Episode Transcript
[00:00:02] Speaker A: Well, good day, everyone, and welcome to the Cutting Edge Install Podcast brought to you by Omni Cubed, where innovation meets installation. And today, as I've always said before, there could literally be anything in between. Who knows? But who am I? I'm your host, Merv Campbell, and it's an absolute pleasure to have you with us. Yes, the accent is Irish. If you need subtitles, you can click the little button at the bottom and you can understand what I'm saying.
Our guest today, I think everyone will understand, but sometimes I say words and people go, what is he getting at? But anyways, what's this podcast all about? Well, it's about celebrating the pros. It's about selling installers, experts, and game changers. And today we have a game changer. If you're on LinkedIn, if you're on any platforms, you'll know this man.
You'll recognize his face right away, his name, his company, everything. But before we get too far, we're going to dive into stories, we're going to share insights, and we're going to have fun. And as I said before, the Irish know how to have fun.
So whether you're on the job, whether you're on the road, or you're just looking to stay sharp, you have come to the right place. So let's get cracking.
And I think I lost Sean.
[00:01:20] Speaker B: Power surge. Sorry.
[00:01:24] Speaker A: Hey, I'm going to keep it in there. And people will be like, wow, what's happening? Who is this mysterious guest?
[00:01:30] Speaker B: It's Mississippi for you. It's hot down here. So we always have these little flickers of power going off.
[00:01:36] Speaker A: Not a. Not a problem. Absolutely not a problem. Well, I've given my intro. I've said all I needed to say. And Sean was like, yeah, peace out. I'm out of here. I don't need to talk to this bozo. But let's get cracking.
Obviously, Sean is our guest today from Dixie Glass, but I wanted to talk a little bit in the beginning about kind of take us back to the beginning. How did you get started in this industry?
What drew you into it and kind of give us that sort of foundation of where we're at.
[00:02:11] Speaker B: Absolutely. Well, I'm third generation. My grandfather owned a glass company in Tupelo, Mississippi.
My dad grew up in it, and of course, I grew up in it as well. So I've been doing it since basically I was a child. I grew up around. Grew up around the glass shop and did all the things that a normal kid does, you know, cuts glass and builds glass boxes. And everything else, you know, so that's, that's basically what, you know, how I got started into it. You know, my grandfather opened up his glass company, I think in 1980, 62, and he passed away in, I think, 2009. And anyway, but he had a glass company for many years, a very successful glass company in Tupelo. And that's where the, it kind of got in our DNA, I guess, you know, so I've been involved in it ever since I was a child. So it's been a journey.
[00:03:06] Speaker A: It's been a journey, yep. That's so cool. Some of those, some of those early days, you're learning, you're on the job.
What were some of the challenges that you faced back then and even now, some of the challenges that you face with Dixie Glass? And how are you, like, what would you say, falling back on those olden days to kind of like give you the help even for today?
[00:03:34] Speaker B: Yeah, I guess a lot of the challenges are just a lack of, you know, I've always said in the glazing industry that glass is kind of looked through. It's not appreciated.
[00:03:46] Speaker A: No.
[00:03:47] Speaker B: So there's always a lack of training, you know, formal training, I guess, unless you're part of a union, of course, or something like that. But, you know, most of your, there's no vocational training, there's no, you know, college courses you can take or anything like that.
And we've, we, you know, back when I was younger, there was no train courses. Now, of course, you know, we've got, you know, a lot of the myglassclass, you know, dot com and things like that, you know, learn from. But back when I was growing up in the business, it was hands on training. That's all it was.
And there was just a, a lot of, I guess, learning curves, you know, school of hard knocks, if you will. Yeah, basically how the, I guess the biggest challenge, growing up into it when I was younger, that was, that was, that was the hard part. You know, it's just trying to figure out how to do things. And my father wasn't necessarily a patient person, so he didn't really. There wasn't a lot of, you know, training on site with him.
So he put me under Red Eye, Nebnet for about 15 years. He was a Glazer, I guess, since the 40s. And I trained under him a lot with fabrication, you know, storefront curtain wall, things like that. So we, I trained a lot under him, you know, with those, you know, with different applications, you know, things like that. Learn how to Cut glass, you know, and I'm kind of. I grew up in the old school, you know, we. We cut glass by hand, you know, we posted, you know. Yeah, it was, it's always, you know, it was a lot of hands on training, you know, basically. But you know, through the years.
My dad passed away in 2009 and he.
It was sudden, it was suicide.
So there was no, there was no rite of passage, I guess, you know, we had to basically split the shares amongst the family.
We gave them to my mom and then we bought the business from my mom and. And you know, being young and thrown into the fire like that, that was a little shaky, you know.
[00:06:05] Speaker A: And he's back.
[00:06:06] Speaker B: Just situated one way or the other, don't you worry.
[00:06:10] Speaker A: I. I actually got a couple of company emails done there, so we're all good. You know, it all works out, you know, right.
[00:06:18] Speaker B: My phone's blowing up right now, so.
[00:06:20] Speaker A: Yeah, there you go.
[00:06:21] Speaker B: Totally.
[00:06:21] Speaker A: You're like. Yep. Pause. Merv, clear off. I need to take some. I take some calls here.
