Texas Time

((Reminder I do also post this on my LinkedIn Feed.  Let's connect so you find it there!))

This week, we’ve got the makeup date for my visit to Dallas for the Texas Glass Association- North Texas Division luncheon.  Last month, my trip was postponed (a great call) due to an impending ice storm.  I looked at the forecast for this week in Dallas, and it's calling for 82 and sunny, so I think conditions are ripe.  I’m looking forward to catching up with the great folks there and getting a lay of the land from their perspective.  Also, I’ll give TGA President Brian Risinger in-person props for his excellent letter on the tariff situation.  You can check it out here if you didn’t see/read it.  The Texas folks continue to do things the right way!

Elsewhere…

-- In case you missed it, the latest From the Fabricator podcast caught people off guard.  A lot of folks went in for a listen, not knowing anything about Andluca or Greg Beeche Logistics. They came out very interested in those organizations and what they are doing.  Nick Davy and Adrian Winoto of Andluca are disruptors who “get it,” I’m excited for the future.  Meanwhile, Kirk Beeche of Greg Beeche Logistics is a brilliant guy whose company allows so many of our glaziers safe and smart setups even on the craziest of structures.  So please take a look/listen!  Thank you.

VIDEO

AUDIO (Also search “From the Fabricator” wherever you get your podcasts- Apple. Spotify etc) 

Thank you to FHC- Frameless Hardware Company for sponsoring this episode!

-- Big congrats to the ultra-talented Emily Yukish (a past podcast guest) of Specified Systems in Pittsburgh. This week, the news was released that Emily achieved WBENC Certification, officially designating her company as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE). This is not an easy process, and I know Emily worked hard to make sure everything was done right. Kudos again, Emily and the team at Specified!

-- The most prestigious award program in the commercial glass industry is out for nominations.  The 2025 Glass Magazine Awards have started the process for this year, and once again, I can’t wait to see what incredible work is submitted and wins.  Learn more about it and get your nominations in here:

https://www.glassmagazine.com/article/nominate-your-company-submissions-open-2025-glass-magazine-awards

-- Blast from the past- I heard through the grapevine that an old co-worker of mine, Doug Couch of Insulite, was honored at a recent Vitro event.  I haven’t seen Doug since 2010- so it was super cool to hear the news.  I often think about the team from those days, and so many are out there crushing it still.  Makes the day for me. Congrats Doug!

-- Baseball really gets going this week… and I think everyone is playing for second. The Dodgers are loaded. So, this is a very short prediction note… LA runs away from all and beats Baltimore in the World Series.

-- Last this week…. Those who know me know that I am a space geek.  I love rocket launches and exploration, etc.  So, I have been very into the story of the Astronauts “Butch and Suni,” who went on an 8-day mission that turned into 9 months.  This week Butch and Suni and two others came back to earth, and the splashdown and all with it was mesmerizing.  They landed in the Gulf on the most perfect day possible.  Calm water, incredible blue skies.  Then, as I watched how the teams were prepping the capsule for extraction, we got a pod of dolphins circling.  It was bonkers.  Finally, the capsule was lifted on the recovery ship, and the astronauts came off.  It is just an incredible scene of organization and systems working in concert.  If you have not seen the landing and all with it- here it is, or go ahead and search the YouTube rabbit hole. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lPztZttSgM

LINKS of the WEEK

A sting operation to catch a cop stealing… shoes.  Wow.

https://www.wxyz.com/news/region/detroit/detroit-police-officer-suspected-of-stealing-shoes-after-internal-sting-operation

A Gator, A pizza, A Cop, a person totally not ready for the gator- and truly a comical video.

https://local12.com/news/offbeat/alligator-crocodile-officer-pizza-delivery-police-reptile-animal-gator-hide-hiding-elderly-woman-trap-trapper-control-officers-sheriff-food-offbeat-funny-video-watch-older-old-elderly-woman

PROJECT of the WEEK

Sika USA shared this one on LinkedIn, and it really caught my eye. It's a tremendous design from Ewing Cole. I don’t understand all of Sika USA’s roles, but they obviously crushed it. I did see that Viracon supplied the glass, and that, of course, looks tremendous. I have no idea who installed it, though. Great work, everyone—keep it up!

