#BEC2026 Let's Go!

Well, it’s finally here!  BEC is upon us, and I’m ready for a great few days in Louisville.  Lots lined up, and I have hit on much of it in past blogs. Though I don’t think I mentioned the coverage of major items like thermal bridging, hiring options, and immigration law. These are a tiny part of what will be a memorable and helpful event.    Anyway, the talking is over, let’s get it going.  Next week I’ll have the annual seen-and-heard at the event, with the traditional tons of name-dropping.  If you’re at BEC, please grab me to say hi.  Safe travels to all, to and from.

Elsewhere…

-- ICYMI, the most recent From the Fabricator podcast is out, and I’ve been loving the feedback- thank you.  Jon Kimberlain and his approach have been admired by many, and the appearance of Nick St Denis and his info was greatly appreciated.  Just enjoyable conversations. By the way, the video of this pod had some self-inflicted difficulties, but it is now working fine- the audio is off the charts again and blowing me away.  Thanks to all for the support!

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This episode was brought to you by FHC Frameless Hardware Company.  Sincere thanks to them for the support. 

-- Apogee Architectural Metals dropped a very cool case study- Health Care in Focus, and it is worth taking a look at.  TONS of insight and resources, and four fantastic projects to check out too. To download it- CLICK HERE.  Kudos to all involved, and a nice impression from Troy Johnson & Company.  Hat tip to the PR Gold Standard Heather West for sharing with me.

-- Was very nice to see the news that IGE Glass Technologies added Pierre Fleury to focus on FORVET®️ service, maintenance, and machine operator training for North American customers. Pierre is as good as they are in this space and just a good guy all around.  And to avoid confusion, I’ll note that IGE Glass Technologies is not affiliated with or authorized by BIESSE or FORVET. However, they provide independent support, spare parts, and service solutions for owners of FORVET machinery worldwide. And given that for 30 years IGE sold FORVET’s, it makes sense that they now have the best around to keep them running.  Once again, Michael & Carolyn Spellman are doing their thing!

-- Tensions in Tampa… interesting read here about two developers who once worked together but are now at each others throat.  Some real-life soap opera stuff here!

-- Last this week… There may be an issue coming your way regarding MasterFormat.  There’s a lot of talk and confusion, and CSI is proposing some significant changes to the process.  I’ve been talking with various stakeholders in the know and will report back when I have a better picture.  But needless to say- especially for manufacturers- you want to keep this on your radar.

LINKS of the WEEK

The scoreboard horn at the Pistons/Cavs game would not shut off.  Crazy. And you can feel the anxiety of the tech guy trying to fix it! (12-1/2 minutes later, he did) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36qxxNaj88A

A toucan flying around Vegas has been saved- not the best atmosphere there for it! https://apnews.com/article/las-vegas-toucan-flying-caught-rescue-ffb7646519535114b98b5f9a5108c6e4

Getting to hear everything happening during a United Flight from the cockpit?  Wild.  Wish I had that shot.  Would be interesting. https://nypost.com/2026/02/25/lifestyle/united-allows-flyer-to-listen-to-cockpit-correspondence/

 PROJECT of the WEEK

Katie Roudabush of Sero Glass had a very cool post wrapping up 2025 with a ton of great accomplishments by her company.  Amongst the images was a fabulous decorative installation.  So this is the Project of the Week- Dichroic Glass in a 28-story high-rise in downtown Phoenix.  Glass made by Meltdown Glass Art & Design.  Great work by all, and kudos and congrats to Katie and team on a great year and for sure many more to come!

Smart, Forecasts, Texas & More

I’ve got a new episode of the From the Fabricator podcast for everyone, and it’s got a bunch of strong takeaways.  First up, the 2015 Glass Industry MVP Jon Kimberlain of Dow joins me.  Jon is just a brilliant guy.  Smart as heck, extremely friendly, and always doing his best for his company and our industry.  It was fun to pick his brain on a few items, including the growth of unitizing and the moves he’d make to improve the industry.  Then we get the yearly visit from Nick St. Denis of KMR Research. We look back at the 2025 data, and Nick shares his insights on where the forecast is pointing in 2026. Nick is a good guy, and his appearance yearly on the pod always rates well. Good stuff all the way around!  Give it a listen or view.  Thank you!