Not a problem at all. Not a problem at all. We'll just got to keep going because that's what. Oh, we've lost him again.
Oh, oh.
[00:06:34] Speaker B: We're going back to old school. We're good.
[00:06:39] Speaker A: Okay, let's try this, man. Does that happen you guys enough? A lot.
[00:06:43] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, it happened randomly.
[00:06:45] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:06:46] Speaker B: Especially Pascagoula. Pascal's pretty bad about it. Yeah, just power flickers, you know, off and on and everything else.
But It's. It's about 110 degrees down here right now, so.
[00:06:56] Speaker A: Oh my word. Wow. Okay, well, you have. As an Irishman, you have all my sympathy. I would be a burnt crisp by this time.
[00:07:05] Speaker B: And it's 100 humidity, so it's pretty miserable.
[00:07:08] Speaker A: Okay, that's even worse.
[00:07:09] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.
[00:07:11] Speaker A: Hopefully the old deodorant's working well because that's not fun, man. 100 degrees.
[00:07:15] Speaker B: Oh, wow.
[00:07:16] Speaker A: That's crazy.
[00:07:18] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, it stays pretty hot out here.
[00:07:20] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:07:21] Speaker B: We got about two more months of it, so.
[00:07:23] Speaker A: Man.
Well, you've all my sympathy. At least we've got over here in the west coast. It's just. It's dry. It's warm, but it's dry. But then we deal with fires and all that stuff, so that's no fun either. But yeah. Anyways. Okay, let's keep cracking. So. Right. Looking back, what would you say has been sort of the most defining moment in your career or life? It's that shaped who Sean as today,
[00:07:48] Speaker B: the defining moment would probably be my dad's. My dad's suicide. Honestly, that was probably the.
I was 35 years old when my dad committed suicide, and I've actually found him in the facility, and that was, you know, that's a. Kind of a hard pill to swallow. But, yeah, that was. That was probably the most challenging thing, you know, defining moment, you know, I think it's. You know, when you lose somebody like that, you know, it's kind of a.
It's kind of a precipice, you know.
[00:08:20] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:20] Speaker B: You're at the point where, okay, you know, you're. You're. You've got to step up, you've got to take care of things because your dad's gone.
[00:08:26] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:08:27] Speaker B: And, you know, my mom was long, you know, so that was. That was probably the most defining moment, you know, and I was. I was kind of running things as it was, but, you know, it was always.
My dad was always there behind the scenes if I needed him, you know, so.
And then, of course, losing him, you know, you just kind of have to, you know, man up, you know, jump on the horse and, you know, get your bootstraps on and, you know, handle things and that, you know, that was probably the hardest part, you know, because I just. I wasn't. There was no formal training, you know, there was no.
I think we had. At the time, we had five or six employees. And I had no clue how to manage effectively. Had no clue how to communicate. Communicate effectively.
I thought, you know, just hollering and screaming, you know, was going to get my point across, you know, and that's just not how to do things, you know. But, yeah, that was probably the most, I guess, defining moment of my life, you know. Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 and totally wiped us out.
[00:09:26] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:09:27] Speaker B: Took my dad's house.
We had 2 foot of water in our house.
The shop. The shop had six foot of water in it. So we just basically had to start over.
And I think my dad just kind of went downhill from there, you know, depression, you know, and other things like that, you know, and he just. It just never fully recovered, you know.
[00:09:45] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:09:46] Speaker B: And. And of course, you know, once, you know, we got our, you know, the shot back open, got her feet on the ground, things just blew up, you know, because after Katrina, everybody needed glass. For us, it just. It took off from there, you know.
But, yeah, that's probably the biggest defining moment, you know, of my career, you know, that kind of put me on the trajectory, you know, of. Of taking things over and, you know, you know, I Guess trying to become the leader that I needed to be. You know, Right now we're at 34 employees, three locations.
[00:10:20] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:10:20] Speaker B: And a lot of growth over the years, for sure.
[00:10:23] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:10:25] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:10:25] Speaker A: Y.
Yeah, It's. That's.
It's hard to know what to say to that. Sometimes you're best.
There's not a lot you can say.
[00:10:36] Speaker B: No, absolutely not.
[00:10:38] Speaker A: As a man of faith, I would tell people that, you know, if you're struggling with things like talk to someone, even if someone's on here and like 2026, I think we kind of talked off air. But 2026 has been a hard year.
25 was difficult. 24 has been hard. And that takes a toll on those who are on leadership, those who are kind of at the top. But it's also all employees.
Everyone's kind of living paycheck to paycheck.
Gas is ridiculously expensive. Groceries are expensive.
It's hard. That can weigh on you.
And as men, we tend to typically bottle all these things up and not say anything until it's like, you know, either blew up or things happen. But it's good to have. It's good to have a confidant. It's good to have a friend, a close friend. You can talk to these things about someone you trust.
So if, like, you know, if someone's out there and they've. They're. They're dealing with stuff like, go talk to someone. Like, you're. You're available. I'm available, even if I may not know you. But sometimes it's. It's. It's good to talk to the stranger rather than maybe somebody that knows you, because there's just. It's kind of a level playing field. But.
[00:11:57] Speaker B: And that's when.