Pod, People, Shows, & Winners

A new episode of the From the Fabricator podcast has dropped and it’s got guests that may not be on people’s radar right now- but should be or will be soon.  I started with Nick Davy and Adrian Winoto, the Smart Material company, Andluca.  They are two fascinating guys who have studied the past and are creating that true next-generation product line.  Very excited about their potential and it was an enjoyable conversation- despite me ripping on a certain glass segment. (which I admit is a blind spot for good reason-lol)  Next was Kirk Beeche of Greg Beeche Logistics-GBL.  Intriguing and passionate guy whose company plays a significant role for tons of glaziers all over the US. They create and supply the apparatus needed for many to do work on the buildings – no matter how tall or what shape (like a Sphere for instance).  Fun listening to the stories of solutions created in some really tricky layouts.

As always, thank you for checking these out! I really appreciate your support.

VIDEO

AUDIO (Also search “From the Fabricator” wherever you get your podcasts- Apple. Spotify etc) 

Thank you to FHC- Frameless Hardware Company for sponsoring this episode!

Elsewhere…

-- So last week, after BEC, I stayed in Vegas for an extra day because I had the extreme honor of speaking to the Glazing Contractors Association of Nevada.  It was an excellent opportunity for me to meet and catch up with some of the most talented folks in the region- including past podcast guest Nicole Mann of Glass Vegas.  A huge thank you to Keith Stockman of Glasswerks/Avalon for making this happen for me.  I’ve known Keith for a long time, and he’s always taken great care of me. This was no different- he's a good man and a class act.  So, thank you Terry Mayfield and everyone who attended.  Keep up the great work!

-- The Glass Symposium on April 30th in Atlantic City is next on the show circuit.  The Glass & Metal Alliance is putting this on, and the extremely talented Pat O’Connor is leading the charge.  They’ve got three excellent speakers lined up (Ted Baumgardner of Baumgardner Construction, Ellis Guiles, Founder of EG2 Engineering & Graboyes Smart Buildings, and Jeff Dalaba of AGMT/NACC) along with a table top show and networking.  Should be a great event!  https://glassandmetalalliance.com/symposium2025/

-- Top Glass in Canada at the end of April is also on the upcoming schedule. I’ve had the honor of speaking at this event, and it always has excellent presentations.  The agenda for this year should be no different.  The training panel will be fabulous and the fabrication panel featuring four strong players in that segment has immense potential.  For more info check it out at: https://events.annexbusinessmedia.com/event/top-glass/

-- The yearly Guardian Glass Commercial Product Awards were announced during a reception at BEC.  These are great and deserving winners (including a past project of the week on this blog), which makes our industry stand out.  This year I was honored to be one of the judges in the process and it was extremely challenging.  So many great options.  In the end, I think we judges got it right!  Congrats to everyone involved and if you weren’t at the reception or don’t know who won- check them out here- https://www.guardianglass.com/us/en/insights/2025-commercial-project-awards

-- Not many days have gone by since the fine team from MyShowerDoor is not in the news, and recently, they did it again in a totally different way.  They hit the airwaves with a story on their high-level sponsorship of the spring training baseball teams in their backyard.  Cool coverage, and again, it's nice to see our space in the spotlight! https://winknews.com/2025/03/07/my-shower-door-blankets-spring-training-in-signage-with-twins-red-sox/

-- Last this week… The movie “September 5” is now streaming on Paramount+ and is my must-see recommendation.  This is the behind-the-scenes look at ABC television coverage of the terror event at the 1972 Olympics.  It is truly a gripping and mesmerizing ride, and the movie itself is first-rate.  Very well done and it’s a massive shame this wasn’t among the best picture nominees for the Oscars this year.  Check it out!

