The Grit Blueprint
The Playbook for Building Unmistakable Brands in the Built World
You can be the best in your market and still get passed over by a competitor who simply shows up better and more consistently where their customers are looking.
The Grit Blueprint Podcast is where visibility, media, customer experience, and creative brand strategy turn trust into growth in the built world.
Hosted by Stefanie Couch, a lifelong building industry expert born and raised in the business, this show explores how companies in building materials, construction, manufacturing, and distribution position themselves to win before the first conversation even starts.
You’ll hear from executives, operators, and decision-makers who are rethinking how they show up in the market. You’ll also hear from Stefanie and the Grit Blueprint team as they share the systems, strategy, and content that make good brands impossible to ignore.
Every episode turns insight into action. Because in this space, great work alone isn’t enough. You have to be seen, be known, be chosen, and ultimately, become unmistakable.
Produced by Grit Media. Powered by Grit Blueprint.
The Grit Blueprint
The $100 Million Dollar View: How Faour Glass Reinvented Hurricane-Proof Glass
Faour Glass is revolutionizing the hurricane glass industry with its SLIMPACT system that provides maximum views with minimal metal framing while meeting Florida's stringent building codes. Three generations of glaziers share how they've created innovative products through design assistance, partnerships, and a philosophy that views failure as just another opportunity to learn.
• SLIMPACT was invented in 2012 to solve the problem of large glass panels with less visible metal for hurricane-prone areas
• The system requires only top and bottom channels with just 3/8-inch silicone joints between panels
• Design assist is emphasized to help architects maintain their design intent while meeting code requirements
• Third-generation glazier Adam Valdez brings marketing skills to complement technical expertise
• 3D modeling and printing are used to test designs before production
• Family legacy is central to the company, with multiple generations working together
• Relationship-building with suppliers and customers drives innovation
• The team focuses on being solution providers rather than just product suppliers
• Hurricane-resistant pivot doors complement the SLIMPACT wall systems
• The goal is to make the glass "invisible" so it showcases the view rather than the product
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What are the challenges that some of your customers are facing this year that you see?
Speaker 2:They want big openings performance. They want to keep their design intent.
Speaker 3:We try to emphasize on design assist. Every time you test something, you learn something, yeah, and you apply that. Failure is not a failure, no, you always learn something new.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I'm sure you're learning and testing and failing and winning all at the same time, which is kind of the funnest thing.
Speaker 2:You know, I always tell everyone we work for the people, they don't work for us. So at Rhino and at SlimPact we have just great people that we work for. That really is what makes our companies amazing.
Speaker 1:You're not just thinking about the commodities. You're not just thinking about how do we get this to be, you know, glass that works.
Speaker 4:You're thinking about it from an artistry and innovation perspective, the amount of things that we're able to put together in our different systems and the things that we're able to see come together in different projects is amazing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys invent next. Welcome to the Grit Blueprint Podcast, the playbook for building unmistakable brands that grow, lead and last in the built world. I'm Stephanie Couch, the founder of Grit Blueprint, and I'm a lifelong building industry insider. I was raised here, built my career here, and now my team and I help others win here, and now my team and I help others win here. The truth is, you can be the best option in your space and still lose to someone else who simply shows up better and more consistently Each week. On the Grit Blueprint, I'm going to show you how to stand out, earn trust and turn your brand into a competitive advantage that lasts. If you're ready to be seen, known, chosen and become unmistakable, you're in the right place. Let's get started. I am here on site in Tampa, florida, today with my friends at Fowler Glass. Welcome to the show. Thank you for joining me.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1:And I just did a tour of your shop and you guys have some amazing 20-foot glass outside I was super impressed by. Not only are you doing Slim Pack, which is your amazing line for Hurricane, but you're also really bringing beauty to the industry. So tell me a little bit about you, who you are and what you do here.
Speaker 3:Related to this, I design most of the products for Slim Pack. Myself and Angelo Rivera. We invented SlimPak 2012,. It was the first test that we developed our product and it's been good ever since. That's awesome.
Speaker 1:What actually inspired you to create this? Was it a problem you were trying to solve, Sure?