[00:11:58] Speaker A: That's.
[00:11:59] Speaker B: That's the hard part, knows, is most people that do commit suicide, they don't even talk about it. You know, it's just. It becomes tragic, you know, and you have no clue what they're going through. Had no idea, you know, and it was just kind of a. You know, it was a weird thing because it was easter Sunday of 2009, and I was at my wife's family's house with my mom eating dinner. You know, I just had that gut feeling something was wrong.
[00:12:27] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:12:27] Speaker B: I kept trying to call him, catch on, call him, you know, and just no answering. I told mom and my wife, you know, I said, I'm gonna go check on dad. You know. Yeah, I checked on.
And, you know, so.
[00:12:39] Speaker A: But.
[00:12:39] Speaker B: But anyway. But that's, you know, you know, I've moved past it, you know, and I've healed from it, you know, it's.
[00:12:45] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:12:45] Speaker B: And so, you know, that's where we're at, you know.
[00:12:47] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:12:48] Speaker B: And I've taken the bull by the horns and kind of, you know, change things and, you know, learn through the years and gotten. I think I've gotten better at it. I can always, you know, I can always get better.
[00:13:00] Speaker A: Totally.
[00:13:01] Speaker B: You can. I don't think you can ever master, you know, leadership or management or anything like that, you know, It's a constant learning process, you know.
[00:13:08] Speaker A: It is, yeah. Every day, Every day is a school day is what we're always reminded. It's, you got to learn, you got to grow, you got to sometimes get your knuckles wrapped because you make mistakes. But as long as you're, as long as you're on that right trajectory, then, you know, you're going, you're going the right way. So. But kind of, kind of going back to like learning and everything being a school day, things you've learned over the years, whether that be in business or even your own personal life, that we always look back and go, man, if I only had a. Knew that 20 years ago, things would have been a lot easier, better. But is there anything you can kind of pinpoint thinking upon that that would have helped back then that you've gleaned from even now?
[00:13:53] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, my spiritual walk with God Christ.
It took a long time for me to get back in the process of things and staying in the Word and studying every morning. And that's probably the biggest thing that, you know, if I had to look back on everything to see, you know, if I could have done this over again, you know, it would have been that, you know, it would have been, you know, my spiritual journey. You know, it's definitely.
My wife is a worship pastor, so she's always, you know, you know, been in a spiritual walk, you know, like that. So she's, she's always been kind of the firm foundation that I can lean on, you know.
[00:14:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:14:33] Speaker B: But how awesome would it have been to been, you know, the man of God, I needed to be for her back then, you know, that's what I, you know, look back on, you know. Now those are types of things that I look at. So.
[00:14:47] Speaker A: Yeah, being in the Word and being in prayer first thing in the morning are what sets the foundation for the rest of the day. And when it doesn't happen, what tends to be is by about 9 o' clock in the morning for me, you're like, what's Wrong with me? Like, what. What's wrong? Like, why am I. Why am I arguing with everyone? Why is every. Why is everything an issue? And why is. Why is my wife, like, getting my. My goat up here and making me like. And you're like, yep, pinpoint. It didn't get that time in the Word in the morning, so. Yeah, no, it's. That's. That's a good thing.
[00:15:20] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah, it definitely is. It's set you on the right path. You know, it gets your morning started off right.
[00:15:25] Speaker A: You know, it does. It does.
[00:15:26] Speaker B: Like, you. You. You. You learn from the wisdom, you know, in the Word. You know, you stay in the Word every day and you learn. And, yeah, you grow kind of. You know, you think you.
You think you can change people. You know, like, you're like employees, you know, and things like that. You think you can change them if you're just, you know, nice enough to them and you do all this. All these things for them, you know?
[00:15:46] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:15:47] Speaker B: And you just learn that, you know, you can't change people. You know, the only person that can change anyone is. Is Christ. And having a relationship, that's what I.
[00:15:57] Speaker A: And we're called to be salt and light wherever we're pleased. So it's like, you know, sometimes it's not even our words, it's just our actions, even our attitude. Like, Monday morning for most companies is like, back to work. Whereas for the believer, it's like, hey, I do all things onto him, so let's do it with joy and let's. You know, you might not have a real skip in your step, but you can at least put a smile on your face more than most people.
So.
[00:16:25] Speaker B: But I'm the same way Monday morning, you know, it's. I look at, you know, Sunday nights, you know, when we're kind of winding down and, you know, get the house ready for the week, you know.
[00:16:36] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:16:36] Speaker B: I look at Monday mornings as opportunity. Yeah. It's like, you know, if. If the Lord wakes me up on Monday morning, there's new opportunity and new possibilities for growth, new possibilities for learning, new possibilities for development. And, you know, I just. I've always looked at it that way.
[00:16:51] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. That's awesome.
So from a.
From a business standpoint, then, or in a trade in the glass trade, if you could sit down with your younger self and kind of look across the table, kind of like we are now, what advice would you give?
[00:17:10] Speaker B: What advice would I give? Communication skills. Communication skills are probably the number one thing that people lack the most, is effectively communicating with Others, getting your point across.
Making sure that, you know, that you're communicating your point effectively.
