Good News, Events, Products, Big Fish and More
Mark your calendars for upcoming industry events
Let’s kick off this week with some good things happening with some awesome people in our space.
First up, long time good friend Shelly Farmer has moved to an incredible new position and rising company. Shelly is now senior vice president at Pellucere Technologies. You may not know much about them now, but you’ll be seeing and hearing a ton and with Shelly’s approach they will be a positive disruptor in our space. Can’t wait. I am so pumped for Shelly—extraordinary talent and person, and nice to see her rise up!
Next on the props, was cool to see the news on Salient Engineered Products continuing its growth with the addition of the premier stadium/arena window system Suite View. Chris Hill and team are on to something there especially leaning into potentials with VIG. Smart!
Last on the props, Herzog Glass became the first glazier in the state of Washington to achieve NACC Certification. Joe Kaiser and the gang there (including my guy Luc Boileau who I drive crazy with 1970’s Penguin talks) are a force in the Pacific Northwest, and this just solidifies that even more. Fantastic company leading the way! And NACC keeps chugging along; kudos to Jeff Dalaba, Ben Beeler, Scott Kennett and team for continuing to bring this crucial program along!
Elsewhere…
Upcoming events
April 10 | TGA North Texas Division lunch gathering
The TGA North Texas Division is having a lunch gathering and I am thrilled to attend and get to speak and visit with the fine folks there.
April 29-30 | Top Glass Conference
The annual Top Glass Conference in Toronto is back with a new two-day setup: day one with fabricator tours and day two trade show and education sessions. Good stuff as always from Patrick Flannery and Glass Canada.
May 16-17 | Texas Glass conference
The Texas Glass Conference is back. Traditionally odd numbered years has Texpo, and even numbered is the Texas Glass Conference. That conference continues to grow and extend its reach and is a great outlet for learning and networking. Looking forward to it all!
BEC Panel on Addiction and Recovery
I am still processing all that went down in Nashville a few weeks ago, and one of the most memorable and most important sessions was from Cal Beyer (SAFE Project) and Dave Argus (Karas & Karas Glass) talking about addiction, recovery and support, with a focus on how we can work with and handle it in our professional and personal lives. It was REAL.
A truly intense and helpful session overall and got me going so much that I connected with these guys to set up a podcast for this summer. Too important of subject to not continue the dialogue, and these guys brought so much insight, compassion, and class that I can’t wait to spend more time with them on the pod so we can reach more people in the industry.
Vitro lanches Sungate ThermL
With so much going on I missed the Vitro announcement on the launch of Sungate ThermL, a new low-emissivity glass that is formulated for the fourth surface of an insulating glass unit. Looks good and smart move by Vitro to develop this. More and more focus is on having multiple coatings on IGU surfaces, so this plays right into it.
Getting involved in Career Day
You know I love when we get out in the community and so I was fired up when I saw the smooth Dan Shields of Fabricated Products Group taking part in a career day at Alan B. Shepard High School. (I’m a space geek so love the high school name, too.) Dan spent time with the sophomores there and gave them the rundown on why being in our industry is worth considering! So many great opportunities for the youth. Thank you, Dan, for taking the time to spread the gospel. The battle for interest in our world will never end, so the more we can get out and about, the better!
Chad Williams of Insulite Catches 164-pound Fish
There are quite a few accomplished fishermen/women in our industry (Terry Hessom, my favorite in this category, could’ve gone pro, yet stayed in the glass biz) and this past week our world made the news thanks to an absolutely amazing haul from Chad Williams of Insulite Glass. Chad caught the world’s largest Paddlefish! At over 164 pounds this thing is a monster! See the pictures and more and congrats to Chad for an epic pull! Thanks to Sterling Guyette there for the heads up!
Last this week… I have jury duty scheduled for Tuesday. This is the first time I have been called since 2010 when I desperately wanted to be chosen (long story) and despite being the only person there who wanted to be chosen, was not, and was released by 11 a.m. that day. What happens this time around? Will let you know…