Speaker 3:the market, the hurricane market, especially here in Florida we have. There's certain wind pressures that we have to meet in different conditions that require a stronger glass and the the customers itself. They want larger panels with less metal. So that's how that, that's how our sleep bag came about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's interesting because you don't really think about it when you see a building if you're not in the glass industry. Everybody in the glass industry does see it first thing, but it's it's obscuring usually a beautiful view of the ocean or something else the city skyline. So it is really cool that you guys have found a way to do this with a very small margin. So tell me a little bit more about the product and exactly what the difference is between SlimPak and what you see on the market every day.
Speaker 3:Well, slimpak requires really no metal at all, only the top and bottom channels. We try to to emphasize on the top and bottom channel being the smallest as possible in order to capture that inside the finishes. So you have that complete view through the glass and it's one of the unique things the customers love it. Between the two panels, merely just a 3 eighths of an inch silicone joint. That is very minimal.
Speaker 1:And you're not only doing it with the glass panels, but you also have a pivot door. So tell me about the pivot door.
Speaker 3:The pivot door came about roughly about eight years ago. We started working on that process. It just finishes the product. We had the wall. Now we needed an entry door to enhance the products, and so we came out with a slim-pack panic and a slim-pack framless door to help, you know, finish the envelope of the building.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it does have that clean, sleek look. You can walk right in and they are heavy, so they are sturdy, and you've worked with other partners to make sure that the hardware can hold what you're actually putting in it, right?
Speaker 3:Correct. We worked with the partners to make sure that their hardware was going to be able to withhold the high pressures that we have here in Florida. Yeah, and also there has to be a slim look to the hardware as well.
Speaker 1:I want to know a little bit more about your customers. We all have problems as customers that we face that we would love our vendors to fix for us. What are the challenges that some of your customers are facing this year that you see?
Speaker 3:You know, some of the challenges is we try to emphasize on design assist. That allows the opportunity to be up front before the actual design of the building and help mitigate some of those issues that they're facing. And if they bring us in ahead of our you know they're just finalizing the design we can provide different ideas of fresh designs that will help their intent.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because sometimes we see things drawn that aren't possible or very tough to actually make in real life. So I love that you're getting involved on the front end to help. So you're working directly with architects and engineers.
Speaker 3:We are working directly with the architects ahead of this.
Speaker 1:And what do you think the architects think about your product? What do you hear in the market when they talk about SlimPact?
Speaker 3:They love it, and that also gives us an opportunity to think ahead and, with the new testing, bring some of their ideas into the market as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's awesome. Tell me a little bit about your time. Have you been to GlassBuild? Have you done any of the training with NGA? What's your impact with that?
Speaker 3:GlassBuild brings an opportunity to have all the exhibitors all in one location and it provides just a lot of resources, especially through the forums that you guys have. It just gave us a good risk. It's a good resource for us, yeah, and also to meet the colleagues of the business all into one place.
Speaker 1:That's what I really enjoy yeah, and this year it's actually close in Orlando, so I know you're probably planning to attend, absolutely. What is one of the things that you're most excited about, about GlassBuild 2025?
Speaker 3:I haven't looked at what the new trends have been, but just to see new products and new ideas that we can bring to our clients.
Speaker 1:Well, tell me a little bit about the automation that you're putting into the business here, and how automation is influencing your product design.
Speaker 3:Yeah, through a series of tools that we have, especially the 3D modeling, we're allowed to do a design and being able to see that design in real life. And then also, what we do is we take that design and do a 3d printing of that design in order to prove the theory way ahead of the time, before we actually go into production yeah, that's super cool.
Speaker 1:And when you're doing the 3d printing, you're printing. What are you printing on that?
Speaker 3:we're printing profiles. We're actually printing, printing real life view of what you're actually going to get in the product.
Speaker 1:Do you send that to the architect or the engineer?
Speaker 3:Sometimes we have Okay, yeah, that's very cool, just to get their ideas.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the automation piece is interesting. Are you guys using any kind of other technology that you think is really cool out in the shop?
Speaker 3:Well, our people are our technology sometimes yes. I agree Tremendous amount. I spent a lot of time in the field Through that. That's to us as one of the most powerful tools that we have.
Speaker 1:Yeah, how many people do you have here?
