Episode Transcript
[00:00:02] Speaker A: Good day, everyone, and welcome to the Cutting Edge Install Podcast brought to you by Omni Cubed, where innovation meets installation and everything in between. I'm your host, Merv Campbell, and it's an absolute pleasure to have you with us. This podcast is about celebrating the pros, installers, experts, and the game changers. And man, do we have a game changer on this podcast today for you. We're going to dive into stories, we're going to share insights, and we are going have fun. And the Irish know how to have fun more than most people. So hold onto your hats. Whether you're on the job, whether you're on the road, whether you're looking just to stay sharp, you have come to the right place. So let's get cracking. Alex, it's an absolute pleasure to have you on the show, my friend. It's an absolute privilege for me.
Yeah. Good to have you.
[00:00:54] Speaker B: It's great to be here. Thanks for the invite. It's a huge honor. Thank you.
[00:00:57] Speaker A: Yeah. Excellent. So. So let's get cracking. We've got some questions, some good information, I hope, for those who are listening.
So you work for a company called Learn Glazing. What inspired you, the creation of Learn Glazing? And what are the. What are sort of the gaps that you're hoping to fill for the glass industry through Learn Glazing?
[00:01:19] Speaker B: So Learn Glazing kind of came out of a internal need. So the owner, Marcus, and the other owner, Chris, found that when he was trying to onboard new people into his drafting company called MP Drafting, they really wanted to kind of standardize that onboarding because they experienced what we like to call on desk training. Right. So when you bring in a new employee, and this is standard across the board for anybody in our industry, I think they're all going to relate is you're only able to teach people whatever's on your desk because you have to stay productive. You have to keep teaching, you have to keep doing what you're doing. So the training that is available to people is always very spotty. Right. One employee might get to see what a canopy is like, whereas the next employee might not get to see a canopy for months down the road. And then there's that expectation that they. Well, you've been here for almost a year. You should already know this.
So Marcus really wanted to create this. This onboarding that was solid foundation for all right, you're going to go through this booklet, you're going to go through this training, and you're going to come out the other side with Everything I need you to do or know. So at least you're conversational and you can hit the ground running. And I know what I can expect from you.
I think that's one of the misconceptions and I guess the big void that they're trying to fill in the industry is the misconception is that everybody goes into a new job, whether they're moving from one shop to another or they're brand new to the industry. We never know what people know and we kind of just assume that after a few months they should know everything. Right. So the void they're filling is that base foundation, that baseline that every employer, every employee can agree to.
I know this stuff. Let's move forward in the training.
[00:02:57] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:02:58] Speaker B: And that's, that's where it really helps out. So that's kind of what they've done. And it expanded to learn glazing across the board. As you guys see, they just kind of ran with this, with this dream, I guess.
[00:03:10] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:03:10] Speaker B: You know, the industry is benefiting because it's out there, it's free, and we're trying to standardize that. We're trying to make sure that, you know, it's just easier to bring new people. That's.
[00:03:19] Speaker A: Yeah.
Awesome.
So obviously it's in the name Learned Lasing. It kind of goes hand in hand.
So how do you see your training?
How do you see the training complementing at Lasing contractors, hands on training, or as the industry continues to evolve, how does Learned Lasing keep up with all those things and push training even further?
[00:03:44] Speaker B: Right. So I guess the big thing there is our platform is online. Right. It's self paced and it's a great way for you to be able to bring somebody and kind of let them go through this foundation that we just talked about. The way that it really helps is that every single glazing contractor has their own secret sauce. Right. It's impossible to say we can train everybody.
What we are doing is we're getting your employees up to speed on terminology, on basic concepts, on the difference between products.
You know, what's clear, what's low iron, what's insulated, all of these industry terms that we tend to forget that we know. I think that's the biggest problem. We forget it's hard for us to kind of bring it back down to day one when we're teaching someone. So it, it really helps in the fact that we're hoping that when you hire somebody new, we can take over that training for the first month, two months, whatever amount of time. That you're going to dedicate to learn glazing with your new student. You, you can keep doing what you're doing and then they can then teach you their secret sauce. Talking using all of those terminologies that you now have learned.
[00:04:45] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:04:46] Speaker B: And understand their processes better and move forward, whether it be installation or in the office. It's just if you know what a shear block is, you know what a shear block is. But if you don't know what it is, you don't know what it is. So we're hoping that we can take over or at least help, you know, every glazing contractor out there, help you just onboard people in the sense that they're gonna know what they know. Because it'd be great if the managers were familiar with the training as well. And then now you can do your own internal secret soft stuff.
