BEC Week. Finally.
BEC, disappointing economic forecast, and IBS takeaways
We’ve made it. It is indeed, finally, BEC week! I am very excited about this event and look forward to visiting with as many folks as possible. And this year, aside from important insights from true industry leaders like Jeff Haber, Courtney Little, Brock West and more, we’ll have Jay Bowman of FMI looking at the trends, and we’ll get clarity on the market and the angles that can impact us all.
On that note, I’ll be curious if the mention of a frustrating ABI and a recent downward turn on the DMI will be covered. I have a feeling that, in one way or another, it will. So, for those of you attending, I look forward to seeing you and those who missed— hopefully, we’ll have you in Louisville next year for BEC 2026. And as tradition, my post next week will be the giant BEC recap with more name drops than LinkedIn allows…Let’s do this!
Elsewhere…
Latest Pod
ICYMI, the most recent edition of the From the Fabricator podcast is out and catching a lot of attention. So far, feedback has been tremendous, highlights of that included comments about Vipul Bhagat's fantastic journey in his career to now running Skyline Glass and his approaches to the marketplace. On Tom O’Malley, comments ran the gambit from the COVID adventures to his impassioned play on education and attending events like BEC.
Thank you to both gentlemen for their time and support! And thanks to all of you who checked it out! Here are the links so you can get caught up.
How to access the Pod
- VIDEO
- AUDIO (Or search “From the Fabricator” on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.)
Going forward, I’m pretty excited about the guests lined up. I am reaching into different parts of our orbit to share more perspectives. Good stuff ahead.
A visit to Precision Glass Industries
Speaking of good stuff. Actually, more like incredible stuff. This past week, I visited Precision Glass Industries in Houston. I had always heard that the operation there was a jaw dropper and had seen videos that looked enticing, but I was curious if in person it would dazzle. It did. Big time.
This operation was absolutely best in class. Clean, bright, and organized. They had top-of-the-line equipment at every turn, and anything you could think of, they had it covered masterfully. Operations like this make me proud to be in our industry. Kudos to Abdeali Karimjee and the team there on really developing something very special. I can definitely see big moves coming from this team.
Takeaways from the International Builders’ Show
There have been a lot of people from our space in Vegas at other events right before BEC, including the International Builders Show. My guy James Esver of Golden State was there and he offered to share his thoughts on it…. Here are two posts that give you some flavor from the event:
Thank you for sharing, James. By the way, you have some serious style, my friend! Love the look!
In addition, on IBS, they had record attendance, which shows that people really value that in-person trade show experience. GlassBuild in Orlando is next, and should be very strong as well.
As for who made waves from what I was relayed by other people there—my old friend Kevin Roth at Privacy Glass Solutions was on fire with a really popular/busy exhibit. Happy for Kevin and team—their show experience has come a long way from the AIA nightmare show a few years ago!
Also new friends of mine from Andluca were crushing it. Nick Davy, CEO of Andluca gave a rousing press presentation and I heard that some folks couldn’t even get into the Andluca space on day 1!! Awesome. Kudos to that team for a job well done, and the trend line there is pointing straight up.
March Madness
Last this week…it is now March Madness. Excellent time of year. Winter is starting to break, baseball will be back, and of course, the NCAA Tournament. Get those brackets ready, it’s coming soon!
