On the Bumpy Road

The latest Architectural Billings Index was released this week and while it was better than the previous month, it still struggled more than we would like.  The main index came in at 44.9 which is still not close enough to the break-even of 50 for anyone’s liking.  The good news did come in that design contracts were up a bit to 48.1 and the inquiries remained strong posting a 56.8.  This is certainly a slower start to the year than we hoped and if we don’t start to climb out of the depths soon, the alarms will surely be ringing.  As always, a couple keys for our world continue to be a push to make sure you are as diverse as possible and communicating at the most effective level with your supply chain.  We knew the bumpy road was out there and we’re looking at it straight ahead right now….

 

Elsewhere….

 

--  Congrats to Josh Wignall on his move to Quaker Window & Doors.  He announced that last week and what a great thing for both Josh and Quaker.  Josh is one of the most talented folks we have in this industry and I am excited to see what he does in his new home! 

 

--  While we are at it-  props to Cameron Wyatt and the team at Bonelli Doors & Windows.  They recently launched a new website and it is spectacular.  Great looking projects and user friendly.  Good stuff and a super representation of our industry.

 

--  Once again time for a list- this time the Top 10 States in the US for Green Building came out.  It is based on the amount of green related square footage built. Shall we take a look?

10- Nevada- Very surprised here- did not expect the excess of what usually comes here to be green

9- Texas- I’m a sucker for Texas so I think it should be higher LOL

8- Virginia- proximity to DC played a role

7- California- With how huge that state is and the attitude there- stunned it’s not higher

6- Maryalnd- See Virginia note

5- New York- See California note

4- Colorado- I guess they are green in a few ways there eh?

3- Illinois- Genuine surprise for me- didn’t expect them this high

2- Washington state- No doubt with Seattle’s intense push

And number 1 was Massachusetts.  Really wild considering the size of the state and a lot of previous “talk but no action” his time they delivered. 

 

--  Architizer has a contest going for best projects in North America and in promoting it showed a bunch of “Best of” from last year.  Check out the LINK HERE and look for the work you may have done.  Some excellent projects on here!  My favorite was the Perkins + Will one in Boston (last one pictured) though that one in Quebec City was incredible too.  

 

--  ICYMI- last week I did launch Episode 2 of the From the Fabricator Podcast.  The video of the cast can be found HERE and if you are into listening to it- it is on Apple, Spotify, Google and more- just search my name or From the Fabricator.  Thank you!  It was a fun one to so and I have already started on episode 3- excited for yet another cool mix of guests!  

 

--  Also the latest from John Wheaton are out and they are incredible.  The 2 most recent feature Jeff Heymann of Benson and Alfonso Lopez of Sentech.  Serious tech intelligence on those pods between John and guests.  Wow.  Here’s the link for them all. 

 

--  Last this week… So I was able to take in a movie at a theater (it was a special showing of “Hidden Figures” and I had not seen it before- tremendous movie and story) and the one thing that got me was I think the pandemic infused inflation is going to be something as we come out of this.  My soft drink was $6.25.  Popcorn $8.95.  Maybe that’s normal for some of you- but sure isn’t for me.  So I think folks are trying to make all they lost back quicker… and in a way I can’t blame em.  I continue to root for a return to normalcy for all!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

Wow.  Pre-lifestyle change me would be ALL OVER THIS… now I hope others enjoy for me.  

 

I’m a big University of Michigan guy… but venomous spiders there have me spooked- no way!

 

Have you seen the new US Postal vans yet?  Auto Glass people must be thrilled- look at the size of that windshield????

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

This one ended up on my LinkedIn feed and it is so cool.  This is a school job from Prime Architectural Metal and Glass that Rose Andersen there posted.  Look at the custom color face caps!  Just a great use of color and creativity for a school setting.  Kudos to the team at Prime, along with a great design from Wight & Company.  CMI Architectural Products was listed as responsible for the curtain wall.  Well done everyone!!

