Herding the Illusive Image

Finding Your Way in Indianapolis

2011-11-03T15:54:00.000-04:00

Sign Craft Industries (SCI) is honored to be selected by Indianapolis Downtown Inc. to refurbish and enhance the wayfinding signage in downtown Indianapolis. Our cities commitment to being a destination for conventions and sporting events attracts scores of visitors each year. These signs ease the stress for residents and visitors of locating the facilities they are looking for; or just enjoying the sights of the Indianapolis. Many times the difference between a good time and disappointment is the ease of getting to your destination.

Please enjoy the progression of this project through pictures. Pictures speak louder than words. Hope you enjoy the ride. Please check back often for updates.

Great Day to

Start a new Project

IDI, Corbin Design and Sign Craft worked together to ensure Sign Craft matched the Color and Design intent location plan and sign message schedule developed by IDI and Corbin Design

Signs Get stripped naked... down

to their original metal luster.

Sandblasted Beauty

The final manicure is
completed to make sure
the signs exceed
Expectations

Signs are stood upright

at attention to

receive their new coats

(of Paint)

That new Coat is
going to make them look
Marvelous!!!

We DO look
Marvelous...
Where are our legs????

Oh NO...
That Color will not go with
this fine new look...
We need a fine
Powder Coated finish.

Boom Baby
Now were Styling!!
Ready for a Decade on the
TOWN

Careful Gent
I have a date with Millions
of Visitors and Residents

Easy....

Safety Gents

Oh this is SO exciting
I get to go across from
Circle City Mall

Looking Good!!!

Lucas Oil Stadium

2011-01-12T15:10:00.000-05:00

For the record:

The difficulties related to the exterior signage at Lucas Oil Stadium has recently been highlighted in a Indianapolis Business Journal article and in a segment on WRTV, Channel 13 news.

Because of Sign Craft’s association with these signs, I believe it is critical that I clarify our involvement.

These signs were manufactured by Atlas Sign Company prior to Sign Craft’s acquisition of Atlas in September 2008. For the first five months after the acquisition, we serviced these signs under a normal warranty. However, it soon became evident that these signs had severe electrical and structural issues.

In concert with the Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority (ISCBA) representatives and engineering firms, we derived a plan of resolution.

Our work began in July of 2009 and has been ongoing since that date. All of this work has been completed 175 to 200 feet in the air via a swing stage, walking the steel frames or repelling. Obviously this is dangerous work and safety is our number one priority. As such, snow rain and wind has impaired our ability to work. Despite these conditions, our crews logged in over 8600 man hours fixing these signsa as of the end of December, 2010.

While the boots were part of the problem, there were other fundamental issues with the signs electrical and structural make up. Our work has included but was not limited to:

1. Rewiring the signs from the inside out.

2. Remaking and replacing a substantial number of the 2000 neon units.

3. Replacing several of the 500 transformers from the original installation and placing all the transformers in protective boxes.

4. Enhancing the structural support of these signs based on the engineers recommendations.

Sign Craft has dedicated three to Six crew members to work on this project continuously for over a year and a half. During this time, the signs have been fully functional for every event hosted at Lucas Oil Stadium and presented Lucas Oil Stadium and Indianapolis in the best light possible.

Sign Craft and our employees are all proud citizens of Indianapolis and/or Central Indiana and we are proud of the work we have completed at Lucas Oil Stadium. It is our commitment to get this job done in the near future and provide the ISCBA and CIB with a quality product.

Big Thank You To Kit Stolen and Salin Bank

2010-10-11T12:28:00.000-04:00

I would like to personally thank Kit Stolen, COO of Salin Bank, for taking time out of his schedule to share his expertise with the Midwest Sign Association. The combination of his well prepared presentation and candor during the round table session provided invaluable information to those in attendance.

Kit's presentation was a good complement to the morning session where Tony Busch started the day off with a focused presentation on Cash Management. The subject matter was right on target. Tony's years of experience in the banking industry and his exposure to thousands of companies similar to those in attendance made him the perfect presenter.

While these presentations were geared more for owners than to sales, they were important and relevant to all of us. The attendance of sign companies at these sessions was anemic, but those that did take the time to attend left with some extremely important advice from experts in the field of banking. Thanks again to both Tony and Kit for presenting to the MSA.

Successful PNC Conversion

2010-06-16T09:17:00.000-04:00

I want to use this space to personally and publicly thank all of our associates for a job well done. This past weekend, we worked diligently with our general contractor AGI, to complete the conversion of several National City Bank branches over to PNC Bank. The goal of the weekend was for the branches to open up on Monday with no visible "signs" of National City and all PNC Bank signage in place and operating.

As with any conversion, much of the work was completed prior to the conversion weekend and necessitated the inclusion of office, fabrication and installation associates. Sign Craft fabricated and installed some of the product and received and installed the remainder. Thanks to the organizational skills of both our Project Manager, Amanda Gates and our Service and Install manager, Natalie Sirois, our pre-conversion work was completed and we were well prepared for conversion weekend.