Speaker 3:Here itself. We're about 35 people in this company. We have other sister companies.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we just went and saw your other sister company. We're going to talk about that. You guys have a whole facility here in Tampa. It's beautiful and lots of amazing glass on display in your actual facility, so I love seeing you guys use your actual product to make your office beautiful. Thank you, that's great. Well, what have you learned from any recent product launches that you guys have had here?
Speaker 3:We're on a lot. You know, I just finished a modifier. I just finished a book a lot. You know, I just finished a book. It's called Leadership Genius by Elon Musk and it's about testing and it's about the different challenges he had. So every time you test something, you learn something. Yeah, and you apply that Failure is not a failure, no, you always learn something new.
Speaker 1:I agree. I think that companies a lot of the greats. Elon obviously is a brilliant line for engineering. He has this thing he does. That's really interesting where he goes to each. He used to go to one facility, whether it was a different company or not. One week, one facility and he would fix one big problem. Would fix one big problem. And if you think about the magnitude of how much that could do if you were singularly focused on fixing one big problem every week and you're also a genius that can do it in one week I don't usually get success that quickly, but the amount of movement forward is huge and the time being brought up to where you can do things faster it's a big deal.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he's definitely brilliant. He doesn't think it's a failure, he just thinks it's an opportunity.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, I'm sure you guys have had failures here where you made the product you thought it was going to work, you thought it was going to be great. You tested, it didn't work. But probably your end product is better because of those failures to get to where you needed to go to have the end product.
Speaker 3:If it wouldn't be for failure, we wouldn't have the great product that we have today.
Speaker 1:I love that. One thing that I actually heard today is that your son, Adam, is also here as an employee. Tell me a little bit about him. And now you're third-generation glass industry professionals. That's super cool.
Speaker 3:Yes, he's always been fascinated about glass as well. He went to FSU for marketing. He gave that a try a little bit. He had a couple jobs, but then he really his passion was just, he wasn't fulfilling his passion. Yeah, and he's always been around me and our business, so he decided to join us here at Flowers.
Speaker 1:And what is he doing today?
Speaker 3:He's designing, drafting a design, taking all the parts and pieces that it takes to build the product. Yeah, and put it on an express sheet so he can, they can purchase the.
Speaker 1:Which is really kind of where you started right.
Speaker 3:Exactly.
Speaker 1:What is your favorite thing about being in glass industry?
Speaker 3:Well, I've been since I was just a child, I mean, since I was 12 years old. I was around glass, yeah. So that's all I know.
Speaker 1:How did you get into it?
Speaker 3:My father. My father owned a small glass company here in Tampa. Very cool, and that was when I first got introduced to glass.
Speaker 1:And what was your first job with him?
Speaker 3:Just sanding glass and cutting glass and you name it.
Speaker 1:Yeah that's awesome and you have a legacy. Now, how many years have you been in the industry?
Speaker 3:Well, I've been a follower for 37 years.
Speaker 1:Wow, that's super cool. Yeah, there's not a lot of people I meet that are like you, that have done probably every job. You've been in every role, but you also invented this incredible technology. So congratulations on such a great career.
Speaker 3:And.
Speaker 1:I know there's a lot more to come. And thank you so much for joining me on Behind the Build, appreciate it. Thank you for joining me today. Tell me a little bit about you, who you are and what you do here at Rhino Glass.
Speaker 6:My name is Ralph Cruz. I've been at Rhino Glass for 12 years. I actually completed my 12 years this month, in August. Right now, I'm working on developing our internal Nexus team, which is our kind of beginning of developing a scalable team for our pre-construction operations, going from design, procurement and manufacturing.
Speaker 1:Tell me a little bit about what your vision is for that, for the Nexus team.
Speaker 6:So my vision for the Nexus team is that we would develop all of our what would be internal right now to the team in terms of communications policies, standards, processes, in a way that, as the company grows, we'd be able to develop a team that would be responsible for design, responsible for procurement, responsible for manufacturing and programming, and being able to do that in a way where we minimize the usual growing pains that we see in companies that want to scale and grow and finding these issues now so that we can put ourselves on a fast trajectory in the future.
Speaker 1:That's super smart. Actually, I'm reading a book right now about scaling businesses and I think one of the things that people do is they they unfortunately don't take action quick enough and then they think they have to get it perfect, which is not possible. Anyone that's scaled a business knows that's only a dream that someone writes down in a journal when they start. But I think it's great that you guys are thinking the process is ahead and you have this vision and you're, I'm sure, going to make it happen in quick order. What does that look like in 2026, 2027 for your customer experience? How does that help your customers have a better experience when they work with you?