[00:05:14] Speaker A: So that's awesome. So kind of a plug for you. Here we have someone who wants to learn more, they want to grow. How do they do that with you guys?
[00:05:24] Speaker B: Our platform is actually super easy, so it's free to use for anybody. All that we ask from you is an email so that we can verify and send you a password link. And then occasionally we'll send you like a. Hey, check out our new training. If we release new courses, but it's, it's free. You sign up. There's no wrong way to use it. For those who want a slightly more structured, organized way about going through our training, we do have like a training guide and some, some other. Indicate some other documents that can tell you, hey, if you're in sales, these are the better courses for you. If you're in just general office, these are the ones for you. Project management and engineering architecture field install. We have a lot of like different lanes we like to call them and they are separated by specific topics as well. But you know, if, if you start from glazing 101 with all of our 101 courses, that's. That's the best way to dive in and, and get your feet wet. Just go through the things on your own and really kind of just learn what it's all about. You take a little test at the end to verify that you were paying attention.
[00:06:23] Speaker A: Yeah, totally.
[00:06:24] Speaker B: And it's also a great way to prove to your employer that you were going through it. Right. Because it gives you a nice little downloadable PDF.
[00:06:29] Speaker A: Totally.
[00:06:30] Speaker B: But yeah, the best way is to just create the account. Right. Everybody's always like, I don't even know how to start. You gotta start somewhere and the first place is to sign up and just dive into the first one. So.
[00:06:40] Speaker A: Awesome. Well, you hear it here, folks. If you want to learn more, go on their website, learnblazing.com and just follow everything, fill it out. These guys are exceptional at what they do. They are by and far the leaders in all of this stuff. I've watched some of their videos. They are very, very, very good with. Well made, very interactive in regards to learning and growing.
And if you're not learning and growing, sorry, you're getting steel. So it's always a constant thing and it's a battle, but it's so worth it. And these guys exceptional at what they do. So yeah, go check it out. Learnblazing.com we do that too.
[00:07:21] Speaker B: We're constantly learning, right. So we post parts of our training and if there's anybody out there that knows something we don't know and they correct us, we immediately go into the training and fix it. We understand that we don't know everything either. Yeah, total background.
Marcus comes from like the metals and drafting side of it. But there are, there's, there's always something new that we can add, something new that we can improve. And we've been actually super lucky that our student base, which is, is pretty big now, we're climbing up to almost 7,000.
Wow. Is out there. They're constantly giving us feedback and you know, Google reviews or just emails or whatever.
We are constantly adapting. So yeah, changing and evolving. Is it? Yeah.
[00:07:57] Speaker A: Yeah. That's so, that's so cool. And it's awesome to hear. Hey, we don't know everything. We're all in this together. And that's one thing about the glass industry.
We're a helpful bunch. We like each other some more than others, but that's all right. But if there is knowledge to be given, it's given. And it's not, it's not held in here. It's given freely and that's so important. That's so awesome, Alex. Really.
[00:08:23] Speaker B: Well, it's also aging out. Right. Which is why it's crucial. It's why we exist. Because we got a lot. I mean, I don't know what the average age in our group is, but it's definitely not 20, you know, 60, 70 year old owners out there ready to just kind of jump on a boat and enjoy life and.
[00:08:37] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:08:37] Speaker B: When they leave with that knowledge, it's gone.
[00:08:39] Speaker A: So it's gone. Yep.
[00:08:41] Speaker B: We're trying to put that on paper before we lose it.
[00:08:43] Speaker A: Totally. No, that's really, that's a good thing and that's even for where we are. We've got some engineers in our company who know, they've been at this for years and they know tricks and tips and different things and they're, they just pour into that next generation because that's who's coming after. And if we want these, these things to survive and we want to be able to continue to do them, we've got to train people. And that's where like learned lazing is. Yeah, go check it out. I can't talk highly enough about it, but picture this in your mind, if you will. You're shadowing kind of a first day. You're new to the industry.
What's some of the first things that you're watching for and kind of to know whether that person is like set up for success or if it's like, no, this maybe isn't for you.
[00:09:36] Speaker B: I guess I would say it's a little different for office than field. So I'll do one at a time here for office. I would be looking for a general sense of curiosity. You know, I want to make sure that these people are eager to learn, that they're open minded, that they ask questions. Maybe walking around with a little notepad. There's, there's so many bits and pieces to our industry. There's thousands of parts, there's hundreds of scenarios. It's impossible to get everything all at once. And I, for me, the most important part is that somebody's actively trying to learn. Right. Because when you're excited about learning this stuff, I'm excited about teaching it to you. That's, that's really how it breaks down.
