Almost There!!

Next week!  Yes, next week brings on the month of March and it finally brings on BEC and GPAD in Nashville.  Obviously, I am very excited on both.  The chance to connect with so many has me jumping out of my skin.  But also, I do think this year brings the best education aspects we’ve ever had.  Two quick spotlights- one at each.  At BEC, we’ve got a on one conversation between the great Matt Aragon of Aragon Construction and Architect Keith Fine of the renowned SLAM Collaborative.  This will surely provide insight into a world we always want to know more about.  At GPAD, we get to see the truly larger than life Mike Synon of HHH/Salem talking potential tempered pitfalls and so much more.  Mike always brings the straight talk and for the brilliant fabricators who made the call to attend GPAD (still time to join them) they’ll benefit. 

More info on BEC HERE, and GPAD HERE. Can’t wait to see you all there!

 

Elsewhere…

--  In case you missed it, last week I had a bonus podcast with Matt Kamper of Woodbridge Glass and Kyle Lindersmith of Burkle.  Obviously, a lot of BEC/GPAD talk mixed in with other views you can use.  Thanks for taking a listen or watch!

Watch- VIDEO

Listen- AUDIO (or search From the Fabricator on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts)

 

--  Forecasts continue to be studied and parsed more than normal with some locales in North America experiencing softer conditions at the moment.  The latest Dodge Momentum Index stayed flat in January and the year has started off down 1% on the commercial side of things.  Meanwhile in the just released Architectural Billings Index, the main score of 46.2 was better than last month but still off from the score of 50 that shows break even.  However once again new project inquiries stayed strong and that gives optimism that things will hang in there for a while.  The problem is commitment- people are trying to push forward but is the money/funding there to make it happen?  We’ll stay on that   In the meantime, the survey also noted more firms are investing in Marketing.  Which made me laugh as once upon a time a great man I worked for told me “Marketing?  Who the hell needs Marketing” Anyway as you all know I am a big believer in marketing so anytime people want to push it- I’m all in. 

 

--  We lost another absolute titan in our industry with the passing of Stanley Albert of S Albert Glass.  Glass Magazine did a great job with this tribute; it helped me get to learn about a true leader and man that I never got to meet.  Even though I never knew Stanley- I had obviously heard of him and had and have massive respect for S Albert Glass.  I am an unabashed fan of his son Michael, who has been extremely dedicated to the industry and also is a good man.  I am glad that Michael and his son Steven continue to build on the legacy of Stanley- that always gives me hope for all.  My thoughts and condolences to Michael and Steven and the entire Albert family and team at S. Albert Glass. 

 

--  Very good to see the gang at Thompson Innovative Glass making positive news with their recertification of ISO-9001.  Why does this matter?  Because we’re seeing more and more specs coming down demanding that the glass fabricator meet this standard.  We’re always being pressed to perform better and prove it and Tom Donovan & Company are stepping up.  Congrats to them and keep it going. 

 

--  Also good to see old friend Andrew Kennedy get a new start with the launch of Dv8 Glazing.  Andrew had a pretty adventurous previous run, and I am glad he has shown the resilience needed to get back at it and go hard with this new company.  Congrats my friend!!

 

--  Last this week… saw Josh Wignall of Quaker Window picked up an honor at the recent FGIA Conference. Good to see an awesome person get some positive pub!  Plus, now Josh passes Caitlin Clark of Iowa basketball fame as the most decorated and successful current Hawkeye out there! Josh has done in his career what Caitlin is doing to college hoops right now… very cool! 

 

LINKS of the WEEK

Unreal video here of an unruly customer getting what they deserve and good for the owner of the business for backing her

 

A lake in death valley? Huh.

 

Stained glass rear auto taillights.  Cool but are they safe?

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

We go to the great Northwest and to BC, Canada for this one.  This is Bridgeview and kudos to PFG Glass who supplied the IGU’s with Cardinal Glass.  And also amazing work from my great friends at ICD High Performance Coatings and Chemistries as the spandrel turned out picture perfect.  CONGRATS to all on a job well done!! 

