Fresh Perspectives
Two great guests this week
For the holiday weekend, a new episode of the “From the Fabricator” podcast is ready for you. Guest numbers 219 and 220. I kick it off with Randy Brooks, president and CEO of Gardner Glass/Walker Glass. Randy is the genuine article, and it was fun to catch up with a guy I first ran into in this industry 30+ years ago. We hit on a ton of subjects, including bringing two great companies together, expansions, products, and more.
Then I had a great time with Jared Ruggieri, national sales manager at Spectrum Metal Finishing. Cool career he’s had and now doing great things on the coating side. Great perspectives on several items (real backlog vs paper backlog, among others), and he shares my appreciation for powder coating! I continue to enjoy bringing different voices to the forefront, and these two deliver. Plus, with the growth in the audio audience, I think this model is working! Thank you to all who continue to support this effort! I appreciate it!
Elsewhere…
Architectural Billings Index
Market-wise, this past week, we received the latest Architectural Billings Index and an update from the team at Dodge. The ABI slipped a bit this time, but the inquiries which were best since 2022 last month went up again. That continues to be a good sign for things to eventually break loose. Just wish I knew when that time is! Dodge was in a good place, too, and not just with data center growth. Starts saw gains in pretty much every area. Challenges abound out there, but it’s nice to see the metrics looking good.
Latest edition of Glass Magazine
Time for the review of the latest edition of Glass Magazine. This is the annual Sourcebook that, from front to back, has suppliers for pretty much everything. This is the issue I see most on people’s desks. A quick, easy reference right at your fingertips! The ad of the month, a big one, considering people are using this issue to learn about additional supply chain options, was a challenge! Again, the marketing teams in the industry keep stepping up their game! The winner, though, for this month was Glenny Glass. First, I’ve always admired their President, Braxton Smith, and what he’s continued there at Glenny. Second, the ad was cool. I liked seeing the whole team, and the blue color really pops off the page. So, congrats to Glenny and whoever designed this one!
New TSA program
Road Warriors… have you seen the news on a new TSA Program called TSA Gold+? This is a move to bring private contractors into TSA's security operations. Very interesting since we’ve had TSA since 2001, but the consecutive shutdowns that unnecessarily affected the TSA workforce may have been what moved this forward. This is just starting off, so it’s too soon to get any feel, but moving away from the current model will be an adjustment for sure!
New Fed Chair
Last this week with a new Fed Chair coming in, a note from the “Bow Tie” Economist Elliot Eisenberg:
“Kevin Warsh is the 17th Fed Chairperson. Since the start of the 5th Chairperson, Eugene Meyer on 9/16/30, the average return of the S&P 500 during the first three months of the new Chair’s term has been -12%. The worst was Alan Greenspan, whose term commenced on 8/11/87. He saw the market decline 33%; Eugene Mayer follows closely at -32%. The best performer, Ben Bernacke at 2%. Hold on tight.”
Sorry to have that positive news at the top, with sobering news at the bottom! By the way, Elliot sends short daily e-mails that can cover a wide range of items. It’s a good one. Check it out to subscribe. One day, I’m hopeful to get him on the pod!
