Are We Good or Not?

“Construction shows signs of life beyond data centers”- This is the headline that caught my eye and got me excited.  Then I saw the subheadline. “Despite hopeful signs, rising fuel prices will take a toll on material costs in the second half of the year, according to construction data provider Gordian.” And just like that, I was deflated. Then the rollercoaster of emotions continued when I started reading the article HERE.  It struck a more positive tone throughout, which was nice to see.  I think we all know the situation we are in (frustratingly soft) and really don’t need to be told, but getting some reinforcement on the plus side never hurts. And if indeed the metrics showing the crucial segments we care about are moderating- sign me up for more of that!  Guess only time will tell- and in the meantime I need to up my game with catchy headlines…

Elsewhere….

--  A few of you are headed to the AIA show this coming week in San Diego.  Tremendous town to visit (hoping for you all, no June gloom) and experience.  Have fun!  Especially because if you are going to exhibit, you’re probably going to have a tough show.  Those of you who have shown there in the past know exactly what I’m talking about.  And those going for the first time will experience the pure frustration that comes with the event.  Who knows, maybe this year is the year architects won’t be distracted, and they’ll come to the floor and spend time with the exhibitors.  Also, maybe this is the year I get my big break and star in the next Denzel Washington movie. LOL.  Anyway, it’s just so tough when you want to spread the good word, and no one is there to hear it.   (By the way, I wrote and rewrote this a bunch of times to go softer on the whole deal.  Trying to be nicer in my old age…)

-- Staying on the west coast- Kudos to the team at Glasswerks on the launch of their new website.  Looks good!  Special mention to whoever was project-managing the site and had to create the project pages.  They are super, and there’s so much there.  That HAD to be a bear to develop.  So that person deserves a pat on the back for sure.

-- Want to see some serious glass getting set?  Check out this post from the great Kevin Hardman (Hardman Glazing Management).  He usually can’t share all the brilliant work he does- so when the time happens, it usually does not disappoint, and this one did not.

-- I wrote a few weeks ago about the new Jack Ryan movie on Amazon Prime and how the previews showed a broken glass floor and some BR glass.  I finally watched it, and as a movie, it follows the classic spy-adventure formula, so that works for me.  As for the glass- a star of the show, of course.  Many of the fight scenes were set in a partially completed building, and it looked like several unitized components were in the background ready for install.  The floor scene with the breakage was interesting, but I am not a glass-floor expert, so I’d love my guy, Ian Patlin of Phoenix Architectural, to weigh in. Or someone like Tom Donovan of Thompson Innovative Glass, who lives and breathes laminated glass. The BR looked great and performed as expected.  Go Glass Industry Go.  And anyone else who watches or has watched, feel free to weigh in!

-- Last this week… Quick one- speaking of movies- the new Nate Bargatze film, “The Breadwinner,” is super.  Funny and just an enjoyable ride. I am biased as I love Nate’s comedy- and if you do as well, you need to see this one.

LINKS of the WEEK

-- I don’t really understand the “influencer” model.  And I surely don’t understand how taking pictures with cute cows works.  But now farmers want to breed ugly cows to scare off the influencers.  Bizarre. https://nypost.com/2026/04/21/lifestyle/farmer-plans-to-breed-ugly-cows-to-stop-influencers-from-harassing-them/

-- I am so pumped for the World Cup, and if the US does well, I think this country will melt.  Also, it would be a nice wedding present for a US player who got married in the thick of all of this. https://apnews.com/article/brenden-aaronson-wedding-world-cup-e7ff08e340613b6a8b73e8cbb928d99d

-- Also, World Cup?  A great oral history of the 1994 US World Cup team that basically saved soccer in the US.  https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48893158/how-usmnt-went-italia-90-embarrassment-world-cup-force-1994

 PROJECT of the WEEK

W+W Glass is on that Mt Rushmore of great glass companies, and so this week it’s fun to shine the spotlight on them.  Instead of me putting words to it- here’s what they had on the LinkedIn post.

Check out our latest INSIGHT structural glass enclosure we engineered and supplied up in Boston in partnership with our supplier TriPyramid Structures and erector JK Glass Co. Love to see those thin steel plate beams inside. This happens to be the third structural glass bridge enclosure we have done in Boston (Boston Children’s Hospital Bridge and Liberty Mutual Bridge were completed some years back). We can’t wait to see this one wrap up soon.

Nice work by the Haber family and the talents at W+W.  Keep up the great work!