[00:10:14] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:10:15] Speaker B: If I was working with somebody in the field, I think I'm gonna go down to more of like a basic construction, you know, safety. I want to make sure this person is aware of their surroundings, is paying attention, you know, not being clumsy, not tripping, you know, you know, what's around you at all times.
If you've come kind of prepared, even if we have to help you and tell you what it is and at least ask the question, what's, what should I bring? Right. But don't just show up in your shorts on the first day because we're gonna have a problem.
So. Oh yeah, I think that it's, it's a general sense of awareness. Right. You have to be a little bit on the guard.
And then the most important thing to me is if you don't know how to do something, you're going to ask or you're going to read the instructions you're going to verify, I would rather go slower and make sure that you did everything right, because you're trying to engage and really interested in learning it.
[00:11:04] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:11:05] Speaker B: You just come out here with, like, a chip on your shoulder, something to prove, you know, it doesn't matter what background you came from, any industry out there, you know, people think that, oh, I know how to use a power tool. I don't how to do this. And that's great. Perfect. I'm glad that you do. But in our industry, one wrong move can mean you don't have a leg or something. So glass is a very dangerous product. And just that general sense of safety is number one.
[00:11:29] Speaker A: That's key.
And that's where we've all built IKEA furniture before. And probably one of the first things we do is that user guide and that manual. We go then a suggestion guide.
Yeah, I know this better than IKEA does. And then you're three quarters of the way through going, why does my bookshelf look like it's not supposed to have various sizes and shapes like this? And then you go, oh, you gotta eat the humble pie. So it's always good to listen and learn. And safety's key. Like, we want people to go home the way they came to their work. And that's where, like, learning and training with you guys is important. Having tools like ours to keep you safe and you're not doing foolish things, you're not constantly wrecking your body.
It's so important. And it's where that younger generation needs to, like, stop, slow down, and think about longevity. Because you talk to some of these older guys and they're hurting, their backs are broke. And the number one thing that we hear, and I'm sure you do, is, I wish this had been around 40.
[00:12:37] Speaker B: Years ago or 30 years ago.
[00:12:40] Speaker A: And that's what you constantly hear. So you're going, hey, guys, it is here. You younger people take advantage, like, learn. Learn how to use the material. Learn even the safety aspects.
This material is dangerous, very dangerous.
[00:12:56] Speaker B: Something I would say to that is one of the things that I've seen out in the fields, too, with a lot of younger generations, is you got a seasoned guy that's been doing this for 25 years, and he picks up this large shower door.
[00:13:06] Speaker A: There's.
[00:13:06] Speaker B: There's a lot of things that come to that. A, he's got the. The experience on how to do it. B, he's built up that muscle, if you want to call it that, because he does. He has it right. These Guys are resilient and they're tough and, and they can move things that, you know, people, normal people can't move. But there's a technique involved and the technique is the most important part. How they balance it on the shoulder or on the arms or whatever it may be. So then you'll see like somebody who's younger and newer and he's like, well, I can pick that up too, you know, and it's like, it's not a matter of pride, right? It's definitely not a matter of pride. It's a matter of skill. It's a matter of, of history. And, and this is where the people who have been doing this a long time know what they're doing. And there's nothing to prove. So if I would recommend anything is, don't come in here with anything to prove. If you can't pick it up, don't pick it up. Do a two man job, do a three man, whatever it might be.
It's not about, it only weighs 70 pounds. It's about, it's a piece of glass. And a piece of glass is not, you know, a sack of potatoes that weigh 70 pounds. No, it's a piece of glass and it's, it's a very specific handling. Oh yeah, pvc. It's not wood, it's not electrical wire. You got to handle it a very particular way.
[00:14:10] Speaker A: It's a very, it's a. As, as our friend Liam Neeson would say, I've got a particular set of skills.
[00:14:16] Speaker B: That's correct.
[00:14:17] Speaker A: And that's what these guys, this older guys have. They are, they're special at what they.
[00:14:21] Speaker B: Do and you scratch one of those power coated pieces of glass or say pieces of metal or something like you some specialty paint finish.
No, no, it's over.
[00:14:32] Speaker A: See you later.
What do you hope for kind of the next five, you know, the next five years. That would become a standard practice in the industry.
[00:14:42] Speaker B: Oh man. So I'm a huge advocate for training. Right. Obviously that's where I'm at. But I'm also on the side where I like where people have almost like a badge, a badge of honor. So I love the AGMT program. I'm not sure if you're familiar with them.
