New York City is the destination this week for many in our
industry with the annual AIA show happening there. As I have mentioned many times before it is
always intriguing to see how this show is because as an industry we long to get
in front of architects but more often than not this show leaves the exhibitors
wanting. And this year with education
happening outside of the show building and 200 walking tours going on at the
same time as the expo, it will be interesting to see and experience the floor
action. I had noted previously that I
was not attending but moons aligned and I now will be there. So I look forward to seeing everyone there
and reporting back here next week.
Elsewhere….
-- Those of you coming to New York may see this sign. Not one
that any of us should be a fan of!!
Thanks to my friend Ian Patlin of Paragon Architectural Products for the
picture. Still from the website it promotes I am seeing a lot of glass... so interesting yet confusing hook for me with being "anti glass" as it should be more focused on not being cookie cutter since that is the end message vs. glass usage.-- Also related to New York- the first request for modular construction is out. This is a trend to watch- I am seeing it a lot on the residential side, and just a bit with commercial, but I think it may gain momentum quicker than you think.
-- Last this week, congrats to my friend Deron Patterson of
Vitro on his new position as Architectural Market Manager for Mexico. Deron is such a fascinating and bright person
and has been a major success in his career- something I foresee continuing with
this new role!
This week’s interview…
Maure Creager, Building Science Manager, SAGE Glass
Maure is a brilliant and talented person and the industry
can surely use many more like her. I
wanted to find out how someone with her background made it into the glass world
and get her perspectives on the always-evolving dynamic glass market for which
I am a huge fan of.
When you were growing
up, what did you want to do for a living and then once you got the mechanical
engineering degree- did you ever in your wildest dreams think you’d end up with
a long career in the glass business?
An Astronaut! Didn’t
everyone after watching the movie Space Camp?
Side note: I had a friend who was able to attend the camp. Those dreams were dashed when I got glasses,
so I decided to plan for the next best thing and go for mechanical engineering
with a master’s in aeronautical. But the
job market was amazing when I finished my BS, so I decided to work for a while
first. I had amazing mentors and learned
a lot about commercial and industrial design and construction during my work
experience in college and in my first post-grad job. A few years later led to my husband being
transferred to the frozen tundra (I mean Minnesota) which meant finding a new
job, which was with SAGE. The product
was so cool and the people I was going to work with were brilliant,
mind-blowing smart. At the time, I had
no idea I would end up with a career in the glass business. SAGE was still a startup when I joined, which
meant I had the opportunity to learn a lot and work in many different areas of
the business and with the product
You were one of the
first people I met that was involved with dynamic glass- how much has that
world changed since you started at Sage Glass in 2004?
Oh my goodness – well, for starters, we can make units
larger than 18x35”! Back then we were excited to ship 5 units per week that we
hand packed in custom built and padded crates – and we could ship them via UPS.
Needless to say, our volume has increased exponentially. In 2004, the iPhone was still 3 years away
from being debuted, so I never would have imagined we would be controlling the
glass from an app or Amazon Echo. But I
think the most interesting aspect has been the building science and occupant
health research. For example, we all
knew we loved sunlight, but the biology of it hadn’t yet been proven. Now we KNOW we humans absolutely need
daylight to regulate our circadian rhythms.
We are still striving for changes for healthier people and planet, but
we are getting there. I hope a right to
light mandate will be incorporated into our building and employee health and
safety standards sooner rather than later.
What ideas would you
have to encourage college graduates- whether engineers or sales or marketing to
get them to come to the industry?
There are so many different types of work you can do within
the glass industry: façade engineer, process engineer, design engineer, test
engineer, R&D, product development, the list goes on and on. Glass may seem simple, but it can also be
incredibly complex and interesting. But
what I have learned over time, is that what
you do is only part of it; who you
work with is also important. What I love
about the glass industry are the people, both within SAGE and Saint-Gobain and
within the industry as a whole. Within
the industry organizations I am part of, I can clearly see the sharing of
knowledge across the industry and mentoring new professionals. It truly is a small world and we are all
working together to move the glass industry forward.
LINKS of the WEEK
I love dogs- coolest animals- and this one just did his
thing at the ballpark!
Always beware the next shark in line to eat!
VIDEO of the WEEK
I am huge Barstool Sports guy- and I do love the Pizza
Reviews… in fact in NY this week for AIA- I must get to one of these places to
do my own review. Anyway- this review is
hilarious as you have 5 pretty big stars and the fan on the street basically
misses them all at first…. But then she realizes… and its all so cool.
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