Remembering Frank and Jack

The glass and glazing industry lost two amazing people last week with the passing of Frank Dlubak and Jack Hoisington.  Both men made significant impacts in the markets they played in and will be missed greatly.  Frank Dlubak was a remarkable inventor and founder of Dlubak Corporation.  Some including myself thought of Frank as a mad scientist (In a good way!) He was always coming up with a new product or machine that could change the way the market worked.  My first visit with Frank was many years ago and he showed off a new addition to one of his tempering ovens, it was all home made, all invented and developed solely by Frank.  It was jawdropping and I was speechless.  But pretty much you felt that awe after every conversation with Frank because he had this amazing energy about him. 

Jack Hoisington was a Michigan glass and glazing leader for many years as the owner of Madison Heights Glass.  He was also probably one of the overall nicest people this industry has ever seen.  He was extremely friendly and positive as well hard working and ethical.   He was a guy that the glass and glazing industry can point to as an excellent example of class.  Frank and Jack were guys who always left a positive impression on you because they allowed you to have a conversation and you learned after every interaction with them.   The passing of these two incredible men leaves a massive hole in our world and hearts.  My sincerest condolences to family and friends of Frank and Jack…

Elsewhere…

--  The latest issue of Glass Magazine is out- this one is dedicated to the Top Metal companies in the industry so several pages are focused on that area including some interesting insight on the challenges that some of these companies faced in 2017. Plus I loved the coverage my pal Tom O’Malley (Clover Architectural Products) got with a full-page shot of the Cummins Building in Indianapolis.  I know Tom has always been extremely proud of his company’s contribution to that structure, so it was great to see it recognized.  Obviously I advise reading this (and every issue) cover to cover, but I want to also point out that there’s some interesting content on the Buy America Act, codes on glass wall systems, and an excellent piece by Carl Tomkins of Sika about doing things differently. 

--  The ad of the month goes to the gang from TGP.  The layout of the ad caught my eye with a bold, smart headline and then just enough text to carry the message all the way home.  Tremendous work and props to the team at TGP on a job well done!

--  Last week I asked about the building used on the TV show- “The Good Doctor” and thank you to all who replied with the info.  (One was my friend, the great Steve O’Hollaren of National Glass- very cool to communicate with “SteveO” again.) So what we know now… this is a real building and it is in Surrey, BC.  So I’d love to know who fabricated and installed the glass.  Tons of tremendous companies in that part of the world, so I am not even going to guess. 

--  Did you see that one of the soccer stadiums in Qatar beingbuilt for the World Cup will be demountable?  All of it.  We as an industry are now used to demountable interior office systems… but an entire building or stadium?  Wow.

Last this week, a story to follow and one that has a lot of moving parts and pieces but does have a glass related connection.  In Philadelphia there’s a move a foot to get rid of the all bullet resistant glass structures at convenience style stores.  I have been used to that set up my entire life (there was a Kentucky Fried Chicken we used to go to that was the first I can remember) so I’m very curious to see how this proceeds.

LINKS of the WEEK

I gotta admit this is the first time I’m seeing a teacher busted for this…

This is a tough one- the world is changing and you have to be able to change with it- but she seems very needed and if she can properly treat the patients- nothing else should matter

Sometimes I’ll activate “Siri” when I say “Sorry” but thisstory is much better… wow

VIDEO of the WEEK

Lindsey Stirling is an amazing talent.  Violinist and dancer… I’m a big fan.   If you’ve never seen or heard of her, it’s worth checking out!  Here’s her latest to get you in the Christmas spirit.

Almost Done with 2017

We’re now entering the home stretch of 2017.  For many people the year is over.  The amount of work that gets done between now and new years is usually on the low side.  So productivity is not a positive right now.  Still work needs to be done, and weather is cooperating in the traditional winter weather spots of the US.  That could change pretty quickly but nasty, job-slowing precipitation has not been a factor yet.  This year though has absolutely flown right by…

Elsewhere…

--  The latest Architectural Billings Index (ABI) came in with a return to the positive.  The key with tracking the ABI is that it doesn’t touch our world for at least 9 months, so these consistent upbeat reports, along with healthy backlogs really are momentum builders for 2018.  There’s obviously the daily worry that some geo political nightmare that bursts from a twitter post could bring all of this to a halt, but so far so good metric wise.

