One More Month

One month.  That is it.  One month away until we meet in Nashville for BEC and GPAD.  These two tremendous conferences will get 2022 kicked into full gear and I am seriously stoked.  Have you looked at the agendas and people involved in both events?  It is loaded with interesting and important content for a massive majority of our industry.  Then add in the primo networking and you have a trip to Nashville that absolutely must happen for you.  Take a look at BEC HERE and GPAD HERE and if you have any questions or curiosities on the events hit me up!

 

Elsewhere….

 

--  On GPAD did you catch the webinar this past week?  If not, click HERE.  Good rundown in a short period on how tech can make a difference in your plant, the crucial need for visibility, and what smart companies, ones that are on the move are doing these days in the glass fab space.  Plus key insights on where the business “really” gets done.  Really good stuff from Ron Crowl and Syndi Sim.  Check it out then get to Nashville for more. 

 

--  Sad news to report- the passing of Pete Munoz.  He was a staple of the southern California glass scene for more than 60 years.  My pal Dan Pompeo, owner of the super rep firm Architectural Glazing Solutions gave me the heads up on this one and Dan, like the class act he is, wanted to make sure the industry was aware of Pete’s passing and his positive effect on the industry and family.  Condolences to Pete’s family and friends, he surely will be missed.

 

--  On the good news side, congrats to Michael Saroka of Goldray Glass on his promotion to CEO there.  The previous CEO Cathie Saroka is moving to the spot of Executive Chair.  This is great news for all involved.  Goldray has been an absolute juggernaut out there and Michael has been a massive part of that- so him moving up makes tons of sense.  Cathie will still be in tune to what’s happening so the transition surely will be smart and fluid.  Also great news for the industry as Michael brings a great level of passion and focus to our world, which is always appreciated.  Congrats to Michael and Cathie!

 

--  The latest Architectural Billings Index came out this week and was a match to the previous month rating of 51.  With that,  this forward looking index continues to hang in there and be positive despite some rumblings to the contrary out there.  One of the biggest rumblings are the combo of price escalation and supply chain disruption and both are a big duo of destruction that we all have to continue to manage.  Those alone do give off some worry, but so far the positive beat goes on. 

 

--  Have you watched Ozark by chance?  Way back in season 1, there was a great comment during a scene where the main characters were looking at new office space and the talk turned to solar heat gain and comfort.  I mentioned it here on how I was impressed by the accurate lingo.  Well, this season they went a step further.  Once again the characters were looking at office space and again they talked specifics in windows- going as far as noting the windows were “thermochromic” – that almost threw me off the treadmill.  I assume now that Tom Donovan of Thompson IG may be a writer on the show…. I’ll have to ask him at BEC.

 

--  Last this week… the best small cities to live in… according to the story HERE, WalletHub analyzed 1,200 cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 and ranked the best ones to live in based on 43 key indicators of livability.  Here are your top 10 with my comments of course. 

10- Redmond, WA – I guess I gotta ask the gang from Herzog Glass if they agree on this

9- Cedar Park, TX- I thought I knew the great state of Texas but do not know this one.  Given its near Austin I am guessing I can’t afford to live there.

8- South Lake, TX- Aware of this one and darn nice from what I can remember

7- Brentwood, TN- Another new one for me- I need to get out more.

6- Milton, MA- I am a huge Barstool Sports guy and I believe Milton is where their first office was.  So that is a win in my book.  

5- Sugar Land, TX- I knew Texas was awesome but this list is surely locking that distinction down.

4- Needham, MA- Surprised on this one- will need a New Englander to enlighten me

3- Carmel, IN- Hey I love Indiana and love Indiana basketball (sorry Matt Verderamo and Purdue folks)

2- Lexington, MA- If you told me Massachusetts would have 3 in the top 10 here I would’ve said no way.  Wow.

And the #1 small city… SAMMAMISH, WASHINGTON.  Now I think a few industry folk live here – just not sure.  But I know I have been through there and it was nice… so there’s that.

Overall, I am stunned at that top 10.  Would’ve expected a South Carolina city in there and for sure a Florida city.   You know me I love these lists…..

 

LINKS of the WEEK

This is a brutal one- a one foot mistake caused an entire house to be torn down.  Man details do matter but I think in some cases, especially if not safety issues are involved, there has to be leeway.

 

Those rare times the internet is used for good!

