New Pod and a Mix of News and Notes
Two great guests and more news
The latest edition of the From the Fabricator Podcast is now live! Two really interesting guests with regard to backgrounds, approaches, and products.
I kicked it off with Keith Daubmann of MyShowerDoor, D3 Glass, & MyArchitecturalGlass. Keith is a dominant social media force; great insight from him on that during the pod, but he’s so much more. He’s a genuinely fascinating person, and he opened up on a few items that I found intriguing, including moments when things weren’t going swimmingly. It is a fun and wide-ranging talk, and I am just a huge fan of Keith and family; including Jay and Bryce.
Then, onto Jason Godfrey of UFP Packaging. I barely know Jason, just initially met him this summer, so was good to get to know him, his company and once again trying to break through with products that aren’t “the way we’ve always done it.” Good stuff from both and I think you’ll enjoy. Thank you in advance for checking it all out!
Watch on YouTube, or listen here, as well as by searching “From the Fabricator” on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Elsewhere…
Latest ABI
Should be a quiet week ahead in the US, right? Nothing major happening right? LOL. Anyway, we’ll stay focused on our space... the latest Architectural Billings Index hit while I was in Germany. The index clocked in at a flat 45.7. Matching the previous month exactly. Just goes to show you we’re all just in a wait and see mode. And one of the most used lines “waiting until the election” now expires, so we’ll see what sort of movement is to come, especially with another meeting of the Fed this week as well. By the way, also in the latest report, project inquiries continue to stay positive. It is a minor data point but still one that provides a sliver of positivity.
Big Halloween-themed thank you
I want to pass on a huge public thank you to the extremely classy Eric Leclair of Vicone Rubber. He had remembered after meeting my daughter at last year's Halloween-timed GlassBuild that with her food allergies, she can only have certain brands that are made specifically on peanut-free lines in Canada. I think she was a consistent visitor to his booth because he had the safe treats there. So, in time for the Halloween holiday this year, Eric sent a goody box down from Canada for my daughter and she was over the moon. So cool. Thank you Eric! Much appreciated!
Hurricane relief
As I have noted on here the challenges that my good friend Billy Britt at Britt & Tilson Glass has gone through in the aftermath of the hurricane and storms that hit Asheville, NC were monumental. Recently, at a benefit concert for Carolina, music star Chase Rice sported a Britt & Tilson hat on stage, and that hat is now in demand. Big time viral. So, with that in mind, these hats are now for sale and will in addition to the GoFundMe raise money for the recovery in the area. Check it out and if you can support by buying a hat, please do so. Billy and family are tremendous people and seeing them fight forward is an inspiration.
Upcoming webinar
Upcoming webinar with the extremely sharp Conley Oster (possible future podcast guest too if I can get his agent to budge on his speaking fee… LOL) – the date is 11/12 and this is the latest in the National Architectural Glass and Metal Association (NAGMA) series. Conley is with RAISE Robotics and this webinar will hit on “Robots and the Future of Smart Equipment” – that title alone makes it something you will want to see. Plus, the IUPAT will have a piece in there on training plans for 2025. So a must attend for sure for a few reasons. You can sign up now.
Fight for the wall
Kudos to Luxwall on the news of their latest fundraising which will lead to more expansion of high-performance glazing. The bottom line is this next level of products are here to stay and will only keep growing. Good for our industry in the never-ending battle for the wall! Which note, the battle for the wall truly never ends, thankfully the NGA Technical Super Heroes continue to fight for us.
WCNY Glass and Glazing Forum
I missed attending and covering the WCNY Glass and Glazing Forum in New York (timing with Germany killed me) but I heard absolute rave reviews about it. This is an annual show in West and Central New York that just keeps growing and delivers that perfect mix of fun networking and educational show values. Good crowd and a lot of architectural attraction too! When good guys like Frank Stento are involved, along with many others, you know it will be well done…so kudos to everyone involved, and I will not miss the edition in 2025!
World Series
Last this week… for you baseball fans…Congrats to those who are Dodgers fans for bringing the title home. It is always nice to see the scrappy, underfunded teams win… OH… no, seriously, I do like a lot of the Dodgers and have many friends who are over the moon with this win. So happy for ya. And on a personal baseball note? The Mayor of Glasstown, the one and only Jon Johnson, got me back into a fantasy baseball league this year for the first time since 2016. So, between having that to follow and the amazing Detroit Tiger run, this year was fun, and it reminded me of my love of that sport. Sadly, though with baseball ending, that means it is winter and it’ll probably snow next week…