Bonus Pod, Tough Loss, "Shrinkflation", and More

BONUS Podcast time… so with the final countdown to the big BEC & GPAD events here, I decided to do a bonus podcast with 2 guys that have significant roles in both and also have a lot to share.  First up is Matt Kamper of Woodbridge Glass.  Matt is off the charts unreal.  He shared some incredible insight on approaches and focus and his thoughts on importance in the volunteering and event area was huge.  Plus, he throws out a ton of credit to some big industry icons.  Love it.  And of course, he’s been a huge factor in BEC, so we covered that.  Next was Kyle Lindersmith of Burkle.  He made a major splash at the GPAD event 2 years ago and is gearing up again.  We talked that along with trends and usages and he also shared some great views on what is next tech wise for laminating.  GPAD was good for him and the fabricators that met with him so expecting the same next month.  Fun pod overall with a lot of takeaways.  Thanks for giving it a listen or watch!  And if you’re not registered for BEC or GPAD yet- do it now!  BEC HERE, GPAD HERE.

Watch- VIDEO

Listen- AUDIO (or search From the Fabricator on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts)

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  Tough one this week with the passing of Newt Little of Ace Glass.  Newt was a super super human.  Nice, funny, inspirational, classy, and a friend immediately to all.  I loved getting any time I could with Newt during various industry meetings.  He always brought the energy and was a true industry guy.  His son Courtney has picked up right where Newt had left off being everywhere he can- so I know that had to make Newt super proud.  Huge loss of a wonderful human.  My thoughts and prayers go out to Courtney and the entire Little family and team at Ace.  Newt will be missed!  

 

--  On the positive this week- nice to see a good man get a great new title- Greg Grothoff was named President of the Southwest region for GlassFab.  I met Greg 2 years ago at the Texas Glass Conference (which the next one is coming in May- can’t wait) and you could tell this was a guy who “got it” and really had a passion for our space.  Was fun chatting with him then and look forward to doing it again.  Congrats again Greg and GlassFab!

 

--  So in March of 2022 I wrote this:

--  Last this week… inflation.  Pure misery. Has anyone else noted that not only does most food items cost more but they are coming in smaller quantities or packaging not coming close to containing the normal or advertised amount.  This whole stretch we are in is a mess and I don’t see it getting better.  Just a tough one all around.  And I didn't even mention gas prices....

So as I ended up noting a few weeks later in ’22 the term for this was “Shrinkflation” and now this past week it’s become a national issue.  How about that?  Interesting that I was ahead of this 2 years ago.  Sad that it’s taken 2 years for the powers that be to jump in. (and probably nothing will get accomplished)

 

--  Last this week- Congrats to all the KC fans out there on the Super Bowl.  I really should’ve kept with my original pick of the Chiefs eh?  I learned my lesson and got a few messages from folks on that!  Now onto the commercials.  I thought this year was better than last but still not great overall. I mentioned Andrew Haring could take these over but I should also add I think Keith Daubmann for sure could be the Czar of future Super Bowl commercials.  I know Keith would do better than the awful ones from people like Homes.com.   Anyway, here’s my list of winners and comments! 

Best overall:  M&M’s. “Almost champs.” Funny. They never fail.  Just always gets a chuckle out of me.  

Why spend: Lindt candy.  Seriously these ads are 7 million.  Why?  Odd marketing outlay for a candy that doesn’t even make the cut at tradeshows.

Lio the Great: The Messi one soccer on beach was fun and cool to watch plus as a bonus Messi and industry stalwart Hernan Gil are friends.

“Ahnoll”:  Funny accent sure but I love Arnold. And these State Farm ones were well done. 

Movie I’ll see: Twister.  Great trailer and considering I usually use a clip or two from the original in my speeches, I may get some new material now. 

Nice Touch: Gronk commercial paying tribute to the great Carl Weathers was super. RIP Apollo Creed.

Pickleball:  E trade babies come through again and the text of this as great as the comical imaging.

