Sunday, December 15, 2019

And the Industry MVP is....

And here we are... the end of the year and my final scheduled post for 2019.  As is my tradition it’s in this post that I reveal the runners up and MVP of our fine industry during the past year.  This recognition is based on my home-grown parameters.  I look at people and companies who step up to support our part of the world, push the innovation, and are positive glass industry representatives.  People and companies that volunteer their time and resources for the greater good and truly care about the whole vs. the part.  Over the years I have recognized incredible people and I think 2019’s batch will easily fit in with the previous honorees.  Before I get to it, this has gotten harder over the years because of so many quality candidates, and this year was extremely challenging.  So without further delay, here we go!

2019 Runners Up

Courtney Little- Ace Glass.  Courtney is a brilliant man and one that constantly gives back to our world.  With his law background and connections throughout the subcontractor universe, Courtney is a “go to” guy on tons of important subjects.  He is often asked to speak or connect people for more information on the latest codes or ordinances and always does everything he can to fulfill those requests.  Courtney also happens to be on the cutting edge of technology too with the way he runs his business- I am amazed at the amount of work he gets done given all the hats he wears.

Scott Rowe & Rowe Fenestration.  I only met the Scott and the Rowe team 2 years ago and from day 1 I was incredibly impressed.  There are so many fabulous manufacturer rep firms in this country.  Tremendous folks in all that are immensely talented.  But it’s Scott and the Rowe team that constantly blow me away with their approach to the market and support of our industry.  They get after the sales angle with a ferocious hunger for success and constantly position themselves as a true support system for their customers.  They are continuously swamped yet they take the time… each and every time they are asked to give back to the industry.  Those qualities are awesome and appreciated.  Also I love Scott’s style too (his fashion touch is top notch) and wish I could come close to pulling it off! (Nope never)

Syndi Sim- DFI.  I have written about and interviewed Syndi in the past so she’s been a favorite of mine.  Time though now to point out again how she somehow seems to be everywhere at once- seeing customers, giving webinars, appearing at shows, and basically owning social media.  Syndi brings a constant positive promotional presence and has always been front and center with regards to industry support.  Where I am always thankful is that some areas are not in the DFI or Syndi’s world, but if it’s good for the advancement of the industry, Syndi is there for the support- and usually does it with her typical enthusiastic drive!

Dustin Anderson- Anderson Glass.  There is so much more to Dustin than being that cool guy on TV or that cool guy with the tattoos or that cool guy who made the glass ping pong table or that cool guy who speaks about business items to packed audiences.  There is a guy that lives for our product and our people.  Loves the industry and strives to give back.  Dustin’s talk at GlassBuild about the lessons he learned- hard lessons like issues within his business that almost sunk him- are must listens.  And the fact he shares this so others can learn from his past is selfless and impressive.  It is sometimes a challenge for people to open up and share and especially when it was something so rough- but Dustin did it and does it often for the good of the industry.  And yes he's an extremely cool guy for that more than anything else.

And now our 2019 MVP.  Most Valuable Person in the Glass and Glazing industry

Bill Sullivan – Brin Glass Company

I have known Bill for many years.  And despite that he still answers my e-mails.  LOL.  Seriously though Bill is a tremendous person, business leader, and industry supporter.  With his role in the Brin world, Bill touches so many aspects of our industry and he does it with care and class.  He is always looking for ways to improve and innovate and then is not hesitant at all to share best practices with others.  He volunteers a ton of time and allows and encourages his people to the same. He brings a level headed approach to every item he takes part in and is usually the voice of logic and reason- much appreciated qualities when you get a bunch of fired up people in a room.  Bill steps up again and again and I can’t stress the appreciation I have for that.  In addition thanks to Bill’s personality and drive so many of his folks take on that same trait.  Yes part of it is the classic “Minnesota Nice” that exists, but whenever I am dealing with any of Bill’s folks it’s always a fair and impressive experience even when I don’t get everything I ask for!  End of the day Bill fits the bill as the 2019 MVP because he does go above and beyond for his companies, his people, and our industry.  We are all better because of it.   So congrats Bill and please keep up the great work!

