Latest Podcast Episode and More (Really Creative Title- LOL)

The latest From the Fabricator podcast is out and I gotta say it is a very powerful episode.  The insights shared this month are top notch- especially from a technical side of things and there were lots of lessons learned. Leading off is Anas Al Kassas of INOVUES.  Interesting guy with a company positioned to do some amazing things in the growing retrofit space.  Then on to Eliot Benor of Building Envelope Testing.  I had heard of him but this was the first time talking to him and his path to the current was cool but what he’s doing now and how he’s doing it all is simply awesome.  Not to mention being in the front row of some massive code changes.  Last, I end with the dynamic duo of Brandon Bellegarde and Tyler Faulk of The Drafting Marketplace.  These guys are amazing-  they have built an absolute must-use platform for glaziers AND they broke some news on what’s next for them too. Great people, great conversations- I am just so honored to get to chat every month with folks like this.  Thank you for checking it and supporting it all! 

VIDEO

AUDIO – And also on Apple, Spotify, Google and more!

 

Elsewhere….

 

--  Some sad personal/industry news to pass on.  Billy Perilstein, best known for his leadership in our industry for many years (H Perilstein Glass and Wm Perilstein Glass as key ones) passed away last week.  To anyone that knew Billy they came away with the same opinion- a true class act and gentleman.  Billy was friendly and caring and no matter what was happening had a super positive attitude.  He seriously was one of the nicest people around.  Billy stayed active in the industry up until a few years ago (he worked from 1943 to 2017!!) and was always there to provide the great knowledge he had from his incredible time in the industry.  Billy was a cousin of mine- part of the amazing 3^rd Perilstein generation that helped build so much of the industry, hitting stride in the 40’s/50’s and growing from there. (There are some major fabricators to this day that have roots back to that group) Billy will truly be missed and our world is a lesser place without him.

 

--  The next NGA Glass Conference is coming soon- July (yes that will be here before you know it) in Tacoma, Washington.  Aside from the deep and crucial technical aspect of the conference, some planning has been happening to add even more value to it.  Case in point?  A tour of TGP- Technical Glass Products.  I have been there once, and it was awesome to see.  That alone is worth going to the conference… very classy of Devin Bowman and company to welcome the conference in and support it.  Learn more and get registered today. 

 

--  A happy anniversary to the team at Premier Glass Products.  20 years in business for PGP!  That is a huge and very cool milestone. Congrats to Kyle Jones and team on it and all the success they have had and will continue to have.  Kyle has built a powerhouse there and one that comes with serious respect and makes our industry look good. Congrats Kyle and team and I look forward to many more years of your tremendous accomplishments out there!  And note- Bob Larson- one of the coolest cats in our space is on that team- and seeing Bob winning is a very cool thing for me. 

 

--  The latest Architectural Billings Index came out this past week and back to the negative the main number went… Last month was flukey- but there is no fluke in that the design contract and new inquiry numbers are really scuffling these days and that is where I am more concerned. We need those numbers to hang in there more and when they bobbing along the break-even line that is cause for concern.  Regardless we can’t control it. We can control continuing to hustle, keep our houses in order, and looking to evolve where we can keep rolling.

 

--  Last this week… Memorial Day in the United States is for remembering those who died in service for our country.  I am extremely grateful for those that fought and earlier this year I watched the old mini-series “Band of Brothers” on HBO and that truly sent home the message of the absolutely selfless sacrifice that so many have given.  So during this holiday week, give some thought to those who have served and passed and what they did to preserve our way of life.  

 

LINKS of the WEEK

Us Road Warriors have been seeing this but to those who don’t travel- look out- it’s really a tough one these days with costs and comfort.

 

I swear every week there’s a Gator/Floriida/right at the door story.  And I click them all!  ( I just don’t want to see them)

This garage has to be a tough one to get into- maybe they have a Jetsons style car!

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Saw this one on the feed of Stephen Rosner of Custom Metalcrafters.  This is 450 11th Ave. Marriot Tribute Hotel and just the start (though I am sure by now more work has been done) and looking great.  This one will be a major showcase when completed for sure and I look forward to seeing it.  Congrats Stephen and team and keep up the good work!!  (And post some new pictures when you have them!)

What's Next?

