Pod, Birds, Deals, and Great ABI too!

The latest From the Fabricator podcast is now live and I’m thrilled about how it turned out.  Three unique and cool people joined me, and we covered a ton of items.  Leading off was Sophia Panova of SO-ZHA Architects.  Very talented person who “gets it” and I enjoyed her perspective throughout.  She is on her way to being a force in that community.   Then to Mark Rabinowitz of Paul Rabinowitz Glass and we covered the great work he and his team does, challenges in our space, and what’s ahead.  Last it was fun to catch up with Bill Wilson of Specified Systems.  Bill has done an amazing job building his company and setting it up for great success going forward, plus the recognition he and his company shared on some folks was very cool.  So all in all this was a fun one and it was 3 people in one form or fashion who bet on themselves to take their places in our industry/world and do better by it.  This is a perfect episode to catch during the upcoming holiday too!  Thank you for listening/watching!

VIDEO

AUDIO (and search from From the Fabricator on Apple, Spotify, Google etc.)

Elsewhere…

 

--  I was honored to be invited on an online plant tour of Orion Laser Tech on Belgium via their partners here in the US, IGE Glass Technologies.  Orion is making a bird friendly laser engraver for glass, and it was stunning to see it in action and learn more about it.  Really remarkable technology and important in a space that keeps growing.  Thank you, Michael Spellman, for the invite and opportunity to watch, and once again Michael is on the front end of a break-through technology!  (I am told that they’ll be more of these online tours coming, so if you are interested in bird friendly fabrication- you’ll want to get with IGE to check it out!)

 

--  I was telling a future podcast guest this week that we are in the middle of “selling season” in our industry and within 24 hours deals by OBE and Assa Abloy went down.  With some of the uncertainty of 2024, many owners are thinking NOW is the time to get out, so I am expecting more deals to come. As for the OBE-Syracuse deal- really made sense for both sides.  Nice move for OBE to jump into that territory and a good exit for the folks from Syracuse post the very sad passing of Joe Gudenburr.

 

--  Last week I said I was dreading the ABI, expected misery and then jokingly said it’ll probably be up since I was so negative… and sure enough it WAS UP.  Actually a shockingly good month for the index as all metrics bounced back nicely. So overall a positive.  The negatives were the West and Northwest sectors being soft, so not everyone is/was celebrating.  Some of the comments from the report did point to while things seemingly stabilized, it is “harder” to get the work including the challenges on banking/financing and of course the people issue. Even in the design community labor is a challenge.  Bottom line?  I’ll take this bounce back and let’s keep it going!

 

--  Another TV show- more use of glass that is topical.  This time it was “Class of 09” on Hulu.  So far not a bad show, not great (only halfway through- so staying hopeful) but glass had some big roles.  Early on bird friendly made an appearance when a poor bird died after striking the glass (and that played a role in the story) and then later we had some very high-quality bullet resistant in play.  I joked last year that Tom Donovan of Thompson IG wrote an episode of Ozark that had thermochromic glass and now I am sure he wrote on this episode since he’s heavy into both bird and BR products.  Really need to get Tom to get my podcast playing in the background in the next thing he writes!  Anyway, I will say it was nice to see the BR be real and effective and show bird friendly glass would make a difference!

 

--  Last this week…. No blog next week as I am taking it off as a part of the Independence Day holiday in the US.  Obviously if big news breaks I’ll get it out there but otherwise please enjoy the 4^th  of July, stay safe, and get ready to finish the 2^nd half of the year strong.  And one note- if you are shooting off fireworks please think of your neighbors- try and do it early and get em overwith quick.  Thank you.  

 

LINKS of the WEEK

I had never heard of “Zillow Gone Wild” and I guess I should’ve.  Crazy.

 

As you all know I’m a dog guy, and this is a tough one

 

Wrong reaction to this viral photo- yes it’s “cute” but it’s also crazy dangerous too. People really shouldn’t be trying to get candid poses here.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Brett Trainor of Ecker Window Corp posted this awesome one and I immediately saved it for a future project of the week.  The job according to the post is 14 @ Irving (124 E. 14th St NY NY) and it showcases a custom unitized curtain wall with fins & mega size panels.  Very good-looking project! Congrats Brett and Ecker team on this one!