 

Well this is a fitting story for an Olympics no-one watched or cared about.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Usually when it comes to promoting projects on LinkedIn from Guardian Glass Alan Kinder is the undisputed king.  But he’s got a new one coming for the crown.  Steven Versland came to play with this project – the Stack Office Building.  It is a beauty in the hot and happening Deep Ellum district.  Great work on the glass by Guardian Glass and the install from Denison Glass & Mirror.  No mention of the fabricator, so maybe someone will jump into the LinkedIn comments to claim credit there.  Kudos to 5G Studio Collaborative on the design!  Coongrats to all involved and now Mr. Kinder, next move (or post) is all yours. 

 

Topping Off

I teased it on the post last week that this time out I would talk about something I got to do for the very first time while on a tour of Florida with NGA’s iconic #glassnerd Andrew Haring.  We were invited to a “topping off” or “topping out” celebration by the great Ashley Klein of AK Glazing.  I had never been to one of these and really had not known what it was about.  It turned out to be a tremendous experience on a few levels.  So basically a “topping off” is when the last beam of a structure is hoisted into place a top of the building.  The beam is signed and decorated by all of the trades and a small tree is placed on the beam as well to signify everlasting life (though in looking up the meanings there are some disputes here). Anyway, the beam lift is a part of it, but it is also a celebration of the hard work done to date by the trades on the building and opportunity to recognize those folks properly.  Lunch is served and fun raffles are held.  It truly was a positive experience. My ceremony was at high rise in West Palm Beach and I sat amongst hundreds of incredible tradespeople and the amazing AK Glazing team.  The vibe was unreal.  People enjoying themselves and also hoping their raffle came in (when a 70” TV was up for it, the cheers were super bowl like) I watched Ashley as she worked the room, talking to all of the trades and developing current and future collaboration angles.  It was surely impressive.  Ashley has built AK into a high-performance operation that really stands out and makes our industry look great.  Seriously the potential there is off the charts.  Anyway, being in the group was so energizing.  Everyone happy and also gearing up for the next set of work to go on the project.  The last beam was in but the job is not done yet, so this was a time to refresh and recharge.  It was an honor to be there and thank you to Ashley and her team for the hospitality! 

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  The most current edition of the From the Fabricator podcast is up and if you missed it please check it out!  Great guests with some education, insight, product, forecast knowledge being shared throughout.  Also one note- on the interview with Shelly Farmer, the amount of Trex railing at SoFi Stadium was 73,000 feet.  Incredible project!

VIDEO

AUDIO

 

--  By the way- I have commented on GPAD but the NGA has a good way to learn more… check out the webinar “What Exactly IS GPAD & Why is it Important for Your Business?” That happens later this week on 2/24 1PM ET – If you are fabricator you NEED to be there. Hosted by a powerhouse trio of Nicole Harris, Ron Crowl, and Syndi Sim makes it even more of a must.  Sign up for webinar HERE

 

--  Congrats time... first to my pal Rich Porayko…. He just celebrated his 15^th year in business!  Way back when he was 13 years old he founded Construction Creative and now look at him!  LOL.  Seriously though Rich is awesome and great part of the culture of industry!  Congrats on 15 and here’s to many more.  And by the way if you need glass related gear- Rich is the guy- see it all HERE.

 

--  Next Congrats to Michael Spellman and the team at IGE Glass Technologies on their newest line addition in SYSTRON.  Those who know me know I love automation and big-time processing solutions and once again Michael nailed it with this addition. Michael invented/changed the game once in this space and he’ll probably do it again here.  Will be a fun one to see in action in the glass fabrication space.

 

--  How about the fact that I picked the Super Bowl winner again (online yes, in magazine no.  So we’ll just forget about the magazine one eh, that was old too). The LA Rams came through… Amazing to be right for the 2^nd year in a row!  Also this year commercials were actually pretty good, though if you’re not getting an electric car and buying it with Crypto then you’re obviously way behind the times.  I have zero clue on Crypto by the way… I know those who are in it, love it, but it’s all a blur to me.

 

--  Last this week… as you may know 2022 is the International Year of Glass and things are already rolling with more to come.  The NGA has a nice home page for all things IYOG – so check that out HERE.  Exciting to see so many from around the world showing the adoration and respect for the product the runs our lives…. (at least most of us in this industry!)

 

LINKS of the WEEK

Some car dealers are having worse supply chain issues than others.  Ouch 

 

Road warriors- check out the potential business class on narrow body planes.  Nice.  Now I am scared to see what the coach class looks like though!