LINKS of the WEEK

This piece started about Domino’s Pizza struggles but its more about how habits are changing and costs playing a role in the restaurant game.

https://e-noticies.cat/en/consumer-affairs/dominos-pizza-issues-urgent-statement-to-all-its-american-customers

Remarkable story on a prolific donor of blood and plasma who helped to save MILLIONS. Wild.

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/03/nx-s1-5316163/james-harrison-blood-donor

As a friend of mine said on this- FAFO- now hopefully these kids get some discipline.

https://www.kfvs12.com/2025/03/09/festus-police-arrest-teens-kicking-elderly-womans-door-part-social-media-trend/

PROJECT of the WEEK

To the interior we go with Arch Street Glass.  This is a snazzy one at the One Kendall Biotech hub.  This office showed Arch Street’s Litespace system with dual-glazed sidelites for improved acoustic performance and aluminum-framed swing doors. A black anodized finish was used on the framing throughout, which was matched to additional fire-rated scope at entry door locations with both single and double doors.  Good looking stuff- see more pictures here: https://www.archstreetglass.com/galleries-one-kendall-biotechnology-office Kudos to everyone involved!

Massive BEC Recap

Well, THAT was a heck of an experience.  BEC 2025 was genuinely fabulous.  From start to finish, from Jeff Haber leading off to Troy DeGroot closing, the number of solutions provided was extensive and insights more numerous to count.  The networking as well was undefeated.  So, on this post, I will offer a little flavor of my own and link to others who have the space to go deeper.  Then I’ll drop into my annual run of who’s who from the room. Buckle in, this gonna be a long one.

Overall, the vibe was positive but you could feel that lingering worry floating over the room.  My friends from Canada were trying to deal with what was coming their way, and then many in our space were dealing with softer than normal conditions. The one thing I know is we are a resilient industry.  Always have been.  And whatever the challenge we’re going to keep working through it.  At least that’s the way I see most of the folks in our world.  I will say that the presentations by Jeff Haber from W&W and Jay Bowman from FMI helped lend some perspective to the process out there and that helps. Sometimes it’s better to have visibility even though what’s ahead may be ugly. 

On the content, I loved it all.  The presenters were stellar and they spent a ton of time crafting and perfecting.  Kudos to all.  Hard to pick a favorite- the two I mentioned already were amazing.  The Brock West interview of Construction Lawyer Chip Bachara was fantastic. The room was enthralled with Bluebeam insights and tips from Troy DeGroot.  The codes talk, safety talk, 2nd chance workforce, Lean, PK and Alyssa podcast, and trends piece from Guardian all had takeaways and had me noting things left and right.

The Glass Magazine dynamic duo of Tara Lukasik and Rachel Vitello were all over it and provided this coverage via LinkedIn.  Check these posts out as they provided a ton of detail.  Great job by both!

Rachel full Day 1 recap- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rachelvitello_bec2025-glass-glazing-activity-7302508089931358209-vFqq?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAJ9RwkBcZK4q7agAbE7C94egm0QkQnmJJA

Tara- David MacNeel - https://www.linkedin.com/posts/taralukasik_in-the-presentation-titled-what-lean-construction-activity-7303092831269593088-gRz1?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAJ9RwkBcZK4q7agAbE7C94egm0QkQnmJJA

Tara- Troy DeGroot- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/taralukasik_for-those-staying-until-the-events-end-activity-7303061349218099200-8ZE9?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAJ9RwkBcZK4q7agAbE7C94egm0QkQnmJJA

Tara- Jay Bowman- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/taralukasik_in-his-presentation-jay-bowman-partner-activity-7302718534256627714-wIAN?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAJ9RwkBcZK4q7agAbE7C94egm0QkQnmJJA