In the Movies

I did not plan to start this week off with a rundown of the animated movie Elemental, but after seeing it and its connection to the glass industry I had no choice.  So this is a movie via Pixar and Disney and those of you who follow closely know my son Zach is heavily connected in that world with his Boardwalk Times website (the ultimate destination for the Disney fan) so I joined him in seeing this one when hit theaters this week.  I did not know what to expect and overall the movie was well done- really was a Hallmark level “Rom Com” so that worked but the use of glass was the kicker here. YEs our beloved product played a pretty major role.  The movie is about Fire and Water and those elements interacting and growing to get along.  Early on we see the Fire lead character break a glass display case and then with her fire hands create a brand-new piece of Bent Glass to replace it.  (Bent so good that I think my pal Tony Kasprzak sold it since he’s a big-time bent glass rep and also a Disney guy).  So at that point I’m thinking cool- neat to see.  Well as the movie continues, there’s a situation that the Fire character created a glass wall to save a community from flooding.  When it was done, one of the characters exclaimed “She did it.  It’s TEMPERED GLASS” and when that was said I yelped.  Loudly and embarrassingly.  I mean I don’t think I ever heard the words “Tempered Glass” and in a positive manner in a movie setting before, so I was out of my seat with it.  I’m thinking- this is what the NGA preaches- Glass REALLY can save the world.  (Which it can, and we all know that).  Anyway, the movie continued and SPOILER ALERT (skip to next paragraph if you plan on seeing it) the glass ended up breaking and it was not truly tempered.  While still happy we got a plug, I was bummed that the glass broke and know for sure the SGCC would not be happy with the mis-labeling.  LOL.  No doubt I’ll take the excitement of the glass coming through and hopefully someday Disney will ask me (or probably my son) what sort of glass would truly be best to stave a flood off.  (Surely 2022 Glass Magazine Award Winner FENEX would be raising their hands?  Right Juan Posada and Brian Johnson?)  Yep, so there ya go- and by the way I think I am banned from that theater too for being too excited.  

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  A special summer series of podcasts made their debut this week.  GlassCast from the NGA dropped episode one and it’s a perfect quick bite of insight and info.  The great duo of Katy Devlin and Sara Neiswanger hosted this episode that led into a monologue from Jeff Haber of W&W Glass via this past springs BEC.  The subject was ESOP’s and Jeff’s insight was spellbinding and this quick pod covered it nicely.  There are handful of episodes coming and I think it’s a nice series for the quiet summer news season.  Check it out and big kudos to Katy, Sara and Melissa Fischer the editing wizard at NGA for a job well done!

VIDEO

AUDIO   - and on Apple and Spotify- search GlassCast

 

--  Speaking of podcasts- the next From the Fabricator podcast drops next week and I am pumped.  Unless something crazy happens I have 2 awesome glaziers and an impressive Architect lined up.   Stat wise I continue to be amazed.  The video stats are meh- this is just not a format that lends to video, especially long form.  But audio, my numbers are mind blowing.  They keep growing each show and more and people are finding older episodes and listening.  It’s incredibly cool and I thank everyone who checks it out.  If you have not heard any, search “From the Fabricator” where you listen to your podcasts.  By the way, geographically the update is thanks to Eliot Benor of Building Envelope Testing, New York surged into the lead of the city that listens the most to the podcast.  And we’ve seen nice runs from Philly, Seattle, Atlanta, and Chicago joining Houston, San Antonio and LA as popular areas for listening.  Absolutely awesome.

 

--  Thank you to Scott Goodman, my good friend and superstar sales hustler from CRL for the heads up on the CRL releasing a new reference guide at AIA.  I missed this and it is super resource and good to have handy!

 

--  Kudos to Vitro Architectural Glass for their latest EPD effort.  Check out the story from Glass Magazine as it explains it very well, but this was an excellent step forward in an area that WILL continue to grow and be a very important part of the commercial glass project realm.  Get familiar with the EPD angle folks and good on Vitro for their latest breakthrough!

 

--  Last this week.  I’ll be watching this Wednesday for the newest Architectural Billings Index.  So much has eroded on the banking side and more and more investors have grown skittish that I am curious to see if that feel has hit this index harder.  Good news is when I feel negative the index usually goes the other way.  So we will see…

 

LINKS of the WEEK

A vulture makes its way into a house and kudos for the homeowners for battling to get it out!

