Deals, Awards, Entrepreneurs and More

This is another week where there’s no lead story but a bunch of smaller ones to comment on or catch up with.  Including two stories I completely missed along with a bunch of other relevant items. 

 

--  On the stories I missed… First off, I missed commenting on the FeneTech deal that went down in early August.  Big time software designer 2020 of Westwood, Mass bought FeneTech and it looks like a positive deal for all parties especially because the core group at Fenetech including Ron Crowl will be staying on board.  That part is huge for the industry and now adding in some extra innovation won’t hurt!

 

--  Then I missed an excellent article in Glass Canada from my guy Rich Porayko on the changes to e-mail blasts that could affect many marketing approaches.  The piece is strong, and it is HERE, so check it out and you’ll be able to get even more insight from Rich on my November podcast (coming soon, as long as Rich doesn’t skip out on me for that Joe Rogan offer he has.) 

 

--  Some good news to share… and speaking of podcast- recent guests Winco Window had something to celebrate recently after being tabbed with the 2021 Family Business Award from the St. Louis Business Journal.  Absolutely well-deserved and I am very happy for Gantt & Woody Miller, and everyone at Winco for making it happen and bringing excellent publicity to our industry!

 

--  Also good news to the great folks at Ubiquitous Energy with an award from the National Science Foundation. It is recognition like this that gives our industry a positive boost and shows our innovative chops. Our would DOES develop products that make a difference!   Congrats to the team at Ubiquitous on this excellent honor!

 

--  List time again!  This time the fastest growing cities for entrepreneurs.  These are the cities seeing noticeable growth with new companies…. 

 

10- Nashville, TN- Not a surprise though honestly expected higher.  Also make sure you are there for BEC and GPAD in March of 2022 to see for yourself!

9- Milwaukee, WI- This is a surprise, and good to see as plenty of excellent people I know living in that region

8- Jacksonville, FL- All Thomas Lee I am sure.

7- Birmingham, AL- I have been impressed with this area each time I visit

6- Buffalo, NY- May be cold there but that area must be jumping

5- Charleston, SC- My buddy moved there a year ago and he tells me its bananas with growth

4- Greensboro-Winston Salem- This one does stun me for sure. I like the area but didn’t see it in the same class as all of these others.

3- Louisville, KY- Exciting to see- the area really has been on the move.  The great Tony Kamber continues to work his magic in that region.

2- Colorado Springs, CO- Floored by this- can someone from that area confirm?

And at #1

Greenville, SC!  I have been here a few times and each time it gets more and more impressive.  This does not shock me one bit and I think it’s going to be on the move for a while.  I am sure at one time cities like Charlotte, NC were on this list and now they are built out.  I am surprised that nothing in the Maryland, Virginia area are on here- but maybe that’s my glass industry bias since it seems like every day someone new is opening in that region.  Plus has Texas built all the way out?  Salt Lake City?  Anyway- good stuff and interesting to see where the growth is!

 

--  Sad news, Steve LeVan of Chicago Heights Glass passed away this week.  Steve was a class act through and through and absolute pioneer and true legend in the Chicago glazing market.  His legacy is left behind with a great company and son Kurt that continues to be among the best our industry has ever seen.  Steve will be missed and my sincerest condolences to Kurt, the LeVan family and the entire team at Chicago Heights Glass.

 

--  Last this week- No blog post for me next week!  Taking a week off from this to energize for the stretch run with more podcasts, the industry MVP and more!  I’ll be back in this space the week of November 14^th unless something major happens in our world….

 

LINKS of the WEEK

This is peak 2021, Lost hiker ignores rescue cell calls because number wasn’t recognized?  I mean if I’m lost I’d even talk to the telemarketer!  Come on!

 

The birthdays in this home will be easy to track!  3 on the same day- all 3 years apart!

 

I’m stunned this didn’t happen in Florida.  First Gator story in a different state in a while.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

Quaker Windows hops into the spotlight this week thanks to a post from Brent Simpson.  

This is the Smoky Hollow Project in Downtown Raleigh, NC showing the Quaker CityLine Beveled Windows.  Looks absolutely fantastic!  Congrats to Brent, Quaker, and my old pal Josh Wignall who is on fire in his role at Quaker….

Future Still Looking Positive

Through all of the crazy and frustrating challenges we are facing the one good index that has been on a roll, continued that this week with the latest Architectural Billings Index.  The latest ABI came in at a stunning score of 56.6 which is up from 55.6 last month (remember over 50 is positive) and now rates as what I believe is the 2^nd highest score ever.  While things continue to be soft in some areas, the fact that we have had 8 solid months of the ABI shows that commercial work should be looking good in 2022.  Another big stat- backlogs at Architectural firms are now at 6.6 months, longest since this polling started 11 years ago.  So the pipeline is looking good, hopefully when it starts flowing in a larger way we have product and supply to fabricate and install!  

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  Also, this week I sat in on webinar devoted to the AEC Industry and there were many positive takeaways there as well.  The big ones were that firms are busier than ever (matching what was noted above) and that there’s some serious optimism on not only 2022 but growth all the way towards 2030.  The worry is the workforce.  Every community now is in the same soup of trying to find people and what was interesting here was some polling done talking about “work from home.”  Employees want to work from home at least 3 days a week but management (68% of them according to a poll noted in the webinar) want their folks IN the office at least 3 days a week.  So there is surely some hashing out to come and why is this important to us?  Because eventually the glut of offices that are in line for a glass related renovation will break loose too.