Not to offend others, you know, necessarily, but to just to get them to understand, you know, where you're coming from. Because for many, many years, gosh, probably 10 years, I would say after my father passed away, communication was never my key point, you know? Yeah. You know, I always wanted to yell and scream and, you know, hit things. You know, that's what I wanted to do. You know, if I could just punch things, you know, everything be fine, you know, just not, you know, just that's. And looking back on it, I've lost a whole lot of good, talented people because of my attitude and my. The way that I treated those people and the way I acted. And that's, you know, if. If, you know, any advice to give to anybody, you know, starting off in business, glass business or whatever, learn how to communicate. Read those books, you know, you know, educate yourself and really learn how to get your point across where it's receptive to the other person and not offensive to the other person.
[00:18:32] Speaker A: Yeah, totally.
[00:18:34] Speaker B: That's a. That's a huge thing for me.
[00:18:36] Speaker A: Yeah, that's awesome. You kind of mentioned their books and education.
You know, what kind of. We're obviously reading the Word, but is there anything else that you're reading that you would recommend? Even whether it be a book, whether it be a podcast, even something you've heard that you would. Even maybe someone listening to this could benefit from?
[00:18:55] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, atomic habits. You know, I, you know, read that book several times. You know, there's a. There's a couple of more books out there that.
That I've read over the years.
Have to get my. Have to get my list out.
I got several of them that, That I have, actually, so. But yeah, I mean, I could, you know, there's. There's several books out there, you know, but it's all about, you know, it doesn't really matter.
[00:19:26] Speaker A: Oh, man.
[00:19:28] Speaker B: Technology at its best, right?
[00:19:29] Speaker A: You gotta love it. You've gotta absolutely love it. It's wonderful, isn't it?
[00:19:34] Speaker B: I hate it.
[00:19:36] Speaker A: Yep. You're like, come on, man, just give me the good old stuff. Pen and peeper. Oh, man.
Anyways, it's. It's fun. It's all good. It's all good. Anyways, you're gonna have a fun time editing.
[00:19:48] Speaker B: You're gonna have a fun time editing this after the.
[00:19:50] Speaker A: Well, I. This is probably the most challenging one. So. Yeah, let's see how we get on with this one.
[00:19:55] Speaker B: But it would be Me would be me.
[00:19:57] Speaker A: It's okay, you know, we'll take it. We'll take it. Maybe we'll do just a picture of your face and then just do audio and they just, like, slice on the odd picture just to, like, make it fancy. But it's all good.
[00:20:08] Speaker B: It's all good.
[00:20:10] Speaker A: Oh, it's all fine. Anyways, glazing industry, you are, in my opinion, one of the pinnacle, the spear people. The, like, sort of one that everyone kind of looks up to.
Are you still there?
[00:20:28] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm here.
[00:20:29] Speaker A: Okay, good.
[00:20:30] Speaker B: I'm processing that one.
[00:20:32] Speaker A: Oh, no, come on. You've won a dude. Every time I see you on LinkedIn, it's like, with another award and I'm like, what in the world?
[00:20:40] Speaker B: I told my wife the other day, I told my wife the other day that if there was money behind all the awards, I know I'd be one rich man. Let's put it that way.
[00:20:48] Speaker A: Like, yep, I'm retired. I'm out of here.
[00:20:50] Speaker B: Totally.
[00:20:51] Speaker A: I was like, man, I wonder. I wonder what his trophy room looks like. That's pretty. That's got to be impressive. That's got to be legit. But there's a few of them. Oh, yeah, I think so.
So you're. You're popular. People really like you, they listen to you, they engage with you online, which is huge. Like, that's really awesome.
But in your opinion, where do you see the kind of glazing industry in the, like, next, you know, five to 10 years
[00:21:21] Speaker B: glazing industry, next. Five, 10 years is going to change drastically due to AI.
[00:21:27] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:21:28] Speaker B: The, you know, draftsman trade skills, you know, things like that. Y. I think there's going to be a very, very challenging area for the glazing industry itself.
Our new software actually has AI built into it where it actually, you can upload the floor plans into the software and it does the takeoff for you.
[00:21:50] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:21:50] Speaker B: So you can, you know, so. And this is just a. They're just launching the software. So you can imagine where this is going to be in five to ten years.
[00:21:58] Speaker A: Yeah, totally.
[00:21:59] Speaker B: Then you've got. Then you've got other, you know, other trades, you know, like, you know, like I said, draftsmen, you know, all that kind of stuff. You know, our trade, I think, is going to speed up. You know, the rapid pace of change is going to be very, very difficult to keep up with. I think, you know, getting involved with AI and not being scared of it is going to be super important. Yeah. For any, you know, owners, business owners, Glazers, you Know, things like that. I think the more that you get familiar with AI, the better. Claude Chat GPT, things like that, you know, you're going to, it's going to really affect the industry drastically. Yeah, drastically. In that 10 years, it's gonna, it's gonna speed things up.
[00:22:43] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:22:43] Speaker B: More we can possibly imagine.
[00:22:45] Speaker A: Yeah, that's, yeah, we, we see it even in manufacturing as well.
You know, obviously we're making the carts and dollies and tools to help installers and glazers, not necessarily the glass itself. So we're coming at it from sort of two different avenues. But it's still like it's here to stay.