May be just me: But for the 2^nd year in a row, I loved the Affleck/JLo Dunkin one.  This year the addition of Matt Damon was clutch and one-week later people are still talking about it. 

Music for the win:  Queen’s music in the Pfizer commercial just made it work a billion times better. 

Coach:  For Friday Night Lights fans (tv version) coach Eric Taylor was the best.  Well actor Kyle Chandler reprised the role for United and it was awesome.  

Understated and Perfect: Last but not least- kudos to Disney for doing a sharp one with just all-time famous quotes from their movies.  It hit perfectly and gave me chills.  I think even the news king of Disney (the one and only Zach Perilstein of Boardwalktimes.net) would agree. Good stuff!

Otherwise after these I was in the “meh” camp.  Brands trying too hard to be edgy or funny and sometimes just overdone overall.  It’ll always floor me the spends involved and then this is the swing you take?  Just my opinion though- feel free to share yours in comments on my Linkedin post of this blog or always feel free to e-mail me. 

 

LINKS of the WEEK

I think I knew this about Flight Attendants pay- but maybe not.

This is a good idea and seeing more and more of it at stadiums.

 

This is a wild one- living for free in a NY hotel for 5 years? Then more twists…

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

One of the big attendees at GPAD will be the gang at Glenny Glass.  They support this event and smartly learn and grow from it each year.  And you can tell by the growth of their company and great projects that they do.  This one is in Lexington, Kentucky (aka “Lex Vegas”) and is just a sharp and solid job all the way around.  Congrats to Braxton Smith and team on a great job- keep it up!!

 

 

 

Conferences, Sales, Boards & More

The latest edition of the NGA Glass Conference wrapped up this past week in South Carolina and I am always amazed at how much gets done at those things.  Not being close to a technical stalwart, I tend to review these events from afar, leaving the technical superstars from our industry to do their thing.  This outing covered the gambit of items including codes and guidelines but deeper dives into school security- which hopefully takes another step forward here soon. (This moving into the code realm HAS to be done right!  Meaning with the right style of products that have the teeth to get the job done- no bare minimums here. )  Also, there was a bit of a cliffhanger as the DOE had representatives on hand and noted that in the next few weeks something is coming out that will make the folks in the room very happy.  That surely bears keeping an eye on.  I’m excited to read more of the follow ups and now all focus turns to BEC and GPAD. Can’t wait!

 

Elsewhere….

--  ICYMI- the latest podcast has been burring up the podwaves!  I had a feeling that bringing back Nick St. Denis and Tim Widner would do that, and it did.  If you missed it- see below for handy links.  The two areas making news among others?  Nick’s talks on the way 23 ended and thoughts on 24 and Tim’s solar stats.  Surely both getting people talking!  Thanks again for checking it out.  And if all goes well, I have special “bonus” edition of the podcast next week. So stay tuned!

VIDEO

AUDIO (And search “From the Fabricator” on Apple, Spotify, Google or wherever you listen to podcasts!)

 

--  Deals are starting to pop more and more.  After months of hot rumors, Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope bought Midwest Glass Fabricators. Will be interesting to see how this fits in the OBE portfolio with the legendary Perrysburg, OH facility not that far away.  Meanwhile at least 3 other deals are close including another one that will have an effect in my backyard in Michigan (among other areas).   With some areas softening (as I mention below) the time to sell may be sooner than later for some on the fence or close. 

 

--  Those who know me know I love the glass universe in the great state of Texas.  Over the past few weeks, the various Boards of the trade associations in the state have been set and folks- it is awesome and stunning the talent that in on display.  So many tremendous folks.  The big overall board from the Texas Glass Association reads like a “who’s who” of incredible people.  

