Sales, Operations, Safety
Three amazing guests this week
The latest From the Fabricator podcast is out, and once again, I was lucky to have three fabulous people on. This time out, though, we had some clear divisions: sales, then operations, then safety.
Kicking it off was the fantastic Diana San Diego of SAFTI First. Very sharp insight into what they do, growth of the fire-rated space and solid sales and marketing approaches. Then, Chris Cordle of the Specialty Fenestration Group joined me to discuss Lean Manufacturing and Operations. I was impressed with Chris and loved his thought process, and I appreciate his success in implementing smart angles at his company. Last, we had safety on the menu when Merv Campbell of Omni Cubed joined me. More and more, we talk about culture, and more and more, that has to start with the right tools and apparatus for our folks. Merv delivers. Thank you for checking it all out!
Listen to From the Fabricator here or on Spotify, Apple or wherever you listen to pods. You can watch on YouTube.
Note: With GlassBuild coming I’ve got a busier pod schedule than normal, so good stuff to listen to on the way to the show- coming soon!
Elsewhere…
Welcoming back an industry veteran
Huge news hit this week that Don Friese will be getting back into business and joining FHC in what the press release said was a “focused yet limited involvement, where he plans to invest in education initiatives and serve as a strategic advisor to FHC.” This is absolutely awesome. Friese has done so much already for our industry, and to now get back and even look to go further on education, etc.? That is a win! Welcome back!
New privacy glass innovation
I have known Kevin Roth at Privacy Glass Solutions for a while and have always admired his approach and so I was super excited for him when I saw he announced a joint effort with Guardian Glass on a new product called “Lyto." It is a full blackout, between-the-glass, automated micro-shade technology designed and developed by Guardian Glass which Kevin and Privacy will commercialize. Check it out. Love it. Can’t wait to see it at GlassBuild!
Boeing issues
This dive into Boeing's dysfunction was very interesting. I guess they need a bunch of Chris Cordle’s to fix that mess. Hopefully, they all listen to my podcast. Seriously, though, it's a little scary with regard to such a crucial maker of the planes that many of us fly on.
Top places in U.S. to retire
Love the lists. This one my good friend Scott Goodman shared with me… Top places in the US to retire…Was he sending me a message like “you should really consider retiring?” or just being nice on a great link? LOL.
Here we go…
10. Atlanta, GA- Kind of surprising to me. Never thought of Atlanta as the retiring type.
9. Casper, WY- I could see this, though I don’t believe I have ever been to Wyoming.
8. St Petersburg, FL- Makes sense traditionally.
7. Cincinnati, OH- Hey I love lots of Ohio, but not sure Cincy is a retirement destination.
6. Scottsdale, AZ- Another traditional play.
5. Ft Lauderdale, FL- I have to assume this includes Boca Raton, right?
4. Tampa, FL- How is Tampa that much higher than St. Pete?
3. Minneapolis, MN- Bill Sullivan is brilliant. He’s retiring and picked the 3rd best place to do so!
2. Miami, FL- this is really based on the past. It is ultra-expensive now. Just can’t see it.
And #1 Orlando, FL- This shocks me. Of all the Florida locales on the list, I think this makes the least sense. I love Orlando and the outskirts (especially the Space Coast) but still don’t grasp this being #1.
Personally, how can many spots in Texas, Lake Norman, NC and virtually anywhere in South Carolina not be on this list. Wild to me.
The list and details are here.
Adrenaline rush for a good cause
Kudos to the great Kyle Sword of NSG Pilkington as once again this year, he and a very brave team of folks repelled down a skyscraper in Toledo to raise money for The Victory Center-Non-Profit Cancer Wellness Center. Kyle did it in style, too, rocking a very cool Hawaiian shirt, so not only is he clutch, but he’s stylish, too. Nice work to all who raised money for an extremely important group!
No blog next week
Last week, a programming note. I won't be blogging next week. I'm taking a breather in preparation for the heavy run through GlassBuild. (Have you registered yet? Don’t delay—do it now vs. doing it on-site!) When I come back, I’ll have another fresh podcast with a few newsmakers in our space who will have prominent roles at the show, so that will be good listening/watching for your way into town!
