Something Special

Pride in our industry is something I totally enjoy.  In the past few years this feeling of our value as a trade has really grown and the more we go that way the better.  It is that same enthusiasm that we all have to continue to build upon to attract more people to our space.  We have something special here, different and better than any other trade, let’s keep pushing that narrative as far as it can go.  This feeling of mine dovetails with last week and the tough news on what is ahead for us.  That blog delivered more feedback to me than any other in a very long time.  It is our love for what we do and who we work with that will help get us through the adventures in our path now and in the future.  And hopefully along the way we can add to the teams here and grow the right way…

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  Glass Magazine review time and CONGRATS to everyone who made the Top 50 Glazier list!  What a tremendous achievement!  This issue is so much more than just glaziers ranks, the Glass Magazine team broke down the surveys and supply some very interesting feedback on what’s happening now and what may be coming down next.  In addition to this amazing coverage the great Matt Johnson of the Gary Law Firm is back with a must read on product performance.  Check it all out!

 

--  The ad of the month continues to be a battle.  So many good ones again and given this is a VERY popular issue, all the advertisers brought their “A” game.  But we can only pick one winner…  this month it goes to Salem Fabrication Supplies.  Love the layout of their ad and the wording of “Safety” “Efficiency” and “Productivity” popped!  Kudos to Mike Willard, Dan Reinhart, Ann Greco and company on a great piece!

 

--  If you are a glass fabricator and care about the technical ins and outs of our industry, then you need to make sure you’ll be at the NGA Glass Conference- Chicago in July.  It really is an important technical event for the fabricator/supplier and amazing opportunity to have your voice heard.  Plus, the tour and testing at WJE will be awesome.  Early bird pricing ends soon- learn more about the event HERE!

 

--  I’ve written here about the show “Ozark” (how about that ending folks?) and how they seemingly get “glass” with the way they’ve talked over the last few seasons on SHGC, Natural Light and Thermochromic glazing.  In fact, I thought that Tom Donovan of Thompson IG was moonlighting as a writer on it.  Well, if he is, Tom skipped the episode where a broken patio door featured huge shards of ANNEALED GLASS!  Yes, that was for effect and shows better on TV then tiny pieces of tempered on the floor- but wow, after being in the glass know the entire time and to make a mistake like that was a killer.  Plus if Tom “was” writing he would’ve made the glass in his new protective glass line anyway…. Still always a shock to  the system to see our products in the wrong place.

 

--  New podcast is dropping next week, and it is an awesome one… so pumped to release.  I have 2 of the 3 interviews complete and they were incredible (great guests, making up for my mediocre host skills.  LOL)   I can’t believe how lucky I have been to talk with so many awesome folks in our world.  If there is someone I should have on the show, please never hesitate to drop me a line on it!

 

--  Last this week, those of you who saw me speak in Toronto or Texas know I love Fleetwood Mac… and so when I saw a link promoting Fleetwood Mac’s top songs of all time, I couldn’t wait to see what this expert ranked them as.  Well folks this guy got it so wrong…  he had “The Chain” which in my opinion is a top 20 song of ALL TIME OVERALL ranked as the groups 10^th best!  Pure insanity!  He also had “Tusk” 15^th which was crazy low.  His #3 song “Everywhere” is brutally too high.  He did get 1 position right with “Go Your Own Way” as #2 which it should be,  but that should’ve been behind “The Chain” 

Anyway take a gander at it and if I’m crazy let me know or let me know what other snubs you see… 

 

LINKS of the WEEK

Well this turned out to be a marketing adventure/mess.  

 

Seems like this could be the definition of going “Full Circle”

 

Bear attacks are no joke.  This one had a better ending than it could of

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Donald Jayson of Bendheim posted this one and it really is fabulous.  Channel glass is spot on and the overall look is a stunner.  Once again makes our industry look good!  And as I mentioned above on being lucky on podcast guests, I’ll be having Ben Jayson from Bendheim on soon!  Great people and company and they deserve this project of the week spotlight!  (You know much more prestigious than the millions of honors they’ve gotten from Architectural trades over the years!!)

