Chi-Town Winners- New Pod Episode & More

The newest episode of the From the Fabricator Podcast is now live!  This time out has a Windy City flavor, with two Chicago icons taking center stage. Leading off is Vipul Bhagat of Skyline.  Really interesting and genuine guy who kept making points that had me saying “love that” repeatedly.  Vipul delivered much food for thought on the market, selling and improving our overall space.  It was awesome.  Also, a blast to catch up once again with Tom O’Malley of Clover Architectural Products.  Tom is known as the nicest guy in the industry, and he also brings a lot of detail on what architects are looking at, post-COVID relations, education, and more. Overall, there are a lot of takeaways, and thank you to both gentlemen for the time and conversation!  Thank you all for checking it out!

VIDEO

AUDIO (Or search “From the Fabricator” on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.)

Also, note you can SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on those platforms, so every time a new episode comes out, it automatically populates in your feed.

Thank you to the sponsor of this episode- FHC Frameless Hardware Company.  I appreciate the continuing support!

Elsewhere…

-- Well, as some of you saw online, my presentation to the awesome people at the Texas Glass Association- North Texas Division was postponed due to the weather. Big credit to James LaRocca, of Gibraltar Glass and TGA NTD President and the board for making the tough but right call.  Happily, they have rescheduled me for late March- so excited to still present!

-- Now we're one week or less from BEC kicking off on Sunday, March 2nd.   While there’s so much education to experience the networking is absolutely massive. I love meeting people for the first time, and I also enjoy seeing old friends who are attending their first-ever BEC.  One such person is Dan Poling of Schott. The James Franco lookalike has never been, and I was stunned. Very cool that he’ll be there. Safe travels to everyone making their way to Vegas, and in next week’s post, I’ll give the early vibe from the site.

-- Also, the International Builders’ Show is happening in Vegas- this week.  It’s not usually a show that comes on my personal radar, but I am following along, and I do have a few friends walking the event- so will share relevant info after.

-- Another show to look at adding to your calendar, depending on your location, is the Glass & Metal Symposium in Atlantic City on April 30th. A one-day event with several excellent speakers and vendors.  The Glass & Metal Alliance and Pat O’Connor and team are putting it on and I’m sure they’ll crush it. Learn more: https://glassandmetalalliance.com/symposium2025/

-- This week on Thursday is a "Thirsty Thursday" that was presented at the NGA Glass Conference: Carlsbad.  The speaker, Lance Davis, an Architect and LEED Fellow, discusses Glazing Performance Requirements in U.S. Federal Policy.  Sharp and class guy.  The presentation was fantastic and very informative, and I am thrilled the NGA converted it into a Thirsty Thursday.  Great insight into how the government looks at building trends and our space. To register and attend at no charge- go to: https://members.glass.org/cvweb/cgi-bin/eventsdll.dll/EventInfo?sessionaltcd=TT25-02

-- Last this week… It may not feel like it in most areas of North America, but Spring Training for baseball has begun, and as the saying goes, “hope springs eternal” for my favorite baseball teams, but we’ll see.  Handy-dandy baseball predictions are to come next month, but it’s going to be tough to catch the Dodgers…

LINKS of the WEEK

Chaos in the Courtroom!  3 people set off a brawl. Wow

https://apnews.com/article/new-mexico-courtroom-brawl-45d63a2cf27a38b635991424bbfc9d95

14-year-old genius breaking world records.  Let’s get him into the glass industry!

https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2025/02/12/india-Guinness-World-Records-human-calculator/1921739393971/

Domino’s pepperoni pizza-scented perfume? College Max would’ve been all over that.  LOL

https://nypost.com/2025/02/10/lifestyle/dominos-launching-pepperoni-inspired-perfume-for-valentines-day/

PROJECT of the WEEK

To Canada this week for the Project of the Week!  Latoya Hamilton of Stadia posted this project that her company had their hands all over it.  Glazing, automatic doors, revolvers etc.  Plus, the picture shows that pretty cool truck.  A few companies I am aware of have noticeable pink vehicles, but this one added a cool pattern I have not seen yet.  Nice job there and kudos on the project shown!!

