Those participating in the 2022 Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) Virtual Summer Conference heard from Chris Gardner, President of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA), who gave a presentation titled "Impacts of Mental Health and Substance Use in the Construction Industry.” This session was sponsored by the FGIA Fenestration Safety Committee and moderated by FGIA Marketing and Communications Director, Angela Dickson.“COVID compounded issues like mental health and substance use,” said Gardner. “During the pandemic, none of us had seen anything like it in...

Participants at the 2022 Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) Virtual Summer Conference heard from Andrew Oding, Vice President and Director of Building Science of Building Knowledge Canada and Jeff Baker, President of WESTLab Canada, about Canada’s efforts to achieve their energy efficiency goals by 2030. The two spoke on a panel called "Fenestration - The Path to 2030 in Canada,” moderated by FGIA Director of Canadian and Technical Glass Operations, Amy Roberts.The 2022 publication of Canada’s 2020 National Building Code (NBC) tiered energy code...

The final schedule has been released for the 2022 Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) Virtual Summer Conference, to be held June 6-9. Three expert speakers will discuss efforts to improve the energy efficiency of windows in Canada by 2030, highlights from the most recent FGIA fenestration-focused market study and the impacts of mental health and substance use in the construction industry. Register now for virtual access to the FGIA Virtual Summer Conference. Extended early bird registration rates are available through May 27.“We’ve listened to...

Registration is now open for the 2022 Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) Virtual Summer Conference, to be held June 6-9. The Summer Conference meeting schedule will continue to address association business and committee work with additional focus on Canadian issues, including the traditional update on Canadian codes and legislation and also an overview of Building Knowledge Canada, whose mission is to improve the performance, quality, comfort, durability and energy efficiency of homes across Canada. In addition, participants can expect to hear firsthand about the...

The Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) announced that its 2022 Summer Conference will be held virtually instead of taking place as a hybrid event with options for participation both in-person in Montreal, Quebec, and online. The event dates remain unchanged, with the conference taking place Monday, June 6 through Thursday, June 9. This decision was made by the FGIA Board of Directors based upon input from past conference registrants regarding attendance at the event in a recent survey, which took into account company travel...

Two in-person panels and a roundtable discussion took place during the 2022 Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) Hybrid Annual Conference in Amelia Island, FL, highlighting trends like thin triple glazing, sustainability best practices and case studies on innovations made in the window industry. These topics gave concrete examples of work being done with fenestration and glazing in terms of environmental efforts and technological advancements.Understanding the Difference: Thin Triple Versus Traditional Triple Pane UnitsA panel discussion comparing thin triple glazing to traditional triple pane units...

A representative from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Climate Protection Partnership Division in the ENERGY STAR® Residential Branch explained changes for the proposed ENERGY STAR Version 7.0 Residential Window, Door and Skylight Draft 2 Specification at the 2022 Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) Hybrid Annual Conference. Doug Anderson, a project manager and program analyst, manages the ENERGY STAR Residential Window, Door, and Skylight Program, the ENERGY STAR Most Efficient Program for residential windows and the “Seal and Insulate with ENERGY STAR” Program. He...

Those participating in the 2022 Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) Hybrid Annual Conference learned the benefits of training employees on how to respond to trauma at facilities like manufacturing plants and construction sites. Independence Training leaders, Glen and Drew Stilson, shared tips for stopping bleeding, assessing patients and creating an emergency response plan that works under stress at the conference during multiple hands-on sessions at the event.“We teach field medicine used in battlefields or in remote rural areas,” said Glen Stilson. “Our goal is...

Economist Dr. Chris Kuehl spoke at the 2022 Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) Hybrid Annual Conference, offering his perspective on the current strife in Ukraine, the future of economic recovery, the labor shortage and a construction forecast for the U.S. and Canada. The Managing Director of Armada Corporate Intelligence admitted things are harder to predict at the moment due to the uncertainty caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine only one week ago, causing large shifts internationally with the global economy.Russia’s Invasion of UkraineKuehl began...

The Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) heard fraud prevention advice from scam artist-turned-Federal Bureau of Investigations educator, Frank Abagnale during his keynote address at the 2022 FGIA Hybrid Annual Conference. Abagnale, whose life inspired the movie Catch Me If You Can, worked several fraud scams in his youth and was eventually asked by the FBI to teach prevention and verification tactics to agents. He has done so for 46 years.“My philosophy is: prevention, verification and education,” said Abagnale. “Education is a powerful tool to...