Catching Up

I’m still flying high after an amazing GlassBuild but it’s back to the day-to-day grind right?  Some catch up items from the show and elsewhere around our industry below!

 

--  I missed Congratulating Pete deGorter and team on their 100^th Anniversary that they celebrated at GlassBuild.  Obviously, a great run and happy see them rolling along.  Pete is truly one of the good guys in our world and I loved his “hat” promo at the show- all well done.  Congrats DeGorter on the century in business!

 

--  The hotel I stayed at in Vegas probably didn’t do us any favors as an industry because the glass allowed a TON of heat in- especially in the workout facility.  Really bizarre stuff there as I know Vegas is hot, but I have never stayed at a hotel there where I could feel the warmth coming through the window like this.  And I won’t put the fabricator on blast (though it is one I am not friendly with or know much on) because maybe this was a spec issue or a fluke- but still very odd.

 

--  A few years ago after a BEC show in Vegas Steve Cohen of Vitro hung out with Mike Tyson at the airport. (I believe Steve and Iron Mike are still close, that's why I try to stay on Steve's good side)  This year after GlassBuild, Dave Anderson of HHH/Salem may have topped him by running into and getting a picture with Terry Bradshaw.  VERY COOL.  I have not gotten lucky like these guys but I did see the movie star good looks of Cameron Scripture of Viracon so that should count for something right?

 

--  And speaking of Salem/HHH…Lost in the shuffle of the GlassBuild run up was a podcast I did with the gang from Salem/HHH and Vardhan Mehta of Acelab.  Was a good pod and catching up with some very interesting players in our world.  

Check it out

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--  And of course, if you missed the Van Ride podcast- the masses are asking two questions from that one… What call name did Patrick Elmore pick (he was deciding between 3 last I checked)and when will Carl Christ and the Medflys tour again?  Answers to come on both… but if you missed and want context and so much more:

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The next podcast is in the works and will be dropping next week… plus I have some really interesting guests lined up for the next few months including a major major industry player on a solo appearance to end the year.  You can subscribe to my podcast on Apple and Spotify and follow on YouTube too.  Thank you!

 

--  The Architectural Billings Index is wobbling but still positive.  51.7 in the last rating.  Can it stay above water another month?  Remember what we heard at GlassBuild was the downturn for us would start around March of 2024… so every month that the ABI hangs in there could mean delaying a downturn on the other end.  Next week I’ll have some insights from a recent AIA forecast call to share as well. 

 

--  New rules coming to the Florida condo market that I think would have a long-term effect on what we do and who we do it for.  I can see a lot of old buildings coming down because of this- making room for new.  But also I think there’s enough confusion here that the push back may be strong.

 

--  I did see the news on Walker Glass partnering with a PE firm and I’ll go back to my tried-and-true plea that hopefully that does not change the support of the company industry wide.  Walker has been a huge player in the industry universe always attending everything out there and sponsoring etc.  Walkers’ reputation is pristine and features some of the best folks in our world.  Obviously, this is an exciting time for the owners and management at Walker and I congratulate them so hopefully the past track record can continue without issue!

 

--  Last this week… Interesting news that the AIA show is going to be managed by the AIA and not a third party (like it has been for years) So will this mean this show improves and cares about its exhibit floor?  That will be the first thing to see.  They do have their work cut out for them with the next show in San Fran (terrible for shows right now) and getting past the previous missteps.  I guess we will see! 

 

LINKS of the WEEK

No cars are good when flooded- that includes electric too- and the last hurricane took its toll on some Teslas.

 

I sincerely think we are in a combo of inflation and gouging.  Eventually something has to settle right?  First up- Halloween candy (thankfully my lifestyle change avoids this)

 

I love Florida but the animal thunderdome continues to get worse… now Bears just rolling up to houses like no biggie…

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Grabbed this from the feed of Mario Gutierrez of Hale Glass.  Did not see any of the details (like who manufactured and fabricated the glass and aluminum) but the pictures were very nice and building looks great!  Congrats Mario and Hale Glass team and keep up the great work out there!!