 

--  Speaking of where has the workforce gone, there was a survey posted this week via JP Morgan with their angle on where the workforce has gone.  They are:

35%: financial cushion with unemployment benefits, stimulus, savings 

20%: early retirees 

10%: immigration and visa issues 

10%: rise in self-employment 

25% "other": COVID fears, child care constraints

What do you think?  My take is the first one may be too high and the 2^nd one maybe too low?  Regardless this was the first data I have seen on this and will be looking for more as I assume more polling will be taking place here.  But the bigger question though is how do we address this all?

 

--  CONGRATS to Manny Borda of IGE Glass Technologies.  This week it was noted on LinkedIn that he celebrated his 20^thyear in the industry at IGE.  Happy for Manny and IGE.  I met Manny during my first trip to glasstec in Germany in 2014.  We briefly spoke at the show.  But then we ended up on the same plane to Atlanta after and as I was trying to figure out where to go and what to do with customs, Manny stopped and took care of me- he had all the global passes (I had none) and so he really slowed himself down to make sure I was headed in the right direction.  (trust me I was clueless and Manny recognized that)  I always appreciated that, and he’s been friend ever since. Here’s to many many more years in our world Manny! 

 

--  Also CONGRATS to Chris Knitter and the team at Oahu Metal and Glazing for achieving certification in the NACC Program.  Chris is a good guy that I have been lucky to know a very long time and he now leads the way as the first NACC certified player in the great state of Hawaii!  The NACC program continues to roll and I am still solidly behind the need for it- the more that get on board the better we all will be.  

 

--  Last this week… pet peeve time.. if you know me, you know I love my HGTV, and one series I do enjoy is the Canadian editions of Renovation Inc.  Some episodes that aired in Canada years ago are finally airing in the US now.  A recent one had work going on at amazing cottage and there was a part focused on a mirror install that was not going well.  Mirror was too big. The issue I had was seeing the folks handling the mirror without PPE and it was giving me the Sunday Scaries.  Watching folks handle a thin mirror without things like gloves absolutely makes me bonkers.  It’s the one thing I see the most on HGTV is how with glass (unless its Dustin Anderson and his crew) these folks aren’t equipped like they should.  Just glad no one got hurt (that we know of) and I can move back on and enjoy the shows and complain to my wife that their estimates of re-doing the bathroom are waaay too low. 

 

LINKS of the WEEK

The perils of getting your coffee delivered… comical.

 

A scuba diver finds a heck of a treasure

 

Say it Aint So… No more kids named “Nigel”- really?

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

It’s been a nice run for the team at Rhyno Glass in Florida.  They too recently achieved NACC certification and their President and Founder Wyatt Castellvi, was named to a prestigious 40 under 40 list.  But what I assume their biggest honor will be is having a project HERE in the Project of the Week section!  LOL.  Seriously though this is a look from the interior of the beautiful Clearwater Aquarium.  Tremendous work on the CW by the Rhyno team!  Congrats and keep up the great work!!

Finally Getting It

I chuckle sometimes on how far ahead all of us are in this industry vs. most of the world.  Case in point- the supply chain.  We all have been intimately involved in the massive supply challenges as it pertains to our industry for many months now, also while noticing the rest of the world is a mess too.  Well comically in the last 2 weeks it seems like the focus in the media and government have finally turned their attention over at the turmoilistic (new word I just created) supply chain.  This excellent article in the Washington Post started it off, with a deep dive into a majority of the issues (including those we’ve been dealing with for a while with regards to cargo) and then this past week Washington DC finally waded into the pool and initially addressed it.   Does the extra sunlight being applied to this mess mean things will improve anytime soon?  Probably not.  But it is nice to see that finally more people are paying attention and who knows maybe that will help move things a little quicker. 

 

Elsewhere…

--  REMINDER- in case you missed it- the 10^th episode of the From the Fabricator podcast dropped last week and I have loved the reactions so far.  The Winco Window duo of Gantt and Woody Miller brought people commenting to me about the impressiveness of their operation and their approach.  Emily Yukish’s turn on the show was big one for many who noted that we need more of her in our world, bright, young and focused.  And for Ron Parker, besides people asking me about his diet (Fruit) and his amazing recovery from ALS, the systems/structure in the operations realm really hit home.  If you have not checked it out yet please do!  I appreciate it!

VIDEO

AUDIO

 

--  I have noted here previous, but he did it again with another excellent update.  “He” is Matt Verderamo of Alliance Exterior Construction and he continued his LinkedIn series with issue #3 of “Talking Shop” with this one focused on forecasts.  Job well done and worth the read!  Connect and follow him to stay in touch.

 

--  This one surprised me.  A recent study said that building firms are using Facebook as their favorite social media outlet.  I am completely stunned by that and when you see the % too I think you may be as well.  Part of me thinks that Facebook must’ve commissioned the study because I don’t see it. 

