A new episode of the From the Fabricator podcast is out, packed with insights! First up: the father-son duo Tom and Kyle Nesbitt of United Architectural Metals and United Glass & Panel. Tom is brilliant, and Kyle is following in his dad’s footsteps there. Culture, innovation, market optimism, trophies, and “challenging the ordinary” were some of the highlights of a very wide-ranging conversation. Next, airing by popular demand: the summer interview with Omar Maalouf of Momentum Glass that I transcribed here on the blog. This wasn't planned as an audio/video version, but the blog post made a lot of waves, and with the podcast audience growing, I thought it was a good time to share it. Omar covers a ton, talks about great technology and innovation, and then gets into his passion for the industry and his goals to advance us. Both interviews were a blast, and I’m thrilled to share them with all of you. Thank you for listening and supporting as always!!
AUDIO (Search “From the Fabricator” on Apple/Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts)
Thanks to the fine folks at FHC-Frameless Hardware Company for supporting this episode!
Elsewhere….
-- I mentioned above the podcast growth. Last September I posted a link to the Top 10 Glass Industry podcasts via the Million Podcast rankings. I was thrilled to be in the top 10 then. The 2026 list is out now, and I must THANK YOU all, as From the Fabricator is #1. Very, very cool. The list is worth checking out HERE, as it’s full of good ones again. Thank you to the team at Million Podcasts for the recognition!
-- The latest Architectural Billings Index came out the week before last, and it’s still ugly overall, coming in at 44.7, well below the break-even 50. The bright spot continues to be the inquiries, and we’re also hearing about clogged backlogs waiting for releases. So I am keeping the faith. But all in all, it’s not great out there right now, and I know you all know it. We’ll keep pushing forward.
-- Big company news: November 1st marked a huge milestone for a tremendous industry company. United Plate Glass out of Butler, PA (and locations in North Carolina and Maryland) turned 45 years old. A proud family business then (with just a handful of people) and a proud family business now (with quite a few more people across three locations). Mike and Joyce Cully and the team are as classy as they come, and they’ve built one of the most impressive operations in our space. Congrats to the entire UPG team, and here’s to many more milestones ahead!
-- Big people news: First, Apogee Architectural Metals is bringing Marc Donahue back into the mix. Marc is a force in his area and will do great for the surging Apogee team. Thanks to the Gold Standard in PR, Heather West, for the heads-up on this one. Then, next up... One of the nicest guys our industry has- Tom Herron- landed at Key Media & Research as Director of Communications. Love it when good things happen to good people, and Tom will do a fantastic job there. Wonderful for all!
-- Last… I love my empty-calorie or treadmill-worthy TV, and so the new season of “Terminal List” on Amazon Prime fits the bill. But when you mix some industry-related stuff, then I’m really loving it. Episode 3 of the new season- a scene taking place in an office, and the glass behind one of the characters is obviously Bird Friendly glazing. Hey, if Bird Friendly is making it in Hollywood, then it really needs to keep growing everywhere… bring it on!
LINKS of the WEEK
-- A plea deal in exchange for a Philly Cheesesteak? https://www.fox29.com/news/murder-suspect-offers-guilty-plea-exchange-philly-cheesesteak
-- A best fries contest in Belgium looks intense! https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tv/articles/champion-chip-best-fries-contest-013404720.html
-- Any guesses on the World Record for holding a knuckle handstand? I can’t even believe they track such a thing… https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/10/27/guinness-world-records-knuckle-handstand/7141793116324/
PROJECT of the WEEK
When this one came across my feed, my immediate reaction was “whoa- that’s snazzy,” and I’d think you’d all agree. This is the Louisiana State Police Crime Lab in Baton Rouge, LA, featuring sunshades from Architectural Grilles and Sunshades, installed by the fine people at Synergy Glass Company. The “snazzy” design courtesy of WHLC Architecture. Everything on this one really connected- so kudos to everyone who had a hand in it. Keep it all going!! Also, the picture from LinkedIn was via Tricia LaFleur of Synergy.