 

This tree is growing inside the building and is not going to be stopped!

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Aragon Construction is one of those rock star organizations in our world and this week the Project of the Week spotlight is on them.  This is the “Produce LA” project and according to a post from Aragon it features “a binary sequence of single and double wide alternating panels of curtain wall and corrugated metal panels. The planing view reveals a shingled sawtooth that rises & falls at varying floor lines, making the facade coordination, attachment and waterproofing a modern feat.”  Yeah I’d say so! CONGRATS to the Aragon team on a job well done!

Podcast, Travel, and Super Jobs

The 2^nd.edition of Season 2 of the From the Fabricator podcast is now out for your listening/watching pleasure!  This was an interesting one with a mix of people from all over our country to also different roles and responsibilities.  Kicking it off was the very talented David Corle of HMI Glass.  Great background and approach on all and just love the thirst for learning all the time that David promotes. Then Shelly Farmer of Trex Commercial Products joined and she has always been one of my all-time favorites. Shelly is easily one of the best all-around sales leads in our world and her drive is epic.  Next a quick look at a piece of innovation that is changing the way the glaziers in the field work. It’s a small invention but pretty powerful in its ability to help efficiency and health- hear from a couple of great glaziers (Matt Luck and Rudd Willis) who developed the Laser Lens Gambit Tape.  Last but certainly not least, the sharp Nick St. Denis of KMR joined the podcast to talk forecasts both past and present (some great nuggets for going forward) and really creating very needed data in a space that desperately needs it. Overall really fun and different cast with tons of takeaways.  Thanks again for checking it all out!

Watch the VIDEO

Listen to the AUDIO  (also on Apple and Spotify etc.) 

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  Had the great fortune of traveling through Florida this week with the ultimate #GlassNerd and legend Andrew Haring of the National Glass Association.  A few quick hits here and then a special rundown about a 1^stexperience ever for me on next week’s blog.   Saw several amazing people and companies and really had me fired up about the present and future of our industry.  Here’s just a sampling.   Kristin Thomas and her team at Tab Glass are top notch and class acts through and through.  Really impressed by their approach and mission.  Just chatting with them on their experiences in the field was something that fired me up- they “get it” and represent our space beautifully.  Loved seeing the Daubmann family and team at their D3 Glass operation.  It easily ranks as one of the nicest full line fabricators I have ever seen.  I was in awe of the “all-star” grouping of machinery (h/t to Andrew for coining that term) and the flow and layout of the plant was incredibly impressive.  The Daubmann’s are master marketers but they’re also premium operators with a tremendous team. Plus they really are wonderful caring people on our industry and more.  Last, Privacy Glass Solutions is a company I have followed and they blossomed into an absolute force in the areas that they play in.  Their expanded operation left me speechless- what Kevin Roth has done there in the Blinds Between Glass, Switchable Smart Glass, and Deco side is off the charts and growing- add in an incredibly sharp COO in Jamie Clingan (who has turbo charged things there) and the recipe for more serious success is in play. More on my trip next week!

 

--  On my podcast Nick St. Denis talked about the 2022 outlook and the AIA also weighed in with their consensus report.  They put out their info twice a year, once at the start and once in the middle and the initial take can be found here.  A few rough spots but really some seriously positive numbers especially headed into 2023.

 

--  If you are a glass fabricator are you ready to handle more work?  Or are you able to even handle what you have now?  I can’t stress enough the need then to get to GPAD next month in Nashville.  For what BEC is to the glazing community, GPAD is for the fabricators.  The info that will be shared there, along with supply chain options and serious networking WILL make a difference in your operation.  Learn more and be there.

 

--  Last this week… love when I see our industry in the news and same goes here from a piece in Crains Detroit on the rebuild at the old Michigan Central Station.  Super Sky is doing a ton of work there and I was able to see that in person but this article goes deep into all the work that is being done there.  Joe Lucchese is one of the best manufacturers reps in our world and he has been on fire with this project and deserves kudos for keeping our industry in the right places there.  When this one is done- we’ll revisit- but congrats to Super Sky, Joe and all involved!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

I get picked on because all I most eat these days is chicken.  But my gosh this is wildness!

 

I guess this eco cabin is a good ad for glass?