 

--  Also surprising?  The non res sector added jobs last month.  First one since March.  Where did you all find the folks?  LOL.  Seriously interesting to see….but also sobering when you see how far underwater we are labor wise compared to pre-pandemic timing. 

 

--  On my previous blog I noted the “deathstar” building in California with TOTALLY missing the fact it won a Glass Magazine award this year.  Yes, my mush brain at work there.  So to see more on this amazing structure here’s the award winning writeup.

 

--  Last this week… question for my Chicago readers… so there was a viral controversy this week over actor John Cusack rooting for the Chicago White Sox when he’s been known and shown to be a big Chicago Cubs fan.  I always thought that in Chicago it was one or the other- you were only a fan of one and the rivalry between the fans intense.  Heck I visited a glazier there one time and guys that had White Sox flags on their cars were teased tremendously by the Cubs fans at the shop.   So has that changed?  Is it all about Chicago now and not the teams?  Just curious…

 

LINKS of the WEEK

A bear gets inside your house and the big issue is how to get it back out!

 

Long and frustrating read on how a condo board was really waaay too drunk with power in enforcing a rule.  

 

Most unique “Drive” thru I have seen. 

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

This ended up on my LinkedIn feed and I really like it and hope to learn more on the products used.  This was from Jeff Kolveck, Lead Glazier at Hutts Glass and this project in progress is a new cancer center at the Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center in eastern Pennsylvania.  So far so good Jeff and the team at Hutts- keep up the good work!!

New Pod, Jobsites, Careers, and the "Deathstar"

The 10^th episode of the From the Fabricator podcast is now out!  This one features guests that aren’t usually in the typical industry spotlight, but they all have some great messages and insights to share.  I start off with Gantt and Woody Miller of Winco Window.  Company is more than 100 years old and it’s in a constant state of growth and innovation. Was a fun dive into where they came from and where they are going!  Next was Emily Yukish of Specified Systems.  You know me I am determined to spotlight more of our younger stars in this industry and Emily fits that bill.  Emily is doing it the right way and Specified is an impressive operation.  Last, I chat with Ron Parker.  Ron is the best independent operations guru in our industry.  His takes on safety, systems and structure were an absolute masterclass.  Every fabrication plant could gain from Ron’s insights.  So 10 episodes are in the books now and I feel like each month I/we gain knowledge and growth from these guests.  More good things to come here, so thank you again for supporting this effort.  It is valued and appreciated!

To watch this episode- CLICK HERE

To listen (and available wherever you listen to pods too like Apple and Spotify) CLICK HERE

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  You are seeing it quite a bit online and, in the trades, but this month is Careers in Construction Month.  I think all of us pushing this is more crucial than ever. We have all seen that it’s gotten even harder to attract folks to our awesome world, so time for those of us in it to step up and help this cause.  As a part of this effort, Glass Magazine asked for Glaziers to send in your selfies on the job- they’ll take pictures and/or video.  See this link for more and these will be featured on all of the powerful platforms of Glass Magazine and the National Glass Association.  If you are reading this and you’re not in the field, ask your teammates to do it- let’s grow our world and show it off!!

 

--  In addition, Jenni Chase of the NGA had a great personal take on all of this and what else you can do to get involved.

 

--  Had to laugh on this one… new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is open and it seriously looks like the Deathstar from Star Wars.  It’s a heck of a design but being tagged “deathstar” is probably not making people very happy. Regardless this story gives a deep review of this project along with some of the frustrations with its mission.  Good read.

 

--  Last this week… I was lucky enough to accompany Brian Thomas of Super Sky and Joe Lucchese of JML Architectural Products on a couple of project site visits in Detroit recently.  That was a tremendous experience, first on-site visits for me in a long time.  When these projects are done, they will be stunners for sure.   I have noted on here previously that Super Sky always blows me away, so seeing their product as it was being installed gave me even more appreciation.  It was also neat to see Detroit working to build up parts of its city and also cool to see Viracon and Quaker Window products being installed along the way on these jobs.  Looking good folks!  And I must add that it was great to get to know Joe- I love seeing high quality manufacturers reps deeply involved and engaged in the nitty gritty out there.  Good stuff!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Love seeing these good sportsmanship stories!

 

--  Have you seen the “Pandora Papers” coverage yet?  Very interesting on the rich and powerful evading taxes and making money in some not so ethical ways.

--  There has to be more to this story on a bad home build. Way too many hoops that we all have to jump through for this to happen.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

From the feed of BEES or Building Envelope Erection Services.  This is on the campus of North Carolina A & T.  I liked this one for a bunch of reasons.  It is a beautiful job that shows off the greatness of our products. But I really liked the way that BEES threw out props to all of the collaborators on this project.  Of course, seeing my friends from Clover Architectural noted caught my eye first but then the list went on and featured industry stalwarts like Charlotte Glass Contractors, Kawneer, Press Glass, and Pecora.  Congrats to all of you on a job well done as well as props to Balfour Beatty, Triumph Engineering and the tremendous design from EYP.  Great work!!