Yes, AGMT Glazer certification. You know, the guys that take that and pass it, I mean those are tried, trued and tested people. Those guys had to put in the time ahead of time and there's an investment there that goes through to kind of take this test. But once you've taken the test and you've done this. Now you're telling the entire industry that, hey, I know my skills, I can do the process, I can read the shop drawings, I can follow the steps. Um, it's. It's about, you know, not only the, the capability and the tools and so on, but it's also about that self control to make sure that they're doing meticulous and following the rules and, and, yes, you know, the guidelines and so on, and understanding the processes and the importance of every component that goes into these pieces. So for me, it's like, I, I wish that more people would get this certification and I wish that it was required more because with that, the glazers become more valuable.
They deserve more, in my personal opinion. Yeah. And because they become more valuable, they can get jobs where, you know, there's that level of trust and confidence. It's like if you get a crew that's been certified and tested and checked, you know that everything they do on this build is going to be correct.
[00:16:05] Speaker A: Gonna be good.
[00:16:05] Speaker B: Right. So I, I love anything like that. Anything that is some sort of recognition to the glazing industry and professionals where they can come in here and say, I know my stuff.
Here's my document that says I do. You know, and that's why you can trust me. Right?
[00:16:22] Speaker A: Totally. Oh, that's awesome. That's so cool. So kind of segueing into that, like, if someone was listening to this and they are interested in learn glazing and they're wanting to, like, go online and figure it out, what's one bit of advice that you would give, like a new student who's new to all these things that it would apply across the board? Like, what's one bit of advice that you would give?
[00:16:49] Speaker B: Well, for our training, I think the, the biggest flaw is trying to cruise through it too fast. Okay. There's a lot of information out there. You know, I know that there's pressure from the employers. You got to get up to speed. I need you working. I need you quoting something soon. I need you ordering something soon.
The reality is that there are so many items that you can talk about in so many different concepts and applications that breezing through our training saying, hey, I'm going to take three in a day. You know, that's great that you can read that fast. Yeah, I need you to retain it. So I would rather you take one.
And then one of the things that, you know, we can't control on our end, but we recommend our customers use is now prove it to yourself. Right so let's say that you took our introduction to Glazing101, and in that course, we break down the difference between a curtain wall and a storefront. I would invite our students to take a minute, really kind of try and understand, take a few notes down, go home, drive around the neighborhood, go down to the little downtown, take a couple photos and prove to yourself that you understand what you're seeing. Right?
[00:17:52] Speaker A: That's good.
[00:17:52] Speaker B: And I think that would be a really great way. It's. It's really taking the time to absorb things because in the long run, it's. It just benefits you. It doesn't benefit anyone else other than you. Your value isn't how much you know and how much you can help the company. And totally, if it takes you a month to go through the courses instead of a week, that means that maybe you retained it better. I don't know. It's really individual. You know, some people can retain really well, some people can't. But check back, take it again, you know, do a refresher when a certain project comes up and a big thing is, you know, don't gatekeep, you know, if there's anybody else that you can kind of share with us with, because, you know, we're fairly known now, but we were pretty into the industry just a couple years ago. But there's still a lot of people out there that don't know about us. There's tens of thousands of lasers and then so many companies that I think that, you know, the more we all grow and the more we all do, the bigger the buildings are going to get, the bigger our capabilities are going to get, and the more we all benefit. Right? More totally means more glaciers. Building means more everything.
[00:18:48] Speaker A: So that's awesome. No, that's helpful. Yeah. We.
My boss, the CEO of Omni Cubed, awesome, man. He has a saying where fast is slow and slow is fast.
And if you take your time and you learn methodically, it actually turns out being faster in the long run. Whereas if you try to take on way too much, it's actually slower. And that has stuck with me now for over nine years. I'm with Omni Cubed. And I always remember him saying that going, that's kind of. What. What does that mean? But now you go, what words of wisdom. It was so good. So, yeah, slow it down, learn it, chew it up, meditate on it, and then go and put it into practice. So, yeah. Awesome. So, Alex, you're an inspiration on LinkedIn. You are one of the ones that when Their feet. No, no, no. I mean this. When one of the, like, one of your things pops up, like one of your content that you've just created, it either makes you laugh, which nine times out of 10 it does, or that one time it makes you cry. Sadly for the people who have made a little bit of a boo boo, some of those. I don't know where you get all your stuff, but some of it is absolutely hilarious.
Your stuff is fun. It's totally engaging.
But what's been the goal behind the way that you approach your brand voice online?