It's not going away.
So better to embrace it than to be like, oh, I don't trust it, whatever. There still is that, There still is that. And I'm sure you would agree that creativity that like we bring, like humans. It's weird talking about that a robot can't.
And we're feeding it the information.
So like, we've got to, we've got to remember that, that it just didn't pluck all this out of the sky and be like, whoa, no, we fed it that. And the more we feed it, the more helpful and intelligent it gets.
But that's for everyone now to be able to do that. So, you know, no matter what industry you're in, no matter what your job is, you can lean on it and you still have to do your job.
[00:23:49] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. I don't, I don't believe trade skills are going away anytime soon. I think, I think the trade skill itself is probably going to improve as far as pay wages, you know, and things like that. I think it's going to go up in value because that's never going to get replaced. No, you know, it's, it's going to be hundreds of years before, you know, we can ever, you know, replace human beings, you know, with robots to be able to do the, you know, the, the, the mechanical things that, you know, that we can do. So I, I, you know, in the next five to 10 years, I think, you know, the first change is going to be, of course, you know, AI, you know, with, you know, software implementation.
[00:24:27] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:24:28] Speaker B: You know, architectural, drawing takeoffs, things like that. It's going to speed things up, you know, you're going to be able to get, you know, projects done, estimate done a lot faster. But I think the glazing trade itself is going to become very, very valuable. Yeah, you know, just like electricians, plumbers, you know, things like that, you know, totally. I think that's going to be the new direction for. I think the blue collar is going to be the new white collar. Yeah, about five to 10 years. That's what I firmly believe pretty much.
[00:24:53] Speaker A: That's good. So we've got young people, I hope, listening, they're starting out on their journey.
What advice would you give them?
Don't tell them to run away. But what advice would you, what advice would you give them in this industry or it just does in business in general. Like you're a businessman, it's in the glazing industry. But you know, from that perspective, what would you do to help them not just have a job or a legacy, but to actually enjoy what they do?
[00:25:25] Speaker B: You know, with young people it's hard to get your point across, to be patient.
You know, there's a lot of instant gratification in the world right now. And any young glade, we've got a couple of young glazers or young apprentices that are on board with us right now. And I have to constantly preach to them to, you know, to, to be patient, you know, embrace the journey.
It's going to be, you know, there's a lot of information to learn in the glazing industry and, and they've got to, if they can be patient and hold out and, and, and learn as much as they can, their careers will skyrocket, you know, continue. You know, we've got a, I think a 21 year old working with us right now.
One that's 22 or 20, 23, he's working with us right now. And there's a lot of, you know, they want fast paced growth, you know, they won't, they want this now, they want this now, they want this now. You know, and, and I have to tell them, you know, you've got to be patient, you know, you don't, you don't know all the things there is to know. But if you can just hang in there, the, the, the, the growth of the industry and the way that I guess trade skills, blue collar people live are going to change so drastically in 10, you know, you know, five to 10 years that I believe that, you know, they'll have a bright future in the industry. But we've got to get, you know, we've got to, you know, and I really don't know how to do this. You know, I've thought about it a lot.
I've been asked by the local community colleges to teach, you know, courses on glazing, to actually start teaching a class for it.
But you know, I haven't you know, had the time putting together curriculum, you know, and things like that. You know, like I said, I've got, my daughter's getting engaged, I've got a 13 year old son that, you know, I'm trying to raise as well. So. And I'm 50, I'll be 51 in January. So it's kind of, it's one of those things where I'm kind of, you know, pitching it back and forth, you know, trying to figure out, you know, if I'm, if it's something I'm going to do when I get older, you know, when I maybe 55, 56, something like that. You know, we've just got to make the glazing industry more I guess, attainable, you know, for, for young people coming up. Because again, I've always, I've seen it since my grandfather owned the business. The glazing industry was never respected as a skilled trade.
You know, it's not like electricians or plumbers, you know, or anything like that. You know, you know, the weight, unless of course you're working for a union, you know, whether, you know, wages are paid. But you know, if you're in the private industry and the, the, the, the just the pay scale itself has been so low over the past 20 or 30 years and I always wondered why, why is that? Why, why, why are they paid such a low wage? You know, I'd go around a very glass company show and you know, you know, hearing through the grapevine, you know what they were making hourly going, are you kidding me?
[00:28:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:28:33] Speaker B: Are you, you can't, you can't survive off of that. You can't survive off these wages, you know, so it's always been my, I guess, mission to bring an awareness to the glazing industry and professionalism to the glazing industry. Because I mean that's part of the problem is you have to carry yourself as a professional. Yes. You know, we're no different from a doctor.
[00:28:53] Speaker A: No.
[00:28:53] Speaker B: I'll tell my guys this all the time. A doctor can't do what we do.
[00:28:56] Speaker A: Nope.
[00:28:56] Speaker B: We can't do what a doctor does. What's the difference? They carry themselves as professionals.
[00:29:01] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:29:02] Speaker B: They communicate well and they do their job with excellence. And I tell our team that all the time, you know, and it's, you know, it's part of my mission is to bring an awareness to the glazing industry, respect to the trade.