Yes, Glass is Great

Last week Glass Magazine published a story that took off like a rocket ship and was shared a ton on social media.  Honestly this was a story that should be shared in every office in our industry and with as many people outside of our bubble as possible.  The article written by the awesome Karen Wegert of the NGA Tech Super Hero team was “6 Reasons to Love Architectural Glass” and it hit so many high points in such a quick and efficient manner.  All of us who work in this industry love the product.  We may hate the game and may be frustrated by tons of other areas but the product is special and Karen did a super job in pushing that theme.  The reason I think we need to share this widely is I don’t think enough people realize how great glass is and all of the things it brings to the party.  Plus, thanks to some amazing entrepreneurial companies, glass continues to evolve with more performance and more advantages. So we have a ton to be proud of and I loved that so many shared this piece already.  Let’s keep spreading the gospel out there and kudos to Karen and the NGA tech team for once again delivering the goods.

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  Time for this month’s Glass Magazine review… and it was the annual Glass Magazine Awards edition.  There was no doubt this one would be keeper showing off the best of the best in our industry with a focus on the winners in this year’s competition.  Absolute showstoppers in here and kudos to the judges as I am sure their decisions were extremely challenging.  In addition to the rundown of the winners with all of the pertinent details, the magazine also had articles from the excellent Matt Johnson of the Gary Law Group and my guy Joe Erb of Quanex (who never fails to make a great point or 100). Plus Katy Devlin on the “Digital Factory” is one to catch for sure.  Tremendous issue overall and one to give you inspiration to be one of the winners in the 2022 Glass Magazine Awards!

 

--  The ad of the month was a tough one as I try not to award the same companies too often but this month it was recent past winners that once again had the best ads in my opinion. Banner Solutions won my praise back in January and they get it again here.  Something about their color scheme and icon usage gets me every time.  Just a sharp and winning approach.  Kudos to the team at Banner for taking the top spot again!

 

--  The latest Supply Chain report from Gilbane was released this week.  Remember this is the report that comes out and covers all building products and how the cost, inventory, and delivery are proceeding.   Are things stable or not?  For most products the reports are delayed delivery, increasing prices, and contracting inventories.  Glass has been less volatile (believe it or not) in recent surveys but this one is starting to show the harsh reality we are all aware of.  Under inventories, it is showing “contracting” which is different from April’s report of Stabilizing.  Delivery is showing that we are stable- only one of four product categories in this “good” area, which goes to the amazing hustle and resilience of everyone in this industry to keep figuring out ways to get our product to the sites no matter what the obstacle.  We’ll see how this plays out but there is no doubt the overall supply chain is still a very messy place.   

 

--  Also on supply chain, the natural gas issues in Europe are something to be concerned with.  The top of this daily column from “The Scroll” made me queasy.  The experts do feel like the situation there will get better soon, but I can’t help to feel a bit uneasy.  Plus I am starting to fret that the US stock market is about to finally break.  Maybe I should take one of those off the grid weekends again soon eh?

 

--  Last this week… good article on being careful in reading your contracts, as more than ever, you can get burned badly in our current crazy world.   Our session at GEF covered some of this but this article makes a strong case and hopefully will get more folks paying attention to the fine print!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

 

The telephone “booth” is now antique art.  Wow. I am old.

 

Housing market is insane. This proves it

 

I have flown a ton and have never seen this.  Have seen it movies though…

PROJECT of the WEEK

 

From the feed of Paul Rowan on LinkedIn- this one is awesome at O’Hare Airport in Chicago.  Christopher Glass working with Innovation Glass LLC with what they are calling an adaptable glass wall system.  Nice work Paul and Christopher Glass! 

Boards, Indexes, Talking Shop and More

A lot happening in our world… so this week we’ll go with quick nuggets…

 

--  First, we’ll start with sad news, the passing of Thad Max Ziegler.  Thad Max was great man who I had to honor of meeting back in the 90’s when our respective companies almost became partners.  He was an amazing person and leader who worked an astounding 73 years in this business.  My sincerest condolences to the entire Ziegler family including his son Thad W. who truly carries on the class and professionalism that Thad Max and the generations before started.

 

--  News out of the NGA with the new formation of the Board of Directors being announced.  New to the board is the fabulous Jodi Martinez of AllStar Glass.  Not sure if my podcast with her put her in that position, but I’ll assume it was! LOL.  Seriously though, Jodi is tremendous and a great addition.  Also taking the lead as Chair is Guy Selinske and he’ll do an amazing job. He massive shoes to fill since Cathie Saroka set a very big standard, but I am sure Guy and this board are up to the challenge.  Congrats to all!

 

--  Good news again on the Architectural Billings Index.  Up for the 7^th straight month.  And while for some the business is soft (and I talked about this odd busy but not really phenomenon a few weeks ago here) and inflation is very very worrisome, the future does look bright.  All of the indexes are pointing that way- hopefully they’ll be glass and aluminum available to support it all and things will settle (on the inflation side) the way the experts are predicting in 2022.

 

--  Super hit this week by Susan Stone the CEO of Ubiquitous Energy. She was interviewed during a fascinating 2 day “Green Summit” from Green.org.  Susan’s push on the need for active glass and how products like a transparent solar glass can truly help our overall world was very effective and well received by the audience.  Glass overall got a great boost during this event thanks to Susan’s appearance.  