Tara- Codes- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/taralukasik_at-the-bec-conference-urmilla-jokhu-sowell-activity-7302709280741236736-6IlA?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAJ9RwkBcZK4q7agAbE7C94egm0QkQnmJJA

Tara- Killer Contract Clauses- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/taralukasik_the-presentation-titled-killer-contract-activity-7302469384311054338-NJ-c?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAJ9RwkBcZK4q7agAbE7C94egm0QkQnmJJA

Tara- Kinder/Devisetti- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/taralukasik_bec2025-activity-7302425503754268673-oCII?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAJ9RwkBcZK4q7agAbE7C94egm0QkQnmJJA

Rachel- Glass Cast- https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rachelvitello_bec2025-glass-glazing-activity-7302798730619990018-fjAA?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAJ9RwkBcZK4q7agAbE7C94egm0QkQnmJJA

-- Now on to the people section.  If you’ve never read a recap of mine, I tend to drop a lot of names.  I love networking and truly enjoy meeting new folks. So, this is my chance to call it all out! The Sunday reception delivered like always, a packed room, a ton of connecting going on.  Very special.  I got to run into 2 of the guys that made BEC 2024 super for me in Bill Brown and Danny Bostic of Harmon.  (they took me on a tour of a skyscraper they were glazing in Nashville) Both guys are class acts and Danny was rocking a very impressive beard!  With the “legendary” beards of Brandon Bellegarde and Tyler Faulk missing (rough not having them, missed them, but understood why they couldn’t swing it) Danny sits alone atop the leaderboard beard wise.  Also at the reception I got to meet and chat with the “Fab Five” from Precision Glass Industries.  I started the week at their place and ended it meeting five talented people, Carlos Menendez, Lisa Carlyle, Phillip Lawrence, Amanda Lucas, and Brian Thetford, impressive and very cool.  Gareth Reardon of Synergy Glass was wonderful to run into and I was appreciative of his kind words about my daughter Natalie.  I got a few seconds with the great Brian Thomas of Super Sky, I enjoy every interaction there even if it's quick.  And same goes with Omar Maalouf of Momentum Glass. In this case, me getting a bit of one-on-one time with Omar is rare since he’s hugely in demand, so I was grateful.

-- As the event went on- I got to catch up with old friends all over.  Fantastic people like James Wright, Tom Donovan and Lorne Flaig of Thompson Innovative Glass. Seeing the “Gold Standard” Heather West (best PR person around) never fails to deliver and on that comms side not only did I see marketing wiz Rich Porayko but for the first time in all these years I got to meet his wonderful wife and son!  That was epic for me.  I also finally met Barbara Kinney of NVOY Architectural Products- that was excellent as was seeing the rest of the NVOY crew in the sales GOAT Art Huard, Pamela Meyer, and Shawn McHale. 

-- I continue to be impressed with Travis Nevins of IUPAT.  That dude cares about our space immensely.  That vibes with me.  Great he was here as was Jason Lamberth (another epic beard guy)- just good people.  Also good?  The industry Front Man- lead singer Carl Christ, along with Rachel Herrick of DFI.  They were hustling thanks to having another show across the street!  Saw the Aragon crew!  For the first time I ever I did not screw up Matt and Joey when I saw them.  That was big.  And getting a bit of time with Drew Forester is top notch.  He may be the most genuine guy in our space.  Awesome.  I was honored to see the great Randy Brooks of Gardner owning the treadmill in the fitness center. It was too early and he was on fire, so I had to slink away- couldn’t keep up.  And as it ALWAYS happens at BEC- I see the outstanding Shelly Farmer of Pellecure when she grabs her badge- we say that we’ll catch up as the show goes along- and then she disappears into a crowd of adoring fans.  Every year. I was pleasantly stunned to see one of my favorite bloggers David Vermeulen of TGP.  Didn’t know he was coming.  That was neat. 