Kawneer is one of those legacy brands in our space so when their parent company was sold recently it did send some waves through the industry.  There had been a ton of talk of Kawneer itself being sold (last year) but that got pulled back.  So though what happens next?   With Kawneer in a new setting could that mean another sale/spin-off effort is coming or do the new owners go for critical mass and start adding on. That is the nagging question for the future.  For the present the question is “what changes?” – does anything happen there that changes the approach that Kawneer takes?  Time will tell but Kawneer is loaded with some of the best talent in our space- my guy Henry Taylor is incredible as are folks like Sneh Kumar, Chris Giovannielli and many more.  So hopefully the new owners will support the good and be active in supporting and promoting our space. We shall see as a truly a new era is upon us.

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  The FIT show is happening this week in the UK and our guy- The GlassNerd, NGA’s Andrew Haring will be there.  I can’t wait for the content coming back from him and also whatever he is able to learn and share so we can keep advancing our industry!

 

--  I am very excited to soon be back in the great state of Texas with a presentation at the Houston Area Glass Association monthly luncheon.  That all happens on June 1, and if you are in the area, please join us.  I’ll be talking about forecasts and trends and I look forward to chopping it up with everyone there!!

 

--  Big congrats to the brilliant Jennifer Lang and the team at Minneapolis Glass.  If you caught my podcast with Jennifer back in November of last year, she gave the scoop that they were moving into new HQ and in the last few weeks, ground was broken on the new facility.  Very exciting to see this awesome company move forward!  Congrats! 

 

--  And one more set of props… The California Glass Association continues to make some positive in-roads.  They had an event this past week with the super folks at Frameless Hardware Company (FHC) and from what I was told the energy was off the charts.   So happy for Kristie Rehberger, Nathan Seaman, and Adam Posik for taking yet another great step in building this organization out and of course many thanks to the fine folks at FHC for hosting! 

 

--  I have been super late on this one… the return to our side of the industry by Jay Phillips.  I actually got a heads up right when Jay started (before the PR’s came out) and normally I jump on it and put out on here but this one got lost in shuffle.  Jay is back, now as CRO at Luxwall- a very interesting company that will be very disruptive (in a positive way) in our space. (Add them in the mix for legit players in the VIG space)  Jay is held in high regard by many and I have been a fan of his for years- he did great work with the BEC division and support of the industry- which I assume will pick back up again now that he’s back.  Congrats to Jay and welcome home!

 

--  Last this week… I did see the BlackBerry movie and I thought it was very well done and interesting.  It did veer from the book more than I like and it did leave out two HUGE moments in the whole Blackberry vs iPhone moment that were gamechangers.  But I guess I can’t get it all… still this was a good flick and one that made you remember those pre-phone/android days and how connected you were (at least I was) to the Blackberry.  And I was a BBOB guy- “BlackBerry on Belt” and that familiar buzz that happened when e-mails or texts came through were ingrained in my muscle memory so deeply that it took a while from when I switched to an iPhone for them to go away!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

A beer powered motorcycle!

 

A slingshot to the rescue

 

A wild story about parents changing the birthday of their kid- to avoid the holidays

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC) gets the spotlight.  This is the project that the always excellent Matt Kamper of Woodbridge Glass talked about at BEC and had the audience on the edge of their seats.  It is so amazing, and the backstory was so cool and intense.  Here’s a link to the write up on it. Check it out and kudos to Matt and the entire team at Woodbridge for pulling this one off!!

 

2023 Glass TEXpo Review

Another strong showing from the folks in Texas for this years edition of Glass TEXpo.  The hospitality is always top notch and it’s a tremendous opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones. Before I get into the “seen at the show” section I did want to follow up on my note from last week.  My goal at the show was to take the temperature and see what this region is feeling work wise.  So I did that and it was an interesting study.  The market right now is busy and while there have been a few more potholes than typical, 2023 is in solid shape.  The issue is 2024.  The confidence going into post 1Q 2024 is waning.  Backlogs are slower to fill in for a myriad of reasons (interest rates, banks, volatile pricing, supply etc.) and that has raised some concern amongst the players I spoke with.  But to a person, they are confident of weathering the storm and instead of just having “hope” as a strategy they are doing something about it.  Some are diversifying into other areas of the building, some are working on new products and partnerships, and many are investing into better software and machinery.  To me that is a part of the way you take this on by making those maneuvers and also really getting into a mode of understanding your costs and business.  Plus coming to events like this one, or things like the upcoming NGA Glass Conference bear fruit too because you get the latest insights and opportunities to get ahead of the pack.  So basically those warning lights are out there- the folks in Texas have seen them and are ready.  Are you?

