as it goes vertical and the glazing is staggered which pops vs the typical symmetrical designs you see often. As someone told me- they called it “a very distinct façade” and it is!  What impressed me was the Harmon team overall.  Obviously, a small sample size but while I was there it was an remarkable display of craftsmanship, guile, will to get things done, and positive culture.  Oh and safety.  Safety everywhere.  It was organized extremely well making install very efficient overall.  Just so freaking extraordinary.  Also, as a glass guy in my blood, I was a bit in awe of the Viracon glass.  It looked fabulous.  (See my project of the week below for more info) As I mentioned on stage at BEC, walking this jobsite made me immensely proud of our industry.  The Harmon folks kicking tail, products looking great, and in the end that glazing will be a part of a selling point of this great structure.  Very memorable and I’m honored that I had a chance to spend some time there.  A sincere thank you to Troy for making this happen (Troy had so much happening, just blown away he took care of me here)  and then the incredible Harmon team that was with us including Danny Bostic who I actually worked with in a past life (he was a customer) and  Initially I could not remember that! (my poor memory is taking a beating).  Danny is a good guy and great talent and thrilled he is doing so well at Harmon.  Plus, the awesome rest of the crew that took great care of me there including Tim Ryals, Bill Brown, Hansel Pombo, and Mario Cordova.  Those guys are beasts getting the work done and repping our world well!  Can’t wait to get back to Nashville once done to check this one out.  

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  Quick In case you missed it thanks to the goings on in Nashville, my latest podcast was a fun one featuring serious talent.  The best spec writer in the land Aaron Pine and the awesome duo of Christina Elia and Brad Leamon of “The Shower Door Guy”- good insights all the way around.  Thanks for checking it out!

VIDEO

AUDIO (Also search “From the Fabricator” on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts)

Next pod coming in 2 weeks with another range of sharp folks from our world!

 

--  I’m gonna keep looking back on some of the best of BEC for a bit- this week, kudos to Tom Jackson of Steel Encounters.  6 years ago, he gave one of the best presentations we’ve ever had and while in some worlds the sequel is not as good as the original, in this case it was- and maybe even better.  (Kinda like Rocky 2 was better than Rocky 1).  Tom’s run through the culture advancements at Steel Encounters and the continued drive for recruitment was mesmerizing and it featured an incredible video that made me want to run through a wall and join up.  Truly an excellent job well done by an amazing human being.   

 

--  One of the bigger stories from last week was Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope announcing the departure of their CEO Bruno Baisiotta.  They noted he was stepping down for health and family reasons.  Well, I guess it only took escaping from the glass industry to feel better as Bruno already has a new gig as CEO of Covio Holdings, a mineral solutions provider.  Huh. Absolutely comical.  Not a good look by Bruno (as obviously he had this in the works and used the “health” as an out) and I can’t imagine ownership at OBE are real happy the way this played out.  (nor should Covio quite frankly) Meanwhile in the same release noting Bruno’s departure, OBE noted that they had hired Steve Dean as President of the Glass and Glazing division.  Immediately I was stoked.  I love Steve Dean.  Was a past Glass Industry MVP.  Then it hit me.  The past they listed for Steve Dean didn’t match up to the Steve Dean I know.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, there’s another Steve Dean out there who evidently has some talent. Cool. So I look forward to meeting this Steve Dean and wish him the best in his new position.  Meanwhile I am sure the “original” (for me and others for sure) Steve Dean was probably getting inundated with messages…. 

 

--  I noted briefly that Giroux Glass made news last week with their launch of a new unitized system.  They’ll be moving into a state-of-the-art facility in Phoenix to manufacture it and I am pretty confident its going to go well given that Giroux has a ton of talented people leading the way.  And while I am at it- a Happy 25^th Anniversary to the tremendous team there!  Best wishes for another great 25 and more!

 

--  The VIG space is really gaining steam.  The products are looking better, performing better (which already was awesome) and there’s now a legit push for usage.  With that in mind, it was not a major surprise that Guardian Glass dipped their toe (and really more body parts than that) back into the VIG pool with the appointment of  a Product Manager for Vacuum Insulating Glass.  As some of you know, Guardian was heavy into developing VIG for years, then set it aside.  Now it’s obviously coming back just in time for more growth in the space. 

