The 28th BEC Conference is now in the books, and it was one heck of an experience. Going in, there was concern about how challenging it would be to get to Louisville. But those concerns obviously went away because the people showed up in droves. Once everyone arrived, Louisville and the host hotel really shone. It was fabulous with a perfect layout. There was so much you could do. I feel like everyone but me went to the Louisville Slugger plant, and really, everyone was in pretty good spirits as we got it all off and going.
Well, it’s finally here! BEC is upon us and I’m ready for a great few days in Louisville. Lots lined up, and I have hit on much of it in past blogs. Though I don’t think I mentioned the coverage of major items like thermal bridging, hiring options, and immigration law. These are a tiny part of what will be a memorable and helpful event.
Mexico's float glass sector is showing growth despite headwinds from U.S. trade tensions and a domestic construction slump driven by cuts in public infrastructure spending. While the near-term outlook is challenging, analysts see long-term growth potential driven by automotive demand, rising interest in high-performance glazing, and green building trends, though heavy dependence on the U.S. market remains a structural vulnerability.
I’ve got a new episode of the From the Fabricator podcast for everyone, and it’s got a bunch of strong takeaways. First up, the 2015 Glass Industry MVP Jon Kimberlain of Dow joins me. Jon is just a brilliant guy. Smart as heck, extremely friendly and always doing his best for his company and our industry. It was fun to pick his brain on a few items, including the growth of unitizing and the moves he’d make to improve the industry.
The March issue of Glass Magazine is our yearly Architect’s Guide. It’s designed to speak directly to the architect and design community, and to highlight exactly what makes glass such a unique building material. Here are just a few reasons that glass is a powerful and dynamic part of the built environment.
The construction industry is under mounting pressure from rising costs, labor shortages, and increasing performance demands, which is reshaping decisions around facade and daylighting systems. Traditional framed solutions—such as FRP, polycarbonate, and stick-built curtain walls—require specialized labor and face long‑term performance drawbacks, making them costly and risky in today’s labor‑constrained environment.
I share my feelings about the passing of Larry Vockler of ICD Coatings & Chemistries, his legacy inside and outside the industry. Plus, a cool education session by Precision Bent Glass and my favorite Super Bowl ads.
Each new year reminds me that opportunity and challenge often appear simultaneously. I’ve written about this before and both were on full display at Winter Olympics. In the glazing world, we see our fair share of challenge and opportunity.