[00:20:20] Speaker B: So that's actually a really funny question. So when I first joined Learn Glazing, I joined right in the middle of the pandemic. These guys took a shot at me, and the way that they brought me on board was I knew Marcus for a long time, and Marcus just liked my personality. Right. He just liked how I was.
I was working for a fabricator at the time, and in the fabricator side of it, you know, I was learning about glass and doing lamination stuff. And I do have a passion for it, but for me, it's actually not. I guess it's hard for me to see that there's a strategy at all because I'm really just being myself. Right. I'm talking about the things that I like to talk about. I like to talk. I put photos that I think are hilarious.
[00:20:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:20:54] Speaker B: I now sometimes get the luxury of having people send me some content, which is great. Like, they'll say, like, hey, check out this funny bathroom or that funny staircase or whatever it may be. But for the most part, I have to tell you that I probably spend more than I should time on my personal time, just cruising through Google, cruising through whatever applications are out there, just looking for photos or finding things that I like or being tagged in things.
It's.
I think what you're seeing is just me enjoying something and just generally wanting to share it, because that's what I do. I don't come up with like, oh, I think this photo will get this much traction. I think that's much traction more than anything. I just.
[00:21:35] Speaker A: Whatever is out there that I like. So that's so awesome. And I can attest that's who he is. He's a bit of a comedian. We've met a couple of times at trade shows, and it's always a hit. It's a laugh. And anybody in the industry who knows him will. Will attest to that. He likes a good laugh, that's for sure. And it comes across.
So, yeah, being yourself, it's just. It's the best way to be because then it's always there. It's not a facade. You don't have to work overtime to keep it up. It's just, this is who I am. Totally.
[00:22:06] Speaker B: So is there people really seem to be drawn to whenever. Anybody. Because I'm not going to say myself here, but anybody out there that's. That's passionate about in our industry. Right. There's so many great examples out there.
[00:22:15] Speaker A: Totally.
[00:22:16] Speaker B: Like Andrew and Kayla and other individuals that are just so passionate about the industry that they're just magnetic. Right.
[00:22:21] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:22] Speaker B: I think I've been fortunate enough that I get, you know, some of their residual following.
Great.
[00:22:28] Speaker A: But that's good.
[00:22:29] Speaker B: Been awesome.
[00:22:30] Speaker A: That's so cool.
Obviously, I'm Irish, and I like myths and legends, but is there one. Is there one myth that.
Or some outdated belief about the glass installation that you wish you could kind of go back in time, erase it out, or even from this moment, snap your fingers, and it would be gone?
[00:22:52] Speaker B: Oh, man. I would say that my biggest.
If I could change anything, it's the myth that just because you've been doing something for a certain amount of time, you know the best way to do that.
[00:23:03] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:23:04] Speaker B: Right. I think that one of the struggles that I dealt with in everything was anytime I joined a company, like, this is the way we've always done it. This is how it's done, you know?
[00:23:13] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:23:13] Speaker B: It's that kind of closed mentality that there could be an additional process or way to do it the right way. So for me, I become instantly, I guess, resistant to that. Like, this is how we've always done it kind of mentality. I immediately want to combat that. I want to fight it, and I want to prove you wrong.
It feels almost like. Like, I don't know, it's like a challenge for battle to me or something.
[00:23:38] Speaker A: There you go.
[00:23:39] Speaker B: I'll give you an example. I was working on some. Some process and lamination a few years back. You know, I noticed early on that there was some.
We call it puckering, like this flaw that would happen around circles or cutouts and so on. And. And I, you know, I couldn't in invest my own best conscious accept that that was correct. You know, I'm thinking, okay, this person's paying thousands of dollars. We're gonna send this. And it's got these weird little kind of like finger wrinkles that are happening on the ends. And then you say, well, yeah, that's the way it's always been, and that's how We've always done it, and I just totally immediately did not like it. And I actually got into a little bit of trouble because I stopped production. I was new to the company. I've been there for just a few months. Here I am, fresh out of, like, an industry that's related, but not at all in here telling the guys, this. This is not okay. These were veterans. We had, you know, wow, a couple decades on each one of these guys doing it.
And I just. I didn't accept it as a fact because they told me that's the way it's always been. So we actually ended up figuring out a different process, and there was a little bit kind of bumping heads going on back and forth, but we improved the product at the end of the day. So for me, it's the myth that just because you've been doing it for a certain amount of time, it means, you know the best way to do it. Listen, I. I think experience is absolutely incredible. I don't take that away from any. Any installers out there, and there is secret sauce and juice and knowledge and power there. But I think that the. You should always be open to the ever evolving changes that are happening in our industry. Right. Technology changes. New machines come out, new processes come out. The. Even the products themselves change. You know, the lamination materials from 10 years ago are not the same ones from today. It's the same company selling them to you, but they're constantly doing research, they're constantly evolving and making new products and machines and, you know, tools.