Preparing for ????

This blog has been written and re-written 4 times already.  I am struggling on how to lay it all out.  The one thing I don’t like being is negative or worrisome but unfortunately the following is what it is.  So here goes… How’s everyone feeling about a recession?  There ya go I just ripped off the band-aid and went right to it.  Put me in the “expecting it” column and I think it’s not a bad business practice for you to be preparing for one too. Aside from the volatility in the market, big triggers with diesel gas supply (which oddly not enough people are talking about and that could be devastating to our world) struggling and costs rising on Natural Gas (in part to backfilling Europe because of the war in Ukraine) has us headed there quickly.  Now before I go on, I will once again state- we are a good, strong, resilient industry.  We have beaten these things back before and we will do it again.  Just sucks that we’ve gone from one issue to the next lately.  

So what is the play here?  First, it’s get your house in order- are you as efficient as possible and capturing every detail correctly?  Next is are you diverse in your offerings?  Do you have products and services that are vast enough that when one segment is hit the other one stays up?  Those two are big steps- obviously a lot depends on how bad things could get, with worries on gas, costs, and oh availability of glass and components, this road could be very bumpy no matter what.  Now keep in mind I hate being anywhere negative with my vibes here, but I felt like it was time to sound the alarm and if this all passes with limited pain I will gladly eat as much crow as you want to serve me.  In any case it never hurts to have a good solid introspective look into how you’re approaching things as we go forward….

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  The latest Architectural Billings Index was released and it continued to amaze and hold up with positive numbers.  That is something that I can point to where positivity is a plus.  The index was down slightly from last month but still in the good zone.  Interesting that the analysts noted that a main focus of architects right now are retrofits- if you heard me speak in Toronto or Texas- I noted that trend and it really is a big one….

 

--  I mentioned efficiency above. One angle to get there?  Go as automated as you can- that is another push that I hit hard in my last two presentations.  While automation has its costs, the advantages really outweigh all else.  Every time I see a LinkedIn post from Steve Brooks or Mike Debotte with awesome manipulating equipment, I think on how crucial it is.  When I saw a post from IGE and LandGlass, I also got fired up. A fully automated plant is a game changer (as Michael Spellman of IGE is known to say) and one that would make difference on survival and thriving into the future.  And yes, I know lead-times for equipment are rough but the longer you wait the worse it looks to get.  

 

--  One of the great plants in North America is at Vitrum and they are celebrating their 25^th anniversary next month. They’ll be having a great day of celebration and education on June 16^th and that will be a tremendous industry event for sure.  Congrats to Thomas Martini and the amazing team there on a spectacular run with many many strong years to come.

 

--  Do you play WORDLE?  Thanks to the legend Chris Dolan, I got into it and I start every day playing it.  (I think Andy Russo of Glass + Metalcraft is addicted too and can blame Chris for that)  Now I am wondering if Chris is setting up the words.  Last week one of the words of the day was “Metal” and this week one was “Glass” – now that is very cool.  Now if we start getting words like “Solar” “Units” or “Nerds” I’ll know this thing is fixed! LOL

 

--  Last this week… Netflix has a 5-part documentary of the “Inspiration4” space mission from last year.  I had never heard of that mission when it was happening so watching this was all new territory for me.  I love the whole space sector and this documentary mixed that with a really human focused story.  Check it out- Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space.

 

LINKS of the WEEK

 

--  A wild story on a very ugly past matched with an insanely positive future.

 

--  Delivery robot lost in the woods.  I guess this happens now eh?

 

--  Another Gator in Florida story- as long as I don’t see them in person I am cool.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK  

Tremendous work from the team at SageGlass in this week’s spotlight.  This is at Middle Tennessee State University and a tremendous effort underway at the Athletic Center there.  The glass looks beautiful and it will make this part of campus really stand out.  Great install work by McInerney and Associates too! Kudos to old pal Peter Worstell and the classy team at Sage on a job well done!

