Happy New Year! Hope the season was smooth for everyone. Big and great year ahead! However, one thing that will be different in 2025 is that a huge person in my life and this industry will no longer be in the day-to-day churn for the first time in 45+ years. At the end of 2024, my brother Steve retired.
In a year that featured massive retirements, this one loomed the largest for me. My brother’s career has been beyond stellar, and his influence on our space is immense. So, I wanted to take a bit to recognize and salute this all, as he deserves serious props. My brother always wanted to be in the industry. When he was in elementary school, he drew a picture of a building with windows and put on there that when he grew up, he wanted to be a “glass jobber” – he had caught the family bug early (it took me 22 years to catch it- not Steve, he had it from birth) and it was his destiny. The pull of this business was so strong that after one year at the University of Miami (FL) he came home to Pittsburgh to finish school and work with our Father at Perilstein Distributing Corp. (Also known as PDC or “Perilstein” and is now a location of Trulite, where many who worked with our family are still employed) Who leaves Miami at 18 to come back to Pittsburgh? Someone who loves this business, that’s for sure.
My brother grew quickly, and his energy and drive launched PDC forward and changed the industry. In the early 80s, customers had to wait weeks for tempered glass, and often, that tempered glass was of the “hung” variety that featured unsightly tong marks. My brother saw that as a problem and went about delivering the solution. He went out and bought a tempering oven and determined and demanded that tempered could be provided much much quicker- like the next day if needed! That was NOT common back then like it is now. That move changed our company's trajectory and impacted the industry, and many others in the region followed suit. Over the years, as our father reduced his role, my brother stepped up more. He kept expanding and growing, finding new products and partners. One vendor called him a “visionary,” and while my brother laughed at that- it was a proper description. In addition, he kept developing people. That was one massively underrated thing about my brother- his ability to recognize and foster talent was second to none. Truly a gift. Another gift? No one can sell like him. Yes, I am biased, but I do think, given a few minutes, he could sell snow in the Arctic.
The next step was after we sold the company and joined in with the Silverstein’s at Arch Aluminum. It was there that my brother had an opportunity to work with locations and people all over the US, and it was there that his influence reached its peak. He got to work with many who are now amongst the best in our industry, and that combo was magic. Then, in his final chapter, my brother bought into WA Wilson in West Virginia and grew that company the same way he did at PDC. He was back to his roots with a nimble single location, and it fit him like a glove, and Wilson experienced off-the-charts success.
Retiring won’t be easy, and I don’t expect him to go fishing. (Many who know him will chuckle at that comment) He’ll surely stay active with some consulting, and that’s a good thing, as that means his skills can go to good use! In closing- from a more personal side, I got into this industry when my brother asked me to “give it a shot…it’s in your blood,” and he was right. My life is tremendous because I’m in this industry and that’s because of his initial push to get me here- so I am grateful there. So please join me in congratulating Steve on an epic run in this industry and a great next chapter to come- no matter what he does!
Love you Bro!
Elsewhere…
-- Big health scare with one of the best people in our space- Rob Struble of Vitro. At the end of the year, Rob had a heart attack but thankfully got medical attention in time; a 95% blockage was cleared, and he is recovering well now. I am so glad Rob is OK and wish him a continued easy recovery and truly now a happy and HEALTHY 2025!! (On a marketing note- with how brilliant Rob is marketing-wise, I can only wonder what ideas he had come up with while under anesthesia during surgery- we’ll surely see!)
-- Right before the holidays Vetrotech ceased operations in North America. Very tough timing for those who worked there- though I am pretty hopeful that the reps and others there will find new employment soon (if they have not already). As for the business aspect, the question was whether this resulted from a slowing economy or something else. Personally, I don’t see this as a slow business call, but obviously, I am not privy to why- I just think that while things have been tougher for many, the next step of shuttering operations is still a little further off. (In my coming predictions for 2025, I’ll cover that more.)
-- Last this week- did you catch the Wall Street Journal’s report on glass used in schools for security? It was a heck of a read for many reasons. You may be able to read it HERE, but it was behind a paywall (not sure if it still is) so if you’re interested and can’t see it let me know and I can send you a gift link. The headline was:
“Schools Squander Millions on ‘Bullet-Proof’ Glass. It Doesn’t Work”
The body of the story, though, focused predominantly on how film on glass doesn’t work. And that is something we’ve all talked about here forever. In our industry, we have many vendors making incredible glass makeups that meet and exceed standards and can keep students and teachers safe. We will continue to promote that fact so we don’t get stuck in the same messaging about products that are not as good.
(NOTE! There will be a “School Security” Workshop at the NGA Glass Conference: Carlsbad. You need to be there if you are anywhere near this business segment. Kudos to Urmilla Sowell and the team on this one!)
By the way, some of the comments below that article were wild, including one person who suggested putting glass “with the wires in it” in all schools to keep people out. I am sure some of our key code people would have a field day with that one.
LINKS of the WEEK
Thankfully, Murder Hornets are now eradicated. Whew.
https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/murder-hornets-eradicated-in-us-agriculture-officials-say/
Always happy to share the clutch dog story!
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/missing-dog-returned-family-home-rang-doorbell-117151243
One thing I just learned? The Bald Eagle was not officially the USA’s national bird until recently. Wow.
https://www.npr.org/2024/12/18/nx-s1-5231827/bald-eagles-national-bird
PROJECT of the WEEK
I am a big Mitch Hawkins fan (I wonder when the next season of his pod with Matthew Krier is coming out), so when I saw this one, I knew this had to be a project of the week here. This is a job almost completed in Morristown, NJ. Beautiful glass on here and Viracon crushed it! According to Mitch’s post, it is VE-48 and was installed by County Glass & Metal Installers Inc. Kudos to all involved- as when this is done and landscaped, it’s going to be really special. Good work folks!!
