Big Time Thank You

There are a lot of incredible people in this industry.  I note them all the time on here and try to give props and notice as much as possible.  I have made life long friends along the way and so many people helped me develop and grow.  One person who checks every box in this category is Cliff Monroe.  I had the supreme honor of working with Cliff for several years and spending tons of time with him either on the road or at various tech conferences.  Recently Cliff let me know he’s hanging them up… retiring from our world to go and enjoy the rest of what life has to offer.  Obviously on one hand it will suck to lose the talent and brainpower Cliff brought to our world… but on the other I am thrilled he’s walking away and going to start the next great phase in his world.   

And I did reach out to ask Cliff I could blog this and he of course had a classic Cliff-like self deprecating comment of approval but added this line that I think is perfect example of Cliff’s class:

The glass business has been nothing short of a lifetime of learning.  I am blessed to have had met, sat with and worked with some of the brightest, smartest, mentally inspiring and forward thinking persons of our industries time.

Thank you to all.

No THANK YOU sir… You will be missed Cliff and allow me add again how grateful I am to you for all you did for me personally and our industry at large!

Elsewhere…

--  Another Architectural Billings Index was released this past week and it showed a slight negative result at 49.7.  The number 50 is the break even so it was close to level but not there.  The positive was it did bounce back from an awful previous month where the number was 47.2.  Looking deeper into the problem areas… the issues are in the North and Midwest.  Those regions performed poorly which is a worry since some of those locations are already in a softening stage- so seeing a number that won’t directly affect our world for a bit should raise some red flags.  I think it continues to be an issue out there that the timing now is crucial to be preparing for the more extended lull.

--  I was on an architectural chat board recently and once again the discussion of “Heat soaked” glass came up.  This area fascinates the architectural community a great deal.  While some people get the applications and needs for Heat Soak, it is amazing how many still do not…

--  From the latest awesome NGA Technical and Advocacy Newsletter… this nugget:

In September, NFRC announced plans for a fresh reboot of commercial ratings based on two paths: one for custom projects (certification for a specific building project) and one for commercial products (certification for individual products and product lines). Both are intended to be more streamlined and offer more flexibility than previous attempts to address the commercial market.

All I can say is I am too old to fight these things so I am seriously hoping that the streamlining and flexibility actually come into play.  I seriously have to laugh though… if the NFRC would’ve listened to our world way back things would’ve been so different… and actually successful.   But I was just a mad man who was mocked so what did I know… hmmm.

--  Last this week- the huge news that the NACC process was added into the MasterSpec documents.  I have been banging the drum for a while on this certification and it’s growing on a daily basis.  Things like this will only make it advance even more.

LINKS of the WEEK

I am happy to say I am old fashioned.  I like my old fashioned thermostat.  And no Alexa etc… because when these things fail?  Look out.

This could’ve been an episode of Breaking Bad.  Sad though this one was a true story.

I think sometimes Sports can make people extra stupid.  Like this story.

VIDEO of the WEEK

Obviously by now you know I am a huge Breaking Bad and Vince Gilligan fan.  So I came across this screen test/audition of Aaron Paul as him reading for his role on BB.  Its awesome to see what started there and what it ended up becoming in the end… brilliance.

Huge Step for Education

One big story that I failed to cover more adequately from GlassBuild was the Friese Foundation stepping in to provide very generous support of the MyGlassClass.com  program.  This new philanthropic organization headed up by industry veteran Don Friese is awesome and by them stepping in to help continue the build on the educational needs of our industry is nothing short of incredible.  We need to keep growing the educational offerings at every level and we need keep gaining knowledge as an industry.  This support will go a long way to accomplishing those goals.  It comes as no surprise to me that Mr. Friese would be on the forefront of this- class acts do class things and his desire to see this industry evolve positively is amazing and appreciated.  If you missed the video announcing this- check this out… great insight and comments!

Elsewhere…

--  On the good education approach- kudos to Guardian Glass for their “Ask the Expert” series.  Really well done approach and good use of the “YouTube” space.  Smart work for sure… but my only beef is I needed more of Chris Dolan.  I think he’s holding out on sharing his expertise with the rest of us! 