Speaker 6:Right so many times, I would say, from even being a customer from our vendors and being customers. When you go out, you go to a restaurant, you understand that sometimes when you encounter bumps, you encounter things that are running behind, late, poor quality. There's more there than just the person that you're talking to. There's usually processes that haven't been set up, there's breakdowns in management and communication internally. So really being able to set these things up ahead of time as we grow, as we reach new customers, larger, larger customers allows us to serve them in a better way. We can do that by having better margins, not worrying about, you know, if our margins are going to be good on a project because we're working efficiently and productively that's awesome.
Speaker 1:Tell me how you got started in the glass industry.
Speaker 6:I really got started. I was actually a dance instructor, so I was teaching salsa, Okay, and at the time I met I didn't see that coming. You didn't see that coming.
Speaker 1:I'm not going to lie that's amazing, yeah, and now I kind of want to see the salsa dancing.
Speaker 6:Oh well.
Speaker 1:I don't want to get off track here, but now I'm very intrigued, okay.
Speaker 6:So at the time Wyatt and his wife at the time came and they were at the studio and they wanted private lessons. And over the course of a few different lessons I got to talking with him and he said I could use someone like you at my company and I sent him my resume and about eight months went by. I didn't hear back and finally emailed me back. And here I am today.
Speaker 1:That's amazing. Are you still salsa-ing also?
Speaker 6:I am not.
Speaker 1:No, that's so sad I mean, that's an amazing layering of skills. I think that's one of the things I love about people you never know what they're going to say, their background is, but that type of thing, I'm sure, actually helps you. You're teaching people how to do something, and now you're leading a team that you You're teaching people how to do something, and now you're leading a team that you're going to be teaching how to do things which are processes, which is really what dancing is. So it's kind of cool how life takes us down these paths. You don't really know how that would correlate in your day-to-day job. Right, I feel like it does. I'm a musical person and so I sing, and I think it helps me a lot with my day-to-day life because of that also and when making Instagram videos.
Speaker 6:Absolutely. Yeah, I think the creativity side of things really helps and being able to apply it in different areas of your life yeah. So having that side teaching, thinking through nuances of how to help people, trying to find the linchpins of problems that they're having have been really helpful. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, since you've been in the industry, what are some of your favorite things about the glass and glazing industry?
Speaker 6:I think I've always been involved on the challenges of the engineering side, so really making the architect's vision happen. It's not always possible, just sort of the way a system is tested on paper, and so there's a lot of fun things that we can do to really bring out that vision, bring systems on top of systems and really seeing that come to life when the building's completed.
Speaker 1:So do you have a favorite project recently that you think is like really cool, that you would like to highlight?
Speaker 6:Yeah, so you were just looking at it recently and only because it had so many different elements to it it's a really neat looking element was we did it for coca-cola it's project, bessie, and there was just a really neat looking curtain wall where we hung perforated panels and sunshades on that curtain wall. And there was also we did one for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which was a a really cool, um, like a sunburst curtain wall. It was very large. We pre pre-fabricated that whole thing, we hung it in, and so that was really fun on the technical side to try to figure out how to do that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so much problem solving, because you've got a lot of things to think about in this when you're thinking about these products. I know you mentioned, and some of the other team mentioned earlier, that you're getting involved really early and I think that's such a competitive advantage for you guys but also for your customers that you're helping them solve the problems before they happen, before the drawings are drawn, all of those things. Tell me a little bit about that portion of your business.
Speaker 6:Yeah, so it's really about getting in one, getting into the drawings, getting into the structural drawings, architectural drawings as soon as possible and trying to highlight the areas that are going to be challenging for us to be able to meet their vision. So it comes down to reviewing that, writing the RFIs, having those discussions with the general contractor and the architect up front so that it's as painless as possible, moving forward.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you guys are obviously doing that very well in a tough zone with hurricanes and all the other heat and things that are in Florida, so you got to really be on your game to win here for sure.
Speaker 1:There's more than just alligators to watch out for in Florida. Well, I'm excited to see you this year at Glass Build in Orlando in November. We spoke a little bit. I know you've been at the NGA for years. Tell me a little bit about your experience with the National Glass Association and what you've done through the years with them.