 

 

Interesting Innovations and More

A ton to cover here this week, but leading off (selfishly) with the release of episode #2 of the From the Fabricator podcast.  The video version is HERE and audio choices searchable on Apple, Spotify or any major outlet.  This month- my thoughts on CGH/JEB and especially the resilience of Solar Seal and BEC getting cancelled.  Then onto the interviews where I am so honored to have on Cathie Saroka of Goldray Glass, Chris Hanstad and Barry Sutherland of Frameless Hardware Company, and Peter Worstell of Sage Glass.  All three sessions were great learning experiences for me- as all have some incredible innovations on hand.  Great people too!  I end with “Fun Stuff” that is music themed.  Thank you in advance for checking it out- I do appreciate it!

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  Texas mostly but also everyone else getting hammered by the cold and snow- thoughts are with you all. Texas really took it hard and I hope all of my friends down there are hanging in there OK.  Not too many folks better than the Texas Glass Association and so many of the companies in our industry based there.  Thoughts are with you all- Hang in there!  

 

--  This weather issue is causing initial concerns with supply chain and those problems could become long term and more serious.  We were already seeing glass availability tighten thanks to significant challenges in the shipping in from overseas.  Quite frankly cargo currently is a nightmare.  Now add in weather related concerns and this could get dicey quick.  Glass supply is absolutely something to keep an eye on and I’ll update here as applicable.

 

--  I sat in on the latest construction forecast for 2021 this past week and so far, the initial predictions for the year are panning out.  Slowdowns expected to the middle half of the year with pick-ups at the end.  Residential still looking strong, non-residential is being carried by the warehouse sector which is obviously not a great area for us glass people- but office growth looks solid and more interesting is the retrofit/remodel side of things.  That is looking very strong, especially on the interior. There’s a lot of faith that the vaccine rollout will be successful and normalcy will return and that is driving some positivity overall.  Bottom line is we know we have some challenges ahead- keep focused and let’s work through them!  And note this coming week the latest ABI is out- I am hoping we see a good number…

 

--  Glass Magazine needs your help and insight.  QUICK SURVEY HERE on how COVID is affecting Architectural Glass design.  Please take less than 5 minutes and fill this one out. 

 

--  Congrats to Vitro Architectural Glass on the launch of their new Solarban® R77 glass.  Looks fantastic and strong performance.  Kudos to the team there on this development and once again our industry continues to produce the glass and glazing needed to be very code friendly!

 

--  Last this week news from the company Glasstech… first off the sad news of the passing of their founder and true industry legend Norm Nitschke.  I never met him but all I have heard since his passing was how incredible he was and all he did to advance our world.  Obviously, a huge loss and also one we should pay the utmost respect to for what he did to bring innovations forward in the glass industry.  My condolences to his family and the team at Glasstech.

 

The other news was the retirement of long-time industry standout Tom Noe.  Tom was very active at the trade level and always a smiling and helpful face at every industry conference and show.  For me personally I loved always visiting with Tom and Dave Lutrell at every event whether it was here or overseas.  I am so happy that Tom can hang ‘em up and go off to enjoy retirement. We will miss you in our world but absolutely enjoy this awesome new chapter of your life Tom!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

 

Post “GameStop” issues how many people will get duped in Ponzi schemes? Sadly a lot.

 

Does this happen in Australia often?  Pythons on the Windshield.

 

Major fail again by ESPN. And Simone Biles is absolutely unreal…

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

This one ended up in my feed from John Roush of Next Generation Windows and Doors.  Instead of me rewriting , his caption was awesome, so I just copied and pasted below- but I will say this is a beautiful job that the glazing absolutely stands out!  Great job John and everyone else involved!

