Hitting the Floor. Really.

This past week, I was invited to Splendor Glass outside of Toledo, Ohio.  I was so excited to visit and hit their manufacturing floor. That was until I actually HIT their floor.  The day started with me getting some work done and then hopping in my car for the hour and 45-minute drive south.  I was so pumped that I just grabbed an energy bar and went. I arrived at Splendor, found a parking space, and went in on time for the tour.  The floor was impressive.  Zero waste of space, so much happening, and pristine fabricated material all over.  In the center of it all was the new JRS Drilling and Milling Machine that came from the great folks at IGE Glass Technologies.  It was something to see.  Sleek, smart, and contained.  Just a stunner of a machine that will be a massive difference-maker.  Seeing it next to the old technology operating on the floor was like looking at an iPhone vs an old fashioned landline phone.  Just a huge difference in real time.  Anyway, as I was taking it all in, I started to feel a little off.  Since starting my health journey 5 years ago, I had moments like these.  I exercise vigorously daily, and if I don’t eat and hydrate, I can get a bit woozy.  The icky feeling was gaining on me, and I turned to Tom Wanamaker, the incredible President of Splendor, and said, “I need to find a bathroom,” my thinking being, I slap some water on my face, maybe drink some, and I’m fine.  Well, that plan didn’t fly. The next thing you know, I am out cold, falling flat to the plant floor and landing on my left side and face.  When I came to, I was propped onto an A-Frame with a few people around me.  Tom told me that I said, “I think I’m going to feint” (I don’t recall this), and down I went.  Thankfully I didn’t land into anything there and Splendor’s extremely clean floor made it for the best landing spot concrete could be.  Tom and the team took me to the lunchroom where, within a minute of being there, four of the area’s best paramedics were on the scene.  They started to poke and prod, get blood pressure and so on.  I thought, “Give me a Snickers, and I’m good to go,” but after they took my blood pressure and it was stupid low, it was off to the hospital for me.  All the while, the legendary Manny Borda of IGE was keeping the mood light, which was needed because I was both hurting and super embarrassed to go down on that floor. 

The paramedics took me away and off to the hospital I went for a few hours of tests, a few IV’s and a shockingly good Turkey sandwich.  The tests all came back as me being severely dehydrated and super stupid for not eating or drinking in the AM (the 2nd diagnosis was mine).  The penalty I paid in addition to my now painful face and head was that they had trouble getting different readings for my heart so I had 12 very sticky buttons on my chest and a couple more on my arms.  Now while I have no hair on my head- I have way too much on my chest.  Or at least I did.  As after they were done and I was cleared, removing those buttons were pure brutality.  The awesome Todd Schulz of IGE came to the hospital to hang and see me cleared and brought me back to Splendor where I could catch up a bit with Tom before heading home. So, I guess I should be careful for what I wish for when I say “I can’t wait to hit the floor.”   In the end, I am OK, still kicking myself for not taking care of myself and putting myself in this deal.  I am super thankful to Tom and his amazing people, Manny, Todd and then all of the medical pros who had to deal with me.  And I can say seeing Splendor and that JRS machine was so good it knocked me out!  (Good marketing spin, right???  But seriously- both so dang impressive.)  I always say “never a dull moment” and now I can add this one to the list. 

Elsewhere….

-- ICYMI- the latest From the Fabricator podcast has had awesome traction and I am so overjoyed. It featured Cal Beyer and David Argus talking mental health, well-being, addiction, recovery, support, love and so much more.  Overall it was heavy subject matter but so important and I am glad so many checked it out so far.  If you missed it, please give it a whirl.  Thank you!

AUDIO (Also search “From the Fabricator” in your favorite podcast outlet- Spotify, Apple etc.)

For Cal’s site with resources- CLICK HERE

Thank you also to this episode's sponsor, FHC Frameless Hardware Company. I truly appreciate that support!

-- The next Architectural Billings Index will be released this week and there’s a lot of buzz out there that it may be a positive one- meaning a score over 50.  While I’d love to see it, I’d be surprised.  I think it’s going to be level with last month which was 49.2.  We shall see though- these indexes have been hard to figure, so anything could happen!