Speaker 6:Yeah, so most of my experience with the National Glass Association has been through Glass Build and also the BEC conference. I was able to go to Glass Build this past year and that was a great time to see a lot of the products that are out there as well as companies that are being able to provide different services that could really benefit us. And the BEC conference went to not the year before but the one in Las Vegas previously and that was a great time just to hear about from other professionals to be able to network, and they had a lot of really interesting information regarding the industry that I found to be really helpful.
Speaker 1:I'm curious how you guys train here at Rhino Glass, because I know you're bringing in, I'm sure, new talent. Tell me a little bit about your training process.
Speaker 6:So a lot of our training right now is one-on-one. It really revolves around more coaching than we have a formal training program. Our training right now is one-on-one it really revolves around more coaching than we have a formal training program. So we really work with our leads, our superintendents, to have those coaching moments and to take that time apart so that we can train people correctly.
Speaker 1:Okay, well, what are you most excited about for Orlando? Glass Build?
Speaker 6:One is that we're very close this time Orlando, glassfield. One is that we're very close this time, yeah, and but just being able to see what's new, what's up and coming, especially a lot of the new products that are being being developed, and seeing how those can help us succeed in the future.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a great event. I'm excited there's going to be some really cool things happening this year and, like you said, only three hours away from home, so if someone is in the area, hopefully they'll come check it out, because it's going to be a great show. Well, thank you so much for joining me today and I'm excited to hopefully see you salsa in the future, maybe at Glass Build. So bring your dancing shoes. I really appreciate your time All right.
Speaker 6:Thank you very much.
Speaker 1:I'm excited to have a third generation glazer here, but you're not just a third generation, but you actually are here in Fowler Glass working with your dad, who we just spoke with a minute ago. Tell me about you and tell me about your story.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I'm Adam Valdez, I work with Rhino Glass and yeah, I'm a third generation glazer. My grandfather he was in the glazing business and that's clearly how my dad started as well. My dad's been with Fowler glass for 30 years and I've been on and off working with Fowr and now with Rhino for, I would say, about six, six or seven years.
Speaker 1:So what do you love about the glass industry?
Speaker 4:I love how adaptive it is. I mean, I come in here every single day and things are constantly changing. There's new systems that I'm constantly working with and every time I think that I'm going to be working on something. That's the same. It never is, but that's sort of the fun in it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I'm sure you're learning and testing and failing and winning all at the same time, which is kind of the funnest thing. You went to school at FSU, so I won't hold that against you because I'm a Georgia Bulldog, but I know you have a marketing degree, but I think that probably makes you really actually better at what you're doing. Tell me how you use the skills that you learned in school in your day-to-day job here.
Speaker 4:Yeah, 100%. Essentially, business in the glazing industry right. Talking with different contractors, talking with different vendors, getting to understand those relationships and building upon those relationships right Something we use at Rhino a lot our systems is like Conair and YKK building upon those relationships and understanding sort of how we can best utilize those relationships to get what we can use for our customers and our products.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and Jason was telling me earlier that you know you do have a lot of partnerships throughout the industry. Like you couldn't do what you do without their products, and I'm sure, vice versa, that they're selling more product because of your product. How does SlimPak and then Rhino Glass? How are you guys seeing your customers win because of those collaborations?
Speaker 4:Yeah, the partnerships with Conair and with YKK. They constantly have different products that they're constantly utilizing and coming out with as well, and they have people that are coming in and telling us a little bit about what their products are utilizing and how we can utilize those products. So being able for them to come in and understand and help us understand how we can then utilize those products in those different formats, it really can sort of see the collaboration as well. Yeah.
Speaker 1:What is it like working with your dad?