Glazing & Hurricane Season

June 1st marks the start of Hurricane season, and each year, we get predictions from experts about what may happen.  Before I get to that, I do need to point out that Hurricane Protective Glazing was a huge win and move for our industry.  It is now what school security will eventually be.  A must-use product to keep people safe while also allowing them to live a normalized life. (Example- natural light still can come through vs. schools being built like a cave.) So, when we take heat from other trades (which we do, constantly), it is nice to point out wins like this.  Kudos to folks like Leon Silverstein and many others in South Florida who led the charge on the hurricane side that we can all point to proudly today.  So, for the predictions, the main one is 1 to 3 Major Hurricanes to happen in 2026.  The obvious hope is that they are hurricanes out to sea, and the only damage is to all the fish that will get caught up in the mix.

Elsewhere…

-- ICYMI- the latest From the Fabricator podcast dropped last week, and I’ve loved the feedback that I have received.  I had a feeling people would appreciate the authenticity of Randy Brooks and Jared Ruggieri, and that came true.  Those guys also dropped some really solid actionable points, too- for which I and the audience appreciate!  So thank you to them! 

VIDEO

AUDIO

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

And next up, as some of you may have seen the wild AI graphic on LinkedIn- I’ll have the extremely talented Jamie Kernohan of Glass Guru on, along with one of the most important people in our world, Tom Culp. Without him and the other NGA tech Superheroes, we are working in windowless huts. That one will be out June 14th!

-- Fifty years in this industry is a huge accomplishment.  There are a few people still in that class in our world, and on June 1st, a new member will be added.  The one and only Ralph Aknin of Glass 3 Enterprises hits the half-century mark, and he’s still laser-focused on the business; his love for our industry has not waned a bit. Ralph has always been ahead of the curve product-wise, and I am not sure anyone is better at tracking down a source.   Ralph has always been incredibly kind to me, and he’s been a class act through and through.  So congrats, Ralph, on hitting 50, and thank you for all you have done to make our industry better!

-- List time!  Been a while since I had one- and you know I love these.  Via my good friend Joe Staffileno… here are the Top 10 cities where people want to retire...

10- Boise, ID – The Idaho talk just continues to grow out there. The hype is real. 

9- San Diego, CA- Shouldn’t this be higher? 

8- Tampa, FL- Makes sense

7- Asheville, NC – Oh my.  The home of Big Bill from Asheville, Billy Britt, makes the list. And who wouldn’t want to live near the awesome folks of Britt-Tilson Glass?

6- Charleston, SC- Home of the best media agency in North America-  CBK. Worth a move there just for that. 

5- Orlando, FL – There surely is a lot to do when people come to visit. Though if the Space Counts as Orlando, then count me in over there.

4- Nashville, TN – OK, I can see many areas in Tennessee… but Nashville exactly? Great place to visit.  Maybe the similarities to Orlando work here.

3- Naples, FL – Stunning, but I think this is out of my pay grade.

2- Scottsdale, AZ – See Naples. 

And #1 on the list- Sarasota, FL.  So Florida dominates the list, and it's interesting that nothing in the southern part of the state, specifically good ole Boca.   Sarasota is a great choice for #1.

Surprises to me?  Nothing in Texas or Georgia.  Also, if Idaho is on the list, no Montana? And for Joe, who sent the list- No Morgantown, WV??? Come on! 

-- Recently, I had the good fortune to visit the team at AMS-Administrative Management Systems, Inc., the group behind the inspection and 3rd-party certification processes for many organizations, including SGCC and IGCC.  Now, those who know me know I appreciate and respect the certification process, so seeing how things come together was a thrill for me.  And knowing that there’s really no equal to the certification you get from SGCC or IGCC, I could tell why that was the case.  Tremendous people and organization.  Thanks to John Kent, Terry Schaefer, Kristin Best, and Kelly Jenness, among others, for their time and incredible hospitality.  Keep up the great work, folks!

LINKS of the WEEK

I think you’re going to see more like this one- generating power in space. https://spacedaily.com/sd-n-a-a-florida-startup-just-raised-65-million-to-beam-concentrated-sunlight-at-satellites-and-the-customer-list-shows-how-fast-orbital-power-is-becoming-a-real-market/

3D Printing with glass. Some interesting angles in this one https://www.tomshardware.com/3d-printing/innovative-startup-pioneers-3d-printing-with-recycled-glass-new-binder-jet-process-combines-powder-with-adhesive-agent-in-layering-technique

Solar panel glass has a spontaneous breakage problem.  So much upside down in this one. https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2026/05/21/solar-industry-cost-cutting-sparks-record-wave-of-spontaneous-glass-breakage/

 PROJECT of the WEEK

This week, the spotlight is on a very cool couple who, with their team, are making some nice waves in our space.  This is a Cheesecake Factory in Cypress, TX, glazed by the fine folks at Stratford Glass. They had a scope as big as the menu there…. including exterior storefront, entrance doors, and interior glass systems. Kudos to Larissa & Julio Vasquez on a job well done.  Keep up the good work!