BEC Coming Up Quickly

We are getting close to BEC time!!  Obviously, I am very excited because I love seeing everyone.  And I love to learn, and this year, once again, the programming team of volunteers and NGA staff are delivering top-notch stuff.  I’ve already talked about the morning keynotes and how fantastic they will be (Jeff Haber, Alan Kinder, Suresh Devisetti), and those two sessions alone are worth attending.  But then you add in sessions like the safety approach with Jeff Wolfla, the “2nd Chance” employee hiring, and FMI’s economic trend report, and you can’t go wrong.  (See the entire agenda- it is stacked!!).  In addition, did you see the list of companies attending?  Tremendous ones, indeed.  So, if you are on the fence- jump off and join us.  And if you’re not attending- I am bummed to hear it, and we’ll miss you. 

Register and see the company list:

https://www.glass.org/bec-conference-2025

Elsewhere…

-- The latest Dodge Momentum Index was released, and it was pretty positive.  A stark difference from the recent Architectural Billings Index.  The key takeaways listed also packed a punch:

·      Commercial planning increased by 4.2%, led by gains in data centers, office buildings, and warehouses.

·      Institutional planning grew by 8.7%, supported by education and hospital projects.

·      The DMI is up 26% year-over-year, with commercial planning up 37% and institutional planning up 9%.

So this really makes you feel good with regards to the forecast… at least for now and until the next various report comes out.

-- Also, backlogs are growing again. Construction backlog increased to 8.4 months in January, reversing December’s slight decline, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors survey conducted from Jan. 21 to Feb. 3. The metric tracks the volume of work in builders’ pipelines. The Western region posted the largest backlog growth, both on a monthly and year-over-year basis, while the South maintained the longest backlog at 9.5 months, despite seeing the steepest decline over the past year. Contractor confidence remained strong, with sales and profit margin expectations rising, though staffing level expectations fell, according to ABC.  See more HERE

-- I’ll be at the Texas Glass Association- North Texas luncheon this week.  I am excited to leave frigid, snowy Detroit for the balmy warmth of Dallas, Texas. (Wait, am I seeing news about record low temps in Dallas this week????  Come on!!) 

-- A heads up: TWO IMPORTANT WEBINARS are coming up.

First, on 2/19- The American Subcontractors Association is doing a Webinar for NGA members only on Immigration Workforce Enforcement and changes to expect, etc.  Big for many in our industry.  Learn more: https://members.glass.org/cvweb/cgi-bin/eventsdll.dll/EventInfo?sessionaltcd=WEB25-02-19&fbclid=IwY2xjawIdb_JleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHR7WAxAiJ_jRgTWoJnz41s_mHYgGD-SHbA0_xKVaZEtXe8a2b9DpcVsYPg_aem_S-itQGWqufKx4fg0hyOZhA

2nd is The National Architectural Glass & Metal Association (NAGMA) with their next webinar scheduled for February 26th and it’s an important one with regards to the IRS and implications to the contractor. You surely want to stay compliant right?  Learn more and register:  https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/5901523553834450525?source=IUPAT+Glazier+LinkedIn

-- I shared on my LinkedIn feed already mid-week but wanted to get it out here as well.  More than 700 architects and AEC industry professionals are protesting a call for papers that glorify violence against Israel in a prominent architecture journal. Check out this link: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7295422904819662849-HlQx?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop to read more and get access to the letter and the opportunity to join in. Thank you for the consideration, and sincere appreciation to Elliot Glassman of CannonDesign for taking the lead on this.

-- Saw online this week that one of our space's most talented and accomplished folks is now a free agent.  Jeff Heymann noted on his LinkedIn that he’s now on to the next opportunity.  Wherever he lands will surely benefit from his skills and network! Good guy too.