-- I’ve always been a fan of Dr. Helen Sanders of Tecnoform and recently she delivered a must-read blog post on the “battle for the wall” and where the low-cost imports come into play.  It is a strong deep dive into a big-time issue in our space and of course Helen handled it with her typical class and style.  Check it out!

-- How about this?  Very neat success story in getting some solid young talent into our space.  Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) had a blog post announcing one of their recent graduates in their job training program joined up at the new state of the Thompson Innovative Glass plant in Jenison, Michigan.  It is something you want to see more of!   More young folks coming from 2-year programs or technical schools into our world!!  Kudos to GRCC for pushing this forward and promoting it with a PR and to the always on top of it Tom Donovan and team at Thompson for jumping on a great candidate.  We need to do more of this wherever and whenever we can!

-- Last this week… No blog next week- with Canada Day and Independence Day- many are off as for instance no Glass Magazine Weekly) so I’ll follow suit.  Please celebrate responsibly (and care for your neighbors with the fireworks- in moderation please…) I’ll be back week of July 7th with a new podcast episode and tons of other content… and also hopefully no adventures on the floor of incredibly cool players in our world!

LINKS of the WEEK

I’ve been lucky – in all my flights never had anything like this.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/american-airlines-passenger-who-duct-taped-seat-gagged-after-trying-open-cabin-door-mid-flight-sued

No more AI at the McDonald’s drive-through.  For now, I bet… I’m guessing it’ll be back!

https://bakersfieldnow.com/news/offbeat/mcdonalds-says-it-will-no-longer-use-its-drive-thru-ai-stop-ended-cancel-automated-order-taking-restaurant-fast-food-united-states-technology-problem-issue-voice-mess-up-shut-off

If this study grows and delivers the results of the ability to delay dementia and Alzheimer’s?  Wow.  Still probably a long shot.

https://apnews.com/article/alzheimers-dementia-gene-apoe-christchurch-4faa3b786bfb39152915d23049e754fa

PROJECT of the WEEK

Not my typical style for project of the week- but I like this company a lot and wanted to throw some pub their way.  This was from Jorge Gomez of Lee & Cates Glass in Florida and it’s a nice little replacement job for the Women’s Care group. Small but good-looking project!  Keep up the great work folks!

Mental Health & Well-Being

A milestone for the podcast as episode #50 overall is now out!  For this episode, I wanted to do something special and different, so I went away from my typical industry product/service focus and concentrated on one set of guests and a crucial set of subjects.  I was very fortunate to have Cal Beyer of the SAFE Project and David Argus of Karas and Karas Glass on to talk about Mental Health and Safety, Addiction, Recovery, Support, Love, and doing the right thing by your fellow person.  If you heard either of them talk at GlassBuild or BEC, we covered some of that and dug deeper, too.  It was a fascinating run through the area of worker well-being that so many don’t want to talk about but really need to understand and should want to know what to do and how to approach it. Cal brings the solutions, and David brings the real-life examples in our space. it truly was a memorable experience for me, and I think all of you who listen/watch will agree.  Now is the time to step up. Thank you, Cal and Dave, and thank you all for checking this out.

VIDEO

AUDIO (Also search “From the Fabricator” in your favorite podcast outlet- Spotify, Apple etc.)

For Cal’s site with resources- CLICK HERE

Thank you also to this episode's sponsor, FHC Frameless Hardware Company. I truly appreciate that support!

 Elsewhere…

-- The annual Top Manufacturing report is out from Window and Door Magazine, and while I know my audience here leans more commercial- the takeaways there really do vibe with what we see here. Good brief on it HERE.  Money, Labor, Diversification and Expansions.  The biggest one for me is labor. We have to keep being creative and vigilant in attracting and retaining our workforce and give them every avenue to be safe and successful.  The podcast subject matter above for sure plays into it but also improving areas of material handling throughout the process to prevent the preventable injury is so crucial. While the money and product angles will change and get better, we have to work a lot harder to make sure the labor scenario doesn’t get even worse.

