New Pod Drop + Milestones + Best Cities
Catch up on the latest pod episode
For the long holiday weekend, I’ve got a supersized episode of the From the Fabricator podcast with some seriously interesting people and angles shared throughout. We kick things off with good friends Tom O’Malley of Clover Architectural and Kevin Mayer of PurOptima. Those two are working together and bringing a great approach to the demountable/interior space. Tons of insight and learning nuggets from them- especially on the growth aspect. Good stuff and watch me cringe when I accidently age Tom up 30+ years. Ouch.
Following them, I’m joined by Matt Fox and Travis Nevins of the IUPAT. This was a heck of an experience for me to find out all these guys have going, and they nail in what I care about the most, presenting and supporting our industry in the best way possible. I had no idea really all they had going on, and I just love that Matt and Travis both started in the glass industry from the ground up. Two good and genuine dudes. So, thank you in advance for listening/watching! I appreciate it!
Watch on YouTube, or listen here, as well as by searching “From the Fabricator” on Apple, Spotify, or wherever to listen to podcasts!
Plus, I'm thrilled to announce that FHC-Frameless Hardware Company has come on board as a presenting sponsor of the podcast. Really excited about this support and appreciate them doing what they do for the industry!
Elsewhere…
Omni Cubed anniversary
A hearty congratulations to the team at Omni Cubed as they just recently celebrated their 21st year in business! Great people there who manufacture a set of difference-making products. The amount of backs, shoulders, and knees, saved thanks to Omni Cubed material handling apparatus has to be astonishing. (And appreciated!) Labor is so hard to come by, so I am always a fan of anyone who makes that process better and more efficient. So, kudos and happy anniversary with a wish to many many more to Derek Westlund, Marvelous Merv Campbell and the team there!
Architectural Billings Index
This week, the latest Architectural Billings Index was released, and we all wanted to see if it was going to be Good, Bad, or Ugly. Last month you may remember it was ugly. It caught everyone off guard. So the curiosity now was what would happen next. The answer? A little bit of a bump forward, but still under water. The break-even is an index of 50. Last month was 43.5, this time out, a 48.3 was posted. Honestly, I’ll take that as a win. And it shows last month was a fluke. Still work to do, and soft conditions remain, but we’re battling forward always.
Company partnership
Excellent news in seeing the combo of Seawall Architectural Products and Glass Enterprises Inc. with Seawall signing on to rep GEI in the Northeast. Seawall is led by the truly dynamic Kasprzak duo, and now you match that with the fantastic crew under Josh Burg’s impeccable leadership, and BAM, you have a winning combo. Congrats to both parties and best of fortune rolling forward! Love when great people collaborate!
Welcoming back an industry vet
Also making news on the good side, the return of Gary McQueen to the traditional architectural products industry at Press Glass. Gary was a force when JE Berkowitz was a power in the space and was always impressive in representing that company and the industry as a whole. Good to have him back in the space.
In memoriam
Was very late to this because I just heard…Neil Huston, an impactful leader for LOF and then the early days of Pilkington in the US passed away earlier this year. Neil worked for LOF/Pilkington for 40 years and was the Director of Flat Glass sales for a good chunk of them. As my brother and family were building and growing the business Neil played a big role, and sometimes with seriously needed tough love. But in the end, he always took care of us and the customer base and represented this industry well. My delayed condolences to his family, friends, and former co-workers.
Top Housing Rankings in the US
Last week, another list, this time the Top Housing Rankings in the U.S. The Wall Street Journal and Realtor.com compared 200 metro areas and then ranked them based on various factors, including housing costs (which I think carried a lot of clout), economic angles, lifestyle options, housing demand, property taxes, weather considerations, and much more. Are you ready for the top 10? Here goes…
10. Portland, Maine. I have never been to Maine, and I always thought it was expensive to live in. Guess not.
9. Kingsport, TN. WOW. been there once upon a time and also the former home of the AFG/AGC float company. So, a glass related city makes the list.
8. Columbus, OH. That city is rocking. And this is probably before the new chip factory plays into it all. Shame there is not a good college located there. Would’ve been higher. LOL.
7. Manchester, NH. I can say here the same thing that I did on Portland, Maine.
6. Fort Wayne, IN. This was a stunner. May need Tim Widner to tap in and confirm if this is truly the sixth best place to live in the U.S. I only remember it from calling on glass accounts there in the early 2000’s.
5. Springfield, MO. Nice to see the love for the middle of the country and tons of nice people in that area.
4. Akron, OH. I am an Ohio U grad and love parts of that state, but no way on this one.
3. Ann Arbor, MI. Well there is a very good college there…. LOL. And my kids were born there…But I have to admit I am shocked that this area is rated so high. Housing is tough, traffic awful.
2. Canton, OH. Wait what? Wouldn’t Canton be combo’d with Akron? Canton does have a cool little airport. It does have awesome people like John Wheaton and Tom Nesbitt around. And it does have the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Wild rank to me. I like it there, but second overall?
And No. 1 overall…Rockford, IL. I’ll need someone from that area to pipe in and tell me about how great it is. Very curious on what I am missing…
I am stunned that places like Carmel, Indiana or Grand Rapids, Michigan, did not make the top 10. Or anything in South Carolina, Georgia, or Florida. Or Texas! This truly was an interesting list.