Nothing is what it was 10 years ago. It's definitely not what it was 20 years ago.
[00:25:28] Speaker A: No.
[00:25:29] Speaker B: Your experience with that new technology, that's valuable. Trying to hang on to being how we did it 20 years ago, that holds us back.
[00:25:38] Speaker A: Totally. Yeah.
It's a constant, evolving world that we live in. And now with AI and all this other technology that's coming along just recently here with us, we.
We bought a robot. We called it Stella, and it now works our lathe, and we can run parts all through the night, and it'll work away. It'll do things. And we had to, because obviously, price and cost and labor costs, they continue to go up.
Well, we don't want to keep adding price onto our MSRP for everyone else. So how do we fix it? And so that was one way. And then just like you guys, even with your trainings, we listen to end users and, like, how do we fix things? How do we make it better? Constantly making tweaks. So you have to be evolving or you will just fossilize and become a dinosaur. And that's not. It's not a good way to be. So, yeah, constant learning.
[00:26:35] Speaker B: Yeah. We're hoping not to become those training videos that they show you, like, in TV, like on VHS from 300 years ago.
[00:26:44] Speaker A: Oh, man. Yeah, we have.
[00:26:47] Speaker B: But right now we're trying to keep them not outdated, and I can always get one right. So as I learned, we've got.
[00:26:52] Speaker A: We have a couple here that we have for.
I think it's slips, trips and falls, and it must be from, like, the early 90s. And there's a guy on it, and I would actually love to meet him because he's in all of them and he is, like, the worst actor I have ever seen, but yet he's in all of these. And you're going, how did they. How did he get through the audition for this? But clearly it was like, oh, man. So, yeah, you got to keep updating.
[00:27:18] Speaker B: For sure, at something so that they can sell you the product. Right?
[00:27:22] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, man. Too funny. Well, let's talk a little bit about you personally.
You obviously have become the face of Learn Glazing. You're all over YouTube, you're all over LinkedIn, you're all over the social media stuff.
[00:27:37] Speaker B: How did that.
[00:27:37] Speaker A: How did. Yeah, how did that come about?
And what's the response been, like, from the installer community, like at a trade show or at an event that you would go to?
[00:27:48] Speaker B: I'll tell you how it started. So when I first started talking to Marcus and Chris about joining Learn Glazing, the reality is that they wanted somebody that was willing to be on camera. That was the requirement. Right. And they needed video editing and stuff like that. And I didn't know how to do any of that, by the way. And by the way, my entire career, I had spent kind of living inside a little closet, you know, in my own.
[00:28:10] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:28:10] Speaker B: I was the guy on the back end that would get the stuff done, but you never got to meet.
[00:28:15] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:28:15] Speaker B: At some point in my last company, they let me start to talk to architects and kind of help a little with the designs, and I really enjoyed that. Right. So that was a little like a little bit of a nice rise. It felt good. A little bit that ego boost, you know. It felt good.
Yeah. When. When Marcus said, like, hey, are you willing to be in front of a camera and record some videos? I was. I'll be honest, I was nervous. I'm not. I. I come off as not nervous, but I am pretty shy.
So when you guys see the Amount of shots that I do with bloopers versus what you actually see the videos. Yeah, the footage is crazy, but I'll.
Yeah, it's. It's been great. So I was willing to be on camera. I needed that change. Right. I needed that move. I needed that change. It was a great opportunity for me. It was going to be, you know, more work from home. It was gonna be fantastic in a lot of different ways for me. And I. I come from a teaching background a little bit, too. I was teaching at a local college for almost 10 years.
[00:29:08] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:29:10] Speaker B: Design, illustration, stuff like that. So it kind of felt like an easy transition from, like, I already know the subject matter and I'm going to teach to a new audience. So that was pretty easy. I had to just do the video part of it. And the response has been fantastic. Right. So I'm on LinkedIn just being myself. There's no rules. There's no coaching. I just do whatever I want. Sometimes I get a little, like, hey, you should have asked. I was a little on the side of the fence, you know, maybe. Oh, sometimes I'll post some. Some bathroom images that are, you know, maybe a little. Little much. I don't know.
[00:29:40] Speaker A: Yeah, totally.