The GREAT State of Texas

The Texas Glass Association Glass Conference really delivered this past week, once again showing that people want and NEED these onsite events to help to grow themselves and their businesses.  The TGA is such a first-class organization and kudos to the fabulous Kyle Sharp of Sharp Glass for his leadership and approach to this event.  The Glass Conference is a perfect opposite year compliment to the bi-annual TEXpo event and this year the content really was top notch.  Great breakout sessions and a couple of truly memorable and insight heavy main room presentations.  The “Supply Chain” panel did not disappoint at all.  What a wonderful job by Seth Madole (Viracon) Chris Giovannielli (Kawneer) Mike Walters (GE Silicones) and Kyle Jones (PGP) in tackling so many of the biggest topics in our industry and doing it in a perfect conversational style.  It was like the 4 of them were catching up on things and the rest of us got to listen in. Really well done.  The closing keynote by Kris “Tonto” Paronto ended with a rousing standing ovation which was more than deserving.  A story of sincere perseverance delivered in a genuine way.  Absolutely awesome. In addition, Kris did have a great line on training… “Train to the highest level” meaning the further you train someone the more that they can handle.  That stuck with me and it is something that is a best practice. (With MyGlassClass and other options, there are plenty of ways to push that training envelope)  For me it was honor to present and meet a ton of new people and also feel the energy of the room and region.  The great state of Texas always brings it and I am grateful for every visit.  Thank you to the TGA for having me in yet again!

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  A few other wrap up thoughts on the TGA... it was absolutely amazing to see a TON of Binswanger Glass folks in the crowd and catch up with some old friends too.  Major kudos to Jennifer Brereton there for rallying the team and supporting this event plus it is never a bad thing to chat with the great Jacque Freeman either.  Wins all around there.  I really enjoyed getting to spend quality time with Nathan Seaman of Architectural Grills and Sunshades- cool cat there.  And speaking of cool, I think Brian Risinger and Joe Lambertson of Country Glass have that aspect cornered- they are cool and just tremendous people.  My old pal David Shaw is looking amazing, down 70 pounds from last year.  Way to go my friend!  I cherish every chance I get with Sam Hill of Oak Cliff Mirror and Glass, Sam is just a super human being.  Last on this, being able to visit with Felix Munson and the entire team from Anchor Ventana was awesome.  Have not seen these folks in a while, and they are pure class always.  

 

--  I want to give this a spot here so kudos to the amazing Dr. Kayla Natividad of NSG Pilkington for the term she has coined “SolarCoaster” because that is just a brilliant way to talk about the epic rise of Transparent PV and other solar related glazing products. The SolarCoaster is a happy thrill ride that is starting get a nice line waiting for it.   This week in Texas my presentation noted the new PV revolution and reaction was of some serious anticipation of what is to come.  This is surely an area to keep tabs on!  And as for Kayla, I think “SolarCoaster” now enters the lexicon of great industry terms right after Andrew Haring’s “GlassNerd”

 

--  Was cool to see good news from old pal Kevin Roth at Privacy Glass Solutions in Florida.  Kevin and team have a pretty smart new product now available with the only hurricane rated blinds between glass window in the marketplace. With the push in Florida for more impact glazing (wonderful news in itself) this sort of specialty window is an excellent play.  Nice work Kevin and team!

 

--  Reminder on my most recent podcast- if you missed it, I had John Wheaton of Wheaton-Sprague on as well as Jill Read of Binswanger Glass.  Plus Andrew Haring jumped on too with some insight.  Fun conversations with truly terrific people. Thanks for checking it out.

VIDEO 

AUDIO or wherever you get your podcasts (Apple, Spotify etc.)

 

--  Last this week… ENR’s annual list of the Top 500 Design Firms is out and the news is good overall with firms making more money.  Obviously, it will be interesting to see how the volatility of 2022 plays out here but at least for 2021 many of these folks are living right.  The breakdown of who does what and how was an interesting read too. Check it out here….

