Big Time Thank You

There are a lot of incredible people in this industry.  I note them all the time on here and try to give props and notice as much as possible.  I have made life long friends along the way and so many people helped me develop and grow.  One person who checks every box in this category is Cliff Monroe.  I had the supreme honor of working with Cliff for several years and spending tons of time with him either on the road or at various tech conferences.  Recently Cliff let me know he’s hanging them up… retiring from our world to go and enjoy the rest of what life has to offer.  Obviously on one hand it will suck to lose the talent and brainpower Cliff brought to our world… but on the other I am thrilled he’s walking away and going to start the next great phase in his world.   

And I did reach out to ask Cliff I could blog this and he of course had a classic Cliff-like self deprecating comment of approval but added this line that I think is perfect example of Cliff’s class:

The glass business has been nothing short of a lifetime of learning.  I am blessed to have had met, sat with and worked with some of the brightest, smartest, mentally inspiring and forward thinking persons of our industries time.

Thank you to all.

No THANK YOU sir… You will be missed Cliff and allow me add again how grateful I am to you for all you did for me personally and our industry at large!

Elsewhere…

--  Another Architectural Billings Index was released this past week and it showed a slight negative result at 49.7.  The number 50 is the break even so it was close to level but not there.  The positive was it did bounce back from an awful previous month where the number was 47.2.  Looking deeper into the problem areas… the issues are in the North and Midwest.  Those regions performed poorly which is a worry since some of those locations are already in a softening stage- so seeing a number that won’t directly affect our world for a bit should raise some red flags.  I think it continues to be an issue out there that the timing now is crucial to be preparing for the more extended lull.

--  I was on an architectural chat board recently and once again the discussion of “Heat soaked” glass came up.  This area fascinates the architectural community a great deal.  While some people get the applications and needs for Heat Soak, it is amazing how many still do not…

--  From the latest awesome NGA Technical and Advocacy Newsletter… this nugget:

In September, NFRC announced plans for a fresh reboot of commercial ratings based on two paths: one for custom projects (certification for a specific building project) and one for commercial products (certification for individual products and product lines). Both are intended to be more streamlined and offer more flexibility than previous attempts to address the commercial market.

All I can say is I am too old to fight these things so I am seriously hoping that the streamlining and flexibility actually come into play.  I seriously have to laugh though… if the NFRC would’ve listened to our world way back things would’ve been so different… and actually successful.   But I was just a mad man who was mocked so what did I know… hmmm.

--  Last this week- the huge news that the NACC process was added into the MasterSpec documents.  I have been banging the drum for a while on this certification and it’s growing on a daily basis.  Things like this will only make it advance even more.

LINKS of the WEEK

I am happy to say I am old fashioned.  I like my old fashioned thermostat.  And no Alexa etc… because when these things fail?  Look out.

This could’ve been an episode of Breaking Bad.  Sad though this one was a true story.

I think sometimes Sports can make people extra stupid.  Like this story.

VIDEO of the WEEK

Obviously by now you know I am a huge Breaking Bad and Vince Gilligan fan.  So I came across this screen test/audition of Aaron Paul as him reading for his role on BB.  Its awesome to see what started there and what it ended up becoming in the end… brilliance.