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This episode was brought to you by FHC Frameless Hardware Company.  Sincere thanks to them for the support. 

Note- I’ve pushed a few extra pods out to start the year- I’m going to be settling back into the once-a-month cadence for a while- so next edition will be March 22nd.

Elsewhere…

-- One week til BEC. CAN NOT WAIT.  So excited to see everyone and learn from the best of the best.

-- Speaking of the best… this past week I had the extreme honor of speaking at the North Texas Glass Association Lunch n Learn.  Wonderful people there.  Thank you to James LaRocca of Gibraltar Glass, Valerie Nagy of Hartung Glass, and the rest of the NTGA board for having me in.  Those two always keep me in mind, and I’m grateful.  At the event, it was wonderful to see Kristina Buckett of Dallas Flat Glass- just flat out a cool person.  She had with her a true newbie to our space, Josh Prunty- he’s one week in, and I told him once you’re in the industry, you never leave.  It was wonderful to see Jamie Kernohan, now of Glass Guru, thrilled that her talent has stayed in our space, and it was nice to meet her cohort, Steven Maya.   A trip to Dallas wouldn’t be the same without seeing the legend Sam Hill and the hardest-working man in the glass business, Chris Hill.  Fantastic and classy folks, and congrats to them, too, as Oak Cliff celebrates a few milestones this year, including 70 years in business as Oak Cliff Mirror & Glass. Cool to meet Elizabeth Maynard of Gatsby Glass. I loved the enthusiasm she brought, and I’m excited to see how it all progresses for her.  (With Jeff Dowd in her corner- all is going to be great) Thanks to Dixie Still of CRL for connecting and dropping a LinkedIn post- awesome.  Last but certainly not least, the Texstar Glazing crew of Danielle Whatley, Emma McLemore, and Oscar Lopez were in attendance, and I am just enjoying watching Danielle and this company continue to crush it out there.  I know I missed a few people to mention- sorry on that- but know I am grateful for everyone’s time, and we’ll see you again down the line!

-- The latest ABI came out and is still in the downer territory. Actually, such ugly numbers- let’s just skip it and move on.  If only it were that easy!  In any case, that “uncertainty” aspect is so strong everywhere and not letting up, and this is an example of something that is getting caught in the mess. I am very curious about what Sarah Martin from Dodge Construction tells us next week at BEC.

-- Last this week… The TV show “The Pitt” is absolutely awesome.  So well done.  There was a glass related story line- kinda- as a pair of roof jumpers fell through a skylight.  The victim had major shards of glass sliced into him, and to me, that did not sit right. Maybe it was a very old skylight?  Don’t know.  But it did catch my attention.  Regardless- excellent TV for sure.

LINKS of the WEEK

Controversy!  Are the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups different than they used to be?https://apnews.com/article/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-hershey-chocolate-1a66ec75247fd146888b7a747a740cd3

Another dog comes through in the clutch! https://www.kmbc.com/article/kansas-city-police-dog-wandering-toddler-help-find-home/70420437

You may have seen this one- baby moose stuck in deep snow rescued.  Hope she’s still OK! https://youtu.be/Bq4AyNXZEig?si=tLWPAFSX6CfG7Ssh

PROJECT of the WEEK

Chesapeake Glazing gets the spotlight this week.  This is the MOB Office Building at National Harbor in Maryland.  From the LinkedIn post, this features extensive exterior glazing that supports both architectural intent and the office environment inside. Chesapeake Glazing provided the full exterior glazing package, including curtain wall systems, storefront & entries, deco glass, aluminum coping and flashing, and precision-fabricated panels and trim.  Nice work!  No suppliers were listed (that’s a bummer), but whoever you are- great job too!  Once again, the glazing makes the building + Chesapeake is NACC certified, which adds to it as well.  

Remembering Larry Vockler

Once again, a massive loss has occurred for our industry.  Larry Vockler of ICD Coatings & Chemistries – known for OPACI-COAT 300- has passed away.  Calling Larry brilliant would be an understatement.  He saw things at a different level and created products that could change an industry, one of which was how he completely disrupted the Spandrel space, and his invention and his drive allowed many a fabricator to grow their businesses.  Before Larry perfected OPACI-COAT, the spandrel space had issues, and the spandrel itself was hard to get.  Thus, architects usually specified brick or another building product instead.  But thanks to Larry, his spandrel changed it all.  Those fabricators I mentioned (including our company, where my brother Steve was a first adopter) could now produce it, and with that, architects started to spec it- more and more.  Just like that, Larry was responsible for a critical segment of our world.  How about that?!? Think about the amount of glass used in spandrel? It’s significant, and I point to Larry for that reason. Also note that Larry took the chance and built ICD from the bottom up, and he never forgot anyone who worked with him or supported his efforts. 