The Giant GlassBuild Recap

What a week in Vegas. A crazy packed and somewhat confusing show floor led to an epic time at GlassBuild. I love this event with the learning and comradery at every single turn.  This year really came through at every level and was pretty memorable.  The overall trend on the show floor was “screens” as more exhibits than I have ever seen put the video screen in play.  It is a great way to get your point across visually and allow you to use your booth space more effectively.  The other part was the vibe.  People are feeling positive about 2023 and while worried about 2024, they used this show to seek out efficiencies and ways to diversify their offering to guard against the downturn that’s coming.  (And according to the amazing Connor Lokar, the economist who spoke at the Glazing Executives Forum, it’s headed our way in the commercial space in early 2024.). And there were plenty of options of efficiency and diversification on that floor!  So with all of that said, time for my annual name dropping and recognition of seen and heard at the show!

 

--  Walker Glass celebrated their 80^th Anniversary with a party so gregarious on the floor, I couldn’t get near it to say congrats or even see Danik Dancause in a legendary suit. The great Casey Anderson and the ICD team were also in celebratory mode after winning one of the Best in Show awards thanks to a brilliant video screen. And I loved seeing the Chris Phillips led Shower Door Professionals group.  I only saw Chris for a moment and visited with a few of the guys, but it is amazing the bonds that Chris and these guys (like the awesome Billy Britt, Bill/Keith Daubmann, Brandon Nicastro, Chance Forman etc.) have forged.  A deep and meaningful set of relationships that is good for our world.

 

--  From the parts I attended, the Glazing Executives Forum was strong- Jodi Martinez of AllStar Glass is a natural as the host. Today she’s hosting this, give her time and she’s hosting the Emmys and Oscars next!  I got to meet Jon Gaines and Leah Kerr-Michaels of Island Glass and they were extremely cool (as most from Hawaii are.) I saw Jeff Haber of W&W for about 10 seconds which was a bummer, but hopefully I’ll see him and crew at BEC in the spring. 

 

--  I love getting to see the fine folks from IGE led by Michael and Carolyn Spellman.  Special shout out to Jeff Spicer there who was moving a thousand miles an hour getting their booth built from the ground up, Nice work!  I also got to see my old pal Lyle Shimazu for the first time in many many years.  What an awesome experience!  And speaking of awesome, Ray Luna of Champion Glass fits that bill to a T.  Thrilled to spend a few minutes catching up and look forward to seeing him at Texpo next spring. And obviously a visit to Texpo means I’ll get to see the incredible Brian Risinger of Country Glass.  Brian hooked me up with some Country Glass gear that of course turned heads- and I was honored to wear it.  And in Texas I’ll get to see the bros Kyle and Clint Sharp from Sharp Glass.  Classy to the core there.

 

--  Chris Cullum and CMS had one of the best booths in the show in my opinion, the blue carpet popped and layout was strong. GGI also had a showstopping exhibit and Spencer Raymond built it in like 30 seconds- what a monster.  LOL.  Was also super to see cousin Scott Cook too there as well as the Kentucky Colonel Brad Thurman.  While visiting there I met Sean McEneaney of Glass Concepts- good guy!   Stanley Yee from Dow is always a favorite of mine and when I needed Febreze for a musty smell, my main man Stanley was clutch! And also hustling was Andrew Kennedy of Naverra- he was a machine on that show floor with meeting after meeting as his company gets closer to launch. 

 

--  Winner of the best-looking clothes by an exhibitor again went to Dapper Dan Reinhart of Salem Fabrication Technologies.  Especially the day 2 blue shirts- they may be the nicest shirts in GlassBuild history. Speaking of history- guys I go way back with that I was able to see included the great reps Jeff Ziesche of Jaz Sales and Tony Kasprzak of Seawall Architectural.  Both were swamped the entire time, Jeff at the bustling and packed FHC booth and Tony somehow walked the show with a phone constantly going- that was serious multi-tasking!  Rich Porayko was everywhere as always and saw a ton of Sand & Soda gear throughout- especially at the Tailgate Party! Also all the Rowe’s from Rowe Fenestration- just freaking fantastic people.

 

--  On the bummer side I only saw the terrific Devin Bowman of TGP/Allegion for a second as I was tied up and he was on the move.  Same with Tom Herron of NFRC- Tom and I usually grab a picture and I never made it to his booth- sucks.  I did not get enough time with James Wright of Virginia Glass because that guy never stops working the room!  And Jim Ventre from Gardner was only a brief handshake and wave-, but I did get to chat with Lucas Brooks from there and that worked out well. 

