Big & Important Deals

What a week in our world.  Two massive partnerships were announced that could really push emerging technology to new levels.  Very exciting stuff for our industry for sure.  First up was the Vitro-VIG Technologies announcement.  Once again Michael Spellman is trailblazing his way through our world.  Michael is the lead behind VIG Technologies and his tVIG product is a showstopper and now working with the massive Vitro machine, this is poised to do very positive things in the glass and glazing world.  Kudos to Martin Bracamonte, Nathan McKenna and the entire Vitro team for seeing this.  Then there was Ubiquitous Energy and Antamex with their news.  I have been a fan of Ubiquitous for a while, had the excellent David Maikowski on my podcast, and just love this technology.  Now with this hook up with a major force like Antamex (who is in smart growth mode obviously) this product also will be a substantial disruptor in our space.  I love both of these products because of the energy performances and overall sustainable advantages that will be gained.  We take a ton of heat that glass doesn’t perform well- now you have options that perform like a wall or generate renewable energy from sunlight without giving up the natural light.  Someone asked me are these partnerships the hot new trend and I would say yes- if you are not aligning yourself with great technology, you will miss out.  Big and important moves in our world and congrats to all involved!  

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  The Architectural Billings Index did not falter in June, the performance was super at 57.1 and the new project inquiry number was an absolutely crazy 71.8 which is a record by far.  Keep in mind numbers in these indexes are always in the 50’s and we’re crushing those over the last few months.  This bodes great for 2022 and into early 2023 and also shows a resilience against worry on supply chain and COVID.  And also interesting was that even architects are noting THEY are having labor issues too.  So that is something we are all in the same boat on.  Overall, I love this positivity.  The worries that I mentioned last week (labor, supply, virus) will hang over us and we need to keep fighting through it but as for the future indexes, that is looking pretty good…

 

--  GlassBuild.  Big advice here is get your accommodations done now.  The blocks are filling up and get the hotel you want.  Some people like staying close to the show, others like staying up in the main downtown area- so lock that in before it is too late.  This LINK will take you there.

 

--  Speaking also of GlassBuild the fantastic opportunity to tour Mercedes Benz Stadium is back. Those who did the tour in 2019 won’t forget it- a tremendous experience and now thanks to the great folks at Oldcastle BuildlingEnvelope, CR Laurence and Clover Architectural Products, the tour is back!  How do you get on it?  Register for GlassBuild now.  A drawing will take place soon…. The tour is scheduled for first thing in the AM on 9/14 before day 2 of GlassBuild begins.  If you are a sports fan you will want to be on this tour for sure…

 

--  And sports wise the Cleveland Indians announced they are changing their name to the Cleveland Guardians.  Obviously, a certain glass company is probably thrilled by that, but the name just doesn’t work for a sports team to me… (When I see “Guardians” I think glass or galaxy) For me I liked the name Cleveland Spiders- was a cool throwback to an original team name.    I’d be curious what Ron Crowl of FeneTech thinks as he may be the biggest Cleveland sports fan I know.

 

--  Last this week… thoughts and prayers to Joe Silva and his family.  Joe’s wife Marianne suffered a brain aneurism last week and is hospitalized in New Jersey.  Joe (Glazier Nation VP) is a relative newcomer to our industry but he’s an amazing guy- I have really enjoyed getting to know him and he’s all class.  In this time of need, Joe and Marianne need all the positive push they can get.  

 

LINKS of the WEEK

I gotta ask my friends from Scotland on this.  A home there being heated by recycled vegetable oil??? The smell would probably make me hungry!

 

Easy to lose faith and interest in any sort of Olympics when they do stuff like this.

 

Close call on a lottery ticket!

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

This week kudos to Innovative Openings Solutions out of Norwood, Ohio for this project at the legendary Dayton Arcade.  Great job on the exterior storefronts and a lot of sharp interior work. I don’t know much about these folks but stumbled upon it on LinkedIn and liked the way it turned out.  I have seen a lot of nice work from others come from the Dayton Arcade refresh, so good to see a company I wasn’t familiar with on it too!

Podcast Deep Dives

The latest “From the Fabricator” podcast is now out and it features some very wide ranging subjects from excellent people in our world.  I lead off talking about Cardinal/AGC and some other moves to potentially come and then into the interviews.  Charles Alexander from Walker is fantastic- talking on Walkers evolution and their moves into Etched and Bird Friendly among other items.  Adrian Lowenstein of Skyline Windows is an absolute superstar- great chance to learn more about him and also take his temperature on so many glass and glazing items- including some riffs at the end on new technology.  Then Jen Marchesani of Shildan educates me on Terra Cotta and so much more- a tremendous learning experience and great person for me to meet.  So, episode #7 is now in the books and available for you via YouTube HERE or in Audio form HERE or however you consume your podcasts (Apple, Spotify, Google etc.)  Thank you!