-- The latest Dodge Momentum Index is out and brought some positive news. The index did pop up 3% from April, and the analysts were pretty bullish about the trend line into 2025.  Right now, we are 40% ahead of where we were pre-pandemic.  It may not feel like it, but that’s what the numbers are showing.  Probably the key is getting the delayed and on-hold projects unstuck, and off we go. Possibly?  That’s at least an assumption.  Regardless, I’ll take the dose of positivity and keep rolling forward.

-- Back on the stock exchange beat.  The latest glass-related company to go public is Gauzy.  Trading under the symbol GAUZ, we’ll see if they have better luck than the last company to go this route.   A big key that I hope they learn from that last company that failed on the public markets is not ignoring the support of the industry.  This means being active at shows and in associations. So far, they’ve been quiet about that since the emergence as a publicly traded company, but obviously, they’ve had a lot going on.  Hopefully, though, they make that change, get into the NGA and Association world, and support the industry because our space tends to support companies and people who support us.

-- Congrats to old pal Vincent Guerrero of MAC Glass. He noted on a LinkedIn post that the company just passed the 6-year mark in business.  Happy for Vincent and the team there. Good to see.  I have known Vincent for way too long- yet he looks exactly the same, and I look like I am 90.  Something good must be in the water there… LOL

-- Last this week… since we are talking milestones, I saw Jeff Spicer from IGE Glass Technologies celebrated his 19th year there.  Incredible and awesome- congrats to Jeff and IGE on that one.  I do swear though every time Jeff sees me approaching at GlassBuild he looks at his watch and then looks to find anywhere to hide vs. being stuck talking to me!  LOL.  Jeff and team there continue to rock on- happy for all!

LINKS of the WEEK

I have no clue on fashion or wedding etiquette but this Mother of the Bride dress is the hot topic online this week.

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/internet-questions-whether-mother-bride-171400926.html

Somehow, I expect a Fixer Upper sort of show coming about this house.  Heck that is what I would do if I bought it.

https://www.webcenterfairbanks.com/2024/06/12/condemned-7-bedroom-house-bay-area-hits-market-nearly-700k/

The push for all-electric vehicles continues to be fraught with issues. Now, as in this story, there is theft at the charger. Hybrid was always the initial way to go. What a mess this continues to be.

https://apnews.com/article/electric-vehicles-charging-cables-stolen-copper-tesla-5f003686cade63fade2e8d7dd3402f3a

PROJECT of the WEEK

A rare trip into my backyard for the Project of the Week! This was posted by Ken VanBuskirk of Daniels Glass in Detroit, and it’s an in-progress shot at a new branch for Northstar Bank. So far, so good!  Way back in the day, I used to sell Daniels Glass, and they were one of the anchors that helped my family get set into the great state of Michigan. The owners of the company then have moved on, but regardless, this is still so good to see.  Nice work Ken and team!!

Learning Curve

Environmental impact. That term and all that goes with it will be growing eventually in North America. It is a slow process, and I will be the first to admit my personal struggles with understanding it all.  So, I saw three things this week that gave me additional hope.  First, from the manufacturer side, the team at Eastman had a release featuring “Life cycle assessment (LCA) of architectural Eastman Saflex and Vanceva PVB interlayers”, focused on four new product additions: Saflex Clear, Saflex Acoustic, Saflex Solar and Vanceva.  This is a huge step for laminated glass and our overall world.  This was done in a style that was easier to grasp and obviously big for the massive, continued growth of laminated glass. Something tells me the legend Julie Schimmelpenningh was at the front of this effort. Kudos to all there!

Then I saw good info from NVOY Fire Rated Glass Systems and their partners POLFLAM with the latest EPD’s which I found very thorough and well done. The Fire Resistive space always has a lot going on and obviously it’s an enormous safety play too- so grasping this addition sustainability side is helpful.  Good to see from those teams.

And last but certainly never least!  Props to the great Dr. Kayla Natividad of NSG Pilkington!  Kayla is always doing things to make the data and terminology make sense.  This past week while at the FGIA Conference in Canada, she did it again by putting this effort into the format of the popular NYT game “Connections” where you match 4 items that go together in a grid of 16.  This game isn’t on the level of Wordle popularity but growing; so brilliant by Kayla for riding that wave, putting a glass industry spin on it to help people learn.  As noted, there is a long way to go, but with efforts like these above, we’re getting closer.

