Big Conference This Week

This week, kicking off on Tuesday is the NGA Glass Conference.  If you have not looked into yet, well it is now time you do.  And of course I’ll help you out here with some highlights.  First and foremost I have to say I was so blown away looking at the list of sponsors.  The industry really stepped up here and is again with GlassBuild Connect and that truly makes me proud.  Ok so now into the details… All the sessions are great but I’m going to give my “picks”

The Powerhouse Session- The New Normal – Design & Construction features a leading architect, general contractor, fabricator, component supplier, and developer/owner.  This is huge to get that insight from each area and how it can be jammed into an hour will be interesting too. A lot to cover!

The Hall of Fame Session- Troubleshooting for Glass Fabricators.  The panel here is seriously legendary.  I’m just going to just take it all in because the brainpower and experience here is like nothing else I have seen on this subject.

Our Heroes Sessions- Two sessions with same panel of Heroes- The All About Glass- Architects Questions Answered and Technical and Codes Update have the same incredible group of the best advocacy minds in our world.  These are the people who look out for us- daily- so hearing them in a couple of excellent forums is exciting.

I’m Swamped, Just Give it to Me Quick Sessions- 4 “Nano” sessions on huge issues from Bird Friendly to Security and Protective Glass.  15 minutes on each.

There is a lot more… so just click THIS LINK and review it and then REGISTER and join in!

Elsewhere…

--  Last week I predicted an uptick an the Architectural Billings Index and I was right (I know shocking since my sports predictions are laughably bad) The index is following some positive trending out there and delivered a score of 40 which was a nice bump from last months 33.  50 is the break even so we are still a while away from that.  On the new design inquiries that too took a nice jump to 44.  Positive happenings are nice to see but I fear with the lagging approach here and some extra caution that has come into play in the last 30 days that next month we may be back down some.  All bears watching for sure and I’ll keep you posted!

--  Cool post from the fine folks at Tom Brown Inc. where they talked about a program they started with local high school students and despite the pandemic things were actually completed AND the outcomes were pretty awesome.  Love when companies work with their local communities and in this case where these high school students were not forgotten about and they got to see something interesting get completed!

--  Seeing a lot of these articles… the “what will the office of the future now look like” and I click every time.  This one was not bad but did not talk glass…

--  Help me out fellow glass folks… this video impressed Wall Street quite a bit but for me it was odd.  It surely didn’t seem like it had even close to enough details and there’s a section there that does not feel real at all to me.   Maybe I am just a harsh critic? Check it out and share your thoughts if you like. By the way I love the possible innovation and outcome…

--  FYI here… from the most recent NGA Advocacy newsletter…. The Glazing Industry Code Committee (GICC) met virtually on July 10 to discuss the latest updates on the International Building Code (IBC) code development process. GICC promotes the reasonable use of glass and fenestration within the model building codes, with members representing the full spectrum of architectural glass and glazing interests throughout North America. GICC offers a practical, affordable opportunity to participate in updating the model building codes. For more information on GICC membership, contact Sara Neiswanger at the NGA!  JOIN and make a difference!

--  Last this week… a baseball season like no other (isn’t that the line for EVERYTHING IN 2020) has started… 60 game season.. so a sprint to the playoffs… so I may as well make a prediction… I am going with the Yankees to win it all beating the surprise Cincy Reds in the World Series. 

LINKS of the WEEK

This probably has similarities to those of in the glass industry- long time family business fighting to stay alive.  This though is for pencils… interesting story.

Now this is a very small town.  First birth there in a long time

Quick fun link.. we all need a laugh some times…

PROJECT of the WEEK

I enjoy the feed of Mike Rubner of Accura Systems on LinkedIn and he recently posted some cool jobs his company did including this one called 5th and Colorado that was glazed by Haley Greer in Austin, Texas. Sharp looking project that again makes our industry stand out and look great.  Thanks for the great posts Mike and congrats to all involved on this tremendous project!