 

--  Last this week… Kicking myself as I failed to mention while at BEC I was lucky enough to do my annual Nashville dinner with the great Brian Thomas of Super Sky.  Those who know me know I never go out during events like these but I have done these dinners with Brian for a few cycles and it's always awesome to catch up with him.  Super Sky is rocking with so many amazing projects (including a beauty opening in my town of Detroit this summer that I am excited about).  So thank you Brian and on the Super Sky note, I somehow missed seeing their Jeff Rutledge while there- so hopefully I run into him during one of my Texas appearances in the next couple of months. 

 

LINKS of the WEEK

-- Interesting typo case here.

 

-- You know the whole 80/20 rule? 80% of sales from 20% of your customers?  This company was 100/0 and lost it and now are done.  Ouch. Odd.

 

--  This is depressing- lengths you have to go to for true security… and also wild with the sort of money some people keep in the home/easy to access.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Obviously if I start the blog raving about a project I walked, it has to be the project of the week right??  So we go back to Nashville for what will be known as the Pinnacle Building in Nashville Yards.  That glass I raved about?  Make up was very cool. 5/16” VRE-46 over ¼” Double Silver Low E with ½ high performance VTS thermal spacer.  Harmon unitized it all and this project will be epic when done. Kudos to everyone involved this one.  Great work!!

Tremendous Week in Nashville!

What a run in the music city for our industry with an amazing BEC and GPAD. Truly a top notch and memorable experience all the way around.  So, settle in, this is my traditional extra-long recap that features thoughts and lots of name drops too!  First up was BEC and I think I can safely say it exceeded expectations. We knew with the lineup that was expertly built by Katy Devlin, Sara Neiswanger and the amazing BEC Planning group, had something special and it truly delivered.  A sincere thank you to everyone who presented!  Ricardo Maiz of Vitro kicking things off with humor and then going into so many details, important and crucial items to understand and plan for and around.  The audience gained some serious insight.  And while they were still taking it all in, Troy Johnson of Apogee Architectural Services (Harmon) stepped on stage and delivered a tour de force of a presentation that had everything and then some.  Back-to-back powerhouses. With those guys setting the tone, the rest of the programs just kept delivering and it was awesome.  I’m going to hit on more of what we learned here and in the other sessions in future posts because I don’t want it lost in this massive recap. (So that includes Tom Jackson returning to the stage 6 years after one of the best presentations of all time and TOPPING it, Matt Aragon and Keith Fine absolutely holding the entire audience in their hands during an amazing one-on- one and an absolutely powerful and extremely important session from Cal Beyer and Dave Argus on addiction and recovery. Unreal!  These and more…)

 

--  The overall vibe at the show was one of hope and resilience.  While some areas are continuing to report softer conditions others are saying they’re hanging in there and they’re seeing work slide a bit and that’s helped them stave off the potential 2024 blues.  Though it is making them wonder what 2025 could look like.  Given a bonkers US election coming in the fall- who knows.  But without a doubt people who attended this week gained so much critical intel it will allow them to plan much more effectively.  

 

--  Obviously, I love the sessions but networking is a major key as well and I was not let down.  Unfortunately, because I was running all over the place, I think I saw less people than normal- especially acute since this was the 2^nd most attended BEC ever.  Regardless I still connected and here we go on the breakdown there.  The nicest guy in the industry Tom O’Malley of the red-hot Clover Architectural Products was holding court as always. He’s a staple here and a key for me always to chat up.  Art Huard and Shawn McHale of NVOY Architectural had a few irons in the fire there including Art playing a video from TSC that captivated the audience.  Always fun to chat Art up after, he’s a riot.  Also a riot- Alan Kinder of Guardian Glass who changed the words in the tune “Friends in Low Places” to a more appropriate glass one.  That song needs recorded!  Seriously though hopefully Alan shares that incredible creativity on his feed.  BRILLIANT! 

 

--  Got very lucky to catch a ride from the airport to hotel with the awesome folks from Isoclima/Global Security. Krisy Kilpatrick, Trent Thiry and Art Droste are top notch.  Was great to visit with Tom Donovan and Lorne Flaig of Thompson Innovative Glass – first time I have seen either in a while and was good to catch up. Tom will be on my podcast soon and I am looking forward to that one.  As I always say, the gold standard in the PR game in our industry is Heather West (rhymes with “the best”) so that tracks.  I’m always thrilled to get nuggets of insight from her.  Ran into old friends Gary Tongco of Harmon and Kevin Roth of Privacy Glass Solutions and super to see them doing so well.  Speaking of Harmon- next week I will go into detail but I was afforded a tremendous opportunity by them and one that will be kept into my memory forever- an unexpected awesome outing- next week I’ll break that down.