 

--  Have I mentioned how I can’t wait for BEC and GPAD now?  Both back-to-back in Nashville in March.  That is going to be an amazing time.

 

--  A cool one to follow now on LinkedIn is the “Talking Shop” series from Matt Verderamo of Alliance Exterior Construction.  I love what is happening on that platform overall with excellent pieces of technical info being shared and then the dialogue that comes with it. Matt started his series this week with a strong look at productivity on jobsites and ways to advance it.  Matt is another young star in our orbit- and between him and the machine that is Adrian Lowenstein, I think I gain more knowledge in my morning LinkedIn run through than I do with anything else.  Keep up the great work!

 

--  Last this week… Sherwin Williams paints named its “Color of the Year” and it went to the “Evergreen Fog” color.  It is evidently a gray green shade… very cool and I like the name too. (Not as good as Jade Ice though, best glass name ever.  RIP Lowell Rager and Ford Glass)  I love that the paint guys can have a color of the year- that’s one thing in our world because we are so static that we can’t have….

 

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Any of my road warriors on here ready to stay at a hotel with these “Smart Doors” – wow

 

--  A friend of mine sent this one to me about resurrection the Wholly Mammoth with the perfect line of “Have they not seen (or read) Jurassic Park?!?!”

 

--  Supply chain issues everywhere but I imagine tooling around a major truck in NYC makes it even more the challenge

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

This week it is from Bell County Glass via LinkedIn.  This is the New Mounted Warrior Museum on Ford Hood.  Bent glass and very sharp.  Obviously the job is in process here but would love to know who’s glass and metal on it.  Congrats to Bell County on what looks to be a super project in the making!

The Official GlassBuild Who's Who Recap

Well, that was a heck of a week…. What a show we had in Atlanta.  The opportunity to be back in front of people face to face really was energizing for all that attended, and my expectation of a motivated audience came true. In addition to the vibes I mentioned last week (being “busy”) the trends that emerged from the show were that efficiencies and supply chain improvements are more than just marketing speak- it was truly the goal of so many there.  Plus the focus on a ready to burst renovation market was huge as well.  We all know there’s still tons of challenges out there, but these three days showed that this industry is truly resilient and focused on overcoming every obstacle and moving our world forward!

 

Now to my annual “Who’s who” at the show.  After every big event I go on a pretty long name-dropping spree, so buckle in and follow some of the flavor of the folks I was lucky enough to run into in Atlanta.

 

--  First and foremost, getting a few minutes with Don Friese was seriously special.  Mr. Friese is so important to our industry (his Friese Foundation is incredible) and just being able to chat with him for a short period of time had me fired up.  I am grateful for that time too!  In addition, the Frameless Hardware Company (FHC) exhibit where he was holding court was packed all three days and I loved seeing folks like Keith Stockman and Jose Quinonnes there just working the spot at a frantic pace. Not sure if those two had time to breathe.   Plus my good pal, super rep Jeff Ziesche was there and I continue to be thrilled with the way he’s built his business.

 

--  I love seeing the West Virginia legend Joe Staffileno of Fuyao anytime I can, and same with the great Tom O’Malley of Clover Architectural.  Tom doesn’t need a booth at the show as wherever I saw him he always had a crowd around him- the man is incredibly popular!  Tim McGee of Glass Coatings and Concepts always greets me with a smile and positive feel as does Tom Herron of NFRC- both guys are always super to see.  I did get to visit with the industry look-a-like for James Franco in Dan Poling of Schott, and it was an honor to hear this was the first event he’s attended since Covid broke.  

 

--  Every show I try and pick out the best dressed booth team and this year, Samantha Hudeck and FeneTech win that recognition.  Samantha always supports GlassBuild and I am grateful for that, but the organized and stylish looks really delivered a win on its own!  Also winning was IGE’s Michael Spellman’s call to have a Forvet on the floor- that machine was packed and Manny Borda from IGE was in his glory walking people through the process.  Very cool.  And I decided “best hair” this year (since I am jealous and have none) goes to Brad Bartley.  Brad was in great spirits and fired up over his new gig at Consolidated.  And he does have a quality head of hair for sure.

 

--  I am big Rick Alexander of Tom Brown Inc. fan- smart and class guy- and he downplays his intelligence probably to make mere mortals like me feel better!  Running into Devin Bowman of TGP was a pleasant surprise- it’s a heck of a distance from Seattle to Atlanta, so awesome of him to make the trip.  Visiting with hands down the BEST plant and operations consultant in our world Ron Parker was an honor.  Ron is unreal and every conversation I learn a ton from him.  The fab plants that utilize him are extremely smart.  

 

--  We are lucky as an industry to have some amazing young professionals.  Among them…Kayla Natividad of NSG Pilkington.  Loved meeting her in person- so much so I was speechless.  Also impressive in this “future MVP’s of our world” were the duo of James Wright and Jeremy Hoy of Virginia Glass, Rachel Korfhage of Alexander Metals, Adrian Lowenstein of Skyline, David Corle, of HMI, Billy Britt of Britt & Tilson, and Nathan Seaman of Architectural Grilles and Sunshades. Keep an eye on all of these folks!