Speaker 4:Working with him is super fun. I will say that, number one, I've learned so much from him from a technical point, but also from how to be a glazer. Right, there's a lot of things that you him from a technical point, but also from how to be a glazer. Right, there's a lot of things that you learn from a technicality piece, but then also from more of a fabrication standpoint. That are two very different mindsets, two very different hats. Right. And he sort of started in a different area, right, have it be glazing, then more engineering, then more R&D. So there's a lot more stepping stones to his career and for me, being able to sort of start at the bottom, how he did, and sort of work my way up there, I love that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and he's actually one of the inventors of this SlimPak product, and so that's pretty darn cool. I actually told him when I met him. It's not every day you meet a true inventor. It's something that kind of is a lost art, I think, but it has been innovative in this. Hurricane glass is crazy how small it is, because you don't have all this amazing, you know work. Whatever you're doing, you're looking at either a beach, you're looking at a city view, you're looking at a beautiful marsh. You don't want to see all that metal, so your product is helping that not be the case, and I think it's amazing that your dad invented that.
Speaker 4:Yeah, 100%. I think he's being able to see exactly what you want to see whenever you're looking at a piece of glass, right? Not just all that metal that you're talking about.
Speaker 1:so Well, you're young in your career. What excites you the most about the next five years in your career in glazing, I think?
Speaker 4:honestly, from what I've been able to see in the glass industry in the last five years, from what the products and what's been able to come out now, like I'm saying, is that adaptability, the amount of things that we're able to put together like Ralph was saying in our different systems, and the things that we're able to see come together in different projects, is amazing. So the fact that we're able to combine those different projects and different products together is just awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys invent next. Yeah Well thank you so much for joining me, Adam. I'm excited to meet you and your dad and all the Fowler and Rhinoglass team today. So thank you for your time.
Speaker 4:Thank you so much.
Speaker 1:Well, anthony, thank you for joining us today. We are here in Fowler Glass in Tampa Florida and we are going to be talking about some of the cool products that I just got to see in your shop. And I want you to start by just tell me a little bit about you who you are, how long you've been here, second generation in the glass industry, which seems to be a trend here, a lot of legacy people. But tell me a little bit about you.
Speaker 5:So I'm Anthony, as you said, been in the glazing industry for about 20 years, Before that working in drafting and design for about five years. Started here at Fowler about two years ago, worked in drafting and design for a long time, went to school for it for a bit and developing teams that do the same and focusing on engineering and calculations.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you are in the science of making sure it's right, which we talked about a lot when we were touring the plant about how little margin for error your product has with the slim packed product. So tell me about that, because you guys got to get it right, because it's so small that you can actually have margin.
Speaker 5:Right, in the construction industry there's a lot of tolerances and with glass there's not a lot of tolerances. So we often have to make up for that in our design and really be intentional about what we're drawing, what we're submitting, what we're getting approved, and go through those tolerances.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you're working with architects who are building very large buildings. One of the trends that we've been hearing about a lot in the industry and you're seeing in your products is everything needs to be as big as it can be the widest, tallest glass with the least amount of obstruction. How are you handling that challenge, Because it continues to expand.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I think, keeping up with the code requirements, making sure that we're remaining cutting edge, seeing what we can do, paying attention to glass composition in general and manufacturing procedures, and trying to stay right on the cutting edge of what we can do.
Speaker 1:The hurricanes here are getting a lot more frequent, it seems. I lived in Florida for a year and we had three hurricanes. My first year that I lived in Orlando it was a wild year, scary for a Georgia mountain girl who had never ridden through a hurricane before, but it's something that people see a lot, but they still want that beautiful view of the ocean, of the city skyline, on the huge um, on whatever huge impact you have. You're Tampa, you're in Miami, you're in Orlando. What are you seeing with the trends from these architects? They're building pivot doors, which you're you have a product for. Is there anything that you're seeing more of right now that you think is going to be really cool with SlimPact?
Speaker 5:I think really in SlimPact in general, I like having an entire glass wall right. We had a project in Sarasota Bay that was 24 foot wide, 11 foot tall, and standing in that bedroom and you feel like you're on Sarasota Bay but you still have that safety of being inside behind the glass that's product tested. I think that's really neat, that getting bigger and bigger and still being impact rated and hurricane resistant. I think that's really cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it's really art that you're framing. Jason and I were talking about it earlier outside. You're not just thinking about the commodities, really art that you're framing. Jason and I were talking about it earlier outside. You're not just thinking about the commodities. You're not just thinking about how do we get this to be. You know glass that works. You're thinking about it from an artistry and innovation perspective and that's what your product really is, which is beautiful around these amazing sceneries that you're showcasing. Tell me about a project that you loved that you guys have done in the last year or two.
