Catching Up

I’m still flying high after an amazing GlassBuild but it’s back to the day-to-day grind right? Some catch up items from the show and elsewhere around our industry below:

A century in business

I missed congratulating Pete DeGorter and team on their 100th Anniversary that they celebrated at GlassBuild. Obviously, a great run and happy see them rolling along. Pete is truly one of the good guys in our world and I loved his “hat” promo at the show, all well done. Congrats DeGorter on the century in business!

An ironic hotel choice

The hotel I stayed at in Vegas probably didn’t do us any favors as an industry because the glass allowed a ton of heat in, especially in the workout facility. Really bizarre stuff there as I know Vegas is hot, but I have never stayed at a hotel there where I could feel the warmth coming through the window like this. I won’t put the fabricator on blast, though it is one I am not friendly with or know much on, because maybe this was a spec issue or a fluke, but still very odd.

Feeling starstruck in Vegas

A few years ago after a BEC show in Vegas, Steve Cohen of Vitro hung out with Mike Tyson at the airport. I believe Steve and Iron Mike are still close, that's why I try to stay on Steve's good side. This year after GlassBuild, Dave Anderson of HHH/Salem may have topped him by running into and getting a picture with Terry Bradshaw. Very cool. I have not gotten lucky like these guys but I did see the movie star good-looks of Cameron Scripture of Viracon, so that should count for something right?

Pod details

And speaking of Salem/HHH, lost in the shuffle of the GlassBuild run up was a podcast I did with the gang from Salem/HHH and Vardhan Mehta of Acelab. Was a good pod and catching up with some very interesting players in our world. Watch or listen. 

And of course, if you missed the Van Ride podcast, the masses are asking two questions from that one: What call name did Patrick Elmore pick, he was deciding between three last I checked, and when will Carl Christ and the Medflys tour again? Answers to come on both, but if you missed and want context and so much more, watch here or listen here.

The next podcast is in the works and will be dropping next week, plus I have some really interesting guests lined up for the next few months including a major major industry player on a solo appearance to end the year. You can subscribe to my podcast on Apple and Spotify and follow on YouTube too. Thank you!

Data and new rules on the block

The Architectural Billings Index is wobbling but still positive. 51.7 in the last rating. Can it stay above water another month? Remember what we heard at GlassBuild was the downturn for us would start around March of 2024, so every month that the ABI hangs in there could mean delaying a downturn on the other end. Next week I’ll have some insights from a recent AIA forecast call to share as well. 

New rules coming to the Florida condo market that I think would have a long-term effect on what we do and who we do it for. I can see a lot of old buildings coming down because of this, making room for new. But also I think there’s enough confusion here that the push back may be strong.

Walker Glass news

I did see the news on Walker Glass partnering with a private equity firm and I’ll go back to my tried-and-true plea that hopefully that does not change the support of the company industry wide. Walker has been a huge player in the industry universe always attending everything out there and sponsoring etc. Walkers’ reputation is pristine and features some of the best folks in our world. Obviously, this is an exciting time for the owners and management at Walker and I congratulate them so hopefully the past track record can continue without issue.

Changes to AIA show

Last this week, interesting news that the AIA show is going to be managed by the AIA and not a third party, like it has been for years, so will this mean this show improves and cares about its exhibit floor? That will be the first thing to see. They do have their work cut out for them with the next show in San Fran, terrible for shows right now, and getting past the previous missteps. I guess we will see!