Latest Podcast Episode and More

The latest From the Fabricator podcast is out and I have to say it is a very powerful episode. The insights shared this month are top notch, especially from a technical side of things and there were lots of lessons learned. Leading off is Anas Al Kassas of INOVUES. Interesting guy with a company positioned to do some amazing things in the growing retrofit space. Then on to Eliot Benor of Building Envelope Testing. I had heard of him but this was the first time talking to him and his path to the current was cool but what he’s doing now and how he’s doing it all is simply awesome. Not to mention being in the front row of some massive code changes. Last, I end with the dynamic duo of Brandon Bellegarde and Tyler Faulk of The Drafting Marketplace. These guys are amazing. They have built an absolute must-use platform for glaziers and they broke some news on what’s next for them too. Great people, great conversations, I am just so honored to get to chat every month with folks like this. Thank you for checking it and supporting it all! 

You can watch on YouTube, listen here, as well as on Apple, Spotify, Google and more!

Elsewhere…

A sad personal and industry loss

Some sad personal/industry news to pass on. Billy Perilstein, best known for his leadership in our industry for many years, H Perilstein Glass and Wm Perilstein Glass as key ones, passed away last week. To anyone that knew Billy they came away with the same opinion, a true class act and gentleman. Billy was friendly and caring and no matter what was happening had a super positive attitude. He seriously was one of the nicest people around. Billy stayed active in the industry up until a few years ago. He worked from 1943 to 2017, and was always there to provide the great knowledge he had from his incredible time in the industry.

Billy was a cousin of mine, part of the amazing third Perilstein generation that helped build so much of the industry, hitting stride in the 40’s/50’s and growing from there. There are some major fabricators to this day that have roots back to that group. Billy will truly be missed and our world is a lesser place without him.

NGA Glass Conference

The next NGA Glass Conference is coming soon, July, which will be here before you know it, in Tacoma, Washington. Aside from the deep and crucial technical aspect of the conference, some planning has been happening to add even more value to it. Case in point? A tour of TGP, Technical Glass Products. I have been there once, and it was awesome to see. That alone is worth going to the conference…very classy of Devin Bowman and company to welcome the conference in and support it. Learn more and get registered today. 

PGP's anniversary

A happy anniversary to the team at Premier Glass Products. 20 years in business for PGP! That is a huge and very cool milestone. Congrats to Kyle Jones and team on it and all the success they have had and will continue to have. Kyle has built a powerhouse there and one that comes with serious respect and makes our industry look good. Congrats Kyle and team and I look forward to many more years of your tremendous accomplishments out there! And note, Bob Larson, one of the coolest cats in our space is on that team, and seeing Bob winning is a very cool thing for me. 

Latest ABI

The latest Architectural Billings Index came out this past week and back to the negative the main number went… Last month was flukey, but there is no fluke in that the design contract and new inquiry numbers are really scuffling these days and that is where I am more concerned. We need those numbers to hang in there more and when they bobbing along the break-even line that is cause for concern. Regardless, we can’t control it. We can control continuing to hustle, keep our houses in order, and looking to evolve where we can keep rolling.

Memorial Day

Last this week… Memorial Day in the United States is for remembering those who died in service for our country. I am extremely grateful for those that fought. Earlier this year I watched the old mini-series “Band of Brothers” on HBO and that truly sent home the message of the absolutely selfless sacrifice that so many have given. So during this holiday week, give some thought to those who have served and passed and what they did to preserve our way of life.