Back and Catching Up

It’s a bit of a “Catch Up” blog edition with me taking last week off. It was a good few days away, though I brought home some sort of bug, and I’m still struggling with it, me being the wimp I am!

So on to what’s happening out there…

In case you missed it, the most recent From the Fabricator podcast dropped right before I left. 

I had enlightening conversations with two of the best folks around—Sneh Kumar of Kawneer and Kyle Sword of Pilkington. Check it out at the links below. The next pod (coming soon) will feature a leader in the glazing space and a new company coming to market with a must-have product. Thanks for the support!

Watch on YouTube, listen here or search “From the Fabricator” on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

Glass TEXpo

Eyes will be on Texas for the biennial Glass TEXpo this week. Traditionally, this has been a fun event loaded with great people. Texas always represents! I’m looking forward to being there and, on a personal note, seeing David Shaw of Completeline Glass. In August of 2024, I noted that he had suffered a stroke and prayers were needed. And I said on the post:

And my hope is that we’ll see him at his usual perch at the next TEXpo, holding court with everyone who stops by. 

Well, prayers were answered! David is so deep into recovery that he will be at the event. Fantastic stuff and so happy for him.

Glass Magazine review

Monthly Glass Magazine review time… this is the annual Top Fabricators issue. The details and info on the Top Fabricator list and survey are fabulous—so much meaty content. I also enjoyed Norah Dick’s look back at 75 years of fabrication and found Rachel Vitello’s piece on impact products very helpful. Good stuff all around. If you haven’t seen it yet, go here.

Architectural Billings Index

As expected, the Architectural Billings Index took a beating last month. Zero surprise given the economic turmoil out there. Clocking in at brutal 44.1, which is the lowest score in a year. (Remember the break-even is 50). Worse yet, inquiries were also down for the 2nd straight month. It was always the inquiries that gave me hope on a quicker perking up, but the incredible amount of uncertainty and daily adventures have freaked everyone out and this index falls right in line. Until we get some visibility on the effect of the tariffs, stagflation etc... it’s going to continue to be a frustratingly bumpy ride.

An industry loss

Very sad to report the passing of Rex Tracht. Rex worked at LOF and then its next brands, Pilkington and NSG, for over 40 years—heck of a run. Rex was a fun guy, always there with a smile and you could count on him to help when needed. I last saw Rex several years ago in the craziest of places. I was at a Montreal Canadiens game in Montreal (with the class acts from Walker Glass) when Rex appeared in the concourse out of nowhere. He was in town taking his customers out. It was fun to see him then and every time otherwise. Good man. My thoughts and condolences go out to Rex’s family, friends and co-workers.

A disappointing trip to the movies

Last this week… I got to see the movie “The Amateur” while on vacation. I really expected more and better, and was quite disappointed. I know you need to suspend belief with most movies, but this one was ridiculous. But the kicker for me was there was a scene where the main character was going to break the glass in one of those swimming pools suspended between two buildings... featuring a glass-bottomed floor. The character explained how he would do it, and I legitimately did not understand it to save my life. But somehow, he hit a button, and the glass started to crack, eventually crumbling all the way to the ground. Bizarre. Please, if you saw this movie and can explain to me what he did, I’d appreciate it.