Holiday Catch-Up

So, if you only read this blog via Glass Magazine Weekly, I did have a post last week with a special episode of From the Fabricator, a classy family celebrates an open house, a couple of good people moves and much more.  CLICK HERE to read it. Thanks!

With the holidays this past week, this is more of a quick hit, catch-up post.  And on the shorter side.  So here goes!

-- ICYMI: the aforementioned pod featured a very cool interview with Lakisha Woods, the President and CEO of the National Glass Association.  Feedback has been strong- with lots of interest in the new tweaks coming to GlassBuild and people enjoying the “fun” question we had halfway through.  Please check it out!  Thank you!

VIDEO

AUDIO (Or search “From the Fabricator” on Apple and Spotify)

Thank you to FHC Frameless Hardware Company for the support of this episode!

-- Anniversaries hitting – Guthrie Glass celebrated its 40th.  Great company, tremendous people, and class ownership.  And kudos to Ted Baumgardner, who penned a tremendous tribute that you can read HERE.

-- Also hitting a milestone is Technical Glass Products, reaching the half-century mark.  I think back to their founders, the Razwick family, and what they built is truly incredible, and it carries on with Allegion today.  Also, hiring some of the best of the best in our industry didn’t hurt either. HERE’S a quick tribute video they put out.  

-- And last, Standard Bent Glass celebrated its 90th anniversary with a big BBQ that I hear featured several Pittsburgh Steelers, and I think Aaron Rodgers even showed up. Greg Conn has some friends there! Lol.  Congrats to all!  

-- On the people side… Congrats to Tony Genzale on his promotion to Vice President of Business Development at Hartung Glass.  Always nice to see good folks getting those props!  Happy for all there.

-- Another good update HERE on adaptive reuse.  It continues to grow, and that is so good for all. Obviously, I want projects that will add more glass, but I’m also good with just making something good from something that’s not being used now. 

-- Recently, I had an article published in Construction Business Outlook on the need and value of glazing certification. I know some may not see it my way, but I am absolutely on this train for life.  We need to keep putting our best foot forward, industry-wide, and independent 3rd-party programs like NACC and AGMT are the way to go.  Check out the case I made- HERE.

--  Last this week… The World Cup.  It has truly been awesome.  The entire event has been mesmerizing for me.  I have always enjoyed the World Cup, but this year it really kicked up a few notches for me.  I’m excited to see how it plays out in the next few weeks.  I think we’re in for a dandy finish! 

LINKS of the WEEK

Wow.  A “stolen” cookie causes serious havoc.  Unreal the amount of time/effort that went into this debacle. https://local12.com/news/nation-world/ford-employee-fired-after-cookie-theft-accusation-says-payment-proof-led-to-reinstatement-union-back-pay-policy-change-following-kiosk-malfunction-report-at-kentucky-truck-plant-in-louisville-dispute-resolved-cincinnati

Some treasures CAN be found at Goodwill.  Crazy stuff here. https://www.actionnews5.com/2026/07/02/3-goodwill-jacket-now-expected-sell-up-250000/

I can’t imagine a pony living in a 4th-floor apartment… but it’s true! https://apnews.com/article/croatia-pony-mile-rovinj-flat-recovery-11860c31d0e950a2066d845c9161bc74

PROJECT of the WEEK

The team at G4 Glazing gets the spotlight this week.  They have become a solid follow on LinkedIn, plus I love their logo.  This is Passport Park West, Irving, TX. The glass and glazing look fantastic!!!   Great industry partners, too, in YKK AP America and Precision Glass Industries. Nice work to all, and keep it going!

Insights from the Top

I’ve got a special new episode of “From the Fabricator” this time out.  A solo guest episode with Lakisha Woods, President & CEO of the National Glass Association (NGA). Lakisha has been in office for almost a year, and I thought timing-wise, it was the perfect opportunity to catch up with her, see how the year has gone, get her impressions of our space, and find out some of the new stuff coming down the road… and there is a lot! All of that and more, as lots of topics are covered, and you get a great feel for the vision Lakisha has for our space and the excitement that comes with it.  Thanks for watching/listening!

VIDEO

AUDIO (Or search “From the Fabricator” on Apple and Spotify)

Thank you to FHC Frameless Hardware Company for the support of this episode!