[00:29:40] Speaker B: The response is always the best. Right. People love that. So I think. I think that's what they like. They like the true nature of it. And YouTube has been fantastic to me. Good. Obviously, you know, for what it is in terms of, like, being the subject matter, which is glazing.
We're one of the top channels, which is pretty fantastic. You know, we're doing fantastic there. We get a lot of views, we get a lot of feedback, get questions, Engagement through social media. My social media is fantastic. I. I mean, I hit some pretty good numbers once a year. I think I'm hitting, like, somewhere between 1.5 to 1.7 million engagements a year, which is absolutely phenomenal. Right. Because I never expected any of that. And then at shows, I think one of the. The funniest things is that I'll just be walking the show because I'm there visiting. I'm there to check stuff out. And I get stopped.
[00:30:27] Speaker A: Oh, yeah.
[00:30:28] Speaker B: Frequently.
And I love when it happens in front of my boss because it, like, solidifies the. Why you hired me.
[00:30:33] Speaker A: This is why. Totally. Yeah.
[00:30:35] Speaker B: So I'll be at a show somewhere, and somebody just comes up and like, hey, you're that YouTube guy. And they'll just, you know. Yeah, just want to talk to me a little bit about it. They'll. Sometimes they'll have feedback, which is Absolutely fantastic. Right? Like, hey, wrong. Or like, you said this thing. And I can change that. I can correct videos, or sometimes they just like it. You know, I think the one that really struck me the hardest was the first. I was in New York two years ago for a show. It was a show, and I'm sitting there, and a guy came up to me. His English was a little broken. It wasn't the best. But he came up and he said that he saw some of our videos online on YouTube, and he was working for a company, and he just decided with our videos that it inspired him to try and do it on his own. And he started his own company. And he was showing me pictures of his very first storefront that he installed on his own that he took.
He quoted. He took the job. He did the whole thing. You know, he was. He was inspired by the fact that, you know, there are people out there trying to.
I guess, in his words, we were trying to help. Right. So. Yep, he really appreciated that. And he said, like, you know what? I could do this. And that was. That was a good heartfelt moment. You know, we're all kind of choked up on it, so.
[00:31:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:31:41] Speaker B: And it's. It's been like that a few times. Right. I think on just walking through the shows and being recognized, it's both weird and also.
[00:31:47] Speaker A: Yeah, it is weird.
[00:31:48] Speaker B: You know, pat in the back. It feels good, right? So, yeah.
[00:31:52] Speaker A: I remember going to a trade show in Italy, and we had just released some YouTube videos on, like, how our products work.
[00:31:58] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:31:59] Speaker A: And this Italian man comes running up, and he's like, merv. Merv. And I'm thinking, I don't know who the heck you are. What are you doing? And then it's. He's Italian, so he wants to do the whole kissing on the cheek thing. And I'm like, whoa, dude, what's going on here? Not on my watch.
And I was like, what is happening? He's like, you're on YouTube. And I was like, oh, that's how you know me. Okay, cool.
[00:32:20] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:32:23] Speaker A: It'S kind of weird, but in another way, it's kind of cool because it actually puts some wind in your seal that people are watching these things. They are benefiting from it. And it kind of keeps you going. On a Monday morning when you're going, oh, you can be like, hey, this is helping others. So let's do this. Let's keep going.
[00:32:42] Speaker B: That's awesome. That is exactly what it is, right? It's that. It's that second win, that third win, that Fifth win. It's that little boost that you needed. Yep. You know, it's every comment helps, every like helps, everything gives you a little bit of motivation and. And running into people at shows is by far the strongest because, yeah, you know, in some weird way, you kind of feel like you've helped someone and, you know, you put out a video and yeah, there's a counter and there's a meter and how many people watch it. There's analytics and all this other stuff that's happening, but you don't really know, right? No, it's. When you get a real person, it really kind of matters.
[00:33:19] Speaker A: It's great.
[00:33:20] Speaker B: It feels great.
[00:33:21] Speaker A: Absolutely Good stuff. So, kind of last question, in your opinion, what would be one sort of overlooked part of the install process? That if someone was perhaps wanting to look at a training video or learn more, what could be improved to help the final result and the installer stay safe?
[00:33:43] Speaker B: Well, staying safe is definitely all in how you handle the glass. And I think that the experience comes with that. Products, like your guys come with that. The products are fantastic. And it's important to have the right tools. I think that as a glazing contractor, investing in your employee base is the best way to retain them, the best way to prove to them that you care about their safety, and also the best way to be productive.