 

--  Elsewhere at the show… as I always do when I visit an event- time to name drop a bit and lay out some of my experiences while in San Antonio.  (Great place for a show by the way) Pretty much the first people I saw were the awesome pair of Dustin and Lindsay Price- it’s been a while and was nice just to see those smiling faces and epic “Texas” shoes!  (See the National Glass Association post on LinkedIn to see what I’m talking about there.)  Also pre show I got to catch up with the great Jacque Freeman of Binswanger and met one of her co-workers, Evan Rogers .  Very cool.  Dorothy Gurka of the Houston Area Glass Association is always so nice- and she didn’t fail me this time either.   Speaking of “nice” – Kyle Lamb of Universal Glass and Kyle Sharp of Sharp Glass may be two of the nicest guys around- while also being great business leaders. 

 

--  Always an honor to spend time with the legends in our space- that being Felix Munson, Sam Hill, Rick Newnom and Bob Larson.  I always learn when I talk to them and they give me more time than I deserve.  Same goes for Regina Munson who is a dynamo out there and really making her own mark.   It was great to chat briefly with Gary Di Dio of Lite Sentry/SoftSolutions.  I really appreciate the way he and his company are supporting the NGA and the industry. 

 

--  It’s always awesome to see old friends- I hadn’t seen Dustin Dickmann for years- that was a very cool trip running into him, as was chopping it up in the registration line with Matt Price.  He’s got 1000 things going and the Perfect Edge product he’s got going is strong- so he was more pumped than normal.  Old pal Manny Borda of IGE is looking absolutely fabulous, whatever that regimen you are doing Manny keep doing it! And Bob Taylor of Trulite and David Shaw of CompleteLine are always so nice, so classy.  Was an honor to work with those guys in my past.

 

--  Meeting new people is always a must for me.  Thanks to super Rep Jeff Ziesche of JAZ Sales, I was able to meet Jacob Melton of Citadel Architectural Products.  Jacob is a sharp guy and his suite of products led by the GlazeGuard panel is impressive.  Also impressive, Mike DeFrank of World Resources (ironically a connection from Jeff Z too) and it was very cool to meet and chat with him and hear about his company growing and going.  Sam Frankland of Smart Builder stopped by the Texas Glass Association booth to chat and that was nice- was good to give him kudos on his “Best in Show” win at GlassBuild last year.  And then I met three very fine people from Arrow Glass and Mirror- David Flores, Julie Gutierrez, and Alexey Batalov.  Nice folks who had stumbled onto my blog last summer and I hope they’re still reading it! 

 

--  Podcast guests galore!  Past guests like Trent Thiry of Global Security Glazing (busiest man in show business) Dan Shields (always so welcoming and friendly to me) and Ron Parker (he was swamped with visitors at his Ballistic Glass and Armor booth) were all nice to see just out there thriving.  Upcoming guests Tyler Faulk and Brandon Bellegarde of Drafting Marketplace will fit right in with the “From the Fabricator Podcast Guest Alumni” as they are just crushing it too.

 

--  Last on this- kudos to Jennifer Fontana at the Texas Glass Association for all she does and to my guy Andrew Haring who never ever ever fails to deliver a memorable time.  This one probably has a ton of choices of most memorable, but Andrew’s inspired choice of oversized cowboy hats (h/t from afar to Melanie Dettmer who made the hats happen) were a massive hit.  It was a fun touch that everyone with a sense of humor truly enjoyed.  

 

--  So another good one in the books, I ran into many more and sorry that I missed noting you here but as some of you know my phone (to keep notes) was dying and my pathetic $14 charger did not work (shocking!) so this is not as complete as it should be!   

And by the way… now more than ever knowing that in the fall of 2024 GlassBuild America will be in Texas (in Dallas) has me over the top excited.  Giddy up!

 

--  Because this was so long- I’m kicking some of the other big news to next week.  That includes the huge Kawneer parent company deal, a major player is back in our space, my next trip to Texas (sooner than y’all think) and a congrats to a company making an exciting plant/HQ move (that you would’ve know way ahead of time if you listen to my podcast).  So all that and more- next post!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

 

51 “cool things” you may have not known about.  (Some I have done, most did not)

As someone who lives with a kid with peanut allergies I am always hopeful when I see. These updates.