--  A while back I wrote briefly on the “fake marketing” that is happening in our industry.  Sadly that trend keeps continuing with companies attaching their names to projects online and leaving the reader to incorrectly assume that said company supplied the entire noted product on the building.  It’s a lazy and weak approach and quite frankly distasteful to try and take credit for something you don’t deserve.  As you can see it makes me somewhat crazy- mostly because companies can and should be better than that.

--  Congrats to my friends at Walker Glass for completing the HPD/EPD process for several of their products.  That is not an easy or inexpensive process but it is meaningful in the big picture of transparency with regards to sustainable building.  Well done gang!

--  The home of the 2018 edition of GlassBuild America, the Las Vegas Convention Center is getting some serious upgrades and additions.  860 million will be spent to make the center the 2^nd largest in the US right behind Chicago’s McCormick.  My guess is Vegas saw how GlassBuild is growing and with the merger of GANA and NGA, they needed to add more space to take care of us glass folk!

--  Does anyone out there watch the new ABC show “The Good Doctor” – if you do you see an amazing looking hospital featuring tons of glass.  I’m curious is that a real structure (or Hollywood magic) and if it is real, where is it and who did the glass and glazing… because it is sharp!

--  Are you a Top Glass Fabricator?  If so submissions are now open for Glass Magazine’s Top Fabricator list.  Get your details in and you can also nominate so great glaziers along the way too! 

--  I think “Black Friday” may be the biggest day of the year for promotional e-mails.  I was floored by the amount that I received to start the day and how they just kept on coming in.  I think every list I have ever been on from a retail outlet reached out to me as well as many others that I have no idea how they found me.

--  Last this week, before the Thanksgiving holiday in the US I posted a handful of things I am thankful for within our industry.  If you are interested you can find that posthere…

LINKS of the WEEK

This story shows a sad part of our society- people confusing Charles Manson with music star Marilyn Manson

Part 2 of society frustrations… how people can be mad at a professor for telling the simple truth

Deep and long story on the last of the Iron Lungs in operation.  I honestly had no idea this was still out there.

VIDEO of the WEEK

Fun video- guy does one of those typical contests during an NBA game and wins food for entire crowd… backstory they don’t mention, the shooter recently survived cancer.  Very cool.

Thankful

Ok in keeping with my all time favorite holiday, (Thanksgiving in the US) I am taking a different spin on this week’s blog…  I am going with things in this industry I am thankful for…

--  I am thankful that we have so many amazing people in this industry who care… do you know how hard it is to find people who really truly care these days?  And yet in our industry the selflessness by so many people and organizations is pretty awesome.

--  I am thankful for the potential upcoming merger of GANA and the NGA.  Such a huge and important move for the health, welfare, and future of our industry.  And kudos to Nicole Harris for being a visionary in pushing for this.

--  I am thankful that Glass Magazine picks up my blog weekly.  I think I have given Katy Devlin and Bethany Stough fits with having to worry that my weakening writing skills will devalue their amazing site and also whom I may end up offending along the way.  But they still support me.  Amazing.

--  I am thankful to all of those folks (way too many to mention) who helped me along the way in our glass universe; like my brother Steve who convinced me to leave television to join the business, then convinced me to turn down a great gig hosting a TV show in Virginia to stay at it.   And my late dad, who never pressured me about joining the business or even staying in it, he would’ve supported me the same incredible way if I was doing the fishing report in North Dakota or working in the glass industry.  Class guy who didn’t talk much but his lessons, even 16 years after he is gone still speaks volumes for me.

--  I am thankful that the forecasts for the industry look positive for the next few years.  Obviously a lot can change and change quickly, but I am surely enjoying the positive wave now.

--  I am thankful we have companies that are innovating even though some from outside the industry don’t believe it.  Our materials have come a long way since I started in 1991 even though some days it doesn’t feel that way.

--  I am thankful for all I have been fortunate enough to experience in person in our industry, including amazing float plants, great fab operations, unitized glazing setups, installations, testing, R&D, trade shows etc.  So many experiences and memories I cherish and will always be on the lookout for more.

--  I am thankful for my fellow bloggers who write blogs I only wish I could write.  People like John Wheaton who bring up really insightful subjects and get people thinking and acting in a way that can only help our industry. 

--  I am thankful for GlassBuild America and for GANA BEC- two events that mean the world to me and our industry, and all I have learned at both.