 

--  Was great to visit with Ray Garries.  He is always on top of every move- as is the legend Heather West.  She is and will always be the gold standard in our industry both as PR pro and person.  Loved meeting Aaron Blom of FGIA.  Was a blast talking the past with him and just a very cool cat.  Got to meet Alex Reed of Reed Rubber Products in person and she has that “it” factor that will be big in our space for years to come. We need youth like her and may as well add in Sam Olson in on that praise too. He’ll be a future pod guest and any old pal of Melanie Dettmer is someone I want to know. Keep an eye on Hari Atkuri of Smart Glass Labs- he has that next gen product with a next gen mindset behind it. And Bruce Murray of TruClad is just a beast.  He is rocking with his new company and has one of the best hat games in the biz.  

 

--  Hats.  Oh the hats.  Specifically, the “NGA Glass Nerd” hat via the OG Andrew Haring.  Everyone wants one.  And I mean EVERYONE.  More than a few times after someone started to talk to me and I am thinking “wow this person is interested in me” to then have the conversation veer to “so do you think you could get Andrew to get me a hat?”  Those babies have to be earned folks…. 

 

--  My Pittsburgh roots were in play, good to see the very talented Emily Yukish and Ryan Seitzinger of Specified Systems.  That is a fantastic company and those two networked all over the place.  Also from the steel city?  The awesome Sue Errera & Renee Ferrari of Global/Isoclima and I also got to meet in person Trent Thiry from there.  He’s new to our side of the world and he’ll do very well. Sharp guy who gets it.  Also new to our world Dennis Higgins of Fenetech, and first impression there was very positive!

 

--  Few more before I wrap up- saw the brilliant Paco Bono for a few seconds as well as one of my all-time favorites the spectacular Shelly Farmer.  She was chatting with Joe Brklacich who I finally met in person! Luc Boileau of Herzog Glass is one of my guys- can’t wait to catch a Kraken game with him some day.  Last but never least the Mayor of Glasstown- Jon Johnson. Always da man. 

 

--  I’m sure I missed a bunch and I am sorry- my brain is pretty mushy right now.  But I’ll finish with kudos to the entire NGA team.  Everyone was in pure hustle mode to put on a great show, deal with issues as they arose, and kept plugging along.  Honored to be a part of that legendary team! So in the books 2022’s edition goes… Next year back to Atlanta and I’m already pumped.  But before that we have a big Glass Conference in Miramar, Florida and then the 25^th Anniversary Edition of BEC.  So massive stuff ahead!

 

NO links or project of the week this post- they both will return next week!

 

VanCast and GlassBuild Week!

What happens when you stuff 6 people and a plastic cut out in a van and head to GlassBuild via the desert? A seriously memorable time and an audio disaster.  First the good, the van trip from LA to Las Vegas was something else- fun people and interesting sights made for a great day.  Major props to Casey Anderson of ICD for being the ring leader and then hanging with Danny Estrada of CRL, Kendal Rowe of Rowe Fenestration, Carl Christ of DFI, a very stiff Patrick Elmore of Infinite Recycled Technologies (he was unable to attend, so his plastic cutout did) and Andrew Haring of NGA was awesome.  If you are on any social media you’ve probably seen the exploits of the trip by now- if not check it out!  The bad was I did a podcast with folks in the van and somehow 2 of the interviews of the 4 had unusable audio.  I have no idea what happened and am seriously bummed because it was great content from Danny and Casey that you missed.  I will make I up to both and in the meantime PLEASE check out their booths at GlassBuild!  I did get an interview with Kendal in the Van, and pre-taped with Carl and Patrick, along with a bonus of Casey interviewing me, so that is still worth a listen- some neat ground covered both professionally and personally.  Thank you for giving it whirl!

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Obviously, this leads into a massive week.  GlassBuild is here.  Finally. I am so excited to visit with people and also learn about all of the new products and services available in our world.  This is going to be great run!  If you are at the show, please stop me to say hi!  I may look harried and rushed but I think I always look that way. LOL. Next week I’ll have my usual breakdown on who and what I saw and we’ll see how many great names I can drop! 

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  Nice news on a couple good industry guys…  first up Brad Boone taking on the role of sales director of advanced glazings and architectural government sales liaison for Vitro.  Brad is a great guy and someone who has a sincere passion for our space that I really respect.  In this position he will truly advance products (like VIG) that are incredibly important for our world. 

And congrats also to Matt Verderamo, who is now the Vice President of Preconstruction & Sales at Alliance Exterior Construction.  I met Matt over a year ago and he’s been nothing short of a dynamo rocking and rolling through our world and gaining knowledge and network along the way.  Genuinely good man too. Happy for both guys and props to both Vitro and Alliance Exterior Construction for making these smart moves.

