Trailblazers and Disruptive Forces

Episode 9 of the From the Fabricator podcast is out and it’s an interesting one with some folks that are really disrupting our industry in positive ways.  Before I dig in to tis tease- I know there’s a ton of great podcasts now in our industry, so thank you for still hanging with me- it is appreciated!  This month, I start off with the energetic and dynamic Jim Evans of BidClips.  His customer service platform is incredible and his past that drives him forward each and every day is inspirational.  The guy is a winner.  Then on to Michael and Carolyn Spellman, founders of IGE Glass Technologies and VIG Technologies.  These folks blazed a trail and created a segment in our industry that still thrives today on the machinery side and are leading the way with VIG now as well.  Absolute legends. Was fun to get the background and more here.  Then my final guest Barbara Haaksma of CR Laurence was very cool, I enjoyed getting to know her path to today and also getting a ton of sneak previews of what to expect from CRL at GlassBuild and beyond.  All good stuff and once again an honor for me to interview such talented and important people. 

To watch- CLICK HERE

To listen (and also available wherever you get your podcasts) CLICK HERE

Thank you!

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  I know in some pockets of our industry there’s stunningly no sight of a glass shortage, all is well.  In others it’s a struggle.  Well folks the bad news is I think things on the glass side are going to get even worse.  So those of you not having issues, get ready, and those of you who are battling- buck up and be strong because capacity is being sucked away and if we heat up business wise like we all expect in 2022, lead-times and glass availability are NOT going to be what you are used to, even in todays challenges.  I hate being negative, but all the indicators I am seeing look very ugly. 

 

--  On to more exciting stuff… GlassBuild is NEXT WEEK!  Two things I am looking forward to among many others are the Mercedes Benz Stadium Tour and the Glazing Executives Forum.  The tour is a treat- it is a great structure and while glass isn’t a major part of the exterior, the usage inside the building is awesome and major kudos to Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope, CRL, and my good friend Tom O’Malley at Clover Architectural Products for work well done AND sponsoring this event!  The Glazing Executives Forum is always a cool chance to network and learn and this year I am honored to moderate a panel with David Ben-Isreal of MGAC and John Nolan of The Gary Law Group on Best Practices to Avoid Legal Headaches on Projects.  These two guys have so much great insight to share that I am going to toss the ball up and let them play- the audience is going to win big.  So pumped for this and the show overall!  Next week I’ll have a bit of the flavor of GlassBuild with then my normal “who’s who and seen at the show” coming the week after.

 

--  Congrats to Maheshi Perera on her being named as Business Development head at SPIL Glass Software.  Really sharp person and an excellent hire by the always astute Lakshman Kalupathirana.  SPIL has made some nice moves and additions in the last year and this yet another one- congrats to all!

 

--  Last this week…pro football starts this week and my good friend James Wright of Virginia Glass Products shared a fun poll with me.  It is the pro football fan bases that drink the most per game. Now before I break down the top 5, I will tell you I take issue with this list.  For most of my young life I went to every Steeler home game and those folks there could drink… a lot.  And on this list Pittsburgh finished a stunning 23^rd.  Also my team here Detroit, which gives fans PLENTY of reason to drink a ton checked in at #10.  Impossible!  Your top 5 were:

5- Carolina Panthers- Really?  I didn’t know they actually had fans

4- Chicago Bears- Yeah I can see that.  I’ll ask Tom O’Malley at the Stadium tour if true.

3- Buffalo Bills- No doubt Bills mafia fits this ranking

2- Baltimore Ravens- No way. I refuse to believe this one.  

1- Cincinnati Bengals- This happens to be James’ team and he confirms personally its true and I know a lot of Bengals fans who are frustrated- so I am good with it.  

Interesting poll for sure… and while I am at it- my fearless pre-season Super Bowl prediction is Green Bay beating Tennessee for the title.  I am on a roll now after picking Tampa's Super Bowl win last year... 

 

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Ok which one of you manufacturers are making the Goat Resistant Windows now? 

 

--  There is so much going on in this story of using guns (seriously) as a marketing tool and then doing really shoddy work, denying it, ripping people off and so on.  Just amazing.

 

--  Banning a woman from the chimp she loves.  Wow.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

This week a slightly different twist- this is keeping a project safe- so that goes to Matt Price and his team at ArmorGuard.  This is the Hard Rock Biloxi and the glass and frames are being protected by ArmorGuard as the building is renovated.  Matt and his team are big supporters of our industry and will be at GlassBuild so I wanted to give them this spot and throw the spotlight their way in thanks for all they do to protect our products and support our world.