Speaker 5:Well, I think that one at Sarasota Bay. Currently that's my favorite project because it's almost where we're invisible. So the environment that we're in is what we're trying to showcase. So we're trying to not be the centerpiece. We're trying to make the centerpiece visible right, whether that's a storefront or whether that's a beach view or anything along those lines. We're trying to get out of the way. That's really what it is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's super innovative for a glass company to be able to do something with such small metal. I mean, you guys, I'm looking at it right here it's very much. Your eye does not get drawn to that and I think, aesthetically you don't really realize how much your eye does capture a big metal piece until you see one versus the other and you realize, wow, this is really a lot better, so the product is beautiful. Tell me a little bit about you've been in the industry a long time. What has your experience been with the national glass association?
Speaker 5:national glass fishing is great. I love having glass magazine. That's incredible. We can nerd out on glass and have some sort of community and then, um, my glass class is really good as well. I've used that over the years to just kind of introduce people to glass manufacturing in general, so it's a good overview.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you said you were grooming teams and helping teams do things, so I'm guessing you're using that for your next generation of leaders. Yeah, yeah, what about Glass Build? Are you going this year?
Speaker 5:We plan to.
Speaker 1:And what is your favorite memory from Glass Build? Have you gone in years past?
Speaker 5:I think just meeting other people in the glass industry and being able to talk in terms where we don't have to explain glass from a customer level and really get, like I said, nerd out on glass.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah. There is a lot of technical stuff in this industry and if you are with your people you don't even have to. You kind of already know all the inner workings for sure. Well, we'll be in Orlando November 4th through the 6th for Glass Build. I'm excited to see you there and I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing some pictures of that Sarasota Bay project, because it sounds you've sold it to me now, so I can't wait to hopefully see that and see your handiwork. So thank you for joining me on the show.
Speaker 1:Awesome Sounds great, thank you. I am here in person in Tampa, florida today with Bo Whitfield. Welcome to the show. Thank you for joining me, and you are an amazing member of the team here, but you're actually on the Rhinoglass side of things, so tell me a little bit about you and who you are, what you do here.
Speaker 2:So I'm the VP at Rhino Glass I've been there for 15 years was one of the first employees. I run day-to-day ops and oversee production for both facilities.
Speaker 1:Okay, tell me a little bit about what exactly you're doing at Rhino Glass, because obviously they're fabricating right across the way at Fowler and you're doing a little something different. So tell me about that.
Speaker 2:So we do commercial glazing. That's it, A lot of institutional upper institutional work, municipality work.
Speaker 1:You're really in touch with the operations side. I went and walked your facility earlier. You've got teams of people doing things and you've got a whole office full of people. So tell me a little bit about your day to day for you, Like, what are you doing every day from? You know, from sunup to sundown in the glass industry?
Speaker 2:Oh man, my days could be spread out between Tampa and Tallahassee, or all day in the office or sitting in meetings all day. So the typical day is get in early, get started, make sure everyone is supported the way they need to be supported, and then start my day from there, whether it be working with customers or reviewing upcoming projects or checking in on projects and also helping with production at the same time, just make sure everything's flowing seamlessly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you've been in the industry a long time, so I'm imagining you've had multiple jobs, multiple things you've done. How did you get started?
Speaker 2:So I'm a second generation glazer. I started 21 years ago, okay, working for my dad.
Speaker 1:That's cool, and is he from Tampa as well?
Speaker 2:No, we were born and raised in central Oklahoma. Oh, in Okie, okay.
Speaker 1:And what part.
Speaker 2:Norman.
Speaker 1:Okay. So, I love Oklahoma, actually One of my favorite places to go. I have spent a lot of time there. I have not ever met a glazer from Oklahoma, so you're the first, I think. But tell me about a little bit growing up with your dad being in the business and how that inspired you to do what you're doing now.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So growing up he, my dad, started in the field, just like I did. You know a lot of Saturday mornings in a glass shop building frames just you know cutting table. Building frames, just you know cutting table, it's just just like similar to some other people here. Just kind of where I cut my teeth was being a young boy and and working young, you know, sweeping the shop floor did you ever consider anything else other than the glazing industry?