“Finally complete, I built this Arcadia curtain wall system while working for Elevation Windows over the summer. Just went out and completed the break metal last week for them. This is a custom Art Studio in Oro Valley, AZ. I have a ton of blood, sweat and tears wrapped in this project; heck I almost lost my fingers in a chop saw accident here. In the end it was worth the fight, this is one of my favorite custom projects.
Sold by: Paul French and Paul Noble, Elevation Window and Door”

Huge Benefits

There was a lot of news that came out of the NGA Glass Conference last week but the biggest to me was the announcement of a HUGE members benefit- “The Members Only Codes & Standards Help Center.” That is something we’ve needed in this industry for a long time and something that I know Urmilla Sowell and team have been working on for a while.  It is finally here and it’s exciting.  Congrats to everyone at NGA who worked on making this happen.  Resources like this are massive.  It gives the ability to raise our collective knowledge base and strives to make sure everyone at every step of the process knows what is going on. So if you are member- jump in! And if you are not, well what are you waiting for???

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  Also, I need to note the NGA Glass Conference was a gigantic success.  It was so nice to hear from so many who attended and gained knowledge from it. I know we all are fighting Zoom/Teams fatigue but we still have to keep up with our learning.  Also we have to keep up with rock stars like Bill Sullivan of Brin Glass who participated in the 6^thAnnual Fun Run by actually doing his run outside.  In Minnesota. In some crazy cold weather.  -2 Fahrenheit.  MINUS 2. Bill, my friend, you are good!! 

 

--  Here’s one for those of you who want to make sure you are staying up to speed within the DOE world and how glass and energy may play together.  The DOE Commercial Buildings Integration program is hosting a series of webinars to discuss barriers and solutions to the adoption of energy efficiency in small commercial buildings.  They want to hear your perspective on energy efficiency strategies for small commercial buildings and ideas for building a skilled workforce that meets commercial building energy efficiency needs.  You can join for ONE of the following dates and times (one because same items just two options):
• -Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM ET
• -Thursday, February 25, 2021 at 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM ET

Click HERE to sign up. 

--  On the forecasting front some good news from the Dodge Momentum Index.  The index was up 3.1% and was the best showing since the pandemic hit last March.  So hey, I’ll take that- won’t you?  The overall commercial sector was in the good category with the only big downer being institutional.  And obviously that is a going concern that we all have to keep track of.  But momentum at least on this index is positive now- and we await the next ABI coming on 2/24 to see what sort of movement is happening there.

 

--  Unless something crazy happens episode 2 of the “From the Fabricator” podcast will drop next Sunday. It’s been an interesting process for this episode- last time I had no tech issues and everything went smooth. This time it’s been a bit more challenging, including me sounding like Bobby Brady going through puberty.   Still excited for it- great guests, interesting products, project deep dives, and more. I hope all of you who watched/listened last month come back again!

 

--  This is very good news when it comes to building and projects.  The CRM giant Salesforce will keep going on their giant structure despite telling workers they can be remote.  I’m telling you now that you will see more and more of this- and you’ll see a lot of hybrid options but the death of the office has been greatly exaggerated.  

 

--  Last this week… our industry has a connection to a really interesting independent documentary film now out.  “Thunderdome, USA” is a grassroots doc shot between July 2015 and November 2016 in a rural part of Western, Pennsylvania.  It was done during the run up to the 2016 Presidential election and it’s a fascinating to watch attitudes then vs. what they are now and the various opinions and approaches of people on all sides of the big issues of our times.  (Including energy, the environment, home rule, etc.) The connection to our industry is this film was done by the talented sister duo of Lee and Maria Ziesche.  Their dad, Jeff Ziesche is a great friend of mine and industry super-rep at JAZ Sales. Congrats to these awesome and brilliant young ladies and to their very proud Dad too!  This doc is available to rent or buy HERE. 

 

LINKS of the WEEK

 

--  Not a typical link- but a movement I can get behind!  My kids danced at a local studio for more than 15 years. Local is the only way here! 

 

--  A cannon at a baby shower? And it causes a death.  WHY??? I just don’t get people sometimes.

 

--  Tremendous way to save your parking spot.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

And once again back to the awesome Canadian landscape for the Project of the Week.  This time we go west to BC for this tremendous looking project by Garibaldi Glass.  Glass is breathtaking but even better when you can catch a sunset in it – stunning! This was 5140 North Fraser Way and the installer was Glastech Glazing Contractors.  Kudos to the team at Garibaldi and the Mobius family on another beauty!

