Review and Interview

We kick off this week with the latest Glass Magazine review and it’s a favorite of mine because it combines the “Top Glazier” issue with an awesome custom GlassBuild cover.  Good stuff right off the bat!  Because the focus is the “Top 50 Glaziers” this is a jam-packed edition with everything you could possibly want data and detail wise.  Also inside this issue- a tremendous article from Greg Oehlers along with a great piece on workforce development.  Great insights and should not be missed.  Meanwhile ad of the month was tough because this is a popular issue, there’s a lot more ads… but the winner is my friends from Bohle America.  Gareth Francey designed a piece that got me to stop and look.  That is always a big key for me ad wise.  Really easy on the eyes and interests me for more info.  Well done and congrats!

Before I get to this week’s interview- just a couple of quick notes…

Long time industry leader Ron Parker is leading a charge to defeat ALS.  Here is more info on how you can help!

Ride to Defeat ALS will be held on Saturday, July 20th at Mt. Angel, Oregon. If you would like to donate to support those living with ALS and their families, please click here!

Each and every donation will:

·      Fund a treatment and finding a cure for ALS

·      Provide hands-on support to local families during their journey with ALS

·      Raise awareness for a disease that is NOT rare and occurs every 90 minutes in the US

Your gift to this worthy cause is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law

--  No blog post next week since it’s leading into the 4^th of July holiday in the US.  Hope everyone celebrating and has a safe and enjoyable holiday.

Big 3 Interview

Monique Salas, National Healthcare Business Development Manager, SAGE Glass

This was a fun one for me as Monique brought totally different skill sets to our industry (She was in Pharmaceuticals) and she is a must follow/connect on LinkedIn.  In addition as those of you who read this blog consistently know I am huge cheerleader on dynamic glass, so the fact Monique has an incredible understanding and approach with it, was driving force to do these 3 questions…

You have extensive experience in the dynamic glass space.  There is great confidence that this space will continue to have significant growth.  Aside from the fact you sell it, why are you so bullish on these products?

I have a sincere desire to make spaces cleaner and more beautiful.  Our living and healing spaces are very important for our mental and physical health.  Natural light is a significant component that aids overall wellness.  Starting in the late 70’s, researchers started to study the impact of natural light on patients. Overwhelmingly, patients exposed to natural light began to heal faster, require less medication and report increased comfort in the presence of natural light.   Smart glass now offers the missing element and I find that incredibly exciting.  A façade that changes without disruption of color or uniformity on the exterior, yet provides thermal comfort and greater satisfaction for occupants inside. It is a winning combo that meets the needs of the design community, building owners and most importantly, patients.

Imagine if you will, you walk into a hospital and in the lobby, there are no blinds or curtains.  Yet, the welcome staff is not interrupted by glare or heat. It sounds silly, but these are real solutions to increase productivity and thermal comfort.  Now, take it a step further and imagine you are a patient in a hospital room with little or no mobility. You want to see outside, but that would depend on your Nurse coming in to adjust your blinds of curtains. This could be several minutes or even hours away, depending on how many patients they oversee.  In my opinion, this can be solved in designing spaces with smart glass intelligence.  I have had the unique ability to sell in both spaces, thermochromic & electrochromic.  Thermochromic being a passive technology that operates on radiant heat; Electrochromic an active technology that allows occupants to override with control (app or wall device).   I have come to respect each type or now believe that they should be used in collaboration.

Thermochromic in common spaces, where control is not necessary (lobbies, hallways, and prescription pick up).  An electrochromic in patient rooms, giving the patients the ability to use an app to control their own thermal comfort.  I hope leaders in both subcategories will start to work together on projects to meet the needs of the client.   To me, it is not a one size fits all, but a true deep dive into the building delivering evidenced based designs fusing Thermochromic and Electrochromic.

I’m a big fan of yours for a bunch of reasons but maybe the biggest is you have a sincere desire to constantly be giving back.  Where did this value come from and why should we as a society be doing more of this?

First off, that is very kind; thank you that means the world to me.  I would say that there are many contributors ranging from experiencing the adversity of a mixed raced background to the lessons of gratitude & kindness instilled in me by my Grandfather who passed away when I was 10.  I started off my career in the non-profit and quite frankly wanted to “change the world.”  I don’t think it is uncommon for young college graduates to have these ideals. The reality is the burden of education debt, often command paths.  Living in the Bay Area on a non-profit income is very difficult, if not impossible. In such, I made a conscious choice to exit and enter into a profit generating space.  However, the agreement I made with myself is to not abandon my desire to impact the world positively.

We can all do something for someone. This includes the Earth we live on and all of the inhabitants that exist together.  Recently, I have made attempts to help save the monarch butterfly population with the simple act of dedicating space in my yard for the plants they enjoy. These are the types of activities, if done by several of us, can reinvigorate an entire population of butterflies. It is birthed in the philosophy of acting locally but think globally.  I believe that many people have a sincere desire to do something but feel overwhelmed on the various choices of “volunteerism” and the commitment therein.   The truth is, we can all do small acts that can help us feel like we are making a difference.  Because at the end of our lives, we are not going to be happy with how much money we made.  We are going to remember the lives we impacted & the differences we made.

You have been associated with the health care world for a great portion of your professional career, so I have to ask which professional is more challenging (can be both good and bad) to work with- the Doctor or the Architect?

Ha! This is a GREAT question and hilarious! ARCHITECTS for sure.  In my time in the Pharmaceutical industry I had to work closely with Physicians to help meet the needs of their patient populations.  Therein, there was a clear connection to medication and outcomes. By that I mean, if your patient has an elevated AIC and I have the leading Diabetes medication on the market, there are clear evidenced based connections for our dialogue and collaboration.  However, we are not quite there with the design community and Smart glass. Even though, the data exists on natural light & we have shifted into evidenced based design as a standard, resistance remains widespread largely due to color.  I have heard from many Architects that they believe smart glass is just too dark. 

The reality is that the rendering never includes blinds or curtains. Architects demo a beautiful picture that is not realistic.  In reality blinds and/or curtains are typically down when the occupants have inhabited the space, which equals little or no access to natural light, resulting a dark or artificially lit space.  I hope that more Architects will start to apply a larger lens when thinking of designing with Smart glass in SD or DD.   Money can actually be saved with using Smart glass earlier; results being  smaller HVAC systems, blind reduction/elimination and spaces can be reimagined to produced better outcomes.  I am hopeful that Architects with start to see Smart glass in the same way Physicians see medication… as a tool toward provide wellness.

LINKS of the WEEK

This spices up a boring government meeting.

LOOK OUT- This gin got recalled for having TOO MUCH alcohol in it!

The do say everyone has a twin… and in this case that was true and huge.

VIDEO of the WEEK

With Independence Day in the US coming up- I decided to go with one of my favorite Muppets (Sam the Eagle) to take the patriotic role in promoting this holiday in the video of the week!