 

--  There was movement at the top of Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope that I missed mentioning last week with the naming of Bruno Biasiotta as Chief Executive Officer. Obviously, this is a huge position atop the biggest player in that space.  My hope, as I always say in moves like this, is that the new management takes to our industry and looks to be supportive and active in events like GlassBuild and the various conferences.  The support there is always crucial and appreciated.  Welcome to our world Bruno!

 

--  Last this week…That big deal I mentioned a few weeks ago is worse than the movie “The Runaway Bride” – my gosh I keep hearing about being to the altar so many times without the wedding happening, it’s making me crazy.  Almost starting to wonder if I’m getting punked… but If I am the amount of people in on it is pretty impressive.  Anyway I still think a deal is coming down the pike sooner than later…

 

LINKS of the WEEK

File this under- Not good.

 

Timely since we are in Vegas this week- this town really is for adults more and more.  

 

Slowly but surely everything in life is going to get cancelled.  Just easier. Also my attitude is bad while writing this since I just discovered the audio nightmare mentioned above.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

This one from the great folks at Prelco and their LinkedIn feed.  This is a job in progress at 

McMaster University's Hamilton Campus. The focus is on the health and comfort of users through the addition of fitness and academic spaces. Glass delivers always! Sharp looking project featuring laminated and decorative.  Props to the Architect MJMA Architecture and Design on a great design and the install so far looking stellar from bmg. Glass + Aluminum. Congrats to all involved!  

 

 

Equipment, Architects, Vans, Skunks and more

The latest episode of the From the Fabricator podcast is now out and it’s filled with a bunch of firsts. The main ones were first time with 3 guests in one segment and first architect to be interviewed.  Fun and interesting stuff.  The guys from Salem Fabrication Technologies and HHH Glass Equipment were first up and didn’t disappoint in a wide-ranging conversation from new equipment, to service, to a mixed forecast (good upcoming, scary in a few years) and more.  Then Vardhan Mehta of AceLab (Acelabusa.com) joined to talk about his past, his incredible new platform that will be huge for our space and more.  Thank you for listening/watching and always supporting!

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Elsewhere…

--  I previewed a few weeks ago that the TV Show “Good Bones” would be having a segment that featured our industry and that episode finally aired.  Great content and showed off the team from Isoclima North America (Global Security Glazing and Dlubak Specialty Glass are a part of this group) very well. Here is the segment from Global’s Linkedin page. Nice work all!

 

--  The recent FGIA meeting covered a ton of ground but the continued excitement on VIG really is what gets me going.  Window and Door had nice coverage on this process and feedback from a nice range of stakeholders. 

 

--  I’m still thinking about the folks in Southwest Florida and the Ft Myers area that suffered the wrath of Hurricane Ian.  Tough and great people there fighting through a challenging time.  Leading the way as always is the Daubmann family and they started a Go Fund Me to raise money for those affected by this storm.  Please take a look and consider giving.  

 

--  Not sure if you all know this but GlassBuild is coming up!  I know it’s been really under the radar promotionally and all… LOL.  Very excited for this show!  And I’ll be headed there in style… as in a van on a funky cool road trip organized by Andrew Haring and led by the awesome creativity from Casey Anderson of ICD.  So next Saturday I’ll be flying to LA and then hopping in the van to go to Vegas. Lots of fun scheduled and I am going to do a special edition of my podcast from the road and have it here next week.

 

--  Music item- really good documentary on Don McLean on Paramount+.  The Day the Music Died singer and how that song came about and has grown to be so recognizable and amazing.  Super back story on one of the best songs of all time. 

 

--  Last this week… Skunks. So as some of you know we have 5 dogs and for 21 years of living in this current home in Michigan we have avoided any of our dogs running into a skunk.  Until this past week when two our pups decided that the cute little black and white animal that was sauntering in our driveway would be someone they wanted to meet. Well the skunk “welcomed” them for sure with its special spray.  Needless to say that was an experience and hopefully when you see me at GlassBuild there’s no leftover skunk aroma to me.  Wildest part?  The initial smell when the skunk sprayed the dogs wasn’t that brutal skunky smell.  It was a rotten egg smell.  Not a great smell either but wild to me that it starts off with that smell vs. what I expected.  Anyway, any of you who have had this experience I salute you… not fun!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

This comes up in my podcast with Terry Hessom (linked above) absolutely wild!