[00:29:13] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:29:13] Speaker B: And just a sense of professionalism and what we do, you know, you've got to carry yourself well. You got to present yourself well, you've got to communicate well. And those things, just those few things right there will bring an awareness to the glazing industry that's going to bring the whole trade to a new level. And there's other people out there that are doing the same thing, you know, and I think if we can all buy into that, you know, as a trade, I think it's going to elevate the trade a lot.
[00:29:39] Speaker A: Totally. So 100%. Yeah, we need to, we need to tell these young people that to get the Tesla you have to put the work in. You just don't get it. You don't get it first day on the job. So, you know, absolutely not.
[00:29:52] Speaker B: You know, or it takes a lot. There's a lot of learning.
[00:29:55] Speaker A: There is.
[00:29:55] Speaker B: Glass industry is very complex, you know, with all the systems and all the different types of glazing and energy calculations and wind load requirements and there you go, you can get into all the science.
[00:30:08] Speaker A: Yep, totally. And there's also, there's a lot of hard knocks that have to be hit that I think a lot of young people nowadays aren't able to take somewhat.
And so there's a different generation coming up that even as managers and bosses that we can't be soft, but we also can't be like what it was like. When I was in the aeronautical field, I had a journeyman who was pretty darn nasty to me. But I look back now and I'm like, I'm so thankful for him because he didn't take any of my guff. He was honest. He like told it exactly how it was, there was no gray areas and now I reap the benefit of that. But if you were to do that in today's society, it's like, who do you think you are talking to me? And you're like, dude, I'm trying to train and help you here. So it's, there's patience on both sides and it can be challenging at times when you're having to talk to these youngins, but it's all good.
[00:31:11] Speaker B: Yeah. My father, we used to tie into it a lot. He had a pretty good temper on him and we get into fights and he would straight up punch me in the face and punch me in the mouth.
I look back on it now and I'm going, wait. He was just trying to make me hard. That's what he was trying to do.
[00:31:27] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:31:28] Speaker B: He was just trying to make me hard.
There's a employee of ours, you know that dealing with the customer and the first thing when he come back to the shop, he said, you could tell that guy's not been punched in the mouth.
I just started laughing. It's just like you've got.
You got to be hardened, I guess. You know, that's one thing that you, as part of growth is you just gotta. You gotta have enough hard season. Yep, that's right.
[00:31:54] Speaker A: Tough enough kind of thinking upon that, like journeyman. And even people who poured into us, there's mentors who we can think about in our lives, like, whether it be last week, five years, 20 years ago, who have been some of those mentors in your life who have just poured into you and had a really good effect upon you.
[00:32:20] Speaker B: There's been so many of them.
Keith, or, you know, my. My shower door.
I talk to him a lot and get a lot of advice from him.
I've got a pretty good relationship with him. But, you know, probably the most. The most impactful one was Mr. Red. You know, when I was growing up in the industry. Yeah, he kind of. Because my father knew he didn't have the patience, you know, to, you know, once I accepted the glazing. Tracy. The glazing trade as my career, it was. He kind of knew that it, you know, there was not like a, you know, his spot to train me.
[00:32:57] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:32:57] Speaker B: So he puts Mr. Red Nebnet over me as a. As a journeyman Glazer.
[00:33:04] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:33:04] Speaker B: And he, He. He taught me a tremendous amount, you know, as far as the glazing industry and, you know, the, you know, different types of aluminum extrusions and curtain wall and fabrication. You know, he. He was, he was a very, very important mentor of mine for a good 10 years back in my 20s, you know, when I was growing up into it. But, yeah, I mean, there's all kinds of people out there that are just amazing people that you can lean on to. And you'd be surprised if you get.
You think people are, you know, the leaders in the industry are out of touch, you know, like they're, they're too high for you to reach.
But if you just reach out to them, you'd be surprised how humble they are.
[00:33:47] Speaker A: Oh, big time.
[00:33:48] Speaker B: How willing they are to talk to you and guide you through things.
We went to Glass Build last year.
Last year? Yeah, I think it was last year in Houston or, no, Dallas. And there were so many people out there that I knew through social media and LinkedIn that I looked up to. And I was like, oh, there's so and so.
And, you know, I would, you know, be. I'd be scared to go approach, you know, and just talk to them. But. But then when you go introduce yourself, they're like, oh, oh, yeah, I know.
You know, I know who you are. You know, fix a glass, you know, and have an honest conversation. And just. They would pour into you.
[00:34:27] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:34:27] Speaker B: And it's just amazing to see that in this trade, there's so many people out there that are willing to help and, you know, guide you through the process. But you just got to have the courage to step out. Correct. Got to have that boldness to, you know, approach people and be confident. You know, be confident. You know, you're. We all don't know everything.
[00:34:45] Speaker A: No.
[00:34:46] Speaker B: You know, nobody's perfect. Nobody knows everything. Nobody has mastered anything.
[00:34:51] Speaker A: Nope.
[00:34:51] Speaker B: They might be a little higher up than you, than. Or further along in the process than you are, but that means they're just wiser, you know, they're a lot more wiser. And is that more wiser? More wise.
But, you know, there's just so much advice that they can give you, and they just. And they want to pour into you. They do. They really want to just.
