Last week in a fit of nostalgia, I was re-watching the 40^th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live (available on Amazon, Hulu and NBC  if you are interested). In one of the presentations, comic Mike Myers imitates show creator and producer Lorne Michaels as Michaels critiqued an SNL broadcast after it was over. Myers got the biggest laugh of the night imitating Michaels saying, “Sure Mike, it got a laugh, but did it get the right kind of laugh?” That line makes me think of glass fabricators.

Why? You know finding the right type of glass is not always easy. The tension between performance specifications and named products is almost always in play. And the phrase “or equal” also  looms over whatever choices you make. And beyond products, how a fabricator does business and whether they live up to the promises they make is also paramount.

A good fabricator is your partner; a bad one can cost you your business. Sourcing glass can be a hard job and I imagine many of you have echoed Mr. Myers’ project when you found a source for glass saying, “I found a fabricator but did I get the right kind of fabricator?”

The primaries have helped by developing their own certification programs for fabricators and there are a number of quality standards that have to be met no matter what. But, beyond that, how do you find not just any fabricator but the right one? If you feel like it, drop me an email and let me know what factors you find most important.

In addition. USGlass magazine offers two tools to help. Both are especially helpful whether you are looking for a specific type of glass or trying to gain LEED credits for local sourcing.

USGlass offers a special 72-page supplement that details North American fabricators, their locations and the products they make. It’s the most extensive compendium of fabricators ever produced and it’s available to you by clicking here or on the cover on this page.

In addition, if you are looking for a quick, dependable way to find a fabricator in a certain category, you can use our fabricator locator tool, at https://www.usglassmag.com/, about half way down the page on the right. It’s easy to use and super quick.

Our goal in providing these two informational services is so that your answer to the question, “Did I get the right fabricator?” can always be a resounding YES.