What Happens Next?

The big news of the week was all surrounding what is going on with JE Berkowitz and the CGH brand.  JEB has suspended operations and Columbia in Texas is closing and that was tough news to take.  Good companies that had some super people.  Plus a brutal thing for me is the fact that Bob Cummings, CEO there, is one of the nicest and most sincere guys in our industry.  I feel for him and know it’s got to be crushing him. So I obviously I feel bad for Bob and all others caught up in this.   As for why this is all happening?  I am sure more will come out but obviously the onset of the pandemic surely played a major role here and while we have been incredibly resilient as an industry, not everyone could make it through.  Hopefully overall industry wise this is the last of the tough news vs. the start of it.  And by the way the rumor mill is on fire with what may happen next with these locations, so buckle up….

 

Elsewhere….

 

--  The NGA Glass Conference is this week- Tuesday the 9^th.  The combo of the codes deep dive and the GSA piece are so strong and important and pricing so affordable if you haven’t signed up, you need to immediately.  Also the list of those who are coming is online HERE and always good to see so many excellent interested people in our world.  And yes, I know I am not on that particular list, I was actually late to sign up, but I will be there!

 

--  Major CONGRATULATIONS out to Mark Rabinowitz and the team at Paul Rabinowitz Glass as they are celebrating their 90^th year in business this year!!  Tremendous accomplishment!  Great company and Mark is a class guy- congrats on this awesome achievement!

 

--  Cool video debut coming later this month on February 18^th that has a focus on the important NACC Program process.  Drexel University and the incredible Architectural Glass Institute developed a documentary to educate students about the influence of construction on the built environment and how the work done shapes communities.  It features great glass and glazing companies doing what they do best!  This event is open to the glass and glazing industry and you can reserve your spot by clicking HERE!  

 

--  I talk on here all the time about innovation and technology and how we have it right in front of us.  On that note I sat in on a software demo from SPIL out of Australia and was blown away at how advanced the glass fabrication & glazing software side has become.  Really impressed by Lakshman Kalupathirana and his team. Overall for our world, the amount of visibility and efficiency available is now is astounding.  Good stuff for our industry!

 

--  Patrick (PJ) Hillboldt was first to alert me to the wild design of the Amazon HQ proposed for Virginia.  My goodness that is one interesting structure planned and I have to be honest I’m loving the glass.  (Some of the rest of the design? Not so much) But if they keep the glass like proposed this is going to be something for our industry to be very proud of.  If you haven’t seen it yet- check it out HERE

 

--  Once again this month when Gilbane listed the supply base and who’s doing what- glass was “steady” across the board. So again while other segments of the building product world are having some issues it looks good on how we are performing.

 

--  Want a tremendous business read?  Then check this well done piece on a company who had Disney in their corner and tons of money coming in and completely blew it because basically they ignored the P&L?  (Among many other reasons)  A great deep dive into the rise and fall of Ample Hills Ice Cream. 

 

--  Last this week… How about Atlanta?  The home to GlassBuild this fall and now known as the one of the “greenest” cities in the United States!  I am honestly stunned by that-but this article lays it all out and the A-T-L is doing it the right way when it comes to sustainability.

 

LINKS of the WEEK

 

I’ve purposely stayed away from a lot that goes with the pandemic, but this news on vaccine folks rooting for each other is good- we all need this.

 

Incredible rescue by some brave firefighters. Insane how this all happened though.

 

I’ve read a few books about the dark side of Football and it can really shake you.  This latest stuff adds right to it.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

 

We go to Toronto for this week’s project… from Quest Window Systems.  I can honestly say I had never heard of these folks but they do post some beautiful work!  Stunning and memorable- just a beautiful project! Congrats to everyone at Quest on this one.  Not sure who supplied the glass- so if it was you, ping me so I can get you credit!