Elsewhere…

 

--  And while you are adding my podcast to your list, the latest John Wheaton “Creating Structure” is out and that features Thomas Cornellier of TSI Corporations.  Thomas is a very good guy and TSI a remarkable company.  John once again is fantastic at pulling out really meaningful discussion points.  Please check it out!

 

--  I noted last week that we’d have a mid-year forecast coming out and and it was an interesting one.  We are in a slow stretch (some feel this more than others) and the outlook for the future is positive- but- concern on the virus and the lack of vaccinations in the construction trade are a worry as is supply chain and labor shortages.  As for some segments- retail looks ugly for a while, schools and offices should bounce back sooner (look for more retrofit in the immediate term for offices) and restaurants and some lodging will recover nicely. If the government steps in we probably won’t see that work until 2023/2024.   Also, more solar is a play- we know that based on the glass tightening (because of solar panels) and what companies like Ubiquitous Energy and Vitro are doing to positively disrupt the space.   There was a lot to unpack, but bottom line is it is still a battle out there, supply and labor rule the roost and doing everything you can to be diverse and efficient is the key. 

 

--  Later this week the latest ABI will be out.  It has been on fire- will it continue?  Or will some of these fears that were listed in the latest forecasting dampen it?  We’ll see and report back here…. 

 

--  Great Bendheim news. Congrats to the Jayson family on the promotion of Ben to President of Bendheim.  Wonderful family and company.  In October of 2015, I wrote a blog post congratulating Ben for joining the business and now he’s moved all the way up the ladder.  The talent in that family runs deep and neat to see the 4^th generation to step up to the plate.  Great to see!

 

--  An interesting company in our world is Quikserv and they made a nice acquisition a few weeks back with the pick-up of US Bullet Proofing.  Quikserv has evolved smartly from the core business of pass-through/drive through windows to now so much more with all of the protective options and I am big fan of Wade Arnold their Commercial Sales Manager. Sharp young guy that really is going to be a part of a push to keep the company moving in the right direction.  Plus, I see Wade becoming active at the trade level and you know I love that!  Congrats to all involved there!

 

--  Last this week- I hit on this previously on the sinking San Francisco building and it looks like there was an update… hopefully they righted this one.

 

LINKS of the WEEK

 

--  Rental cars continue to be a challenge, and this one is a crazy story.

 

--  My friend who sent this to me asked if it’s “time for an Ark” and given how much flooding we’ve had here in Detroit and in places like this- I’m starting to think so…

 

--  House without a bathroom sells for big money.  Yep we may have reached peak stupid in the housing boom. (And it’s me jealous because I know when we go to sell our house it’ll be during the worst time ever. LOL)

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

 

This was posted by my old friend and co-worker Keith Stockman of Glasswerks in LA.  This is the Nevada State College Education Building.  Really sharp project that Glasswerks fabricated using Vitro Solarban® 70 on Bronze along with great decorative laminated.  Quantum Glass was the glazier.  Carpenter Sellers Del Gatto the architects.  Nice work Keith and all others involved- love it!

Mid Year Check In

It is now mid-year forecast time and this coming week we’ll have a big release on what some of the main analysts are seeing for the rest of 2021 and into 2022.  My approach is still the same, we knew 2021 was a “donut” and for a lot of the industry (but not all) we are in the hole right now.  However, the other side is coming quickly, and things will perk up as the year goes on and it will lead to strong 2022.  Now that said, there is some skittishness because of the supply chain, worries on virus still, and the labor pool is as muddy as ever.  That can surely depress some things, but I remain fairly bullish.  What will the experts say?  We’ll find out this week and I’ll break it down next week here.

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  Also next week, a new episode of the From the Fabricator podcast will drop.  I’ll be recording with 3 great guests, including one person I know pretty well, one that I just got to know this year, and one that I have never met personally.  All bring interesting stories AND interesting products to the table… so I look forward to sharing soon!

 

--  Congrats to the folks at Kensington Glass Arts on their 45^th anniversary!  Tremendous accomplishment and they have done a ton in their time in our world.  As I have noted here before their support of the industry and their desire to go above and beyond (like their efforts with NACC and certification) is truly admirable.  Congrats to the team there!

 

--  Recently rules have changed where college athletes can now get some sort of compensation for their “Name, Image and Likeness”(NIL) and with that there’s been a major push to get athletes of all makes and models promoting brands and services.  We now even have a major glass company involved.  MY Shower Door signed Michigan Linebacker Peter Simmons III and yet again Bill Daubmann and family are making positive news for our industry.  This move is brilliant (and funny because a buddy of mine was begging ME to have Sole Source sign a player and I laughed it off) and typical of the always working mind of Bill and team.  So congrats to all and to Peter Simmons III – GO BLUE and make our industry proud!

 

--  Link here on the 10 most livable cities in the world and there’s a few from Australia on the list… which means I need to ask my friend Lakshman Kalupathirana of SPIL Glass Software about how great it is living there and if this list is legit.  No North American cities in top 10.  I am not sure of the overall parameters used but these sorts of stories are always interesting to me.  