You hear the line “they don’t make them as they used to anymore,” and that would pertain to Larry.  Nothing like him then and now.  I have a bunch of memories, but seeing an unexpectedly bawdy Elton John concert in Las Vegas during one of the shows out there will always stand out for me.  I was there with him, his wife and partner, Trish, his daughter Kris, and others, and believe me, it was memorable.  And speaking of Kris, Larry instilled the brilliance there, too.  Kris, like Larry, thinks above the norm.  That is a part of the legacy, too.  My sincerest condolences to Trish, Kris, grandson Alex, and the entire ICD staff and family.  He will be missed.  Larry Vockler made an unforgettable mark in our space- we supply a lot more glass because of him- so the next time you quote, fabricate, or install spandrel, give a nod to Larry, without him, that area is probably some other building product.

Elsewhere…

-- ICYMI- the latest From the Fabricator podcast is up, and the reactions it’s getting have been pretty fun for me. The guests were Brad Thurman of GGI-General Glass International and Paul Robinson of Pioneer.  I heard from folks who thought they knew everything about Brad and were thrown off by the fact that they didn’t know it all.  And I heard from folks who loved Paul’s approach and passion for the space.  All good stuff!  Please check it out if you have not already.  And by the way, both men do talk BEC, and they provide fresh, non-biased insight.  So, if you’re on the fence about going, give it a listen, and you’ll surely want to attend!

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AUDIO – Or search “From the Fabricator” on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!  Also, on both Apple and Spotify, you can subscribe to the pod, and you’ll actually get it before it officially drops.

Thank you to FHC-Frameless Hardware Company for their support and sponsorship of this episode!

-- I have hit you with a ton on BEC.  All I can say is more and more people keep signing up- meaning you do not want to miss it!  Register now.

--  This past week, I had the extreme honor of being a part of an excellent ½ day educational session put on by Precision Glass Industries in Houston.  The speakers there really blew me away.  I had never heard Brian White of HB Fuller or Geoff Shellard of Guardian Glass speak, and they were extremely impressive. Scott Kennett of NACC/AGMT delivered a strong case for glazing certification, and my pal Ted Baumgardner went deep into his world of AI.  The keynote was Stefan Burnett of Perkins & Will- and he was absolutely tremendous.  Really exciting to hear from a young, sharp architect who really loves glass. He made a comment, “We want to improve the perception of glass,” and man, that made my heart flutter.  Thanks to the always cool Steve Versland of Guardian Glass for making that speech happen.  And kudos to Abdeali Karimjee at Precision for making these efforts to educate the market- even when some of the projects shown weren’t his. Classy approach always.

-- Last this week, Super Bowl ads- and I’ll just point out one.  The Budweiser Horse/”bird” ad was absolutely incredible.  If you missed it- see it here.  They mixed great music, incredible visuals, cool animals, and the pace and conclusion that were perfection.  Kudos to them! (PS- The sun was in my eyes too- you’ll get that reference if you watched)

LINKS of the WEEK

Hard to explain this one- but living in a barn is a big part https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/christian-farmer-who-secretly-turned-a-barn-into-a-home-and-lived-with-livestock-is-to-be-evicted/ar-AA1VSAT3

 Wonderful. (sarcasm) now we have black holes to worry about?https://www.unilad.com/technology/space/black-hole-more-energy-than-death-star-195781-20260208

The Data Center boom now needs some real creativity when it comes to power distribution. https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/state/virginia-bill-aims-to-cut-residential-energy-costs-shifting-expenses-data-centers/291-1433ec58-7660-4021-b2dc-a5fb2f5287e2

PROJECT of the WEEK 

I don’t know MGSI Glass in Iowa, but I know I like this work!  Precision, custom focus here, and it looks sharp! The post I saw didn’t list the glass suppliers- and hopefully someone will jump in and take credit because that looks great too.  In any case, massive kudos to the MGSI team on a job well done!!