I am known for my very bad sports predictions (the fact I got the Super Bowl teams right this year notwithstanding) but I am usually pretty confident with my industry and forecast prognostications. So last week here I predicted an uptick on the Architectural Billings Index (ABI). Everything I was seeing was pointing that way and I went cautious predicting a slight jump to 46/47. Welp… I was wrong. But not like you would think- the ABI came in at a stunning 53.3! The score of 50 is the break even and so this score not only shot past that but did so for the first time since this pandemic began. New project inquiries also went through the roof posting a 61.2 and new contracts posted a nice 51.6. All in all, a super report. Now the key is making this the trend and not an outlier. There’s been a ton of pent-up demand and starts have been off etc.- so this was due and now we have to see if it can be sustained. But in a world that seemingly is constantly giving us bad news- this is a good turn, and I am pleased I was somewhat “wrong” here! Keep plugging along everyone- we have a long road ahead of us still but this sure was nice to see.
Elsewhere…
-- Huge retirement in our industry with Rick Butcher hanging them up after more than 40 years at Binswanger Glass. Rick is a Texas legend- a tremendous man and one of the most talented and classy leaders I have ever worked for and with. Rick- have a great retirement my friend- you deserved it and the industry and the Texas markets you served will surely miss you!
-- Time for the latest Glass Magazine review. This was the Top Fabricator issue and I have been blown away on how many people checked out the Dan Pompeo inspired feature on Randy Steinberg of Glasswerks. That is very cool. The rest of the issue is a monster with a ton of great content on the Top Glass Fabricators and the markets they serve. Plus, Katy Devlin’s Top 5 Decorative Trends were absolutely on point. Great issue once again!
-- The Ad of the Month again was hotly contested with Vitro coming out on top. Rob Struble nails it again with a sleek ad that honestly is like nothing I have seen before in our industry. The color, font, and messaging just delivered. Tremendous work by Rob and the team there to create a stunner. See the ad on the back cover and the entire awesome edition online HERE
-- Good news for a company I see big things coming from… Ubiquitous Energy has a very impressive product approach and they recently picked up some very healthy funding to keep their processes rolling. As you may know I LOVE innovation and glass and this is a company that has something is very special. Happy to see them get some good news!
-- Friendly reminder… you have until April 9thto check out the episodes in BEC PRESENTS for free HERE. The content is unreal. The detail from the code experts (Episode name “Decoded”) given in such a short period of time is insanely valuable. Also, if you don’t believe me, then read what marketing savant Rich Porayko thought HERE.
-- Last this week… documentary recommendation. Check out “Operation Varsity Blues” on Netflix. It is about the big college admissions scandal from a couple of years ago. Very well-done doc and the whole process of the way colleges work will really get you fired up. This doc has plenty of bad actors in it from the scammers, to the parents, to the schools and so on. Absolutely unreal what “status” means and what people will do to attain it. Check it out and let me know what you think!
LINKS of the WEEK
-- This story is worth clicking for the headline alone…
-- I saw this one and aside from being petty, I also thought about the coin shortage we have in the US right now- this surely didn’t help.
-- GREAT story about a dog and finding a new home and pal!
PROJECT of the WEEK
I had mentioned this company a few weeks ago on another story but they had another project that popped up in my timeline and was extremely impressive. This is a fabulous one from Ipswich Bay Glass and honestly their LinkedIn writeup is probably better than anything I can say- so here it is below but kudos to the team there and hey whomever manufactured and fabricated this glass- step up you deserve props too!
From Ipswich Bay Glass LinkedIn
Sure the silhouettes at Assembly Row 5B are really cool, but you know what’s also cool? IBG’s channel glazing that’s right next to them! The cast glass channel provides structural rigidity and an unobstructed, obscure source of light while retaining privacy without the need for vertical mullions.
IBG Solutions: Unitized curtainwall, pre-glazed two-story punched curtainwalls, rainscreen terracotta tiles, composite aluminum panels, corrugated panels, aluminum entrances, custom aluminum rooftop trellis
Architect: Jacobs
GC: Cranshaw Construction
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