 

--  Dan Shields of Fabricated Products Group is a battler- guy started his business in the teeth of Covid and is kicking butt.  Proud of him!  Same with Tim Finley who also launched T.Fin Building Solutions at one of the toughest times too.  I mentioned in a comment on a LinkedIn post that Tim has this amazing ability to fire up everyone he runs into.  I dig Josh Burg of Glass Enterprises- sharp as hell and just a great guy and an industry bright spot.  

 

--  I always get a charge out of seeing Brian Thomas from Super Sky.  The work Brian and his team do are amongst the best our industry has ever seen.  I also enjoy visiting with Mike Synon of HHH/Salem though I think I only saw him for 30 seconds because there was a line of folks waiting to talk to him.  Plus seeing David Anderson in that booth too was amazing since we go way back to my PDC days, not to mention being in the same fantasy football league for more than 20 years.  A big part of the event was the Mercedes Benz tour and one of the great sponsors of it was CR Laurence.  Was so cool to meet so many CRL folks for the first-time including Crista Tekstra and David Nelson.  Plus my longtime friend Scott Goodman is there now and I am so happy for him as I think he’s found his forever home.

 

--  It was also fabulous to meet Mike Mazelon of Royal Glass for the first time in person.  I think he enjoyed the heck out of the event, and he networked with everyone he ran into.  Now that’s how you do a show!  Speaking of networking, the “Mayor of Glass Town” is none other than Jon Johnson.  Jon was there in his new position with Arow Global and I am absolutely over the moon for him.  Jon is a great one, and he’s going to do super in his new position.  And also in a new spot- Joe Butler as Senior Vice President of Sales and Service for Glaston America.  Good to say hi to him as well as Michael Schmidt there.

 

--  I can’t do a blog about who’s who with a mention of someone from my favorite state of Texas, so props to Joe Lamberston and Brian Risinger of Country Glass.  Kudos to them for making the trip and always supporting this industry.  I also was pumped to run into Shawn Hickman and his bright purple jacket, Kyle Sword of NSG Pilkington, Cathie Saroka of Goldray, Jodi Martinez of AllStar Glass, and Ivan Zuniga and Sneh Kumar of Kawneer.  All wonderful folks, that I am lucky  to know.

 

--  Last to the staff at the National Glass Association.  These folks (led at the show by the absolutely unstoppable Molly Grenn) absolutely bring it, and I am humbled to even be a small part of that team.  And to the insanely talented duo of Andrew Haring and Melanie Dettmer- Thank you.  Those two hoisted me on their backs several times over the last several months of planning when I would inevitably fret about whatever bump appeared in the middle of the road.  Plus those two are also great friends of mine that I will always appreciate and adore. 

 

--  So there ya go… another event in the books!  I am sure I missed a bunch and I am sorry for any slights.  I truly enjoyed seeing everyone I could.  Next up is NGA Glass Conference in January (though I don’t think I’ll be at that one, but a crucial one for the tech side of things) and of course BEC and GPAD in March.  We are back folks, back to doing things in person, safely and smartly, and we have to keep moving in that direction so we can elevate our world to the levels it needs to be.  Nothing beats in person, interpersonal communication.  The roadblocks are always going to come, but we can battle past them, and I am thrilled that we are pushing the tough times of 2020 into the far end of the rearview mirror.  

 

Oh and I end with this brilliant picture!  Seeing these folks as Super Heroes is so cool and true- love it!!  So perfect and if these action figures aren't the hottest gifts at Christmas this year I give up!

LINKS and PROJECT of the WEEK

None this week- way to long of a post to ask you to click on anything here!  All of these will return next week!

GlassBuild Kicks Off

This week writing this mostly from the floor at GlassBuild as we’ve finally made it, we’ve finally gotten to the show!  It’s been a heck of a run since the last GlassBuild in person in 2019, and so far so good in getting to see people and build back those great personal connections that we all strive for.  Next week I’ll have my traditional “who’s who” from the show, but for this post it will be more vibe and news from the event.  The biggest feeling going on the commercial side is “business has slowed but the work has not” – let me unpack that some.  What is happening is the number of orders coming and projects being released has slowed more and more over the last several weeks- remember we are in the middle of the expected hole in the forecast right now- but despite that everyone is “busy” and that’s because labor at every level is a massive challenge. Shortages in the field and warehouse are always a given in our world but this latest challenge is office based. Less project managers than ever dealing for with more complex materials and settings.  So many folks here are swamped but without the benefit of an increased top line benefit.  A real frustrating pickle for many.  And that aspect of labor shortage and being busy absolutely affected attendance here as well.  Obviously, there’s another issue that played a role, but I know several folks that stayed back because they simply couldn’t get away.  

 

The thing people are looking for the most here are ways to ease that burden of busy.  More operational effective materials and processes (including automation) are really driving interest along with new products that could separate one from their competition.  I was excited to see so many full scale machines setup here that caught many eyes.  Also among the new products with great buzz was the VacuMax VIG product from Vitro via VIG Technologies.  I’ve covered that one a bunch and it was great to see some product live and in person. Plus, Glazier Nation setup their new software and I expect their spot to be jumping with glaziers and vendors signing up.

