From the fabricator: A word of caution

Being diverse is a good thing, as is adding new avenues to your business. But taking on business that you know little about and stepping all over your subcontractors, well, that is bad. And it has potential to be dangerous too. Recently, there's been a trend in our world where general contractors are deciding that they don't need professional glaziers; they can just install the glass and framing themselves. This maneuver is becoming more prominent as job bids get tighter and people get more desperate for work. Not only does this upset the natural order of things (which surely can be debated by some), but it can be very dangerous for the installers handling the products and the general public as well. In the last few weeks in the Northeast, we had such a situation raise its ugly head. A general contractor was able to buy glass directly from a fabricator and then installed it. It was annealed glass and it went into doors... at a hospital no less. Luckily, no one got hurt when the first piece broke in large shards. But at the end of the day, fabricators that sell to a GC direct are being complicit with a poor and most likely dangerous business practice, and the GC cutting out the glazier is absolutely shameful. I know "desperate times call for desperate measures" but these sorts of moves are not good for anyone and it actually stains us all as an industry. So go ahead and be diverse, but think twice before you step into a scenario that could have serious long-lasting and devastating effects.

Elsewhere...

• Can we backcharge Standard & Poors because of their calculation mistake? What a miserable week on Wall Street.
• Props to Jenni Chase, Katy Devlin and the gang at Glass Magazine. Last week in e-glass weekly there was yet another tremendous interview, adding to a really stellar list of people being profiled here. (And more to come!) Glass Magazine and e-glass weekly have become the place people come to be heard, as well as the home for in-depth insight into every big story in our world. It is just very exciting to be a part of that.
• Good news for the "dynamic" window world with the release mid last week from Lux Research. The world is moving that way and will continue to embrace that technology because it is good... VERY good for our world. Congrats to SAGE and Soladigm for their mentions and don't sleep on the gang from RavenBrick. They are absolutely in the discussion too. No matter how you slice it, good things are coming and it's great for our industry.
• My alma mater, Ohio University, finally won something.... The Princeton Review named OU the #1 party school in the country. Amazing. I wonder if they still do quarter beer night like they did when I went there.
• You know I like lists, and this week a cool one came out with the Top 10 cities that will be the places to live in 2020. Boomtowns is what they are calling them... so I guess if you own land in these areas, the boom is coming according to Proximity One.
  1. Raleigh, N.C.
  2. Richland, Wash.
  3. Austin/Round Rock, Texas
  4. Provo, Utah
  5. Hinesville, Ga.
  6. Logan, Utah
  7. Grand Junction, Colo.
  8. McAllen, Texas
  9. Idaho Falls, Idaho (Once upon a time, ISU hall of famer Dave Michaeli of AGC surely roamed this area!)
  10. Charlotte, N.C.
  
  I have been to most of these places and could see the allure. You wonder though: if they grow too much, will they still be as nice?
• Last this week: did you make your plans yet for GlassBuild America? The show is coming up quickly and well worth the time and minimal cost to be there so you can network and advance your business. 

Read on for links and clip of the week.

The author is founder of Sole Source Consultants, a consulting firm for the building products industry that specializes in marketing, branding, communication strategy and overall reputation management, as well as website and social media, and codes and specifications. E-mail him at MaxP@SoleSourceConsultants.com. 

 The opinions expressed here are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Glass Association, Glass Magazine editors, or other glassblog contributors.