--  Last… I am thankful that I still have the opportunity to write this blog every week and that at least a few people and my mom still read it.   I truly appreciate it and I am legitimately blown away every time someone notes they read it.  I’ve been posting for 12 years and I hope I still bring some interesting items up even though I am a ton mellower than I was when I started. (Thank goodness!)  I sincerely hope that every one out there in the U.S. has a wonderful holiday and to my friends in Canada and elsewhere enjoy the peace and quiet that should be emanating out of the United States Thursday!

LINKS of the WEEK

This sounds like a heck of a sight!

A yacht with 186 MILLION dollars worth of cocaine…. Wow.

The fanny pack is back

VIDEO of the WEEK

Next June the new Deadpool movie comes out… I am torn on this one… I know some people loved it (my son especially) and others did not.  It is surely different.

Start of the MVP Process

As I mentioned on my last post, it is Glass Industry MVP Season… so the first step is looking back at the past before noting who is going to be recognized this year. I have been acknowledging people as “leaders” in one form or another since 2007, but the formal declaration of MVP started in 2013.  The past winners were:

2013- Tracy Rogers

2014- CR Laurence

2015- Jon Kimberlain

2016- Chuck Knickerbocker

Each year there’s usually 5-7 runners up and as you can tell from above it can be an individual or a company as the winner.  The race so far in 2017 has been incredibly difficult.  So many remarkable people who work hard for their companies and also give back to the industry.  And there are some companies as a whole that collectively care a ton about making our space a better place.  So choosing gets more and challenging every year.  Overall I have recognized a total of 35 people since 2007 and 5 are no longer in the industry, including sadly the late great Greg Carney.  So who’s on tap for this year?  It’s coming soon….

Elsewhere…

--  If you are a glazier, take the time to check out and complete this survey on an industry-changing initiative, the development of the first certification program for glazing technician personnel.  Seriously this is an important piece to get your feedback.

I’m light on glass industry related stuff this week, so in some other areas that interest me…

--  In this world of ugly news and despicable human behavior there are some truly first class people.  One of them is Marine Veteran Rob Jones.  Rob lost both of legs in Afghanistan in 2010 but that has not stopped him from doing what I would consider super human tasks to raise awareness and money for veterans causes.  The most recent was running (with prosthetics) 31 marathons in 31 cities in 31 days. A lot of us travel a ton in this industry and just doing several cities a week can wear you down, now can you imagine running a marathon at each?  The guy is amazing.  Anyway this article is one of many that gives some insight to Rob- who I have been so fortunate to meet thanks to his work with veteran charity the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes which actually has a glass industry connection as it’s run by former NGA VP David Walker.  Check it out and be thankful we still have great people in our universe.

--  Back on to another list… this time the Top 10 Most “Sprawling” Cities according to the website Smart Growth America.  And quite frankly I was stunned by some of these cities that made the list… as according to the study too much growth is not good. Honestly I am not sure if I understand or agree but here goes…

1.     Hickory, NC

2.     Atlanta, GA

3.     Clarksville, TN-KY

4.     Prescott, AZ

5.     Nashville, TN

6.     Baton Rouge, LA

7.     Inland Empire, CA

8.     Greenville, SC

9.     Augusta, GA-SC

10. Kingsport, TN-VA

The complete study is here for those of you interested in this sort of thing.

--  Las Vegas launched a self-driving shuttle and on its first day it got into an accident.  Evidently it was the human driver in another car that was at fault, but still I just can’t feel any trust or faith in this sort of arrangement.  Too many things can go wrong and I am really amazed at the time, money and effort that are going into this technology.

--  Last this week… is it me or is the amount of spam e-mail going up dramatically?  I go into my spam folders every other day or so to just make sure I am not missing something and I am flat out amazed at the volume in there.  Most of it is really obvious spam, but where I really feel bad is for those less sophisticated on e-mail who probably get this junk in their main folder and fall for a scam or two. 

LINKS of the WEEK

Every day there’s a ton of bad news in the media- so  aside from Rob Jones mentioned above- how about a good news story?  Guy buys apartment complex and lets single moms & their families live there for free.

Yet another stupid angle from the iPhone X.  I really hope they still make a normal iPhone when I am ready for an upgrade.

Funny story on a hippo escape and immediate return

VIDEO of the WEEK

This piece from the Price is Right went viral when the contestant made a very conservative decision…