 

--  The talent of the Aragon brothers is ridiculous.  Cool guys who just get it.  Another guy who gets it and I was super grateful that he reads my blog is Pat Pennington of Kovach.  Pat has accomplished a ton out there and continues to crush it.  I was blown away when we were chatting along with Cameron Scripture of Viracon. He basically quoted my past blogs where I note Cameron is a Hollywood model.  I know folks will tell me they read this but it sure is cool to hear someone who has followed it religiously.  Oh, and I have a new one for Cameron.  See we had the astonishing Stefanie Couch talking AI and prompts and such.  Super learning session too.  So, anyway, for Cameron if I asked my AI engine “build me a picture of a person with Hollywood good looks, and knows glass intensely and is insanely cool” I think we’d get a result of a picture of Cameron. 

 

--  We potentially had controversy when Salem’s Dapper Dan Reinhart’s luggage was lost by his airline.  I was convinced that it was stolen by someone who saw the outfits Dan packed.  Thankfully the luggage was found and Dan rocked the style like only he can.  Also rocking their style was the dynamic duo of Brandon Bellegarde and Tyler Faulk of The Drafting Marketplace.  And they floored me by presenting me with my very own Drafting Marketplace flannel.  Stunned.  Was super nice of them to think of me. I’m honored.  I got to meet Jeff Heymann of Giroux in person right ahead of their breaking news of their new unitized system.  Loved that. Also, from Giroux I got to meet and chat with Rob Carter and Tremain Roseman.  I think those two walked away truly wondering what planet I was on.  (I was geeking out over Vegas landmarks and stories with Tremain.) 

 

--  I did miss seeing Dan Zucchi of Halio.  So failed there- but I did meet Sara Barchak of EFCO (She’s a Dr Pepper person like myself though she drinks the real stuff while my jam is Diet Dr Pepper) and Priscilla “PK” Koeckeritz of Brin.  Who along with Heather Pavlas of Brin/Northwest Glass Fab are absolutely impressive people. I did however not get enough time at all with old friends/coworkers Scott Goodman, Mike Dishmon and Dan Plotnick.  Quick pass by hellos were it- a bummer for me.  Same for the trailblazing legend Michael Spellman and the entire IGE team as well as the glass genius Ian Patlin of Phoenix Architectural Glass + Metal.   Too short of time!

 

--  I usually only see tremendous talents like Jeff Scalisi of Architectural Glass and Aluminum (AGA) at BEC and this year was no different.  And while we’re on subject of west coast superstars the amazing Kendal Rowe was everywhere and just bringing her enthusiasm in full doses and I did get to see Chris Rowe and his perfect hair too.  (I’m not jealous- he spends millions in products to keep that going- me- 0$.  LOL) Always a fun show when RoweFen in the house.  I must say I was super impressed with the Vitro trio of Andre Kenstowicz, Annissa Flickinger and Emily Losego.  Talented, unflappable messengers for our industry. 

 

--  I didn’t get as much Texas influence as I usually do- but that could be because I’m speaking in Dallas in April and in Austin in May- so those folks will get their fill.  But seeing the legend Sam Hill of Oak Cliff Mirror for a few moments is so valued and I enjoyed meeting Valerie Nagy-Jorgenson of Hartung for the first time in person before I see her at the TGA-NTD event next month.  

 

--  GPAD by the way was a strong event that allowed more networking to breathe while in-depth sessions really took hold.  And as noted above I’ll hit more on all of this in the future but I gotta call out the spectacular Syndi Sim of Diamon-Fusion International.  Absolutely an unreal presentation and enthusiastic style that was hard to match.  I also did enjoy chatting with her cohort, Medfly legend Carl Christ on hidden messages in music. From 25 or 6 to 4, to Relax and Roxanne I think Carl will never look at me the same way again!  

 

--  The team at the National Glass Association were tireless- they’re in non-stop motion to ensure a great time could be had by all.  Tremendous venue and vibe and that is thanks to serious due diligence by folks there that always blow me away.  It’s an honor to be included in their universe.  

 

--  I’m gonna stop here, I know I missed name checking some folks- but I truly enjoyed every communication and I am sure I’ll add some more name nuggets along with the newsy presentation recaps coming in future weeks. 

 

Next week, I’ll hit the amazing opportunity I had, more from BEC/GPAD, big and kind of confusing news (at least for me) from OBE, and back to the regular happenings of the glass and glazing space. Thanks for reading all of this and supporting me and this awesome industry we all share!

 

No links or project due to the length of this one!  See you next week!