Advocacy in Real Life
The forms that advocacy can take
From time to time, I get the question about advocacy. As in, what sort of advocacy is happening in our industry? I think there is a perception that the only path to advocacy is through face-to-face or 1:1 meetings with members of the legislative branches of government. And while that is a form, I believe some of the best advocacy happens at the grassroots level. From volunteers and from leaders within industry-focused trade organizations.
When I interviewed Tom Culp for my podcast, we talked about the “battle for the wall” and, in doing so, covered that if our industry did not step up the way it did, then the window-to-wall ratio would’ve gotten reduced and we’d be very deep in the hole. And no meeting with a government official could save that. Smaller glass, less glass? Not good. So yes, we need to be represented at every level and in as many ways as possible, because as I have noted here many times before, our industry is a popular target for seemingly every other trade out there. If we’re not doing all we can to protect our way of life, it's going to be a problem.
All that said, my extreme thanks to every volunteer (and congrats to the latest volunteer honorees Steve Marino of Vitro and Vaughn Schauss of Kurarary) out there who cares deeply and advocates for us all.
Elsewhere…
Pod with Tom Culp and more
In case you missed the episode where Tom Culp and I talked about this and so many other important industry items, you can find the links below. Jamie Kernohan of Glass Guru was also on this episode, and her energy generated a ton of positive feedback, especially from some of the marketing leads in our space. Thank you, Tom and Jamie, and thank you all for checking it all out!
Watch on Youtube or listern here.
Note: I do have a new episode coming out next Sunday, and it’s got a couple of big movers and shakers, nationally and regionally. Can’t wait!
Volunteer news
Speaking of volunteers and people stepping up for our interests, I got word this week that the fabulous Dennis Bevans of Anchor Ventana was named to the Executive Board of the Texas Construction Association. Having a voice at that level is crucial, and Dennis will be perfect in that spot!
Retirement news
Some of my best friends in this industry are the brothers who own Peterson Glass in Michigan. Great guys that I have known for years. Well, recently they decided to call it a day, retire, and close up shop. Happy for them and jealous of them at the same time. In doing so, they now have quite a bit of material for sale. (Maglocks, Electric Strikes, Taper loc sets, Von Duprin cables, among many items, etc.) Please take a look and contact me if you’re interested; I’ll get you in touch with the gang there.
GlassBuild registration
Guess what…GlassBuild America registration opens this week. The show this September in Vegas will be an incredible event, and I look forward to seeing you there. The chance to connect and learn is huge and of monumental importance. More info to follow, and as you can expect, I’ll be talking about this more as the weeks click on our way to the show!
Gatsby Glass new tool
Last this week… The gang at Gatsby Glass debuted a very cool tool on their website. A visualizer for the shower door space. GatsbyView lets customers upload a photo of their bathroom/shower door setting and see how a new design would look in that area. I have seen this tech before, and I love it. Gatsby did a very nice job with their effort, and to me, it’s great because it brings the homeowner/general public closer to all of us. And as someone who has been planning a new shower enclosure since April of 2025 (and still not there, thanks to a GC disaster), I enjoyed trying this out and seeing what my enclosure could look like when I finally get one in 2028. I think. Anyway, kudos to Gatsby on the tech and the push to serve the public more effectively. Thanks to my friend Jeff Dowd at Gatsby for giving me a look before it went live.
