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.
I’ve got a new episode of the “From the Fabricator” podcast for you, and I gotta say it was a real dandy. Leading off was Brad Thurman of General Glass International. Then to Paul Robinson of Pioneer Glazing.
We are now one month away from the BEC Conference in Louisville, and I am getting more and more excited every day as more people register to attend. There’s a lot happening there, and I’ve called out a few things in past posts (Workforce, Forecasts, Codes, etc.). I also have to mention the plans for Tactical Tuesday. We’ve got real actionable AI insights, jobsite tech, legal, including immigration, and pre-con strategies.
2026’s second episode of the From the Fabricator podcast is now live and I’ve got a pair of guests who bring something new to the pod. I lead off with Mike Rapp of PDS IG. Mike and his family have been stalwarts in this industry for a while, so it was nice to get a deeper dive on their background and to learn about the innovations Mike and team are working on now.