 

The headline alone makes it a curious read. “Man charged with smuggling pythons in his pants at US border”

 

49 years old and playing college football.  Good for him I guess.  My body hurts from just waking up in the morning!

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

This one is still being built but I like where it’s headed!  Via the LinkedIn page from 8G Solutions.  Project Spotlight: This is the Building 3 Expansion for Garmin and its looks fabulous.  Metal from Kawneer and glass from Insulite. (props Sterling Guyette & team)  Sometimes projects like this can be very generic, but this one has some sharp attributes and the glazing is strong!  Congrats to everyone on a job well done.  

Catching Up All Over the Globe

So before I get into this week, thoughts are with everyone in Florida and those that were in the path of Hurricane Ian.  The storm hit worse near Ft Myers, FL home of the Daubmann family and their D3/MyArchitecturalGlass business. From what I hear all is OK there with the plant though they did have some damage.  Obviously if anyone can rise above it is that family and company.  And I am sure they’ll be leading the community like always too.  Again thoughts and prayers to all affected!

 

While I was overseas for glasstec (flights home featured long lines, but thankfully no major issues or delays) the latest Architectural Billings Index was released.  It was positive once again and I think at this point that note is even starting to throw the analysts involved in producing it.  The score came in at a nice 53.3 but it was noted that “storm clouds are gathering” as well as the performances are mixed right now with some areas doing markedly better than others.  I have been pessimistic on this index just because of what I see and experience but they are the experts.  However seeing the inquiry number being lower than traditional for 3 straight months and the mess forming on the residential side (hearing forecast of single family to be negative in 2023) of things, really seems to tell me some of my pessimism is right.  The thought continues to be that everyone has to keep doing what is needed to roll past whatever may happen here.  Diversify, communicate etc.  The key approaches to beating back the challenges… and if this index keeps rolling and we don’t get a real dip, then we are all better for it right?

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  It’s October.  And that means GlassBuild month is here.  I know some of you are on the fence on attending because you are busy and shorthanded.  But I can’t stress enough the value of getting with your peers, your suppliers, and your industry, to gain the insight needed to deal with what may come down the path in the next few months.  A few have said to me that they’ll wait til BEC to cover those needs, but do you really want another five months to go by? Come on, you know you need to be there.  GlassBuild.com for info and registration.  Even use my code MAXPOD for free entry.

 

--  Congrats to Steve Green of Tubelite who announced his retirement this past week.  Steve is surely one of the good folks in our industry and did a great job over a very long run there. Big shoes to fill for sure.  Best to you Steve on your next chapter!

 

--  Sad news from our world with the passing of Richard Gianforti Sr. known best as owner of Flower City Glass. Tremendous guy.  I knew him just a bit but he and my brother were very close and both Flower City and the old Perilstein Distributing (PDC) benefitted from that friendship.  My thoughts and condolences go out to the entire Gianforti family and the friends and co-workers of the incredible Mr. Gianforti Sr.

 

--  While away the announcement that IGE Glass Technologies and Schirmer coming together on a distribution agreement was released.  This is a great move for both companies.  Schirmer’s profile processing centers for the commercial window and wall market is top of the line (which is huge for the quality our industry needs to put out) and obviously as I have noted here before Michael Spellman and IGE has a knack of connecting with the market disruptors so this tracks positively.  Congrats to both and looking forward to seeing this progress.

 

--  Last this week… Rolling Stone released its Top 100 TV Shows of all time.  Great “click bait” sort of article and of course I fell right in for it.  As I have listed my top 10 here in the past so it was good to see some of my picks on this more “seasoned” list (since it was some sort of committee that compiled it) but no way is “The Sopranos” better than “Breaking Bad”  Just no way.  Regardless interesting list- some pretty big omissions and odd ranks but if you like TV it’s nice time waster.

 

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Absolutely ridiculous that this game was even scheduled

 

--  Smart brands make the most out of a brutal social post. Good for them!  Don’t care how old you are, knowing Kermit the Frog is a must. 

 

--  A roller coaster of a health/auto insurance battle with urgent care and emergency rooms.  Reading it gave me a headache.  But it is interesting.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

A favorite town for me is Greenville, SC and that is where the latest Project of the Week resides… this is the Falls Tower at Camperdown.  Awesome looking project featuring Guardian Glass that was fabricated by the great team at Tristar and installed by the excellent folks at Graham Hodge.  Congrats to everyone on this beauty and hat tip the always awesome Alan Kinder for the original LinkedIn post that showcased this!