Executive Board:
Kyle Sharp- President
Brian Risinger- Vice President
Landon Lovette- Secretary
Jody Hilton- Treasurer
Board Members:
Wade Arnold
Chris Bayer 
Kristina Buckett – (also TGA- North Texas President)
Jacque Freeman – (also Houston Area Glass Association-HAGA President)
Tyler Hall
Sam Hill
Kyle Lamb
Felix Munson, Sr.
Rick Newnom
Scott Theut
Chance Lloyd
Valerie Nagy

The takeaway? You cover every base here. Between Kyle Sharp and Brian Risinger you have 2 of the nicest, classiest guys around who also happen to be off the charts leaders.  Then below, one of my all-time favorites in Jacque Freeman is there.  Jacque just continues to climb to awesome heights thanks to talent and a relentless drive and nothing will stop her- and she’s a fabulous person too. I’ve written about many of these other folks over the years- so many instances of them giving back to our industry to make it a better place.  Congrats to all and THANK YOU to all for volunteering and supporting. 

Also not listed, but I gotta mention because I’m a fan… Michael DeFrank and Robert Heffernan are on the board of TGA- NTD, and RJ Hernandez and Lindsay Price are on the HAGA board-  so great to see- all excellent people.   Texas truly has it going on!! (and for those I don’t know I look forward to meeting soon either at a meeting or at GlassBuild in Dallas this Fall.)

 

--  AIA consensus report was released recently.  The top line was that 2024 for non-residential may be up 4% with a lag in 2025 at only 1.2%.  Remember this is taking several forecasts and boiling them up into the consensus.  This chart allows you to look at all.  If you listened/watched the pod with Nick mentioned above these numbers do align.  For me- the public safety one is fascinating.  That is a large jump- one I have been bullish about for too long.  Is it going to hit now?  Overall though I know some are staying busy while others have softened.  So we continue to try and mine all we can from the data and chase work responsibly.  

  

--  Been meaning to get to this… a truly different view of the office space issue.  How about this headline “The looming office space real estate shortage. Yes, shortage”  Now this article takes into account the challenging happenings in that space that could actually make things tighter?  Interesting quick read. 

 

--  Last this week… the best travel writer on the planet is Dawn Gilbertson of the Wall Street Journal and recently she took part in a new airport security set up in Denver.  Great read and will be very curious on how this works as it goes live. Road warriors if and when you experience this new arrangement in Denver, let me know-- this could be our future!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

A record-breaking opportunity shot down by a wild technicality!

 

This may be the oddest story you read all week- a disco bathroom at Kentucky gas station I guess If you can’t be Buc-ee’s than try this!

 

Furry clawed crabs?  Nope- I’m out.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

I seemingly pick on Oregon all the time- so this week I’m throwing a positive spotlight because this project out there is mind-blowing. Instead of me trying to re-write… this description from Nupress Facades wins the day and I decided to print verbatim.  Amazing looking job. CONGRATS to everyone involved in this beauty! 

 

The Cascading Wall at The Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact at The University of Oregon.
This unique wall utilizes a double skin glass façade, with the outer skin representing “water cascading over rock”.  Nupress was tasked with designing and fabricating the outer skin under considerable wind and seismic criteria. The strut system cantilevers nearly 3 feet off the face of the interior curtainwall system allowing for periodic cleaning. The strut system was integrated with knife plates off the curtainwall which transferred the loads back into re-enforced mullions. We used 3D modeling and analysis to design the exoskeleton and associated unique sized glass clamps.  The glass is a dual pass Opaci coat with the interior side being granite gray, and the outside surface being white. This frit design allowed for ease of visibility to the exterior from inside the building, while maintaining a frosted appearance from outside the building.
All of this made possible with the generous donation by Phil and Penny Knight who have collectively donated 1 Billion dollars towards scientific discovery, research, and innovation at the University of Oregon. 
Project: The Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact at The University of Oregon
Location: Eugene, OR.
Architect: Ennead / Bora
Glazing Contractor: Ferguson Neudorf Glass Inc.

Forecast and Other Insights

The newest episode of the From the Fabricator podcast is now up!  This time out we’ve got 2 making their return to the airwaves with great insight and info.  Kicking it off for the 3^rd year in a row- a forecast session with Nick St. Denis of KMR.  Nick does a tremendous job, has great offerings overall, and we spend most of the cast talking the various ups and downs in our space and where the optimism stands. Really helpful stuff.  Then Tim Widner from Lippert joins me for a rollicking run through our world, new products and tech, resiliency, and focus. Tim has done it all and seen it all and it is always fun to get his perspective on our world.  So please check it out! Thank you again for the support!

