The Challenges Continue

Last month when the Architectural Billings Index (ABI) came in with a stunning “positive” number, there were two thoughts. Is this the start of the comeback, or is it a fluke? Welp. We got our answer this week, and it came with authority. The ABI checked in at a horrendous 43.6. Or, as the main analyst from the AIA called it, “A fairly major disappointment.” This is the lowest rating since December of 2020. The analysis of this low score pointed to interest rate growth fear and, thus, the cost of money. A month ago, things seemed like they were stabilizing on that front. It’s changed. Overall, we know that for many regions, conditions have been soft, so this rating is not helping the psyche too much, especially since we started to feel like the worst was passing.

While some other metrics continue to point to the positive, this is a big one that a lot of people follow and subscribe to. We knew we’d encounter some bumps, and they continue to be thrown our way. We just have to keep working through them all!

Elsewhere…

Upcoming webinar

As noted last week here, I’ll be presenting on a webinar, “Engaging Architects- Trends and Forecasts in Building Envelope Products,” on Monday at 1 PM EST. The key to this will be the other presenters led by the team from Acelab about how the connection to Architects happens and how fabricators can get in deeper with them. Here’s a link to sign up. It will be recorded, and I’ll post on my podcast channel when done, too (in case you miss it).

Podcasts to look forward to

Speaking of podcasts, the From the Fabricator podcast returns next week! Scheduling was a mess this month, but two great people lined up (one in the books, a super sharp guy!), and I think you all will enjoy these perspectives. The audio version of the pod continues to blow me away, so I appreciate that. The video one continues to be something I may drop, but we’ll keep that rolling for now! Also, big summer plans for the podcast, including episodes 50 and 51, will be a special two-parter on a crucial subject, and I’m going outside the box (and my comfort zone) on some guests, too…so stay tuned!

Personnel news

Two nice personnel moves this week… Randy Reynolds took on a new role at Glass Coatings and Concepts as Sales Manager. Randy is a good guy and huge industry supporter and GCC always backs a ton of what we do in this space, so very cool on that!  Also, an awesome move from IGE Glass Technologies, adding Todd Schulz as Vice President of Sales- Midwest. Todd is a guy I have always admired and respected, and now he’s joining a juggernaut in IGE. Love it! Congrats to all on this!

Atlanta airport update

I’ve mentioned a few times both the growth of modular and the work that is being done at the Atlanta airport that will feature it. This past week I got THIS LINK from the great Scott Goodman of CRL with a report on the latest. Interesting to see!

Website updates

Heads up on your websites… As if you don’t have enough to worry about with business! Two items... First please make sure that if you have not updated your website for a while, you may not have a choice soon. A lot of sites use “PHP” in their platform language. Web developers and designers use this in the dynamic design. What is happening now is PHP that was built in 2016 or so are starting to age out and sites won’t load. So, if your site is on the older side, even if you keep it updated but it was initially built 8 or more years ago, it’s probably time for an upgrade. Also, Google is in the process of a major SEO upgrade that will run through May 5th. There is an expectation that after this update is complete some SEO tactics may not work the same and website with poor quality will be pushed down the rankings. We’ll keep an eye on all…

Interesting branding

Last this week…From the branding side… PNC Bank has come out with its new “Brilliantly Boring” tag and campaign. Very interesting for a bank to take this approach. Curious about what everyone thinks. Part of me likes it. I like the fact that they recognize what they have and what they do, and they’re not wanting to be something they’re not. The other part of me thinks it is an odd slant and probably not great for the culture of the folks at PNC. If anything, it gets people talking, and that is usually the goal of any campaign, so on that note, it’s a win. Just an interesting approach!