 

In addition, as previewed on my podcast last week (if you haven’t checked it out yet, please do- it features Jim Evans of BidClips, Michael and Carolyn Spellman of IGE Glass Technologies, and Barbara Haaksma of CR Laurance.  Video here, Audio here) the product releases from CRL really delivered in a BIG way. What I mean is that I felt like I was in the movie “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” because everything in their booth was gigantic.  Super impressive work there!

 

Plus CRL made news on the eve of the show with the naming of Arty Feles as President.

Feles spent the past 12 years in roles including Chief Financial Officer and, most recently, Regional President of U.S. operations for CRL and steps in for Lloyd Talbert who’s transitioning to new initiatives inside the company.  CRL has always been a tremendous supporter of the industry and GlassBuild and I assume that will continue under Arty’s guidance. 

 

This week the many winners of the most prestigious award platform in our industry were recognized- The Glass Magazine Awards.  These are truly the Oscars/Emmys of our world and congrats to everyone who was honored. All the winners are details are HERE!

 

In addition, this year Glass Magazine commissioned an Ad Study award program and I felt pretty vindicated by that…. Why?  Because each month I pick an “ad of the month” when I review Glass Magazine and sure enough the top two honored ads were ones that I had previously recognized on here. Congrats to the great Rob Struble of Vitro for grabbing the top spot.  That guy is an absolute legend.  Those winners can be found HERE but look at it this way, keep reading this blog and you’ll know ahead of time who the winners are!

 

See you next week with a longer rundown of the show and happenings!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

 

This is stunning.  Almost 40 years in a coma before passing away.  Had to be brutal on so many.

 

With GlassBuild this is very timely… the cautious returns of conventions

 

This list of Nobel prizes can’t be real right?

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

 

This week from the LinkedIn feed of Nick Beaumont Publisher of Intelligent Glass Solutions. Classic project in Denver with the new Welcome Center at the Museum of Art.

Players listed were: 
Architect: MACHADO SILVETTI (Design Architect), Fentress Architects (Architect of Record)
Glazing Contractor: Harmon.
General Contractor: Saunders Construction
Building Envelope Consultant: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc.

Congrats to all on an amazing project!! (Picture does not do it justice!!) 

Trailblazers and Disruptive Forces

Episode 9 of the From the Fabricator podcast is out and it’s an interesting one with some folks that are really disrupting our industry in positive ways.  Before I dig in to tis tease- I know there’s a ton of great podcasts now in our industry, so thank you for still hanging with me- it is appreciated!  This month, I start off with the energetic and dynamic Jim Evans of BidClips.  His customer service platform is incredible and his past that drives him forward each and every day is inspirational.  The guy is a winner.  Then on to Michael and Carolyn Spellman, founders of IGE Glass Technologies and VIG Technologies.  These folks blazed a trail and created a segment in our industry that still thrives today on the machinery side and are leading the way with VIG now as well.  Absolute legends. Was fun to get the background and more here.  Then my final guest Barbara Haaksma of CR Laurence was very cool, I enjoyed getting to know her path to today and also getting a ton of sneak previews of what to expect from CRL at GlassBuild and beyond.  All good stuff and once again an honor for me to interview such talented and important people. 

To watch- CLICK HERE

To listen (and also available wherever you get your podcasts) CLICK HERE

Thank you!

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  I know in some pockets of our industry there’s stunningly no sight of a glass shortage, all is well.  In others it’s a struggle.  Well folks the bad news is I think things on the glass side are going to get even worse.  So those of you not having issues, get ready, and those of you who are battling- buck up and be strong because capacity is being sucked away and if we heat up business wise like we all expect in 2022, lead-times and glass availability are NOT going to be what you are used to, even in todays challenges.  I hate being negative, but all the indicators I am seeing look very ugly. 

 

--  On to more exciting stuff… GlassBuild is NEXT WEEK!  Two things I am looking forward to among many others are the Mercedes Benz Stadium Tour and the Glazing Executives Forum.  The tour is a treat- it is a great structure and while glass isn’t a major part of the exterior, the usage inside the building is awesome and major kudos to Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope, CRL, and my good friend Tom O’Malley at Clover Architectural Products for work well done AND sponsoring this event!  The Glazing Executives Forum is always a cool chance to network and learn and this year I am honored to moderate a panel with David Ben-Isreal of MGAC and John Nolan of The Gary Law Group on Best Practices to Avoid Legal Headaches on Projects.  These two guys have so much great insight to share that I am going to toss the ball up and let them play- the audience is going to win big.  So pumped for this and the show overall!  Next week I’ll have a bit of the flavor of GlassBuild with then my normal “who’s who and seen at the show” coming the week after.

 

--  Congrats to Maheshi Perera on her being named as Business Development head at SPIL Glass Software.  Really sharp person and an excellent hire by the always astute Lakshman Kalupathirana.  SPIL has made some nice moves and additions in the last year and this yet another one- congrats to all!

