New pod

In my latest podcast, I am super lucky to have extraordinary guests. This time out, we start with Brian Risinger, the brilliant owner at Country Glass & Mirror and also the current President of the Texas Glass Association. Brian is super sharp and authentic to the core. An interesting path to today, and then some really frank insights on our space and how to improve it. Fun conversation on all, especially the comparison of “The Shawshank Redemption” and our industry. Then I go overseas to talk with Tom Caldicott of Unity Search. Fresh perspectives and thoughts on our world from a guy coming at it from a different angle. Given that Tom is highly connected with some of the biggest and best façade folks in our industry, I loved hearing what’s happening out there. I was on Tom’s pod earlier this year, and I enjoyed getting to return the favor here. Good stuff.

Watch on YouTube, or listen here. 

As always, thank you to all of you. I appreciate the support. Twice this week, someone quoted a line from a past podcast back to me, saying how it stuck with them. I was really touched. Again, I'm lucky that each time out, I’m talking to incredible people. And I have been lining up future episodes, and the momentum will continue.

Elsewhere…

Industry retirement

I feel like we've had a massive retirement once a month. We had another one this week with Tim Stricker retiring. Tim is best known for his time at IUPAT and LMCI. During his remarkable career in our industry, he implemented numerous positive initiatives that shaped the industry and moved it forward. Part of that was really pushing the attraction of new talent to our space, and that is something that Tim’s team will obviously never stop working on. Last year I found out that Tim started his career at the old H Perilstein Glass, which was a part of my family’s world that dated back to 1898. I had no idea. It was awesome to know that Tim went from those days there to genuinely making a difference overall. Congrats, Tim, on your retirement, and enjoy that next phase of life!

Hurricane season

It’s June, which means it’s now hurricane season. Our industry has made a massive impact (no pun intended) in the world thanks to Hurricane impact glass and metal systems. That makes me very proud, and kudos to the many, including folks like Leon Silverstein and Arch Aluminum, who were among the first on board back in 1992 and took this process to the next level. For 2025, the experts are predicting 13 to 18 named storms (we had 18 last year) 7-10 Hurricanes (we had 11 last year) 3-5 Major Hurricanes (we had 5 last year) and 3-6 direct impacts on the US (we had 6 last year,) here’s hoping that it’s a light one. Even though our systems are the best, hurricanes are nightmarish, and we’ve got enough nightmares with the marketplace itself right now…so let’s buckle in and hope for the best.

Interesting article

Speaking of the market, Builder Magazine spoke with 18 CEOs in the home building sector about their opinions on current trends and their thoughts on the future. Some helpful and thoughtful takes. Check it out.

AIA expo

Last this week…The annual AIA Expo takes place in Boston.  Those who know me know I am not a fan of this event because management consistently does very little to push traffic to the floor. It is what it is, though, and sometimes some lucky breaks can be made  That said, my curiosity will be on the vibe there. We know the architectural community is slowing down. So, will the frustrations of what are essentially self-inflicted wounds come to light? Or will we have some optimism, guarded or otherwise? I’ll report back next week and if you are there feel free to share some insights, and don’t worry I won’t use your name if you don’t want me to… can’t get on the bad side of the AIA, right?