 

--  Good article on airport design with a look at LAX and its ongoing renovations.  I feel like LAX has been under some sort of construction for years- even seeing a Super Sky post on LinkedIn this week showing off a skylight there.  So I guess it’s a never ending process eh?

 

--  Last this week… the NGA Glass Conference is coming up quick. July 20^th is the date, and it is free to attend and only runs a few afternoon (ET) hours.  This is a HUGE opportunity to get up to speed on all of the NGA technical activities.  Given the massive challenges we all face, having more information at your fingertips could be the difference between a great month and a crummy one.  So click HERE to check it out and join in!

 

LINKS of the WEEK

Python escapes in a mall but don’t worry “she’s real sweet” – Unreal.   Note they did eventually find her… 

 

Some of this article on the building collapse in Florida is good, some not. (victim blaming and a little too pretentious)  Still a decent read on what continues to be a depressing subject.

 

I swear every week there is a story like this where people are destroying things they shouldn’t.  In this day and age of info at your fingertips- this should never happen.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

From the LinkedIn feed of Richard Doss of Metropolitan Glass in Colorado… this is the Kiewit Headquarters in Lone Tree, CO.  Richard and the great folks at MGI really rocked on this project and it looks incredible!  Plus I love seeing sunshades from my pal Tom O’Malley at Clover Architectural along with great fabricated glass from Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope.  Congrats to all involved on this project and Richard, keep up the great work!

10 Years!

This week is a milestone week for me as my little company will turn 10 years old on Friday.  I simply can’t believe it’s been a decade on my own but here we are.  Obviously, a major thank you to all of you who have trusted me to work with you on your communication strategy and gratitude also to all of you who have shared, supported, and encouraged me along the way.  I am very grateful.  So, 10 down and who knows how many more but it is full speed ahead for sure… great things coming!

 

Elsewhere…

 

--  The latest Architectural Billings Index was release and it continues to be on fire.  This month a 58.5 score was posted and it’s really amazing how positive this forecast has become.  Anything over a 50 is a plus and right now this index is soaring into record territory.  The ABI is a future facing index, so these numbers are exciting for late 2021 into 2022n but I know in the present we still are battling some soft underbelly work wise (though it seems to be picking up) and of course we are dealing with a double whammy of labor and supply shortages. That said, I’ll take that positivity of the future and know we are all resilient enough to get through all the adventures we have going on now…

 

--  Once again, the team from Glazier Nation is positively disrupting the landscape- the latest with their nationwide road show kicking off this past week.  Matt Day and team are hitting the road and I think it’s great that they’ll be getting face to face with so many of the leaders in our space. Plus they’ll be pushing great messaging including getting to GlassBuild this fall- so I am pumped for all of it. If you are on LinkedIn- check out this post to see where they’re headed.

 

--  Speaking of GlassBuild- just a reminder, go get that hotel room booked now.  I know most people wait to register for the show, but friendly advice here- get your room settled so you can stay where you want…. GlassBuild.com has all the info there for you.

 

--  Read a tremendous study from Deltek.  They surveyed 480 architectural firms and went very deep into every aspect of their business.  Really interesting stuff but I really focused in on the thoughts on marketing and advertising and the trend of pushing more online is only going to grow- so having a robust and diverse online offering is certainly the wave to ride. More marketing is actually having a bigger effect than direct sales visits!

 

--  Thanks to Justin Wolf who linked this one on Linkedin- the 15 worst highways in America and it’s a wild read.  3 of the 15 are in the Rochester/Buffalo area which makes me think that someone there should hire Jim Stathopoulos of Ajay Glass and let him fix the roads right- since I know he has the engineering chops to usually fix the unfixable!  I am surprised no Michigan roads made this list though- check it out!

 

--  Last this week… on Florida and the building collapse.  It’s incredibly sad and scary that it happened and really brings to mind it could happen again.  Thoughts and prayers to all involved there and let’s hope that this gets people moving quicker to inspect, correct, and repair anything that may end up in this category in the future.  Also great credit to Rick De La Guardia of DLG Engineering – a super person and he’s been excellent explaining to all forms of media the issues that this building had (or may have had) and worries/concerns for the future.  Rick has done a lot of work on the glass side of things and seeing his voice amplified is a comforting one because he really knows his stuff and he is an absolute professional.

 

LINKS of the WEEK

 

I have flown a ton in my life and I have yet, thankfully, been on a plane with this happening.  

 

Did you see the brutal crash at the start of the Tour De France?  All done in by a signholder…

 

I had never heard of the Yabba Dabba Do house until reading this… wow.

 

PROJECT of the WEEK

 

Fins for the win!  Not sure the name of this project but it was from Erin Bellis of McGrory Glass and Erin is an all-time favorite of mine- great talent- so if it’s good for her- it’s perfect for me and a Project of the Week! McGrory does such a nice range of work and this one is right on pace with all else they do.   Nice work McGrory team on this one, and thank you Erin for putting it out there!