Speaker 2:I was a carpenter for two years. Yeah, I had my own custom kitchen cabinet business and I gave that up really quick. It just wasn't for me, yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, I think once something like this gets in your blood and also you get good at it, it's hard to want to do anything else. It really does bring you in.
Speaker 2:It really sucks you in. The uniqueness of what we do is intriguing.
Speaker 1:What is your favorite thing about working here?
Speaker 2:The people I think working. You know I always tell about working here, the people I think working. You know I always tell everyone we work for the people. They don't work for us. So at Rhino and at SlimPact we have just great people that we work for and that really is what makes our companies amazing.
Speaker 1:I love it. You guys do a ton of stuff with impact glass and impact rated market. What do you see that's trending? What are your customers asking for in the impact rated market?
Speaker 2:So big. You know, they want big openings, they want performance, they want to keep their design intent at whatever cost to a point so that the big trend now is how can we support that, while understanding their budget constraints and the design intent?
Speaker 1:It's always fun when everyone wants the most expensive crazy thing, but on a budget.
Speaker 2:Yeah, good stuff.
Speaker 1:I always like to say you can have fast, you can have cheap, or you can have excellent quality, you can have two. So you choose, and usually they want all three. Well, how are you actually differentiating yourselves in the market? What actually sets you apart?
Speaker 2:So we try to be solution solvers early on. So what set us apart is whether we have a decent shot of getting a project or not. We still help. So we get a lot of calls from architects and GCs on projects that we may or may not even have a decent shot of getting a project or not. We still help. So we get a lot of calls from architects and GCs on projects that we may or may not even have a shot at. That we help support them on. So that's really helped us throughout the years is having those relationships.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I believe that customer experience is the absolute most important thing in business, and doing something like what you just described, where you probably won't get that order but you're still helping them and you're making their life easier, reducing friction in their business I believe that's how you have something that's so unmistakable in the market for years, decades to come. So it's cool that you guys are doing that, and I'm sure, when the product does fit, that they call and they order from you because of what you're doing on those other jobs too, right? Yes, ma'am, what are the things that you would say are some of the moments that keep you up at night? I mean, I lay in bed a lot and think about certain things that are plaguing our industry or my business. What keeps you up at night?
Speaker 2:So just always ensuring that we have the right people in the right place at the right time is constantly on my mind. You know what's next, what do we need to be in front of? You know what's a potential unforeseen that could be creeping around the corner? So there's. That is probably the one thing that stays hot on my mind all the time is where's everybody at? Where are we going? Where are we at in the stage of the project?
Speaker 1:So it's making sure everyone's in the right spot at the right time you are a part of this amazing team which is a member of the nga, the national glass association. Tell me a little bit about any kind of impact that they've had on you oh man.
Speaker 2:So my first experience with glass build was probably like six or seven years ago in Atlanta. It was amazing, I think the executives forum is always great and then we tend to go to most of the BEC conferences that we can attend, just depending on logistics and kind of where everything's at, and it's really created some great people in the industry that we can lean on. That we've been able to you know industry friends and stuff like that. So that's been great just having those people across the United States that we can reach out to and connect with and compare things. I mean there's so many great people that are in the NGA great resources.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm sure you guys have a lot of questions that sometimes you don't even know you have that maybe get answered by that committee, of having people that are doing the same thing on the other side of the country. Yeah, and you guys are really going to be close to Glass Build this year. So only about what? Three hours away in Orlando and it's coming up fast, november 4th through the 6th, are you going to be in attendance?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, we're taking the whole office staff, so all of our PMs, the people who support the PMs, and some of our leadership in the field. So it's great for us because we're always traveling to these other areas and you have those local glazing subs that are there, and so it's good for us because now we can showcase some of our work. I mean, it just so happens that right there in that little, just so close to where it's being held, we have three or four projects that we've completed and you know it'll be fun, to just kind of show it off.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can't wait. Hopefully, maybe, while we're there, you can, we can, we can go see one of those projects. That would be really cool. Well, thank you, so doing for the glass industry and glazing and keeping the legacy alive with the second generation, and for the amazing tour today.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Grit Blueprint podcast. If this episode helped you think a little differently about how to show up, share it with someone in your building world who needs it. If you're ready to turn visibility into growth, then head to gritblueprintcom to learn more and book a call to talk to us about your growth strategy. Until next time, stay unmistakable.