 

When too much bling stops your car from starting

 

Possibly a case for the Door DOORK Benji Bolick?  I’m so far behind he’s probably had this one.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Back to the pacific Northwest (where the NGA Glass Conference will be soon- Tacoma- sign up today!) for this awesome one from Goldfinch Brothers. From their post on LinkedIn- this is the Costco HQ (wonder if the glaziers got any tasty food samples when done) and it is sharp one.  Unitized glazing with Schuco, glass from Vitro and congrats to MG2 Design for the awesome look. This one is fabulous!  Kudos to all!

Trouble Ahead?

The Wall Street Journal had a sobering report on the commercial building space and that the boom that fueled a ton of its growth is now coming to a very bumpy landing.  Basically these landlords were dealing in “interest only” loans and kicking the can down the road.  Now because of the myriad of issues in the finance space, this bill has come VERY due and it’s left two options for those affected- sell or default.  And selling is not exactly appetizing or easy.  The entire article is HERE but my point in bringing this up is in every presentation I give I talk about the volatility of the banks and financial markets and this article gives the background on why.  There is no doubt that the area where we like to do so much work- in the commercial building- is probably not the healthiest going.  By the way the dollar amount of commercial mortgages in this mess is almost 1.5 trillion.  That is “trillion” with a T.  Wow.  Never a dull moment eh?

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  More evidence of that challenge in the commercial space? The latest Dodge Momentum Index was battered and the blame fell on the commercial structures along with the hotel side.  Now I have been bullish on the recreation (lodging) area and I am not alone (past podcast guest Nick St. Denis noted that too) so I think that will find its footing but the concern elsewhere is real and should continue to impress on upon you to be diverse in your approaches. 

 

--  OK on to some better news…  from all indications attendance at the AIA show this past week was positive.  I know that the NGA’s annual Blueprint for Collaboration event was a huge hit and I heard from others that traffic was solid.  Shows are most decidedly “back” which has me absolutely geeked out for GlassBuild this fall.  Nothing better than getting everyone together and pulling our industry forward with the best exhibits, education, and networking!

 

--  Before GlassBuild though we do have the NGA Glass Conference: Tacoma and one of the lead subjects is Bird Friendly Glazing.  The NGA Super Hero tech team will be running down the latest there which has a few interesting twists and turns still to play.  So don’t get left behind on the latest.  Learn more and register today HERE.

 

--  Three big anniversaries in our space…  First to Brian and Gloria Hale and their company, Hale Glass, hitting the 45 year mark!  That is awesome.  Brian and Gloria are great people and huge supporters and ambassadors to the industry.  Also Brian has one of the best senses of humor in our space which is always appreciated.  Great company and thrilled that they are rolling along.  Next is Kenpat marking 20 years, which I saw online thanks to my good pal Frank D’Aprile.  Kenpat started as framing, acoustical and drywall and now has grown dramatically and has their very competent fingers into a bunch of items.  Congrats to everyone there!  And last but certainly not least, SPIL Software celebrated its 14^th year in business.  Lakshman “Lax” Kalupathirana is one of the nicest people around and he and his team have built an incredible fabricated glass software platform being utilized worldwide.  They represent our space well and I love that they continue to innovate and evolve to help companies become more efficient.  Congrats to Lax and team! 

 

--  Last this week… two items from the airport in Houston.  First, I am on a streak of always always always picking the wrong lane in TSA Security (and super markets, toll booths etc.) It is incredible the run I am on, no matter what lane I choose, it inevitably goes a lot slower than the others. So if you are with me at any lane choosing scenario, pick the opposite. Second, kudos to the Houston Bush Airport.  Have not been there in years and it’s a solid place led by the fact that it easily has the best food options of any airport going right now.  They have a Blaze Pizza (which is amazingly clutch) along with Chick-fil-A, Jack in the Box, Wich Wich, and many (healthier) others.  Just a huge range of options that work.  Note I may be jaded because a few of the recent airports I have been in and out of have really been weak food option wise… so this was nice!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

Hopefully the driver is ok- this one is a wild piece of video of a car launching after running straight into the ramp of a parked tow truck.  

 

Good to see better use of the old “6 car garage” – yes a 6 car garage now tiny homes…

 

Apple with a big update on “auto correct” but won’t help my issue where it often auto corrects the word “said” to “Saud” because I used to work with a fine gentleman named John Saud and he’s in my contacts….

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

A favorite company of mine is TSI Corporations and they get the spotlight.  I had their excellent Will Pounds on the pod last year (LINK) and I am a big fan of Thomas Cornellier there though I rarely get to talk with him. (Some day I’ll get more than 30 seconds but for now I know he’s swamped).  I think this may be the 2^nd or 3^rdtime I’ve had TSI in this spot, which is rare since I like to spread it around, but sometimes I can’t help it.  Anyway, this is Signal House and it is a beaut.  My gosh.  Gensler with the design and according to the TSI post they worked with the folks at Erie Architectural on this one- so kudos to all.  This is one fantastic looking building!

