Lots of News and Nuggets

Last week was a big and busy one in our industry, and I am all for it. I was in California for the NGA Glass Conference: Carlsbad. As noted, it was my first NGA Glass Conference in a while, so I was curious and excited to experience it. 

First and foremost, Urmilla Sowell, Karen Wegert, Georgia Scalfano, Amber Johnson and the entire NGA team were fantastic. First class effort all the way around.  The education and insight were astounding. I was not joking last week when I talked about the brainpower that would be in attendance. It was strong! 

From an education side, I walked away with more than a few nuggets. Tariffs and the speed of light changes there were discussed, and who knows, by the time this is published, it will change a few more times. But the comforting thing was I know NGA has our back in making sure we’re always up to speed on the latest. Advocacy was on display in many areas beyond the tariff issue. In addition, interest rates (stuck), data centers (they need glass too, believe it or not), innovation (let’s keep embracing it and then market it!), and more.

Of course, the school security glass issue was critical. The audience got the lay of the land and then were able to see exactly where they stood. Some right now are in better shape than others with regards to standards and codes, but I am confident that everyone will evolve and adjust. Though there’s gonna be some pain for a bunch. And a big note was stressed that “to this date, the International Window Film Association (IWFA) is unaware of any films that have Ballistic properties.” So, when you see those that are saying film is bullet-resistant, that is running counter to the people who know better.

There’s so much, so I would suggest you look up and follow Tara Lukasik on LinkedIn as her coverage is impressive and much deeper than what is here, as well as Glass Magazine will have more, too!

Elsewhere…

Travel issues

The only downside? Flying home, our plane was stuck on the runway in San Diego for 6 hours. With weather issues as an excuse, we were actually defueled to make our load lighter and diverted to Salt Lake City. I say excuse because other planes were getting out; odd. Then on to Detroit. In total more than 11 hours on the plane. Glad I brought snacks. But the silver lining for me was in the seat behind me was the code and standard legend Thom Zaremba. Unlucky for him, I had him as a captive audience while I peppered him with questions and comments. The poor guy was stuck. Anyway, loooooong day to get home and with all my travels a first in where we had this sort of crazy workaround.

Latest pod

ICYMI! The latest From the Fabricator podcast dropped last week and it was the talk of California. I had people quoting me lines from Steven Acker and Nick St. Denis. The timing of that pod next to a major conference played out well for feedback. Good stuff, great people! Thanks for checking it out!

Watch on YouTube, or listen here, or by searching “From the Fabricator” on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Site visit

On my way to Carlsbad, I was able to sneak in a visit to DP Glass, also known as Double Play Glass and the one and only Evan Afenir. Great to see Evan’s set up and grab a bite to catch up. My guy is doing great things in the marketplace, and he’s surely on a rocket ship right now. With his growth and popularity, I have a feeling it won’t be as easy to get a lunch date with him in the future!  Evan won’t be at BEC this year because he’s got another blessing on the way due right around the show. This is the second kid and second big NGA event missed, timing needs to be worked on! LOL. So I am glad I got to visit. Super talented guy!

Texas Glass Association

Next up for me, headed to the great state of Texas for a February 19th presentation for the Texas Glass Association- North Texas chapter. I always cherish every opportunity I get to talk with the fine folks in the Lone Star state, and this year, we’ve got quite a bit to cover. TGA-NTD does it up right and I am honored to be thought of! If you’re in the area- sign up and come on by! You can do so here.

New TGA Board

Speaking of Texas, the new TGA Board for 2025 was announced. Look at this list! It’s an all-star team of some of the most talented and best people in our world, and it’s just from one state! Brian Risinger, President; Chris Hill, Vice President; Tyler E. Hall, Treasurer; Landon Lovette, Secretary; Kyle Sharp, Immediate Past President.

Board of Directors: Wade Arnold, Chris Bayer, Jacque Freeman, RJ Hernández, Jody Hilton, Kyle Lamb, James LaRocca, Chance Lloyd, Valerie Nagy, Scott Theut, Dennis Bevans. I am a huge fan of so many of these folks and love that they always are there to give back to the industry. Congrats to all and thank you for all you do!

Personnel news

Last this week… two big personnel moves… one I missed and one that you couldn’t miss! The one I missed was old pal Joseph Holmes moving to WinTech. I have known Joseph a very long time and I admire his incredible skillset. Happy for him to continue to his stellar career! The one I couldn’t miss was the extremely popular Darijo Babic leaving Guardian to chase the dream of running his own rep firm. People who know me know I am a big fan of betting on yourself, and Darijo’s bet is about as close to a sure thing as you can get. His work ethic is off the charts and everyone knows, loves, and respects him, he’s going to crush it out there. Congrats to both guys!!