--  I caught the latest Mission Impossible movie recently and loved the starring role Glass had it in… especially the skylights.  Really cool scenes there…

--  What a weird stretch we are in with forecasts and indexes.  They are all over the place but one interesting nugget is the single family housing side of things is having a nice run.  This is encapsulated somewhat in this tweet from Robert Dietz Chief Economist, National Association of Home Builders

Total housing starts falls back in Sept on multifamily volatility. Single-family starts edge up to a solid 918K annual pace. Single-family permits also up, and have improved each month since Apr. Single-family starts have grown each month since May.

As we know residential work can be a signal to the commercial side.  So far it’s been a bit puzzling to get a feel so we’ll keep watching.  Interestingly enough the Dodge Momentum Index had a big September thanks to a nice month on the commercial side.  So we continue to monitor the roller coaster…

--  Bird friendly glass was back in the news this week in a big way… the NASCAR Hall of Fame had a severe issue with bird strikes.  There is no doubt this movement to bird friendly glazing is needed and no doubt also that it’s a space that is growing extremely fast.   Time to get on board with the process if you have not… here’s a great piece from Glass Magazine from earlier this year with excellent insight on glass being the solution…

--  Last this week… This was something that tickled my interest…the top Architecture schools in the US.   I usually keep up on top schools for everything but I have to admit I did not realize some of these schools were big architecture players.  Specifically Syracuse.  I thought for sure that university was more known for its broadcasters than anything else.  Anyway fun read…

LINKS of the WEEK

--  I just found a bunch of old floppy discs and reminisced about using them… having no idea that amazingly the US Military STILL is using them!  Wow… (UPDATE- supposedly this story is incorrect- so keep that in mind)

--  This is a football play you don’t see much…

--  Great story about the “Pizza guy” and his work and rise… not to mention his compassion.

VIDEO of the WEEK

This one is going to appeal to a VERY small part of my readership… so we are celebrating the 40^th anniversary of the best baseball season ever… The Pirates 1979 championship and the classic  “We are Family” tune that went with it.  I LOVE that song and team and it makes me always think of my Dad… so in honor of that time and the anniversary of the thrilling game 7 win (10/17/79) here’s the final recap video and great song at the end starting at the 2:21 mark.

October, 2005

So for this weeks post, a different approach…

In October of 2005 I decided to get into the world of blogging.  My first main post started with:

What I think is the first ever BLOG related to the glass and aluminum industry is now alive! If someone else has one, then by all means I apologize.

We have a good industry but we face huge hurdles.

I started this as a way to get information out to the masses in a non-traditional way. I hope that I can spark debate and eventually help the industry win the battles it faces.

Now if you would’ve told me 14 years ago that I would still be blogging and how different my professional career turned out- well I would’ve told you that you’re crazy.  But yet here we are blogging away and so thank you to all of you who have followed me through the years.  I truly appreciate it.

Back in 2005 our industry was quite different- a lot of major brands that were powerhouses then don’t exist now.  Technology was getting better and better but nowhere like today and we surely weren’t much of a global industry then with regards to source and supply.  Standing here in 2019 we are in a much better place in so many ways and that is something that I am personally and professionally grateful for.

As I think everyone who knows me knows- I do love the glass industry and I love what we do and how we do it.  It wasn’t always like that- I had zero desire to be in the business growing up or all the way through college and early into my professional life. (My family has been in the glass business since 1898)  But my brother once told me that glass is in my blood (so blame goes to him that I am here) and he was right. 

So my mission for this blog hasn’t changed much since 2005.  I still want to get info out and get people fired up and I still believe this is therapeutic for me in that I can get things off my chest.   Obviously I am not as rough and militant as I was years ago but I think mellowing was the right call for many reasons.  Though I know there are old school readers of this that would love for me to revert back… sorry can’t do that!

So where I am going with all of this… well it’s a look back but this is also a plea to all who read this to continue to push for the betterment of the industry.  Get involved and stay involved.  Get to the shows and conferences.  Educate and communicate.  And push our products to the forefront of the building product world.  Many of you already do this (and do it extremely well) but if not I’m asking you look at 2020 as the chance to really make that difference.

So I have 14 years of this in the books, this is post #770, and I’m going to keep pushing until I hopefully hit 1000 at least.  Thank you again for joining me on this ride.  Next week we’ll get back to the traditional industry scuttlebutt and we’ll finish 2019 strong!