Elsewhere…

-- This past week, I was honored to be invited to an open house at Ajay Glass's new facility in New York.  Excellent setup and just impressive all over.  The Ajay folks are so classy (more on that in a second), and this event was first-rate.  A great part for me was running into some other industry folks there.  I did see NGA’s Apprenticeship Savant Amy Hadfield, and it was wonderful to get an update on all the fabulous things she and the team are working on.  I ran into my old co-worker Bruce Mikels, which was amazing. Thankfully, he’s never changed.  Stunned to see the great-looking Hollywood star Cameron Scripture of Viracon there.  Only got a couple of seconds with him, but I’ll take it.  I enjoyed meeting Marc Pano of Vitro; the poor guy got stuck in a corner with me talking his ear off. He’s gonna need therapy for sure.  Now, back to the team at Ajay. I’ve known them a long time, and just thrilled for their continued success. It was fantastic to say hi to Brian O’Shell, and then spending time with Dean, Steve, and Jim Stathopoulos was tremendous.  These guys do it right, and they also care greatly for our industry. (Jim will be chair of the board of NGA next year, among other volunteering) Those guys are like family to me, my brother, and sister, and watching them trend upward, and now with a new and expanded setup- that’s only going to grow- very, very cool.   Congrats!!

-- Two personnel moves of interest. One of the coolest new folks in our space is Mark Pereira of Andluca.  Recently, he was named Vice President of Marketing, and he’ll do a fabulous job.  He’s been a great breath of fresh air in our space, so I’m excited to see him keep moving forward! And, congrats to Geoff Shellard, who has advanced to the role of regional architectural manager for Central and Western North America for Guardian Glass.  I’ve enjoyed getting to know Geoff a little bit, and he’s an impressive and talented person.  Great to see him advancing this way. When good folks move forward, that just makes our industry that much better! Kudos to all.

-- A few months ago, when the Architectural Billings Index was up somewhat, I noted that it probably wasn’t up to date with all the happenings worldwide- specifically the conflict in Iran.  Welp.  Now it has.  The latest ABI is absolutely dreadful.  And worse yet, the one score that always gave me hope, new project inquiries, was down significantly, too.  Not great folks.  I always preach resilience and note the bumpy roads out there- so unfortunately, that theme continues. I’ll keep looking for the silver linings (like some recent improvements on commercial starts)- but when you get reports like this, even when you expect it, it hits hard.

-- So, going lighter… if you need more of me on a podcast (which is a better choice than staring at ABI numbers, that’s for sure), I did my annual appearance on the Zach Perilstein show’s Father’s Day episode.  It was fun to talk Disney- Parks vs Cruises, best movies for “Dads,” and the one word that I promote and never follow.  Check it out HERE or search “Zach Perilstein Show” on Apple and Spotify.

-- Last this week… May all of my friends in Canada have a wonderful Canada Day, and for those in the United States, a tremendous 4th of July/Independence Day.  Have fun, everyone, and please stay safe around fireworks and BBQs etc..

LINKS of the WEEK

Somehow, a 10-foot-tall Giraffe disappeared from her ranch in Texas… and luckily, she was found, and her return trip will be interesting! https://apnews.com/article/giraffe-escape-texas-gracie-d2b4195738c484d562758c5b24e9e4a9

The brutal business beat of Red Lobster’s “Endless Shrimp” deal is being accused of a planned effort.  Honestly, I thought only people in our space tried to sabotage themselves/the industry. (Ha- my friends will get that little quip…) https://nypost.com/2026/06/25/business/red-lobsters-disastrous-endless-shrimp-deal-was-owners-scheme-to-squeeze-profits-lawsuit/

I really never did “Dave & Busters,” but I know many who did/do.  Good look at what’s going on there. https://slate.com/business/2026/06/arcade-raves-dave-and-busters-family-friendly-business.html

PROJECT of the WEEK

This week, a jaw-dropper in a couple of ways is in the spotlight!  From Sam VanHoozer of Bell County Glass Company, a tremendous effort on the Building Construction Technologies facility at Texas State Technical College, Waco.  Just this line from his post gets you thinking about the hoops he and his team were probably jumping through

"Hours spent on 3D BIM Modeling during pre-construction and coordinating everything from structural tolerances on the Curtain Walls to each wire running through the walls for the SageGlass to operate correctly."

Kudos to Sam and his team on a beautiful project.  And also props to him and team for being NACC Certified- the certification angle is the future (well, it’s kind of the current, really- needed all over- but you get my gist). So I love it when I see companies that are on top of it, like Bell County, getting certified and then showing off their skills on incredible projects like this one. 