-- New people to meet.  Quite a few. I was super impressed by Brock Naylor of Reed Rubber. That is one sharp cat there.  Another young notable buck was Kai Knitter of Oahu Metal and Glass.  His dad Chris is a favorite of mine and it was a great moment in meeting the next gen.  I did not know Josh Lipman of Steel Encounters before this- obviously I am huge fan of his company, so it was super to get to meet another team member from there.  Old friend, the multi-talented Jose Rodriguez of Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope introduced me to new friend Jamie Kernohan.  He even has her listening to my podcasts- thank you Jose and great to meet you, Jamie.  And last- as the show was ending, I got to chat with Mike Blankenship and Travis Martin of Blankenship Glass.  I was blown away at their enthusiasm for the program and dedication to our industry and learning more to advance their business.

-- A few more- it’s not BEC if I don’t to see people that ALWAYS come like Pat Pennington of Kovach (they’re making some excellent news out there) Joe and Mike Clabbers of National Glass, Chris Fronsoe of Vitro, Syndi Sim of Q-railing, and Brad Thurman of GGI who gets to host all of us in Louisville next year!

-- We were missing some folks this year. Aside from Brandon and Tyler mentioned above, Kip Larison from Pioneer had to miss, though having Coleman Jones from there at the event makes things fly. Bummed that Eric LeClair of Vicone Rubber missed thanks to cancelled flights.   Sara Neiswanger of NGA, who has been one of my “ride or dies” at BEC for many years, missed because she was at home with a spectacular new addition.  So happy for her.  

-- A few more before we wrap, the big brains were in force, brilliant minds like Jeff Dalaba of NACC/AGMT, Joe Kaiser of Herzog, the technical legend Charlie Boyer, and of course the engineers that can fix anything, NGA’s Urmilla Sowell and Georgia Scalfano.

-- And speaking of NGA.  Events like these are not easy to pull off.  There are tons of moving parts and pieces and the team there works tirelessly to make things as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.  So many talented, classy people on site this year making it fly- Molly Grenn, Wendy Rochelle, Gwynn Breckenridge, Casey Horres, Cameron Francis, Tristan Scoffield,  Jenni Chase, Amy Hadfield, and Holly Robinson were all off the charts.  It really is an honor for me to work with them all.  Of course, for more than 20 years I’ve known Katy Devlin and she grows more talented every year, and her planning here was exquisite.  Also, I can’t leave out Rock Star Melanie Dettmer- the enthusiasm and care there keeps me going.

-- Last but surely not least, seeing Nicole Harris honored from the stage with a new industry award was super special.  Nicole deserved that and the heartwarming ovation she received.  Her efforts go way beyond what many people see or have seen, and when this industry was fractured and there was a void, Nicole stepped up and in and turned it all around.  This was her last BEC as CEO and I hope we made her proud with our effort.

-- I know I missed a bunch of people- I always do and I am sorry.  My brain is more mushy than normal and as I told a few people my eyes are so bad I can’t see name tags well anymore!  So please give me a pass.  This was an event for the ages and I am now already gearing up with excitement for GlassBuild this fall in Orlando.  For me there is nothing better than having a chance to talk and learn from the best in our world.  I thank you all for that.  Now- let’s go fight the good fight and push forward through whatever muck is out there and come out on top!

-- See you next week with a traditional blog (with notes from my “day after” in Vegas) and a new podcast episode too! 

No LINKS this week!

PROJECT of the WEEK

To the warmth of South Florida this week! This beaut from Dash Door & Glass!  This is UHealth Doral. The post did not talk about what the products were (I fully expect someone to recognize and let me know) but it did note that Dash was EVERYWHERE on this one.  Glazing, Interior, Door/Hardware and Automatic Doors.  Congrats to the team there on a beautiful project and excellent effort!

BEC Week. Finally.