 

The home buying market continues to be bananas.. part 348

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

While in Florida this week I got to visit Faour Glass.  They did they did a job that is the centerpiece of Disney Springs a favorite destination of mine.  It is the Coca Cola store and I always have been in awe of the glass work there but to get the background from Faour AND see a part of the original mock up at their shop was unbelievable.  This job is incredible and one of many that Faour has absolutely delivered beyond belief on...  congrats to them on great work here and elsewhere- truly makes our industry look strong and brilliant!

 

Quick Takes

Everyone staying warm?  What a run over the last few weeks that even folks in Florida saw some crazy temps.  Anyway things will be heating up soon with a lot going on in our industry on tap.  This week’s post is a quick hitter style with some catch up items leading the way.

 

--  Next week will be the 2nd edition of season 2 of the From the Fabricator podcast and it’s a fun and different one with regards to the guest lineup.  Some fascinating and innovative people joined me, and we covered a wide range of subjects.  Looking forward to wrapping it up and getting it out next week!

 

--  Glass Magazine review time… this is the 2022 Forecast issue and once again Katy Devlin, Norah Dick and team knocked it out of the park!  So much good in there but if you haven’t checked out the daylight and views section, do that right away.  Articles from amazing thought leaders like Dr. Helen Sanders, Lisa Heschong, and Adam Mitchell are fantastic reads.

 

--  The ad of the month race is always a tough one to choose but this month is tougher because it’s a packed issue ad wise, and everyone brought their “A” game.   However only one winner and that is GGI and the “Max” glass board piece.  Obviously, I love the name but really the ad pops in so many ways and it does what was intended- makes you stop, look, and read.  Congrats to the GGI team on an excellent piece of marketing there! 

 

--  The latest from Gilbane on the supply chain is out and our industry stayed the same from last month with ratings of stabilizing (price) contracting (inventories) and delayed (deliveries).  I do expect some ratings changes next month in at least 2 of the 3 categories, so we will see.  Note, once again every single trade is listed as “delayed” on deliveries, so we are truly not alone.

 

--  Congrats to Rustin Cassway, President of MyGlassTruck on celebrating his 33^rd year in business.  Rustin is truly an industry original and he changed the truck rack landscape in his tenure there.  Also he made many GlassBuild’s more memorable while raising a ton of money for charity.  Good man and here’s to many more years in our universe!

 

--  Kudos to the team at Global Security Glass on the nice write up they received for a prison job in Utah.  It can be found here, and I point it out mostly because this article shows off the glass product in such a powerful and positive way.  Detention glazing surely is not a big newsy item but I thought this effort deserved extra pub.

 

--  Also a good read from Intelligent Glass Solutions Magazine on the “Healing Power of Glass”- once again our materials are a heck of a lot better than some folks out there think.  We continue to make the world a better place! H/T to the United Architectural Metals LinkedIn feed where I first saw it.

 

--  I saw a stat this week on year over year job openings.   Obviously in our industry we have quite a few- especially on plant floors and out at jobsites.  This survey had our world in the manufacturing sector which has 66% more jobs open than a year ago.  Hospitality has 72% more jobs open than last year and transportation 90% more open!  But the one that stunned me?  The insurance world has 88% more job openings into 2022 than they did in 2021.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think that industry was that rough for finding people.

 

--  Last this week… Super Bowl kicks off Sunday… Rams and Bengals.  So to go back some… in the pages of Glass Magazine (the one linked above) I picked the Ravens to win it all.  That was written when they Ravens were 8-3.  They then lost every single game after…. Anyway, fast forward to my blog of 1/9/22 where I picked the Rams over the Titans to win.  So amazingly I am still alive… will the Rams winning come through and for the 2^nd year in a row (I picked the Bucs last year) and this blog will have picked the winner?  We’ll see… I do love Joe Burrow though, he’s from the great city of Athens, Ohio and so my heart is with him too.  Either way hopefully we get a good game!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

Not sure I'd want my police force to do this all the time, but very cool still.

 

When marketing goes very wrong….

 

100% they did this on purpose or staged it for social media content.  That is our world now.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Jan Hulin of Q Railing usually posts a ton of neat projects so it’s tough to choose, but this one I think stands out a bit.  This was on Jan’s feed last month and its Waterline Square in New York and it shows off where glass can be an excellent complement in the most grand of scenarios.  Plus this space is underground so light is needed wherever you can get it- meaning glass is a must.  The design from Jaroff Design is amazing and Q really delivered with their systems.  Bent glass from Glasshape looks super too.  Congrats Jan and Q team on a job well done!