The George Orwell quote that gives this blog its title—“At 50, every man has the face he deserves”—is relevant to my topic in more ways than one. One of my recent blogs mentions that 2026 is Technical Glass Products’ (TGP) 50th anniversary. What I didn’t mention is that I also turned 50 this year. And just a short drive from TGP’s headquarters, Freeway Park in Seattle is also celebrating its 50th anniversary.
The George Orwell quote that gives this blog its title—“At 50, every man has the face he deserves”—is relevant to my topic in more ways than one. One of my recent blogs mentions that 2026 is Technical Glass Products’ (TGP) 50th anniversary. What I didn’t mention is that I also turned 50 this year. And just a short drive from TGP’s headquarters, Freeway Park in Seattle is also celebrating its 50th anniversary.
So the industry picked up a huge win last week, one that you’ll hear more about this week and for sure weeks going forward. Behind a herculean effort by NGA’s Urmilla Sowell and her incredible team of technical & advocacy stars, a new bill was introduced in Congress that could be massive to the glass and glazing industry. I’m speaking of House Resolution 8506. Sponsored by Rep.
Good stuff this time out after an excellent industry week. First, the latest “From the Fabricator” podcast is out and has two really enjoyable conversations. First up was Jason Epps, CEO of Specialty Fenestration Group (Quikserv & USBP). Then I connected with JJ Derman of NovaTech Wall Systems.
This past week was the Texas Glass Conference at the Woodlands, near Houston. Tremendous event overall. The Texas Glass Association really delivered a great gathering chock-full of excellent insights and networking opportunities. A few standouts included a really informative AI panel and a fabulous talk from Scott Kimpland of FMI. Overall, everything really clicked, and I was honored to be involved. My sincere thanks to Brian Risinger and the TGA board for the opportunity.
The challenge of getting our industry and our needs in front of the right people is an ongoing process. One of the big things that happens each year is NGA’s Glass & Glazing Advocacy Days, and they're coming up in May. I am grateful for those who attend and hit Washington, D.C. with the passion necessary to get our points across. This time out, key topics are school security, bird-friendly, and workforce development, all big pieces in our space. Learn more about this effort and your opportunity to be a part of it.
There’s no standard definition of a high-performance façade: Ask 10 different people and you’ll receive 10 different answers. This is important not only because current above-code building programs have performance gaps, but also that neglecting standalone façade performance can have implications for life safety.
A jam-packed new episode of the “From the Fabricator” podcast is now ready for you. It’s a rare “3 sets of guests” edition, and each one brings something cool to the table.
I’ve noted a few times that coming this June is the new NGA Glass Fabricator Conference (GFAB) and now registration is open and questions are flowing in about it. So, here’s my take, this conference is focused on the glass fabricator space. The content is geared towards that audience, and it’s delivered in a “track” style so the messaging can be targeted to the right attendees. After all, we’re not a “one size fits all” sort of industry, and this event takes that into mind.
Specifiers, architects, and design professionals frequently ask whether decorative glass can meet safety glazing requirements. Historically, decorative treatments were associated with aesthetics rather than performance. Today, advances in fabrication, interlayers and testing allow decorative glass to meet the same life-safety benchmarks as conventional architectural glazing.