[00:34:07] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:34:08] Speaker B: But I guess for me, the most important thing, and I'm kind of going to piggyback here on some of the, like the AGMT testing and other companies that kind of are champions for this a lot. I believe very strongly in following instructions. Right. So like, you were talking about grabbing that IKEA catalog and throwing it away. The manufacturer's suggestions.
They're not suggestions. They're definitely not suggestions. And I've seen a lot of. A lot of pieces or a lot of installs go sideways because somebody didn't read one or two words or 10 words or three pages. Right. So, you know, why is it leaking? Well, did you put the little water diverters on? Like, what's that kind of. That's an important part. A little rubber square is the reason this functions, right?
[00:34:52] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:34:52] Speaker B: So there is no part too small. There is no piece too small. There is nothing in there that's extra. Everything is designed for a reason. It all comes together as a whole. So thinking that you can just micro adjust or move something or ignore something on the fly or, you know, oh, I forgot to put that in. It will be fine, is definitely not longevity to our products. You know, there's millions of dollars worth of engineering and testing and development that goes behind every single company that creates their product lines. Every single one of them is out there trusting in the fact that we're going to listen to what they're telling us to do. And these are some smart people, right? These components are. They're like beautiful Legos. They snap together, they click together. And if you do it right, you just click, click, click, click, click, click, click, put it up. You know, a few hours later, you got this whole front up, and it's shocking to see how well and how fast you can go through, but the thought process and the man, the. The genius that goes behind these guys, developing, designing these things, huge. It's so important that there's no shortcuts. There's just no shortcuts in our industry. There's no shortcuts to your clothes. There's no shortcuts to how you transfer the piece of glass. There's no shortcuts to how you pick it up. There's no shortcuts to how you put it in. There's no shortcuts to the tools you use. Do me a favor, go buy quality tools, right? That, yeah, that screwdriver that you got half off on sale, just because it's the brand of the store. Like, I go buy the trusted stuff, go buy the good stuff. And. And for me, you're like, your products specifically, those are designed for safety. And I think that that's. That's where having the right tools and following the process is the only way to get, you know, you want this thing to be there for 20 years, and you don't want to come back and do it three times.
All you got to do is one time and like you said, slow and fast. And fast. Slow, Right. So if you do it the first time and you do it the right way and you put every screw and you wait for the sealant to kick and then grab. And, you know, it might be a couple extra hours today, but you're not back tomorrow, so.
[00:36:57] Speaker A: Exactly. You're not wasting the day somewhere else. Well, Alex, this has been awesome. Very informative, very fun. I've enjoyed it. So, kind of last sort of little thing I want to say is if anyone wants to sharpen their skills, they maybe weren't listening at the beginning of the podcast. When we give the website, kind of give it all, pitch it, give it to them, give them both barrels, and just kind of entice those people to sign up.
[00:37:24] Speaker B: Yeah, I would appreciate that. Yeah.
[00:37:27] Speaker A: So it's. What's. What's your Website. How would they do that?
[00:37:31] Speaker B: So it's learnglazing.com it's all one word and it's really simple. Right when you land on the page on the top right corner there's a little sign up sheet and, and all it takes you to is, you know, it's going to ask you for your name, it's going to ask you for your position or title that helps us recommend, you know, different courses to you or so on. It's going to ask potentially for I think your company as well, just so that we can know what part of the industry you're in, whether you're an architect or engineer. And then it just needs an email so that you can create the account and then moving forward from there, it's all easy peasy and you just kind of show up whenever you want. It's on demand training. So hopefully you're taking all of them or you're taking some of them and you know, you're asking questions. We're happy to help and coach people through. If you ever need a walk through, we can show you the back end of the website and what the courses look like.
So it's, it's constantly in development, it's constantly growing. There's, you know, thousands of slides and photos and there's hundreds of videos at this point. Like there's a lot of stuff going on in there and it's all designed so that people can take something home from fun facts to, you know, how to do something or what you should be wearing. Right. So yeah, all of us, it's all out there and it's, it's available to you guys. Thanks to a lot of our amazing sponsors that have kind of helped us kind of keep this open and made it free. So yeah, yeah.
[00:38:47] Speaker A: Awesome. Well, thank you very much, sir.
[00:38:49] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:38:50] Speaker A: That's a wrap on this episode of the Cutting Edge Installs. If you've enjoyed it, be sure to follow. Subscribe. You can leave a quick review, give us even questions that you might want to ask some of these professionals and seasoned pros, so to speak. Speak. For more information about us, the tools that we design that help fabricators and installers and everyone in between, check out omnicube. Com and until the next time I see you, I've been Merv Campbell and I say cheerio. Take care.
[00:39:17] Speaker B: By.