-- Kudos to NEXT Energy on their latest breakthrough.  They announced that their upgraded production line was able to produce 40” x 60” laminated transparent power-generating windows using its unique NEXT OPV coating and manufacturing process. These 40” x 60” units are the largest transparent OPV windows produced anywhere in the world.  Keep the technology breakthroughs coming- our industry needs it.  Congrats to Jonathan Hafemann and team.

-- Last this week… Best Super Bowl Commercials.  Once again, it's still a struggle for most, but I think they were overall better this year than the last few. The ones that stood out for me?

·      Uber Eats mixing football and food, really creative and fun.

·      LL Cool J’s classic song “Mama Said Knock You Out” in a commercial on “knocking out” Cancer. Absolutely yes!  Let’s go!  (Side note.  In 1990/91- I used that song in a football highlight video for the TV station I was working at during that time- pre-glass business- and the management hated it- it was too edgy….)

·      The musical artist Seal as an actual seal for Mountain Dew.  Love that he could be fun like that

·      Rocket Mortgage singing “Country Roads” – so cool and I believe they did it to gain favor with West Virginia’s favorite son, Joe Staffileno.

·      And the Stella commercial with David Beckham and Matt Damon was fun.

Any you all liked?  Feel free to add in the comments!

LINKS of the WEEK

The cost of eggs now hitting the Waffle House.  That omelet at 2:30 in the morning will be more pricey

https://www.kcci.com/article/waffle-house-egg-price-surcharge/63666756

Fascinating message with this location for exercise

https://apnews.com/article/exercise-health-zimbabwe-cemetery-africa-9ad61319b96b8882894ce8b712d07d4d

Most heartwarming story of the week

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/am-weeping-watching-kids-lose-201546637.html

PROJECT of the WEEK

Glass Enterprises gets the nod this week.  Partially because their Eagles won the Super Bowl, and I am sure many there are over the moon.  But also because this job was awesome. This is the Hugel Welcome Center at Lafayette College. It is an incredible project overall and the start of more to come with next-level technology.   This job featured VacuMax™ Vacuum Insulating Glass (VIG) from Vitro Architectural Glass and VIG Technologies (Michael Spellman and company). In addition, there was Solarban® 90 & Walker AviProtek® E Bird-Friendly Glass on it. Kudos to everyone involved, and props to Josh Burg for always being on the cutting edge.

𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵: 𝘓𝘢𝘧𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦

Lots of News and Nuggets

Last week was a big and busy one in our industry- and I am all for it. I was in California for the NGA Glass Conference: Carlsbad.  As noted, it was my first NGA Glass Conference in a while, so I was curious and excited to experience it.  First and foremost, Urmilla Sowell, Karen Wegert, Georgia Scalfano, Amber Johnson, and the entire NGA team were fantastic.  First class effort all the way around.  The education and insight were astounding.  I was not joking last week when I talked about the brainpower that would be in attendance.  It was strong!  From an education side- I walked away with more than a few nuggets.  Tariffs and the speed of light changes there were discussed- and who knows, by the time this is published, it will change a few more times.  But the comforting thing was I know NGA has our back in making sure we’re always up to speed on the latest. Advocacy was on display in many areas beyond the tariff issue.  In addition, interest rates (stuck), data centers (they need glass too- believe it or not), innovation (let’s keep embracing it and THEN market it!), and more.  Of course, the school security glass issue was critical.  The audience got the lay of the land and then were able to see exactly where they stood.  Some right now are in better shape than others with regards to standards and codes, but I am confident that everyone will evolve and adjust.  (Though there’s gonna be some pain for a bunch.) And a big note was stressed that “to this date, the International Window Film Association (IWFA) is unaware of any films that have Ballistic properties.”  So, when you see those that are saying film is bullet-resistant, that is running counter to the people who know better.  There’s so much, so I would suggest you look up and follow Tara Lukasik on LinkedIn as her coverage is impressive and much deeper than what is here- as well as Glass Magazine will have more, too!

