I have been at Technical Glass Products (TGP) for 24 years now—nearly half of my life and the company’s as well. TGP has been part of nearly every major milestone in my life: my engagement, my wedding, raising three children and now seeing them all off to college. I’m surprised to say these personal and professional milestones do have parallels, some expected but others caught me off guard.
The latest Architectural Billings Index is out, and, as has been the case, it was well below break-even. We are firmly in the middle of the longest slump this index has ever seen. The good news? Despite that, we truck on through the soft spots and some frustratingly disappointing business tactics and are making the most of it.
The latest issue of Glass Magazine is out, and it features the Glass Magazine Award, which I mentioned last week on the blog. Aside from that, though, it is a strong issue. Once again, some of my favorites include important pieces by Norah Dick, Rachel Vitello, Pete deGorter, and Amy Becker that cover safety, workforce, AI, and more.
Successful Life Cycle Assessments and Environmental Product Declarations both start with high-quality data and support United States Green Building Council’s LEED v5 Materials and Resources requirements. Let’s look at data gathering, the LCA consultant’s role and the importance of third-party verification.
The latest episode of the “From the Fabricator” podcast is now live, and it features two incredibly genuine people. I start with the very sharp Kristina Buckett of Dallas Flat Glass and Excel Glass Systems. Then Joe Silva joins me.
The AIA Mid-Year Consensus Forecast was just released, and as you could expect, the numbers were adjusted downward overall. There’s a fly in the ointment somewhere because I really feel like those education numbers are undercounted. Also, this week on the summer “Catch Up” series, I get with the brilliant Omar Maalouf of Momentum Glass. Omar absolutely brings it in all that he does, and in our talk, he really provided tons of fabulous content and actionable items.
Twenty years after losing her younger brother to suicide, Glass Magazine's Melanie Dettmer reflects on grief, silence and the quiet acts of coworkers that helped her carry it. She makes the case that this industry — for all its toughness — already has the instinct to show up for people; what's missing is permission to talk about it.
Automation is attainable for smaller fabricators. Whether your foundation is ready for it, that’s an entirely different question. To find out if you’re ready, here’s what you have to evaluate before you take the next step.