2020 Mid Year Forecast Notes

Starting off this week with some forecasting news.  There was a good economic mid-year update presented this week and some interesting nuggets came from it.  The analysts see us being past the bottom now and rising.  The metrics are all pointing at least in an upward direction.  That said it’s still dicey out there with unknowns regarding a new surge of the virus.  However taking that into account the non-residential forecast is looking like 2020 will end 15% down from 2019.  2021 is being predicted as up 8% with the majority of the growth on the backend of the year.  That may be comforting to a lot of glaziers who are normally backlogged out through the entire following year by this time and right now there’s a portion that are not.  Other notes of interest- the big growth area in buildings are NOT a good one for our world.  It’s warehouses.  The e-commerce side is on fire and there’s significant growth in the fulfillment area.  Positive news though as renovation looks strong especially on the office side (I have been preaching that for months-even pre-virus) while the other downsides are hotel/motels and colleges and universities.  Both of those are really taking a beating and the forecasts for them are not kind.  So again we will stay on top of it- soon we will have the latest update from Connor Lokar of ITR during the NGA Glass Conference (REGISTER HERE and not only get that update but so much more- a lot of buzz surrounding that event!) and later this week the June Architectural Billings Index will be released. My prediction there is still numbers in the 30’s but getting better. After all we did have an improvement in starts in June from May, so I think this area will also show it as well.  But it is 2020 so no logic really applies right??  So we’ll see…

Elsewhere…

--  One of my favorite buildings of all time was torn down this past week.  The Palace of Auburn Hills.  This was the home of the Detroit Pistons and a state of the art arena and showplace that was built by Bill Davidson in 1988.  He absolutely did it right and it was a great and innovative venue all the way to the end.  I saw so many super events there, sat courtside for Kobe (a very very lucky moment there for me) and bonded with my son during some good and usually bad basketball games.  But it also had a business connect for me.  In the early 2000’s the Palace remodeled an entire side of its structure putting in huge glass spans. I was lucky enough to be the fabricator on this job, working with my pals from Peterson Glass who were glazing it.  It was a challenging job with pattern cuts and oversized glass and the obvious high profile nature of it.  But it went off as well as it could- everyone was happy and it gave me insane pride to always point to that to anyone I was with.  So on my Project of the Week below it is the Palace… a great building with lots of memories that I will always cherish.

--  I’ve hit it here a few times over the years so many know I am big in to the bird friendly glazing space.  (Though again in all honesty when Julie Schimmelpenningh

brought it up for the first time in a GANA meeting several years ago I seriously thought she was joking) This week Joe Green of GlasPro in California had an excellent take on it on LinkedIn and I think it’s worth the read.

--  Security Glazing is a big area and the NGA just released a new technical paper on it.  If you are at all involved in this world, having this document handy is a must.  You can find that and a bunch of other great resources HERE.

--  I was excited to see my friend Joe Dressler land a new gig this week.  Joe was at Tremco for a long long time but that recently ended and now he’s moved to G&W Engineering in St. Louis- so his skillset will thankfully stay within our world!  Congrats on the move Joe!

--  Last this week…  I really like what Guardian Glass did with their new education page.  The layout is fantastic and the amount of resources available pretty significant.  Click here for the link and check it out.  Not sure who the individual folks are there who deserve the props, but kudos to all who worked on this.

LINKS of the WEEK

I have never heard of this record but full credit to this man- not easy

Interesting concept for the change of pace #WFH types

Don’t underestimate the intelligence of a bear… this one can UNLOCK a door.  Crazy scary.

PROJECT of the WEEK

So here it is…. The Palace of Auburn Hills.  Obviously Guardian Glass was the float supplier (Bill Davidson was the owner of Guardian and the Palace at the time) with the install by Peterson Glass and the fabrication by Trulite.  Props to the awesome Chris Dolan of Guardian Glass who was a huge help in making sure we didn’t screw anything up here and to the great Steve Martin (who I used to work with at Trulite and is now at OBE) who was our PM for this job because he lived and breathed this one til done. What a beauty and a shame it is now gone!
ADDED:  Chris Dolan replied on Twitter with the below... his memory is better than mine and he's classier too- all of these folks WERE also huge in this project!

