Brilliant Minds

The latest episode of the From the Fabricator podcast is now out! This time, I have two really smart, interesting people who drop serious knowledge. Leading off is one of the NGA Technical Super Heroes, Urmilla Sowell. Urmilla was on my first-ever podcast in 2021, and it was great to reconnect with her since so much has changed. We cover what's happening in the tech and advocacy arena, volunteering, super people, and a very memorable food conversation.

Then, Bruce Murray of Steel Encounters joins the pod, and we get deep into safety and Bruce's unyielding passion for it, his background, his love of the Raiders, and a clutch, meaningful quote, among other things. Two fun, classy people, and I'm excited to see both in person in Las Vegas at GlassBuild. Still time to join us! If you are not familiar with either, this is a great way to learn about them. Thanks to them and to everyone who checks it out. I appreciate it!

Watch on Youtube or listen here, or by searching From the Fabricator wherever you listen to your podcasts!

Elsewhere…

Jerry Haber's passing

Very sad news, as we lost a man who made a massive impact on our industry. Jerry Haber, past Managing Partner at W&W Glass, passed away early last week. A beautiful remembrance is available, and it's worth a read, but I wanted to call a few things out. Jerry was a tremendous leader and man. He earned respect from all sides of this industry through his character and drive. With the 9/11 anniversary this week, I thought about Jerry and W&W's role in New York's rebuild. Jerry and team/family stepped up and did some usually impossible things to get crucial projects done. These projects showed great American skill and pride, and they offered a chance to lift our world up after the tragedy. There's a great article that goes into specifics on that time. The bottom line is we really lost a person whose contributions in both business and labor can never be minimized. His legacy will live on through his family and current team at W&W; that is for sure. My sincerest condolences to the Haber family and everyone at W&W.

Good LinkedIn follow

Evan Afenir of DP Glass is a really thoughtful follow on LinkedIn. He shares cool jobsite tech and project insights, but he also posts some true "food for thought" that is good for us to read, consider, comment on, act on, etc. The latest was this post on one of the biggest issues and frustrations on the Precon side. I appreciate Evan putting good stuff out there, and I think it's really good for our industry to learn and push for improvements. Some are easier than others, of course.

Happiest cities in the U.S.

So, the New York Times recently had a piece on the "Happiest Cities in the U.S.," and of course you know I love lists… so here's the top 10.

10. San Jose, California– Out of the gate with a surprise.

9. Gilbert, Arizona- Makes sense to me

8. Irvine, California- Another California surprise- guessing perfect weather (most of the time) is big.

7. Charleston, South Carolina- Home of the juggernaut that is CBK Media- so that tracks

6. Overland Park, Kansas- I can see it, plus people I know from Kansas are usually super chill

5. Fargo, North Dakota- Wouldn't the weather rule this out?

4. South Burlington, Vermont- Skiing, I guess? Vermont is one of a couple of states I have never visited

3. Scottsdale, Arizona- This one for sure makes sense on the list. Though it is pricey there.

2. Bismarck, North Dakota – See Fargo. Wow. #2?

And #1 "Happiest City," based on three categories: emotional and physical well-being, income and employment, and community and environment was:

Fremont, California.

I have been to Fremont, and from what I remember, it was nice, but happiest city? Shocking.

Wow. If I were guessing, I'd say Scottsdale and Charleston for sure, though traffic in Charleston has to affect emotional well-being, but none of the others. Stunned no Texas. Plano was closest at #16. I know Florida takes some hits, but there's a ton of tremendous places to live there that can check these boxes, and anything Utah missing was a surprise. If anything, these lists get you talking!