They want to listen to your story, you know, they want to hear what you've been through, and then they. And they're really willing to give you feedback on things. You know, Andrew Herring, he's another good one. Yeah. Just absolutely call on him anytime.
He'll pour into anybody.
[00:35:28] Speaker A: Totally.
[00:35:30] Speaker B: But you just got to have the courage to step out and make that connection.
[00:35:32] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:35:33] Speaker B: You know, make that connection.
And. And that's what most of us, you know, don't do. You know, we're just. We're too scared to, you know, take that leap of faith.
But, yeah, plenty of people out there, you know, to get advice from and mentorship from. I talked Keith.
Gosh, what year was that? Let's see. That was in 2020.
We had just bought. We were. Well, I bought a 30,000 square foot facility in Pascagoula and got a really good deal on the building.
And I remember the day that we signed the paperwork, I was scared to death.
[00:36:11] Speaker A: Oh, wow.
[00:36:12] Speaker B: Because there was 30,000. We were going from a 6,500 square foot building to a 30,000 square foot building.
And, you know, but. But we were, you know, we had outgrown it. We had grown a 6,000 square foot building. We had material sitting out everywhere. We had company trucks running into other trucks. We had, you know, Freightliner running into customers, cars, you know, things like that.
It was just a nightmare. Absolutely. Completely outgrew it. So. But, you know, I called Keith, that day we were signing, you know, and I was like, dude, I'm so scared. I'm scared to death. And I never will forget the conversation that he had with me.
He said, sean, what you'll find is the entrepreneurial spirit in you.
That. That, that. That lion in you. You're gonna outgrow that facility in two years. Yeah, he said, you know, he's. He. He believed that, you know, and sure enough, in two years, we outgrew that facility.
[00:37:06] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness.
[00:37:07] Speaker B: And I had to. I had to move the commercial fabrication shop into another 6,000square foot facility because all of our fabrication couldn't fit into that 30, 000 square foot building, you know, so, um, it's just funny to reflect on things like that, you know? You know, when I called him, he was just, you know, he encouraged me. He just gave me those words of advice and, you know, just told me to lean into it, you know?
And I think the same day that we were signing paperwork on that building, a Freightliner was backing up and ran into a customer's car.
[00:37:36] Speaker A: Oh, man.
[00:37:37] Speaker B: After I had gotten on the phone, after I got off the phone call with Keith, and the Freightliner backed up the customer's car.
[00:37:43] Speaker A: Oh, man.
[00:37:43] Speaker B: And I was like, okay, that's a sign.
[00:37:45] Speaker A: That's it.
[00:37:46] Speaker B: I'm taking it. I'm rolling with it.
[00:37:48] Speaker A: Let's say we're saying with two pants, not even one.
That's funny. That is funny.
[00:37:54] Speaker B: It was just funny the way that Keith, you know, you know, he. He envisioned that, you know, he saw that happen, you know, and. And looking back on it, you know, I never would have thought that, you know, but we did.
[00:38:03] Speaker A: Yeah, we sure have.
[00:38:04] Speaker B: We outgrew it, you know. That's awesome.
[00:38:06] Speaker A: Yeah, you'll.
I've had that experience, too, with even just this podcast, like, trying to get guests on. And you go on LinkedIn and you see these what you think are superstars in your mind and on paper they are. But then you write a little email, and the next thing, they jump on it, and they're like, yeah, and they're on the podcast, and you get talking to them, and then now you're texting each other like, hey, how's it going? And there's, like, that relationship building, and it's. To your point off, just have a little courage, have a little faith that these people are just like you. They're just people.
[00:38:43] Speaker B: They're just people.
[00:38:44] Speaker A: Yep, they are.
We talk a lot around here about encouragement and have it's that, like, shot of adrenaline to the body, and that's what these people are. So if you're ever discouraged, you're ever, like, despondent, you're going, what is happening? Go talk to some of these people, and I guarantee you, both of you will sharpen each other, and you'll come away from those conversations more encouraged, built up more wind in your sails, and it projects you. And the more of those people you can have around you, the better it is for you. It's so important.
[00:39:21] Speaker B: Absolutely.
You got to make those connections and you got to build your personal community. I've always told my team and I tell other people and tell my son this all the time. The things you don't want to do are the things you need to do the most.
[00:39:34] Speaker A: Yeah, totally.
[00:39:35] Speaker B: So if there is something that you're fearing or something that you're scared to do or, you know, you're scared to leap into, you're probably supposed to do it.
[00:39:45] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:39:45] Speaker B: You know what I mean? Because comfort is.
Comfort is a killer. You know what I mean?
[00:39:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:39:51] Speaker B: And if. If you stay in that comfort zone all your life, you're never going to change.
[00:39:55] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:39:56] Speaker B: You know, I'm a firm believer. You know, a lot of people argue with this, but, you know, if you're not growing, you're dying.
[00:40:02] Speaker A: Exactly. Yep.
[00:40:03] Speaker B: That's always got.
[00:40:04] Speaker A: That's what my boss says over here, too. That's what he says here. It's like, if you're not growing, you're dying. And it's. It's not a. It's not a good thing to be. And it might only be really small growth, but as long as there's something it's not. It doesn't always have to be this huge, massive leap, but small. Small and steady. Yeah.