Max, you are so right regarding the Palace. The glass was beautiful and it is sad that it is gone too soon. Don’t forget Ray Wakefield who was also intimately involved in the project at Trulite and I have to shout out Guardian’s Mitch Edwards and Cory Richardson.

Hanging Tough

Resilience.  If there is a word that accurately describes the glass and glazing industry right now it’s that one.  Over the past week plus I have been on the phone with many different players in our world talking about GlassBuild Connect (which I am thrilled to report that the positive reaction and enthusiasm has been amazing) and when I ask them how they are holding up the answers are all in the same vein. “We’re hanging in there and fighting through it all.” Or “Staying busy and doing all we can to stay that way.” Resilience.  While I hear about other industries having companies fall by the wayside or have several actively looking to sell, for the most part our world has followed a dogged determination path to not let all they have worked for falter.  And I love it.  I love that people continue to pivot and innovate to meet the times and I just love the overall attitude that so many are putting out there right now. Obviously we are still in the heart of the adventure- and with what looks to a renewal of the virus in some areas we may even see stringent lockdowns again, but so far none of that is stopping the core of our world from getting it done.  And that is simply awesome.  

Elsewhere…

--  I was also thrilled this week to get the news that Virginia Glass Products hired James Wright as their Corporate Sales Manager.  James is one of my all time favorites, great guy and a super sharp talent.  He’s going to do great there as it’s a perfect match of skill set and culture.  

--  I was on the Top Glass Conference online this past week and the talent on display there was incredible. The highlight of that conference for me was the “Young Professionals” panel that featured a strong group led by former Glass Industry MVP Nathalie Thibault.  That panel provided some excellent insights into our industry from voices that may not be heard as constantly as others.  Glass Canada and Patrick Flannery did a tremendous job on this event- and I hope that next year when it goes back to being in person I’ll be there for it!

--  Cool Webinar Alert- The folks at Wakefield Equipment have one this Thursday that is worth checking out- How to Quickly & Simply Automate Your Fenestration Business.  I love seeing things like this because automation is so crucial going forward and if you are not thinking about it you are missing out.  Here’s the LINK to join the session.

--  Those who know me know I love lists… so when I saw a list of the 10 best American cities for architecture, I was all in.  The rundown had some obvious ones and some surprises- foremost among them my “home” city of Detroit made the cut.  Did not see that coming.  I was also happy to see Philadelphia on the list because somehow I think that city is underrated architecture wise.  On the flip side I will never understand the love for San Francisco’s architecture- just doesn’t cut it for me.  Awful.  And I may be biased but Pittsburgh deserved a spot.  The whole list and background can be found HERE.

--  Last this week… the show “Hamilton”  I finally got to see it now that it is streaming and it did not disappoint. Tremendous experience there and for me I was blown away by the layers of the choreography.  Not the dancing style of it, but the way the show moved and flowed, it was awesome to watch.  I still want to see it in person in its traditional form some day but I am thrilled to get this view of it.  If you have not seen it yet, it does live up to the hype in my opinion. 

LINKS of the WEEK

This is amazing.  What did you do while locked down?  I bet you didn’t build a boat in your living room like this guy!

A tease does this no justice- just click it.

I love this part of South Carolina and want to move there but man if the Gators are this close; no way my better half goes for that.

PROJECT of the WEEK

Found this on LinkedIn feed of the great Josh Wignall of EFCO.   This is an in process beauty by the folks at Sunrise Erectors for the new Somerville High School in Massachusetts.  Curtain Wall and Storefront by EFCO with glass fabricated by Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope.  Love the design and look- and yes I would prefer more glass- but I still think it’s the glazing that makes the project standout.  Congrats to all involved here!