So with that the 2019 MVP race is complete. We have so many amazing people and companies in this industry and I wish I could name and talk about everyone on my list.  But I have to save some for next year right?  We are truly a great industry with class people at every turn.  Yes there are aspects of our world that drive us all crazy but those are minor in the big scheme of things.   In the end we are a community of people in a very specialized business who uniquely love and cherish the greatest building product in the world and we all want to keep growing and advancing what we do and how we do it.  No way we could do anything positive if we didn’t have the best collection of people around. 

Thank you all for following along again this year.  I am always grateful for the support.  I wish each and every one of you a happy holiday season and a HEALTHY and PROFITABLE 2020!

LINKS of the WEEK

This story cracked me up… Poor Santa can’t catch a break!

Amazingly stupid and awful decision making here by this person.  Absolutely zero reason to do what he did.  Just boggles the mind.

Not sure what was worse in this story.  The cheap shot on the college basketball court or the moronic initial statement from the president of the college whose player initiated the hit.  I’m going withthe “adult” here.  

VIDEO of the WEEK

This may be the last video of the week for a while as I am going to introduce a new feature in this spot in 2020.  I’ll still post videos as worthy on occasion but the segment is going to be retired… it served me well!  So final video of the week is one of my favorite videos from 2019- the fake 30 for 30 on the Karate Kid.  Such a great job here and fun too.  So enjoy all over again!


Saturday, December 07, 2019

MY list of Best Buildings of 2019

The year end always brings “best of” lists and in our world there are usually best building and project lists usually put out by Architectural trade magazines.  So I went in search of those articles and found a few and have to say I’m pretty bummed on the selections that some of the pubs made for “best” of the year.  It was almost like they should name it “craziest” design of the year vs. best.  So instead of those lists here’s my top 5 buildings (no order) of the year!  (And I am assuming these all were completed in 2019- but this surely is not a “formal” contest- though I am seriously tempted to start one!)

181 Fremont from Hartung Glass and Vitro – beautiful building- classic!

NDIS Building from Glassworks Australia and Pleotint Suntuitive- Jaw dropping use of glass and frit. 

SAP HQ in Frankfurt from Guardian Glass- unique and the glass looks fabulous

Maurice Richard Arena in Montreal- Walker Glass- Love the cool look of the etch look- just stops you in your tracks


Federal Office Building in Miramar, FL by Viracon- So much to look at here and all stunning. 


Yes... its obvious I like buildings with glass and these all do a great job utilizing it!

I’m sure I am missing others and if I catch them I’ll post next week on my last blog of the year!

Elsewhere…

--  Next week I will crown the 2019 Glass Industry MVP and also name the runners up.  Incredible candidates this year and thanks to all who reached out to nominate.. 

--  Speaking of MVP… congrats to past MVP Tracy Rogers on his new position at Consolidated Glass Holdings. That was exciting to see and now maybe I can get Tracy to start reading this blog once in a while… 

--  Quick economic update… the latest webinar that I took in was from FMI and they too followed some of the same methodology that others this fall have… with the slow down coming soon in our segment but clearing into mid next year.  They did show positive health overall on the non-residential side but their residential forecast was ugly.  So that may not be good news for the commercial interest side in 2021/2022. We will see.  The one thing they mentioned that others did not play up is the US Presidential election and what the offshoot of that may be…. 

--  One of my all-time favorite speakers is Mike Burk.  He is responsible for one of the most memorable speeches very given at BEC and every time out he never disappoints.  So I’m excited he’ll be doing the next “Thirsty Thursday” this week. Mike’s handling “Preventing Scratches and Edge Damage” on 12/12 at 1PM ET.  Click here and sign up now. 

--  Really excited about the upcoming resources from the NGA.  Check these topics out… crucial subjects getting covered here.  
·     Heavy Glass Door Design Guide, 20th anniversary edition 
·     Top 10 Items Commonly Missing from Fenestration System Shop Drawings 
·     Safety Guidelines for Deglazing Structural Silicone 
·     Design Considerations for Use of Sealants/Adhesives with Coated Glass and Adhesives Compatibility 
·     New abbreviated Thermal Stress in Heat-Treated Spandrel 
·     Marking and Labeling 
·     Protective Glazing 101 AIA presentation 

--  I saw on social media that my pal Andrew Haring of the NGA had a tour of the new football stadium in LA. That place will be epic and I was jealous he got some first-hand visibility of that structure.  Speaking of new stadiums and tours, I am sincerely hoping that I’ll get to see the Vegas stadium when GlassBuild comes to town in the fall.  Love seeing how these mammoth projects come together!