 

--  Last this week…pro football starts this week and my good friend James Wright of Virginia Glass Products shared a fun poll with me.  It is the pro football fan bases that drink the most per game. Now before I break down the top 5, I will tell you I take issue with this list.  For most of my young life I went to every Steeler home game and those folks there could drink… a lot.  And on this list Pittsburgh finished a stunning 23^rd.  Also my team here Detroit, which gives fans PLENTY of reason to drink a ton checked in at #10.  Impossible!  Your top 5 were:

5- Carolina Panthers- Really?  I didn’t know they actually had fans

4- Chicago Bears- Yeah I can see that.  I’ll ask Tom O’Malley at the Stadium tour if true.

3- Buffalo Bills- No doubt Bills mafia fits this ranking

2- Baltimore Ravens- No way. I refuse to believe this one.  

1- Cincinnati Bengals- This happens to be James’ team and he confirms personally its true and I know a lot of Bengals fans who are frustrated- so I am good with it.  

Interesting poll for sure… and while I am at it- my fearless pre-season Super Bowl prediction is Green Bay beating Tennessee for the title.  I am on a roll now after picking Tampa's Super Bowl win last year... 

 

LINKS of the WEEK

--  Ok which one of you manufacturers are making the Goat Resistant Windows now? 

 

--  There is so much going on in this story of using guns (seriously) as a marketing tool and then doing really shoddy work, denying it, ripping people off and so on.  Just amazing.

 

--  Banning a woman from the chimp she loves.  Wow.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

This week a slightly different twist- this is keeping a project safe- so that goes to Matt Price and his team at ArmorGuard.  This is the Hard Rock Biloxi and the glass and frames are being protected by ArmorGuard as the building is renovated.  Matt and his team are big supporters of our industry and will be at GlassBuild so I wanted to give them this spot and throw the spotlight their way in thanks for all they do to protect our products and support our world.  

Articles, Ads, Reports, Pods, & More

No matter how much great content is out there online (and I’ll be mentioning a few below) nothing can replace my monthly dose on insight from Glass Magazine.  So with that said, it is time to review the latest from the “glass and glazing authority” and their special GlassBuild issue does NOT disappoint.  Starting with the cover featuring an incredible eye-catching shot of vacuum portion of a CNC machine from Salem Fabrication Technologies.  I think that’s the 2^nd cover this year for those folks- so congrats on that!  Inside the magazine it’s heavy on GlassBuild content which is tremendous whether you attend or not.  Seeing a ton of products and services that will make your life and business better is a great thing for sure. Also the latest Glass Information Bulletin (GIB) is in there and great to be up to speed on.  

Ad of the month is bear to choose because this being the GlassBuild issue everyone rolled out the best they could muster.  Great work.  But my winner this month is goes to SoftSolution North America with the cat eyes staring at you.  Gets me every time.  Great ad!  And I have to give a quick nod though to the FeneTech testimonial ad- I always like seeing good people and Mike and Joyce Cully of United Plate are amongst the best around.  Seeing them brought a smile to my face.  So kudos to SoftSolution, FeneTech and all the advertisers this month- super work!

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  The latest Architectural Billings Index was strong yet again but did show some slippage from last month.  Possibly some of the uneven aspects of our economy is starting to catch up?  The score of 54.6 down from 57.1 is still excellent but does show there’s some leveling off and the new inquiries came down as well from its insane record high from last month.  So this index may be settling down and as long as it stays in the positive, all good. 

 

--  Some podcast notes.  I was lucky and honored to be a guest on Patrick Flannery’s Glass Canada Glass Talk Podcast recently and we covered a ton of ground some of which probably got me in trouble in some parts of the US.  Was a fun one. Here it is.

On his newest episode Patrick talks to Ryan Spurgeon of Antamex- that one should be very good as Ryan is a very impressive guy with a laser focus.  I am excited to hear what he says and I’ll be checking that one out this week.  That link is HERE.

 

--  NEXT, very pumped about the launch of “The Façade Pod” with Mitch Hawkins and Matt Krier.  These guys have a GREAT plan on the podcast front and have lined up fantastic guests to talk facades and glass.  The quick preview is out- so check it HERE and get ready for their first season debut later this week.  Both of these guys are young stars in our universe- Matt at Viracon and Mitch at Martineau and Company and I think these will be a great one to add to your podcast rotation!  

 

--  Great news this week from the team at Ubiquitous Energy with an initial breakthrough install at Michigan State University.  The school did a fabulous write up of it HERE and this is one to watch as this space will continue to grow as Ubiquitous marches forward.  I am typically more of a University of Michigan fan but after seeing this- I am all for MSU- “Go Green!” – which is both part of the MSU cheer and a great move here too!

 

--  Last this week, a lot has me excited about GlassBuild but I have to admit waiting to see the special stuff Glazier Nation has been teasing is leading in the clubhouse.  Matt Day and company have been building the anticipation for a while with their various trips around the US and as we get closer I have become all in.  I am pretty sure we are going to see something that is going to be big time game changing.  Can’t wait!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

 

Heart warming pet stories get me every time and this one features a turtle, so I’m all in!

 

This is one porch pirate you probably won’t stop!

 

Tremendous composure here that most of us would not show.  I know I’d be inside in a flash.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

From the Virginia Glass Products feed on LinkedIn.  Awesome laminated vestibule.  This is in North Carolina and it is the Duke-Raleigh Hospital.  Sharp project with laminated from Virginia, installed by SPS Corporation and the design from HOK.  Great work everyone!!