Elsewhere….

-- California dreamin'! I am absolutely stoked and honored to be invited to attend and speak at the July 18th meeting of the California Glass Association, which will be held at Hale Glass.  Can’t wait! The CGA is a group that I am super proud of- the folks there worked hard to get this off the ground, and I love that they are rolling along now.  I’m so excited to be able to see everyone in person and learn a bit as well.  So if you are within driving distance (and come on, Southern Cal- so easy to drive around, right? Everything so close… LOL), I would love to see you there.  More info is HERE!

-- Big news from NEXT Energy on a sizing breakthrough for transparent photovoltaics. As many of you know, I have been very bullish on this area and strongly believe this is a category that will grow. Some excellent players are gearing up, too. In this case, NEXT delivered a glass wall comprised of 27” X 35” transparent photovoltaic windows to the Gensler headquarters in Los Angeles, CA. Looks good! See more HERE, and congrats to all involved!

-- Congrats to the team at SPIL Software on the celebration of year #15 in business!  They continue to adapt and evolve their offerings on the glass fabrication space, and I’ve always liked what Lakshman ”Lax” Kalupathirana has done, and he’s always been extremely genuine and classy to me. So, congrats Lax and team, on year #15, and best wishes for many, many more.

-- Last this week- a bit old, but there was an interesting marketing controversy over an Apple ad for their new iPad release. It was an ad that showed a ton of different arts, music, sights, etc., crushed and smashed, and then when done, it was made into an iPad.  The goal obviously was to show that anything you could create the “old fashioned” way was now at your fingertips inside the iPad.  Well, that did not go over well. For many, it was taken as a sign that great creations were going to be replaced by machines.  I didn’t see it that way the first time through, but I could see their point once watching again.  Apple pulled the ad which shocked many since that brand has been known to go against the grain and stick to it.  Old-time observers say Steve Jobs would’ve never pulled it, and that is probably true.  Though in the continuing outsized legend of Steve Jobs, who knows?   Anyway, if you haven’t seen it, check it out HERE, and feel free to weigh in with any thoughts in the comments.

LINKS of the WEEK

This kid making faces in the background kinda wins for me given my distaste for politicians.

https://apnews.com/article/congress-kid-making-faces-social-media-f7274028cb42fb8fd8725d886dcd2517

Costs on flights have been inching up- and now they’re saying more to come.  Ugh

https://apnews.com/article/mideast-air-travel-iata-emirates-9e780b4f9f078c556857a462afb45b3d

A LEGO theft ring! Costs of those things and toys in general are nutty these days. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/two-arrested-71-year-old-man-allegedly-stealing-almost-3000-boxes-lego-rcna156018

PROJECT of the WEEK

From the feed of Brian Stephens of LTS.  Beautiful project here mixing products from Viracon and Halio.  This is the Delta Training facility, and I am not sure where in the US it is- I assume West?  Regardless I love the progress and the look is absolutely awesome!  When this is done and landscaped etc.- it will be a showstopping picture.   Kudos to all involved!!

The Chill Period

((NOTE- I am posting on LinkedIn each week too- please follow me there as well))

We’re about to run into the slower news season in our space after this week with a gaggle of meetings/events from AIA, FGIA, Fenetech, HAGA, and Vitrum, among others. Traditionally, summer is when all of our operations are at their busiest, so it makes sense to pull away from any major event.  So, a good chance for everyone to focus internally and keep plugging away.  Before we get there, though, I am very curious about how AIA will do this week in Washington, DC.  In the last several years, the show has been awful for exhibitors because the organizers did not care if anyone ever hit the floor or not.  It seems like this year, with a different focus, there is hope that there’ll be some traffic to the exhibits.  We’ll see.  I won’t be there, but I know a bunch attending/exhibiting, so I look forward to hearing all about it.

I am sure the other ones I mentioned will do great. I was honored to be at the HAGA one last year at this time, and I know the organizers of FGIA, Fenetech, and Vitrum’s efforts have put together first-class events.