Fresh Perspectives

For the holiday weekend, a new episode of the “From the Fabricator” podcast is ready for you.  Guest numbers 219 and 220. I kick it off with Randy Brooks, President & CEO of Gardner Glass/Walker Glass.  Randy is the genuine article, and it was fun to catch up with a guy I first ran into in this industry 30+ years ago.  We hit on a ton of subjects, including bringing two great companies together, expansions, products, and more.  Then I had a great time with Jared Ruggieri, National Sales Manager at Spectrum Metal Finishing.  Cool career he’s had and now doing great things on the coating side.  Great perspectives on several items (real backlog vs paper backlog, among others), and he shares my appreciation for powder coating!  I continue to enjoy bringing different voices to the forefront, and these two deliver.  Plus, with the growth in the audio audience, I think this model is working!  Thank you to all who continue to support this effort!  I appreciate it!

VIDEO

AUDIO

Thank you to FHC Frameless Hardware Company for their ongoing support of the From the Fabricator podcast! 

Elsewhere….

--  Market-wise, this past week, we received the latest Architectural Billings Index and an update from the team at Dodge. The ABI slipped a bit this time, BUT the inquiries which were best since 2022 last month went up AGAIN. That continues to be a good sign for things to eventually break loose.  Just wish I knew when that time is!  Dodge was in a good place, too- and not just with data center growth.  Starts saw gains in pretty much every area.  Challenges abound out there, but it’s nice to see the metrics looking good.

-- Time for the review of the latest edition of Glass Magazine.  This is the annual Sourcebook that, from front to back, has suppliers for pretty much everything. This is the issue I see most on people’s desks.  A quick, easy reference right at your fingertips! The ad of the month- a big one, considering people are using this issue to learn about additional supply chain options- was a challenge!  Again, the marketing teams in the industry keep stepping up their game!  The winner, though, for this month was Glenny Glass.  First, I’ve always admired their President, Braxton Smith, and what he’s continued there at Glenny.  Second, the ad was cool. I liked seeing the whole team, and the blue color really pops off the page.  So, congrats to Glenny and whoever designed this one!  

-- Road Warriors… have you seen the news on a new TSA Program called TSA Gold+? This is a move to bring private contractors into TSA's security operations.  Very interesting since we’ve had TSA since 2001, but the consecutive shutdowns that unnecessarily affected the TSA workforce may have been what moved this forward.  More HERE, and this is just starting off, so it’s too soon to get any feel, but moving away from the current model will be an adjustment for sure!

-- Last this week with a new Fed Chair coming in- a note from the “Bow Tie” Economist Elliot Eisenberg. 

“Kevin Warsh is the 17th Fed Chairperson. Since the start of the 5th Chairperson, Eugene Meyer on 9/16/30, the average return of the S&P 500 during the first three months of the new Chair’s term has been -12%. The worst was Alan Greenspan, whose term commenced on 8/11/87. He saw the market decline 33%; Eugene Mayer follows closely at -32%. The best performer, Ben Bernacke at 2%. Hold on tight.”  

Sorry to have that positive news at the top, with sobering news at the bottom!  By the way, Elliot sends short daily e-mails that can cover a wide range of items.  It’s a good one.  Check it out HERE to subscribe.  One day, I’m hopeful to get him on the pod! 

LINKS of the WEEK

There’s a record for everything.  Including most t-shirts, put on in a minute. https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/05/22/Guinness-World-Records-David-Rush-T-shirts/4211779463880/

Bizarre- getting tossed from a Disney restaurant! (I’ve dined at this one with the Disney legend Zach Perilstein, and it was good) https://nypost.com/2026/05/22/us-news/crazed-disney-world-guest-arrested-after-going-ballistic-on-staffers-over-a-tiny-diagreement/

Busted in the carpool lane! https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/california-cops-bust-driver-carpool-180409954.html

PROJECT of the WEEK

What happens when a bunch of true heavyweights get together?  You get a spectacular project! This is Wolf Point East in Chicago. Your architects were Pelli Clarke & Partners and Pappageorge Haymes Partners. The glazier was Harmon.  Glass was fabricated by Viracon.  And to really make this project kick it up a notch?  Clover Architectural Products with the wood-grain powder-coated sunshades! Tom O'Malley is always clutch! Tremendous building, thanks to fantastic work.  Congrats to all involved!