It was an interesting week with regards to forecasts,
indexes and predictions. As I expected… the monthly Architectural Billings Index (ABI)
came back to earth. That big positive
total in the previous month made no sense.
The ABI total still was in the positive range but just by a hair. No we wait to see if this settles into a
trend or if it seesaws high again next month.
Based on the on the forecasts coming into the year with regards to that
report, growth was supposed to be positive but no by much, so seeing a big gain
again soon would be odd. The key of this
process is that this is a picture of where our economic standing will be in a
year from now… and that year- 2020 has many of us in a fog. Trying to get a feel for it has been tougher
than any forward looking forecast since the middle of the recession. Also rough news from the Associated Builders
and Contractors with their backlog indicator down to 8.1 months. Those are 2014-like numbers. Ouch.
But it has to be noted the report had serious bright spots including the
Midwest. In any case I am going to keep
digging and working the angles to see what we have upcoming but it sure is murkier
than expected…
Elsewhere…
-- Speaking of forecasts… good read here- what happens if the
auto business starts a downward trend?
-- This week is a big one for events- in New York it’s Glass
Expo Northeast and in San Antonio it is the Glass Processing Automation Days
(GPAD) event. I will be in Texas for
that one… first time attending that event and looking forward to learning and
networking there. Whatever insights I
can gather that are good for the blog I will share here next week… those of you
in Long Island, please let me know the same!
-- Exciting news for a very popular industry figure and long
time friend of mine… Jon Johnson. Jon
was named National Sales Manager at Architectural Grills & Sunshades. Congrats my friend! Super company and you will do great there. I am sure I am not alone in looking forward
to seeing you at all of the industry events again!
-- Speaking of new positions, a trio of people at Tristar Glass
picked up promotions recently. Tim Rome,
Derrick Williams, and Erica Couch all moved up the ladder there and it was good
to see. While I don’t know Tim very
well- I have always been a huge fan of Derrick’s (I can’t tell you how many
people would rave about how great Derrick is when I traveled through Oklahoma
over the years) and Erica is a true talent- a very positive force at shows/conferences
and in our industry- her approaches and insights will be very appreciated for
sure. Congrats to all of you there and
to Tim Kelley for making the call.
-- Glass Magazine review time…
the new look really took another strong step this month with the focus
of the magazine being “green.” The cover
shot was a stunner! The best article and section for me was the
“The Green Building Maze” – a very well done walk through what can be a very
confusing area. I have to give major
kudos to Katy Devlin and Wendy Vardaman on the entire section. There was a ton of intel to be had there and
its something that is worth keeping bookmarked for future reference. Also of
note this issue had a couple of my favorite recurring writers, Joe Schiavone
and Matt Johnson with must read pieces and I enjoyed once again the
“Trendhunter” segment- this time with Ryan Park at Sage. Those who know me know I love the dynamic
glass space and Ryan did a fine job of laying out the innovation.
-- Ad of the month was a challenge- especially after last month
raised the bar very high… still some wonderful pieces but only one winner this
time… the nod goes to Tremco. Great use
of a building image that immediately catches the eye and then a big call to
action statement in the middle. Both
were great hooks to get me to stop and read.
Well done to the folks at Tremco that made this one happen!
-- Last this week… March Madness is underway and I missed
making my picks before the tourney started.
So I’ll make it now… and it was the pick that most expect… Duke. The Blue Devils are loaded… but I will admit
I’d be quite happy to be wrong here as I am not a fan…
LINKS of the WEEK
Feel good story of the week
Hudson Yards tried to own every photo you take on their property… and then they changed gears…
Good story on “Dark mode” and its growth. Personally I do prefer some of my sites in
that setting- especially heavy texts ones.
VIDEO of the WEEK
You get done hang gliding and someone “special” is there to
meet you! Look out!
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