A Terrific Trio

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The latest From the Fabricator podcast is now up and ready for you to check out. Real interesting trio this time out with lots of lessons and insights. I kick it off with long-time industry player John Leonard of FHC. John joined me at the last minute, and it was a good run through the railing space, along with a key takeaway of “listen” – which really resonated with me. Then I went “peopling” with Priscilla “PK” Koeckerwitz of Brin Glass. PK coined that “peopling” term and our conversation hit many high points along the way, including her path to now, which included a teaching stint (and that always seems to be a precursor to success in our world). Last up was Dan Reinhart of Salem Fabrication Technologies, and the most dapper guy in our space did not disappoint. It was good to catch up on the 90-year anniversary plans at Salem, what’s new in the space, and the transitions in play at Salem. All of this and much more. Great people and I am honored to have them on; and obviously very thankful to all of you who watch and listen each time out! 

Watch it here, or listen here, or search “From the Fabricator” wherever you get your podcasts.

Elsewhere…

Glass Magazine review

It's been a while since my last Glass Magazine review! The current issue is one of the most popular of the year in being the “Top 50 Glazier” edition, and I love catching up on the “who’s who” there and seeing the work that is done by the top players in our space. In addition, an absolutely great article on fire rated glass by Tara Lukasik and the school piece by my old pal Devin Bowman were among the many pieces you need to check out. Really strong all the way around! Check it out!

Ad of the month

Meanwhile, my pick for ad of the month in the edition is from Schott. I liked the simplicity of the ad and the color scheme. It popped for me and made me take notice. The issue was packed with great ads, though, so picking this each month is tough. Kudos to Schott for taking the title home this month!

Electrochromic glass

As many of you may know, the electrochromic glass space has been pretty rough lately. So this article from Jonathan Hafemann of Next Energy was really something to take in and value. It's a good rundown of what’s happening there and lessons learned from Smart Glass 1.0.

HGTV Show

I just finished watching the most recent “Rock the Block” series on HGTV that featured the gang from My Shower Door and their work in the various homes. Congrats to the team there for the pub. I have sooooo many questions though. (Like turning a bathroom in under a week.) But I’ll save them for when I see Bill or Keith Daubmann at GlassBuild. 

But one comment, all of these homes that were being built out, in Florida, all featured fireplaces. I don’t get it. This is southwest Florida, where it's hot- year-round, basically- do you really need a fireplace? (One team even put a fireplace in a massive walk in closet- seriously.) So Florida readers, especially those south of Orlando, do you really need a fireplace? Ever?

Industry anniversary

Congrats to the one and only Garret Henson, who celebrated his 31st year at Viracon this week! Dude has been a force in our space, and I have always been a huge fan. Garret is an all-time great who has made significant moves for the good of our industry, and I see that continuing. 31 down and probably a good run still to go. Congrats on all my friend! If you want to know the story of how he ended up at Viracon, Garret told that one and more on my podcast back in March of 2023. Check out the audio, watch it, or search From the Fabricator March 2023.

Square watermelons

Last this week… I always love getting fun links and pictures from my good friend Scott Goodman of CRL and this one is a classic. Tempered glass being used to reshape watermelons! So now the question is...does a square watermelon taste the same as a traditional shape?