Advocacy in Real Life

From time to time, I get the question about advocacy.  As in, what sort of advocacy is happening in our industry?  I think there is a perception that the only path to advocacy is through face-to-face or 1:1 meetings with members of the legislative branches of government.  And while that is a form, I believe some of the best advocacy happens at the grassroots level.  From volunteers and from leaders within industry-focused trade organizations.  When I interviewed Tom Culp for my podcast, we talked about the “battle for the wall” and, in doing so, covered that if our industry did not step up the way it did, then the window-to-wall ratio would’ve gotten reduced and we’d be very deep in the hole. And no meeting with a government official could save that. Smaller glass, less glass? Not good.   So yes, we need to be represented at every level and in as many ways as possible, because as I have noted here many times before, our industry is a popular target for seemingly every other trade out there.  If we’re not doing all we can to protect our way of life, it's going to be a problem.  All that said- my extreme thanks to every volunteer (and congrats to the latest volunteer honorees Steve Marino of Vitro and Vaughn Schauss of Kurarary) out there who cares deeply and advocatesfor us all.

Elsewhere…

-- And in case you missed the episode where Tom Culp and I talked about this and so many other important industry items, you can find the links below.  Jamie Kernohan of Glass Guru was also on this episode, and her energy generated a ton of positive feedback – especially from some of the marketing leads in our space.  Thank you, Tom and Jamie, and thank you all for checking it all out! 

VIDEO

AUDIO

Of course, also grateful to FHC- Frameless Hardware Company for the continued backing of the podcast! Much appreciated!

Note- I do have a new episode coming out next Sunday, and it’s got a couple of big movers and shakers, nationally and regionally. Can’t wait!

-- And speaking of volunteers and people stepping up for our interests, I got word this week that the fabulous Dennis Bevans of Anchor Ventana was named to the Executive Board of the Texas Construction Association.  Having a voice at that level is crucial, and Dennis will be perfect in that spot!

-- Some of my best friends in this industry are the brothers who own Peterson Glass in Michigan.  Great guys that I have known for years.  Well, recently they decided to call it a day, retire, and close up shop. (Happy for them and jealous of them at the same time) In doing so, they now have quite a bit of material for sale.  (Maglocks, Electric Strikes, Taper loc sets, Von Duprin cables, among many items, etc.) Please take a look at this LINK and contact me if you’re interested; I’ll get you in touch with the gang there.

-- Guess what…GlassBuild America registration opens THIS WEEK. The show this September in Vegas will be an incredible event, and I look forward to seeing you there.  The chance to connect and learn is huge and of monumental importance.  More info to follow, and as you can expect, I’ll be talking about this more as the weeks click on our way to the show!

-- Last this week… The gang at Gatsby Glass debuted a very cool tool on their website. A visualizer for the shower door space. GatsbyView lets customers upload a photo of their bathroom/shower door setting and see how a new design would look in that area.  I have seen this tech before, and I love it.  Gatsby did a very nice job with their effort, and to me, it’s great because it brings the homeowner/general public closer to all of us.  And as someone who has been planning a new shower enclosure since April of 2025 (and still not there, thanks to a GC disaster), I enjoyed trying this out and seeing what my enclosure could look like when I finally get one in 2028.  LOL.  I think.  Anyway, kudos to Gatsby on the tech and the push to serve the public more effectively.  See it HERE, and thanks to my friend Jeff Dowd at Gatsby for giving me a look before it went live. 

LINKS of the WEEK

A very cool winning scratch-off lottery ticket story from my stomping grounds in Michigan. https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/06/18/lotto-Michigan-Lottery-last-minute-scratch-off/6241781805958/

Interesting take on the craziness surrounding the SpaceX stock. https://nypost.com/2026/06/17/business/spacex-flippers-have-sellers-remorse-after-50-climb-though-traders-wonder-whether-hot-streak-will-last/

The World Cup has been incredible.  On field action and amazing off-field stories.  One example? The Scots are taking the US by storm and depleting serious beer inventories! The legend Angus MacMillan is beaming with pride on this one- and thx to him for the heads up. https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/are-scottish-soccer-fans-drinking-all-of-the-beer-in-boston/3966171/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&utm_campaign=fark&ICID=ref_fark

PROJECT of the WEEK

The Gold Standard, Heather West, has been on fire lately.  This week, the project spotlight shines on one she shared on LinkedIn, and while it’s not a massive job, it shows how glazing can add another level to the exterior AND refresh an old structure.  From the post that was written by Technoform- as they led the way on this one with thermal breaks and warm edge spacers, this is Steele Elementary School, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA

“The over 110-year-old Steele Elementary School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has been successfully revitalized, expanded, and redesigned to meet future needs. The comprehensive renovation of this historic 1916 building combines its original character with modern functionality, providing an inspiring learning environment for around 400 students.”

The collaborators who joined Technoform on this excellent effort featured a who’s who of players in our space, including: Glazing contractor, Aluma Glass & Glaze, Primary glass manufacturer, Vitro Architectural Glass, laminated interlayer via Kuraray America, Inc., and window manufacturer: Apogee Architectural Metals’ brands: EFCO, Wausau Window, Linetec.

Great job by all!  Keep up the good work showing off our products!