The Mental Game

I’m getting coached up.  In times like these where there is so much going on and a lot of the news streaming is negative, having an outlet with someone professional to give you some direction and focus is crucial.  See I got very lucky.  One of my best friends is a professional coach.  He works with business people and athletes and helps them on the mental game.  He’s given me tips and directions along the way that have made a huge difference in how I am able to operate.  Improved my mindset and my work rate is better than ever.  I even introduced to him to one of my clients and the results there have been awesome.  I know several people who already use coaches in their businesses but I never thought I’d be one of them.   I bring this up because I think it’s something that is valuable and everyone out there should consider.  The negative news cycle and business challenges can run together and wreak havoc – so combatting that the best way you can should be a priority.  We all have to keep moving and plugging along and if there is a way to make those efforts more efficient or valuable- I am all for it.  Plus I’m blessed that I some how became friends with a coach!  Anyway just food for thought and feel free to look in to the coaching aspect and take advantage of all that it can bring. 

Elsewhere…

--  Circling back on one big news item that got run over by the pandemic break out… The huge product launch by the team at Diamon-Fusion International- DFI.  They had the brutal luck of debuting a new FuseCube Express back in March at pretty much the same time that the lockdowns went nationwide.  Now no one in our industry exudes positivity like Syndi Sim of DFI but I’m sure the rough timing even got her down a bit.  So that said I got word they are re-launching so keep an eye out for it and check it out!

--  And it’s items like this from Syndi and many other marketers who had big plans for this year and especially major launches at GlassBuild that got me thinking.  That is why GlassBuild Connect is going to be so huge and so important.  There is no other major platform that will be making the amount of news and information that GlassBuild Connect will make in the entire month of September.  So this will be a great jumping off point in our “current” world to get the word out.  With no face-to-face for a while- we all have to keep selling right?  So at least with GlassBuild Connect the potential is there and it’s massive potential because it not a “virtual” show with some computer generated reality templates mocked up to look like an event but actually a strong news/education/trends experience and outlet that will have people interested in ENGAGED constantly.  The perfect place to push your news and learn/grow.

--  Time for the most recent Glass Magazine review.  It’s the “Building a New Normal” issue with the great looking Crawford-Tracey project on the cover.  This issue is the always-popular Top 50 Glazier edition.  This is one of the editions that the industry lives for – they can see who’s leading the path and what they are up to.  (same goes for the Annual Top Fabricator issues) Plus the layout and details really are jawdropping. Kudos to the team at Glass Magazine for the work! That coverage alone makes it a must- then add in my favorite series these days “TrendHunter” and you have a big winner.  Loaded issue- check it out!

--  The ad of the month as always is a challenge to choose.  Lot’s of very good branding and content but the award for this issue goes to Cardinal for their awesome 2-page spread on their “four layers of silver/one layer of clean” ad.  Great looking piece and obviously a full layout immediately garners the attention but the creative carried it.  Congrats to the team there for a job well done!

--  Recently my good friend Tim Finley of TFin Building Solutions wrote a fabulous blog that will be getting published very soon.  I had the honor of seeing it before submittal and it’s a wonderful piece and resource.  So pumped that Tim is sharing his knowledge and I can’t wait to see it online!  (I’ll share from my social media and other places when it’s live)

--  Last this week- so much going on all of sudden I almost forgot to mention the NGA Glass Conference that starts later this month.  One of the sessions is a Fabricator focused one with “Troubleshooting for Glass Fabricators” and its featuring a serious Hall of Fame panel of experts.  I was floored when I saw that Chris Barry, Bill Lingnell, Stan Joehlin, and one of my all time faves- Mike Burk were the experts.  My goodness the brainpower/experience there is off the charts.  So if you are a fabricator- you and your key operation folks do NOT want to miss this!  Learn more about this session and the entire conference at this LINK

LINKS of the WEEK

--  800K for a house of horror really- this is a fixer upper supreme!

--  You know me- I love dogs- so I’m happy this one survived a jump out of a window.

--  If you haven’t seen the video of he bird flying with a shark you are missing out!

PROJECT of the WEEK

Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope started a cool series with a road trip of iconic projects and the first one I ran across was The Cooper Union project.  It features really sharp  and intense look.  Nice work on all of the glass and glazing products by OBE off a fantastic design from Morphosis Architects. Not sure who the glazier was or supplier of the float glass, (feel free to advise!) but kudos to all involved on a really unique project.