LINKS of the WEEK

I am not sure this will have the effect they want it to- but it’s a fascinating argument- will getting rid of drive through lanes at Fast Food restaurants make us healthier?

This story is missing a big piece… no way this happened overnight…. And I wonder if its even true.

Which one of my travel warriors can relate to this one?

VIDEO of the WEEK

So since this is a “look back” piece I wanted to use an oldie but goodie video.  Funny as I dug back into my archives, a bunch of my videos that I featured here no longer exist online…  Anyway this is a fun one and here is what I wrote leading into it… from 2006 and I would love to see this still today… post job or end of year press conferences?  YES!!

“It’s getting down the stretch of 2006 and I think everyone is at wits end. Yes the holidays are coming but most people are so busy right now, they are in a real scramble mode. Now only that everyone wants their project done before the holidays so the pressure is intense.

So with that in mind, take 2 minutes and watch how these various NFL coaches react... can you imagine if the glass industry had press conferences? Man that would be hilarious.”

Getting Involved

I have covered this before but it’s worth mentioning again… often I hear from people that ask “how can I get more involved in the industry?”  Well if you want to be active and make a difference, first step is to make sure you are a member of NGA and then pay attention to the call for actions.  To give you a flavor, this is a portion of one from last week and these are huge subjects that need attention.  Step up and get involved!

Advocacy Committee

Advocacy Response Team

Become equipped to advocate for glass and glazing at the legislative and regulatory levels; more information to follow

Fabricating Committee

Fire-Rated Glazing capabilities

This task group will review the existing text within the Glazing Manual in order to update the description to include the cross-functional uses of fire-rated glazing for purposes such as energy performance or protective glazing.

Vacuum Insulating Glazing

The existing task group initiated a survey at Fall Conference to guide the development on a resource educating the industry on VIG products and capabilities.

Evaluating Post-Finishing of Heat-Treated Glass Edges

Task group will develop and test control samples to destruction in order to develop recommended guidelines for post-finishing.

If interested in volunteering, contact Sara Neiswanger at NGA or if you have questions just drop me a line.

Elsewhere….

--  Also from the NGA world the latest nominees for the Board of Directors was announced and two of my all time favorites were on the slate.  Ron Crowl of Fenetech and Jim Stathopoulos of AJAY Glass are on the ballot and simply tremendous people.  Brilliant businessmen, class acts, and they truly care about this industry.  I hope they win so they can be added to the board and continue to advance our industry. 

--  Positive news from Harmon with naming of Troy Johnson as President starting in March of 2020.  I don’t know Troy that well-- I shared a spot on the BEC planning committee last year with him and came away extremely impressed.  So that along with a lot of very influential people being major fans of his is good enough for me.   Congrats Troy!

--  You know I love when glass gets good mentions in the “real world” and so I was thrilled in my own stupid way when the TV show “This Is Us” had a discussion on getting windows including the line “Double pane windows- the sexiest style of windows!”   I probably would have passed out if they called them IGU’s….  Anyway nice to hear a product we all know and love in the middle of a popular TV show.

--  Right now the hottest segment going is interiors and this year the Glass Magazine

Reader Photo Contest will be focused on that area- with a look at the exceptional interiors in our world.  So…if you have pictures of innovative interior glass applications, including decorative installations, glass floors, doors, walls, stairs, partitions and more click THIS LINK and review the rules and get entered into this awesome contest.  Deadline is later this week…

--  Last this week- interesting debate on the possible end of the “American Dream” home.  Communities with the idea to push more multi unit housing vs. allowing single family homes.  This article on what is happening in Minnesota gives you a good jumping off point.  There is no doubt that we have to keep evolving in many areas of our world, but this angle has people ready to battle on both sides and rightfully so- lots to take in.

LINKS of the WEEK

This is just too good and too logical.  Kudos to all involved!

You may have seen this… man attacked by Bison returns to same scene with new girlfriend… who promptly gets attacked. 

The Korean Golf Tour is tough… wow…

VIDEO of the WEEK

I post a lot of movie previews here and this one absolutely will be a must see.  The next movie from Clint Eastwood is on the 1996 Olympic Bombing and the story of hero security guard Richard Jewell.  (Hero in my mind- sadly may not be remembered as such)  The media and FBI blew this one and its appropriate for todays times where the media consistently rushes to judgment (and parts of the FBI having their issues) and gets so much wrong.