VIDEO

AUDIO (And search “From the Fabricator” on Apple, Spotify, Google or wherever you listen to podcasts!)

 

Elsewhere…

--  One area Nick and I talked about was the hotel and recreation space and that area continues to roll along. Nick had it pegged that things are promising there, and this column backs it up with a big number of projects in the works.  Good to see.

 

--  On the flip side and as expected, the latest Architectural Billings Index showed a below water number again, staying basically flat from last month with a 45.4.  The positive side was the design contract number jumped to the break-even of 50 and the inquiries stayed alive at 53.1. The down main number is not a surprise but nice to see the others hanging in there. Again the thought was these negative numbers would run through 1Q and start to rebound so that has been the case to date.  We’ll continue to monitor!

 

--  Big news out of Apogee this week with the restructuring of their Architectural Framing division.  Not all completely clear to me but at least what was shown publicly was the Tubelite plant in Michigan will close and other work is going to be consolidated.  And there is word out there that brands will be combined, and certain long-term company names may be going away.  No doubt this will have a trickle-down effect on how people work and the availability of talent that may have gotten caught up in the downsizing.  Given this talent is coming from an industry leader like Apogee I don’t expect anyone to be without work for long.  Bottom line though is Apogee saw an area to streamline and improve and went after it- and with that comes those tough calls on people and brands. But I do always preach on here about really working your business and they are doing just that.  I would assume with the high-end way they communicate things will become clearer on what’s what soon enough. 

 

--  The annual Movers Study for 2023 came out and I am shocked at the results…. 

This was done by United Van Lines for the 47^th Year.

Top Inbound states?

Vermont

Washington, D.C.

South Carolina

Arkansas

Rhode Island

North Carolina

South Dakota

Alabama

New Mexico

West Virginia

 

Honestly- DC floored me.  I guess working for the US Government is a big deal?  Also shocked- no Florida or Texas on this list.  

 

The top outbound states for 2023 were:

New Jersey

Illinois

North Dakota

New York

Michigan

California

Massachusetts

Kansas

 

Interesting on the outbound was North Dakota.  Surely doesn’t fit with the others and I really thought Oregon would be on here. (I know I always pick on Oregon)  Anyway love these lists and find it fascinating to follow….

 

--  You keep hearing and seeing more on embodied carbon so it was refreshing to see brilliant industry folks like Ricardo Maiz, Martin Bracamonte, and Rob Struble at it again with Vitro’s release of their new Emissions Carbon and Energy Calculator.  Really sharp stuff and kicks off with a well-done step by step video.  Kudos to all at Vitro who had a hand in this- good info!!

 

--  Last this week…. So the Super Bowl is coming up… and it’s been a contentious one for me.  At the beginning of the season I picked KC to win it.  But when I had a chance for re-do I went with the Ravens.  Ouch.  So, I am hoping KC does it because maybe I can count it as a ½ win?  (And they should win because Mahomes is amazing)  But full win and credit should go to the great Junaid Saleem of CSG Global Talent Experts.   He’s been on the KC train all the way! All I want now though is a good game with some great creative commercials. If the commercials fail this year, then I think we push Madison Avenue to hire Andrew Haring to produce them for next year….

 

LINKS of the WEEK

Speaking of the Chiefs- that first playoff game they played was in truly insane weather.  Wonder if changes are coming for the future?l

 

This story starts with a bonkers headline and sadly proceeds from there

 

And on the opposite- hilarious headline and comical story

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

The amazing team at Ajay Glass in New York pop into the spotlight this week with the The Student Hall for Exploration and Development (SHED) project at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Great looking building and the one picture below just doesn’t do it enough justice- so check out more HERE. Kudos to the Stathopoulos family and the entire team at Ajay for being a part of an epic job!  Those guys always make our industry look good!