 

Houston Rocks

The great state of Texas never disappoints and that was the case again this past week when I had the honor of speaking at the Houston Area Glass Association (HAGA) luncheon.  Just a tremendous group of people that are so engaged in our space and future.  Among the highlights for me was HAGA awarding four scholarships to college and trade school applicants.  I love that this organization (and I know others do as well) is doing this and hopefully it can keep growing and help us eventually attract those folks back into our world.  Obviously, the people there were a highlight for me, starting with one of my all-time favorites Jacque Freeman of Binswanger Glass.  She continues to just dominate out there and that is incredibly cool for me to see.  The board of HAGA is a great group and it was nice for me to get to meet and chat with the current president Landon Lovette of Door Control Services.  I enjoyed getting to meet a bunch of new people too. RJ Hernandez of Absolute Glass not only had some great insight on our market and the adventures currently, but his company logo and shirt won the day.  Kenoel “KB” Burleson and Charlotte Davis of Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope were also new people for me to meet and both were super impressive.  Mario Lopez of MI Glass has a heck of a back story and he and his companies are crushing it.  Also doing well and nice to finally meet in person was John Dockery of Dockery Fabrication.  We were supposed to meet a long time ago and whatever craziness at the time hit and postponed it.  Was great to finally make that connection here.  YKK AP was well represented, and it was super to chat/meet Julie Freund and Heath Brown from there.  I am sure that is why that brand is so well respected in the area there. And when it comes to respect, big time tap to Terri Gilmore of A3 Glass- everywhere she goes I know the respect and appreciation follows.

Plus seeing folks I have known for years like Dustin and Lindsay Price of Texas Glazing Solutions (they were not wearing the lone star shoes though), Wade Arnold of Quickserv (an amazing presenter in his own right- I think he’s going on an arena tour soon with his presentation) Mike DeBotte of Smartlift (who gave me a great tutorial on the amazing machine he had on site) was a great extra plus.  Thanks also to Dorothy Gurka of HAGA for her hospitality and to Kyle Sharp of Sharp Glass and the Texas Glass Association for driving 3 hours to see the presentation- hopefully it was worth it for him! (And I know not as fun as shooting up stuff with Andrew Haring but hopefully close!)

 

Elsewhere….

 

--  In case you missed it, my latest podcast is up and it is getting incredible feedback.  Guests were Anas Al Kassas of INOVUES, Eliot Benor of Building Envelope Testing, and the duo of Tyler Faulk and Brandon Bellegarde of The Drafting Marketplace. Majority of the feedback has been along the lines of “did not know that” in the sort of knowledge nuggets these folks dropped. Thank you for checking it out!

VIDEO

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

 

-- The best thing going on Facebook is the Shower Door Professionals group but for many the angle of Facebook was a non-starter.  So good news, the great Chris Phillips has brought a version to LinkedIn.  So if you are involved anywhere in the shower door chain- this forum is for you.  It’ll probably take a minute to replicate the success of the FB version but I have no doubts it will.  Check it out and join HERE.

 

--  Good to see the YKK/cove.tool mash up.  Two forward thinking companies and the combo makes sense.  cove.tool has been sending me e-mails for a while and each one takes a dive into how they are helping note energy and carbon performance on a project.  Glass Magazine has more details as this connection gets officially announced this week.  No doubt more and more focus is coming to this space in the future.

 

Last week… Those who know me know I love the Buc-ee’s chain.  And this article breaks it all down on why.  A must stop whenever you can…

 

LINKS of the WEEK

Great story and visual about a pilot locked out of his plane but it makes no sense to me.  Obviously there were people on the plane- including other pilots and crew?

 

Some freaky stuff there Georgia (meaning folks living there- not anyone named Georgia)

 

I am hugely pro-robot for our plants and jobsites.  But in the home?  Nope. (Note I am anti tech at home- I just bought a washer that has all dials on it- no keyboards or apparent electronics etc.) 

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Cliff Wright over at Layne Glass posted this one and I just love the way glass and sunshades came out.  This is a just a solid, smart building that the gang at Layne just pounded out without issue. No word on who did the glass, metal, or sunshades thought but congrats to all involved!