We’ve made it.  It is indeed, finally, BEC week! I am very excited about this event and look forward to visiting with as many folks as possible.  And this year, aside from important insights from true industry leaders like Jeff Haber, Courtney Little, Brock West & more, we’ll have Jay Bowman of FMI looking at the trends, and we’ll get clarity on the market and the angles that can impact us all. On that note, I’ll be curious if the mention of a frustrating ABI and a recent downward turn on the DMI will be covered.  I have a feeling that, in one way or another, it will. So, for those of you attending, I look forward to seeing you and those who missed- hopefully, we’ll have you in Louisville next year for BEC 2026.  And as tradition, my post next week will be the giant BEC recap with more name drops than LinkedIn allows… Let’s do this!

Elsewhere…

-- ICYMI- the most recent edition of the From the Fabricator podcast is out and catching a lot of attention.  So far feedback has been tremendous, highlights of that included comments about Vipul Bhagat's fantastic journey in his career to now running Skyline Glass and his approaches to the marketplace.  On Tom O’Malley, comments ran the gambit from the covid adventures to his impassioned play on education and attending events like BEC. Thank you to both gentlemen for their time and support!  And thanks to all of you who checked it out!  Here are the links so you can get caught up.

VIDEO

AUDIO (Or search “From the Fabricator” on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.)

Thank you to FHC Frameless Hardware Company for sponsoring this episode!

Going forward, I’m pretty excited about the guests lined up. I am reaching into different parts of our orbit to share more perspectives.  So good stuff ahead.

-- Speaking of good stuff.  Actually, more like incredible stuff.  This past week, I visited Precision Glass Industries in Houston.  I had always heard that the operation there was a jaw dropper and had seen videos that looked enticing, but I was curious if in person it would dazzle.  It did.  Big time.  This operation was absolutely best in class.  Clean, bright, and organized.  They had top-of-the-line equipment at every turn, and anything you could think of, they had it covered masterfully. Operations like this make me proud to be in our industry.  Kudos to Abdeali Karimjee and the team there on really developing something very special.  I can definitely see big moves coming from this team.

-- There have been a lot of people from our space in Vegas at other events right before BEC, including the International Builders Show. My guy James Esver of Golden State was there and he offered to share his thoughts on it…. Here are two posts that give you some flavor from the event:

The Show- Pure Electricity

Biggest Takeaway

Thank you for sharing, James. By the way, you have some serious style, my friend! Love the look!

-- In addition, on IBS, they had record attendance, which shows that people really VALUE that in-person trade show experience.  GlassBuild in Orlando is next and should be very strong as well.  As for who made waves from what I was relayed by other people there- my old friend Kevin Roth at Privacy Glass Solutions was on fire with a really popular/busy exhibit. Happy for Kevin and team- their show experience has come a long way from the AIA nightmare show a few years ago! Also new friends of mine from Andluca were crushing it.  Nick Davy, CEO of Andluca gave a rousing press presentation and I heard that some folks couldn’t even get into the Andluca space on day 1!!  Awesome.  So, kudos to that team for a job well done, and the trend line there is pointing straight up.

-- Last this week… it is now March Madness. Excellent time of year.  Winter is starting to break, baseball will be back, and of course, the NCAA Tournament. Get those brackets ready, it’s coming soon!

LINKS of the WEEK

Fun link with pictures of seriously bad home designs.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/sienaegiljum/bad-home-design

Stanley vs Stanley (and not the legend Stanley Yee but the mugs vs the tools)

https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2025-02-21/stanley-travel-mug-stanley-black-and-decker-lawsuit

The system is seemingly failing this couple with their problem-ridden home.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/nc-homebuilder-ordered-pay-250k-130500916.html

PROJECT of the WEEK

TSI Corporations has been in this spot before and I’m back on them again.  This is Reston Row JW Marriott Hotel and Condo.  And it’s finally almost done as this one has been pumping along for a while.  Excellent addition to the area and of course Thomas Cornellier and company absolutely rocked it here. (like always).  So, kudos to them and according to TSI’s post props must go to Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope and Viracon for the glass and glazing!  Nice work by all!