Also, a note for this week… Registration OPENS for NGA Glass Conference; Milwaukee coming in August.  This event is a CRUCIAL one for the technical and operational side of our industry and the initial agenda is loaded with important subject matter.  More to come I am sure but check it out HERE and get to Milwaukee for it! 

Elsewhere…

-- If you missed the latest From the Fabricator podcast, this is your friendly reminder.  Feedback on this one has been great and it actually has garnered more questions than my normal podcasts get.  The session with Tom O’Malley of Clover and Kevin Mayer of PurOptima had people really digging into the interior space and recognizing a very promising area.  The segment with Travis Nevins and Matt Fox of IUPAT had folks gaining “aha” moments about where the IUPAT plays and what they do. Plus, more than a few people asked me if Matt could introduce them to his famous High School classmate.  All in all, there are a ton of takeaways from both sets of guests, and I very much appreciate their time in doing the pod and all of you listening, watching, sharing, etc. 

VIDEO

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

-- As you may have seen or heard with the podcast, I did add a new sponsor: FHC-Frameless Hardware Company. FHC made other news last week by unveiling their new location in Irving, Texas! This is exciting news for the team as the growth continues. Congrats to all involved, and I look forward to what comes next!

-- Also, from last week- the Best Places to Live top 10 had a lot of action around it, and it dawned on me that these lists truly are meant for debate, but this one more than any others.  The always astute Chris Dolan (“Megatron” Dolan may be retired, but he’s still reading the blog) told me he thought this list was generated by AI, and I think he nailed it!  Also, I did hear from NGA’s Digital Media Authority Bethany Stough that Maine is very worthy of being on that list.  So that counts!  In any case, I still love bringing them to light and sharing, so I guess I am the perfect consumer for it whether they are real or not!

-- The Gold Standard in PR in our space is Heather West, and this past week, we got the latest addition to that always impressive resume.  THIS STUDY from Heather and Tubelite is a great read and I love how the whole project came together.  (Though if you know me, I want more glass on every project but I’ll pick my spots)  Kudos to everyone involved in this one that again makes our industry stand out in a positive manner!

-- So I assume everyone saw the big news that Vitro Architectural Glass and the Pittsburgh Steelers are working together?  Really neat and exciting stuff and will raise the image of our industry in a few ways.  Congrats to Vitro for a brilliant move there.  But for me, the stunner was seeing long-time Dallas Cowboy superfan Ricardo Maiz leaning into the Steeler fandom.  Holding the jersey and helmet and smiling.  So it is safe to say that Ricardo has left the Cowboys behind and is all in on the Steelers now?  May have to buy him a throwback Terry Bradshaw jersey! 

-- Last this week… Did you catch this story? A Past Boston Marathon Winner owed prize money, and it wasn’t the Marathon organizers who ended up paying her. That's a wild one. But it's also crazy that the Marathon (and evidently other races) work this way. 

LINKS of the WEEK

Our priorities at the US government level are insanely off.

https://sports.yahoo.com/f1-finally-winning-u-fans-110041599.html

This looks like a tiny house that sold for a ton, but it’s still 1500 sq ft.

https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/duval-county/jacksonville-beach-skinny-house-featured-zillow-gone-wild-sells-list-price-619k/ELPOGVBZCFF2XI2S2HQSX4HD4Y/

Yes another frightening cyber crime that gets no coverage or attention.  Very worrisome.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chinese-national-allegedly-made-99-million-selling-access-to-windows-users/

PROJECT of the WEEK

I could actually have a dedicated section for W&W Glass with some of the work they have going on…. There’s already been a ton of talk on the 58-foot glass fin project in Erie, PA (not a typo- that is 58 feet), so I figured I’d pop on another job. (And if you haven’t seen that job, I’ll send ya the links, or I am sure it will end up in the comments) This is JFK Terminal 6, and it is coming along nicely and one I hope to get to see when I go through JFK to fly to Germany for glasstec this coming October. (Side note- I am flying on Condor Airlines.  Not sure if that is a real airline or not- we’ll see)  Or if I can get to NY sooner!  The Haber family and everyone at W&W are just so impressive and laser-focused on raising the bar out there and making our industry look great.