[00:40:22] Speaker B: Make yourself better every day.
[00:40:23] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:40:25] Speaker B: Whatever that is. You know, there's no. There's not a.
There's. There's nothing more important that you can do than just if it's something that you're scared of or something that you're. You're looking at, you know, and there's. There's fear in you, and you're. You're dreading it or, you know, you're. You're. You're not looking forward to it more than likely, more times than not, it's a calling for you to change, to get better.
[00:40:49] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:40:49] Speaker B: You know, and like I said, you know, it's the. Like I said, the things you don't want to do are usually the things you need to do the most.
[00:40:55] Speaker A: Correct. Totally. So amen to that. It's the old tortoise in the hair.
That fable is, like, so true in life with so many things, it's kind of crazy. It is kind of crazy, but. Okay, last question. Wrapping all this up, Dixie Glass, it's growing.
It's.
You're moving out of buildings. I see you getting more buildings. I see awards. I see, like, just the, The.
The fantastic atmosphere it is to work. I see some of the funny videos that, like, your crew put up. That's absolutely hilarious. Which means there's, like, for me, I like fun, I like banter, I like a laugh, which is awesome. But the journey is going.
Obviously, we won't be around for all of it, but what is.
If you could summarize, like, what do you want Dixie Glass to be known for? Like, the story. The story books in years to come. What would you want written about it?
[00:42:00] Speaker B: I guess the most important thing that I'd want to be written, you know, about the company and about. I guess my legacy is I did the best I could to bring professionalism to the trade and respect to the trade.
[00:42:13] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:42:14] Speaker B: We've. We've opened up, you know, three locations the past, what is it, 10 years now?
And I think that, you know, and there's other people that can tell you the same thing that we have brought the industry up to a certain level because we, we pay very well. We have 401k, we've got, you know, 401k match health insurance. We've got, you know, all the things to take care of the. The team that we have on staff.
[00:42:41] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:42:41] Speaker B: And I've noticed over the years that when you set the standard, other people will rise to the occasion.
[00:42:48] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:42:49] Speaker B: And that's. That's. That's what I want more than anything. You know, if I have an employee to leave me and go to another glass shop and tell that glass company what he was making, I want that owner.
Holy crap.
[00:43:02] Speaker A: I know.
[00:43:02] Speaker B: What am I doing?
[00:43:03] Speaker A: What am I doing wrong over here?
[00:43:04] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, I've got. I've got to get my wages up and. And I want that more than anything.
[00:43:10] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:43:11] Speaker B: You know, not.
Not just the success of Dixie Glass, but the success of the glazing industry itself. That's what I'm trying to do, you know, that's what I want more than anything, to be remembered by awesome. You know, just that. That sense of professionalism, you know, that's. That's super important to me. Yeah.
[00:43:28] Speaker A: Well, from an outsider looking in, Dixie Glass is a success story. I got to know these Guys, what, three years ago.
We've interacted, we've seen each other, we've liked each other's posts, we've commented on stuff. We're now doing a podcast together.
And it's that I'd say the glazing industry is unique in that it's a family, it's a friendship.
There are those who you go, really? What are you doing? Come on, get your act together. But then there's others who you're like, man, they're rock stars. They're doing a great job.
So I commend you, my friend, for everything you're doing. Keep doing what you're doing. Keep encouraging.
Be that. Be a leader in a day that's lacking leaders, I think that's key. And we can, like, I can see it and others can see it that, you know, Sean is a leader. He has a good team.
It's a good blueprint for anyone who's thinking, oh, I'd like to start my own business. Go talk to the man. Like, he'll tell you the pitfalls, the hurdles, but the high points, the good things, too. So keep fighting the good fight, my friend. You're doing a fantastic job. And thank you, Mark. Keep rocking on, brother.
[00:44:46] Speaker B: All is well, man. All is well.
[00:44:48] Speaker A: Yep. Good stuff. Well, that is a wrap for this episode of the Cutting Edge Install podcast. If you've enjoyed it, we've had a few technical difficulties in this one, so if it's a little bit jumpy, a little bit, stop starting. Hey, it's okay.
We got the end. We got there at the end, my friend. There was a few times when I was, like, just sitting here by myself, you know, just twiddling my thumbs, going,
[00:45:15] Speaker B: I wonder, will Sean come back?
[00:45:17] Speaker A: But he did.
[00:45:17] Speaker B: It's all good.
Will he come back?
[00:45:20] Speaker A: Yeah, will he come back? And he did. And we got it, and we have it recorded. So it's all good. But if you've enjoyed this, subscribe, like, follow, share, do what you need to do. Hey, if you want to be a guest, subscribe. Shoot me an email. Mervomnicube.com I would love to have more people on here just doing what we did, just having a conversation about life and how things are and encouraging one another in this journey. So if you like that, please do, please ask. Not a problem. These go out every other Thursday at 9am Pacific State time. And if you want to know more about Omni Cubed, what we do here, go on omnicubed.com check out our website code. We do. And until the next time you all hear my dulcet tones again, stay safe and cheerio. Take care.
[00:46:03] Speaker B: Take care.