 

UPDATE on the fishing tournament cheating controversy!

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

We stay in Texas for this one… Mike Rubner of Accura Systems has always been very good to me and I love what he continues to do out there.  This project he posted was a complete reskin and it is coming along very well! (look at that before and after in the pic) Mike noted in his post that he teamed with IWR North America on it and the glass came from the gang at Viracon.  Custom extrusions via Bonnell.  Reskinning buildings is going to be HUGE going forward- especially in Texas- so Mike is ahead of the curve here.  Nice work!

 

Texas Week

This week I get to go to one of my favorite states and will see a ton of my favorite people when I visit Glass TEXpo in San Antonio.  I always enjoy attending this one because the folks in the great state of Texas always lay out the best welcome mat possible.  Probably one of the main things I’ll be digging around on is taking the temperature of the attendees on how their business and market is going right now.  I do know some spots in Texas have gone soft- a very rare feeling for that region as even through some of the worst of times, Texas has stayed busy.  So I’ll be curious to see what is happening and what the outlook is.  I’ll obviously report back here next week.  And if you’ll be at this show, I hope to run into you and catch up!

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  ICYMI- my latest podcast is out and it’s really getting a lot of nice feedback. I had the dynamic duo of Jeff Dalaba and Ben Beeler on to talk certification in the glazing space, Asta Fivgas on talking about her role at Reflection Window and Wall and getting more women involved in our space and Austin Casey on talking about helping glass shops become much more efficient.  I learned a lot and enjoyed catching up with some very cool people.  So please check it out- and thank you for the support!!

VIDEO

AUDIO – and as always available wherever you listen to podcasts like Apple, Spotify, Google etc.

 

--  It continues to get me fired up seeing the excitement around the VIG side of things.  Evidently  there was a recent gathering where the best of the best came together to dive in on what can be done in the space and that is a positive step forward.  I’ve noted before that I love the passion and approach of people like Michael Spellman and Dave Cooper who live and breathe this product and companies like Vitro that are doing all they can to keep advancing it.  Good stuff!

 

--  Also good stuff- the promotion of Charles Lubecke at Q-Railing.  He is now taking on the role of Director of Project Solutions there.  I have been a big fan of Charles for a while- he’s got a seriously strong set of skills and it’s nice to see them being utilized!  Now the big question though- does this mean Charles will not be in charge of building the Q-Railing exhibit at GlassBuild?  That stand never disappoints so whomever may be taking on that role has massive shoes to fill!  Congrats on the news Charles!

 

--  Lots of airport expansion news but the biggest one I saw was terminal D at Atlanta Hartsfield is getting upgraded.  That is great news.  It’s obviously going to be a pain while it’s happening but when done that will be very nice since Atlanta is a massive hub and that terminal needed it. Obviously, the airport is expanding because they know GlassBuild this fall in Atlanta will be jam packed and they are preparing for the glass industry crush of attendees.  LOL.  Also from what I read this will be a modular build too- which I think is cool and will be fascinating to see it play out.

 

--  Last this week some pop-culture… on TV- the Amazon series “Citadel” is off to a promising start despite some brutally misplaced glass usage on a train.  But aside from that boo boo, it’s got some potential overall.  In theaters I saw “Big George” about the life of boxer and pitchman George Foreman and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.  On Big George- solid movie- was not as good as it could’ve been given his very interesting life, but as a sports fan and history guy I enjoyed.  As for “Guardians” – I leave the Marvel/Disney expertise up to my son, but I have always liked this particular series and the latest installment did not miss. The music once again in Guardians featured some inspiring choices.  Anyway if you liked the previous movies, I think you’ll love this one. 

 

LINKS of the WEEK

Super lucky to survive a tornado

 

Another snake story- this time it’s causing disruptions on the roads

 

You’d think the anniversary of the World Wide Web would get more coverage… it’s 30^th  milestone just passed

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

I love all glass entrances- so smooth looking!  So this week we’ve got a new nice one from the team at DMG Glass in Huntersville, NC in the spotlight.  Not much detail was added other than this was an upgrade to previous.  Looks great folks- keep up the good work!