 

LINKS of the WEEK

The ultimate buyer beware story and I can’t imagine any insurance company touching this

 

Great story but how does a building like this get built without the automatic doors/handicap access?

 

Instead of Blinds between Glass – how about BEES between Glass!  Wild.  Back in the day we’d maybe end up with a fly inside the IG but a whole swarm of bees? 

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Above I mention my podcast and a previous guest and her company gets the spotlight this week. The incredible Emily Yukish and the team at Specified Systems did this job known as “The Vision on 15^th” and it’s a beauty!  Lots of great looking glass installed by the team at Specified- no mention of suppliers so we need to find that out, but a major congrats to the team there on a job well done!!

Lots of People Who "Get It"

Well that was a good "blog week" off and now back at it...  The new podcast is now ready and the diversity in guests continue.  We kicked things off with John Wheaton of Wheaton-Sprague Building Envelope.  John is an awesome guy and also is a person that has perfected the podcast game.  I was lucky enough to turn the tables on him and ask him some questions and the insight he provided from business to life were fantastic.  Next I visited with insanely talented Jill Read of Binswanger Glass.  Cool career path that has led her to a tremendous spot in our industry and simply to say she just “gets it.”  Plus, the king of #GlassNerd nation, Andrew Haring joins me to chop it up on some big issues in our industry and solutions to them.  Good stuff from 3 wonderful people. Thank you for checking it out!

VIDEO

AUDIO

 

Elsewhere….  

 

--  Big week on the solar side of things in our world and with every move our industry and space looks so much better.  3 companies hit the spotlight…

--  Vitro named Jemssy Alvarez Product Manager for Advanced Glazing which encompasses their SolarVolt BIPV brand.  Jemssy is a good man,  pro, and industry vet that will do a great job of building the status of this product line.  

--  NEXT Energy made big news with a collaboration with powerhouse glazing outfit Walters & Wolf.  I love seeing more and more transparent PV options jumping into the market and partnering with players who can get it mainstreamed in a quicker fashion.  Kudos to both parties there.

--  And last the Transparent PV space and our industry got a nice boost with some great publicity via Ubiquitous Energy.  Last week Susan Stone, the CEO of Ubiquitous was on Bloomberg News talking up the product and future and Susan and Miles Barr, CTO of Ubiquitous were featured on CBS News San Francisco with a rundown on the company.  Great stuff!

--  Education matter and I preach that all the time.  Guardian Glass is one that is always stepping up there and they did it again with the launch of their Guardian Glass Training Center.  Check it out here- and I love the mix of approaches they are laying out.  Well done and important stuff here for our world.

 

--  I’m going to talk more on this subject soon, but this headline really got to me and it’s not a surprise is it?  “Report: GCs more likely than subs to get paid on time” - I mean has this EVER been in doubt?  And right now I think the delays in pay coming to the subs (glaziers and glass shops) is growing slower and worse daily.  Not good. 

 

--  AIA’s COTE Awards for 2022 are out.  Awesome work.  If you had a hand in any of these please let me know as you deserve props.  Some of these projects really show off great glass and glazing inside and out.  Love seeing that!

 

--  Last this week, I am off to Texas to talk at the awesome Texas Glass Association Glass Conference III.  This is an awesome event with some of the best people in our industry involved.  A complete honor to be there.  Plus the day has a ton if helpful subjects that I am excited to sit in on.  The legal and code updates are always crucial but a supply chain talk led by excellent folks like Seth Madole of Viracon and Chris Giovannielli of Kawneer will be a must to take in.  More on this on next week’s post!  If you are attending this conference, I look forward to seeing you!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

Absolutely baffling on how the homeowner wins this case

 

I love Florida but these gators are getting way to close out there!

 

Too wild not to share- “The Bike without Wheels”

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Saw this post from Joe Bentley of Harris Wall Systems.  Aside from having a great company name (my dad was named Harris) this project in South Carolina came out nicely.  Joe noted in the comments that he worked with Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope and Press Glass on this supremely sharp effort.  Congrats Joe and team at Harris for great work) and same to OBE, Press and all else who supported!