 Elsewhere…

-- The only downside?  Flying home, our plane was stuck on the runway in San Diego for 6 hours. With weather issues as an excuse, we were actually defueled to make our load lighter and diverted to Salt Lake City. (I say excuse because other planes were getting out- odd) Then on to Detroit.  In total more than 11 hours on the plane.  Glad I brought snacks.  But the silver lining for me was in the seat behind me was the code and standard legend Thom Zaremba.  Unlucky for him, I had him as a captive audience while I peppered him with questions and comments.  The poor guy was stuck.  Anyway- loooooong day to get home and with all my travels a first in where we had this sort of crazy workaround.

-- ICYMI!  The latest From the Fabricator podcast dropped last week and it was the talk of California.  I had people quoting me lines from Steven Acker and Nick St. Denis.  The timing of that pod next to a major conference played out well for feedback.  Good stuff- great people! Thanks for checking it out!

VIDEO

AUDIO (or Search “From the Fabricator” on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts)

Once again, FHC-Frameless Hardware Company was this month's presenting sponsor. Thank you to the team for their support!

-- On my way to Carlsbad, I was able to sneak in a visit to DP Glass- also known as Double Play Glass and the one and only Evan Afenir. Great to see Evan’s set up and grab a bite to catch up.  My guy is doing great things in the marketplace, and he’s surely on a rocket ship right now.  With his growth and popularity, I have a feeling it won’t be as easy to get a lunch date with him in the future!  Evan won’t be at BEC this year because he’s got another blessing on the way due right around the show (this is the 2nd kid and 2nd big NGA event missed- timing needs to be worked on! LOL), so I am glad I got to visit.  Super talent and guy!

-- Next up for me- headed to the great state of Texas for a February 19th presentation for the Texas Glass Association- North Texas chapter.  I always cherish every opportunity I get to talk with the fine folks in the Lone Star state, and this year, we’ve got quite a bit to cover.  TGA-NTD does it up right and I am honored to be thought of!  If you’re in the area- sign up and come on by! Link is: https://northtexasga.org/meetings-events/

-- Speaking of Texas, the new TGA Board for 2025 was announced.  And look at this list!  It’s an all-star team of some of the most talented and best people in our world- and it’s just from one state! Brian Risinger, President, Chris Hill, Vice President, Tyler E. Hall, Treasurer, Landon Lovette, Secretary, Kyle Sharp, Immediate Past President

Board of Directors: Wade Arnold, Chris Bayer, Jacque Freeman, RJ Hernández, Jody Hilton, Kyle Lamb, James LaRocca, Chance Lloyd, Valerie Nagy, Scott Theut, Dennis Bevans.  I am a huge fan of so many of these folks and love that they always are there to give back to the industry.  Congrats to all and thank you for all you do!

-- Last this week… two big personnel moves… one I missed and one that you couldn’t miss!  The one I missed was old pal Joseph Holmes moving to WinTech.  I have known Joseph a very long time and I admire his incredible skillset.  Happy for him to continue to his stellar career! The one I couldn’t miss was the extremely popular Darijo Babic leaving Guardian to chase the dream of running his own rep firm.  People who know me know I am a big fan of betting on yourself- and Darijo’s bet is about as close to a sure thing as you can get.  His work ethic is off the charts and everyone knows, loves, and respects him- he’s going to crush it out there.  Congrats to both guys!!

LINKS of the WEEK

No links this week – I’m legit too tired, thanks to the flight debacle mentioned above!

PROJECT of the WEEK

Staying in California… Hale Glass gets the spotlight with the work at Morongo Casino & Resort in Cabazon, Ca. It features custom glass technology, with each piece connected to a different power supply, creating colors that change throughout the day.  Pretty dang sharp!  Kudos to Gloria and Brian Hale and the team there on tremendous work!