--  Last this week and also on the sports end- I saw that Steve Cohen is buying the New York Mets.  It has to be the Steve Cohen at Vitro who is a friend of mine right?  Steve if it’s you, I am ready to go to work for the Mets… Assistant to the assistant GM? That’s all me.  Steve.. call me… 

LINKS of the WEEK

Great aquarium if you ever get the chance to go and this is super cool! Eel Power!

Still working at the tender age of 101!  As the friend who shared this with me said and I agree “I hope she’s working because she wants to… not because she has to!”

You may have seen this in the news last week- still love it- fans getting stuck in the hedges celebrating a football win…

VIDEO of the WEEK

The hot marketing news was the Peleton commercial where the exercise bike helps a person go from a skinny 116 pounds to a skinner 112.  The mocking has been amazing and spoofs everywhere… no better than this one!    (Note- some rough language in here to capture the emotion of it all…)



Original commercial if you have never seen it is here
https://youtu.be/pShKu2icEYw

Sunday, December 01, 2019

BEC Opens, Job Moves, Cool Website & More

And down the stretch we come… just one month left in 2019!  I cannot believe how fast this year seemed to go.  A bunch of quick hits this week vs. big stories so here we go…

--  Registration is now open for BEC 2020.  This year the event is in Nashville, TN and the potential schedule I am seeing is incredible.  Topics that are crucial for the glazing contracting community are on tap.  Plus this year the schedule is different than past years- DO NOT skip the 2nd day as it’s loaded with content.  More on that schedule and its specifics to come, in the meantime get registered today HERE.

--  One more note on BEC- one of the keynotes was revealed and it’s Joe Puishys, President and CEO of Apogee Enterprises.  Joe spoke a few years ago and was absolutely awesome.  It will be great to have him back again! I am serious when I say its worth going to BEC just to see Joe, let alone everything else you get while there. 

--  The annual Vanceva World of Colors contest is up and running again.  This is one of my favorite competitions because it brings in some of the most amazing projects using decorative laminated glass.  The deadline to enter is end of February – more info can be found HERE

--  Good news from the latest Architectural Billings Index.  October brought in a score of 52.9, which was the best one in a while, and new project inquiries also came in very strong too.  This was a nice bounce back after a few so-so months.  The red flags do still remain as the Northeast and Midwest still posted sluggish individual numbers.  So the challenges remain ahead of us…

Congrats time…

--  To my old friends and co-workers Dan Danese and Bob Cummings who both secured great new positions in the last few weeks.  Dan was named Commercial Products Director at American Insulated Glass while Bob was promoted to President and CEO of Consolidated Glass Holdings.  Both will do tremendous jobs and are fantastic supporters of our industry.  Very good news!

--  And one more… congratulations go to Mike Wothe on his appointment of President at Western Window Systems.  Fabulous guy and strong company- really good combo there!

--  Cool website here at www.glassgadget.com from Showcase Installations.  Neat items (mostly for the shower installer) that can really be a huge help on efficiency and safety- I especially like the truck rack safety tool.   I saw it modeled on a Facebook post and was impressed by its simplicity while offering that extra level of safety.  Good stuff and well done by the team here!

--  Last this week… did you know that 49 billion robocalls a year are made to phones all over the world?  That number blows me away.  Really an incredible waste of peoples time and resources and with so many of those scams (the biggest one right now is the “affordable health care” one) you can only imagine how many people are getting ripped off.  I’ve always lamented the fact that so much brain power and talent is used for the wrong reasons and this is yet another example.

LINKS of the WEEK

This just flat out sucks.

Fellow travel warriors and those of you who don’t travel much but are headed out for the holidays- beware of this one!

Incredible!  My sister had something similar after my mom passed- but not to this point!

VIDEO of the WEEK

If you did not see the Thanksgiving post of the 2019 GlassBuild recap video here it is… man what a show that was!