The weekend began with a pre-conversion meeting to communicate expectations, review the time lines and answer any questions. The meeting was an awesome give and take of information that set the tone for the weekend. I would love to describe the weekend activities, but I believe the quote from Matthew Lambert the project manager for AGI says it best:

"Thank you just doesn't describe my gratitude for the hard work and effort given by Sign Craft and its Associates over this past Conversion Weekend. The Bank is very pleased with the finished product and the professionalism exhibited through what can be a stressful process. Sign Craft demonstrated their commitment to success by providing more crews (6) than any other two companies combined. The "communication" was outstanding with updates coming in real time. Sign Craft identified and resolved most issues before they showed up in punch, a first for this program. I can't say enough how much I appreciate the way you stepped up for this incredibly strong finish!"Thank you" may fall short but thank you, thank you, thank you."

The professionalism and experience of our people and the size of our fleet, makes Sign Craft uniquely qualified to complete any size conversion. When the customer satisfaction and on time delivery are critical, the associates at Sign Craft deliver. Again, a well deserved congratulations and thank you to all that made this weekend a success.

Sign Craft at the Indianapolis 500

2010-06-08T13:29:00.000-04:00

The Indianapolis 500 is one of the cornerstones of Indianapolis culture and is responsible for bringing an incredible amount of business and dollars to our community. Indianapolis benefits not just in the month of May, but throughout the year. Many of the race teams are headquartered in our fair city and purchase products locally and provide a large employment base.

Through the efforts of Mike Ford and our Quick Sign division, Sign Craft has continually increased our involvement with the speedway and certain of the teams. We count ourselves fortunate to have Mike with us. Mike has over 20 years in the sign business and also the racing business (he started both when he was 4) Presently, Mike is deeply involved with Andretti Autosports as a spotter for Tony Kanaan. It is a true delight to watch the live in-car streaming during a race on IndyCar Nation and listen to Mike's calls.

Mr. Ford is a true gentleman and a great ambassador for Sign Craft. His genuine passion has earned Mike many friends in both his chosen fields. Because of these relationships, Quick Sign has become respected partners with Andretti Autoports Andretti Web Page, Fazzt Race Team Fazzt web page and Conquest Racing Conquest web site. Quick Sign Continues to work with these teams to meet their signage needs and appreciates their continued support. In the month of May, Quick Sign provided the signage for several of the garages both internally and externally and other incidental sign needs. In addition, Sign Craft has provided both exterior and interior signage for their headquarters.

Sign Craft was also extremely honored and excited to provide the background signage for the ABC/ESPN coverage of the race. It was awesome for all of us to turn on the broadcast and see the fruits of our labor hanging next to Brent Musberger.

We look forward to expanding our participation in this great event and giving back to those that give back to our great city.

Old National Centre

2010-03-17T13:56:00.000-04:00

All jobs are created equal, but some are more equal than others. Designing, fabricating and installing the addition to the marquee at the century old Marat Center was one of those jobs.

The Murat Centre is a popular entertainment venue located in downtown Indianapolis. As announced Tuesday, Live Nation inked a three year deal with Old National Bank under which the building will be called the “Old National Centre”. Live Nation runs the venue under lease deal signed in 1995 with the city of Indianapolis and the Murat Shriners of Indianapolis.

Sign Craft worked with the City and the Historical District to create a design that would provide the exposure the new name deserved while respecting the grandeur of the historical building and marquee. Through mutual cooperation, a design was agreed upon and the addition was fabricated and installed by the Tuesday announcement date.

Thank you to the whole Sign Craft team. We should all be proud.

Concessions

2010-03-08T07:47:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday the Greater Lawrence Chamber of Commerce (GLCC) secured Barry Collier, Butler University Athletic Director, as the guest speaker for their monthly Rise and Shine breakfast meeting. The combination of one of my favorite events with a sports figure I actually admire, was too tempting to forgo. And I was not disappointed.

The Rise and Shine is a monthly meeting that combines good discussions, a hearty breakfast and an opportunity to learn from interesting speakers. This is all accomplished before 8:30 in the morning. I enjoy the GLCC staff and the attendees at this meeting, and the addition of Mr. Collier to the agenda gave this meeting a gold star in my calendar.

My admiration for Mr. Collier is not based on his win/loss record as a basketball coach; it is on his ability to build quality programs without sacrificing the standards of the University.

On this early March morning when Butler was vying for the Horizon League Championship in Basketball, much of Mr. Collier’s prepared remarks were what you would expect. However, there was a very enlightening insight that Mr. Collier shared with the group that galvanized my respect for him, Butler athletics and Butler University.

Mr. Collier shared that Butler implements an extensive evaluation process of each student/athlete prior to offering them a scholarship. The purpose is to assure that the student/athlete is a good fit for the University and has both the athletic and more importantly, the academic capacity to succeed. While many Universities can make this claim, few can back it up with statistics such as grade point averages and graduation rates. Butler can.

However, this was not the part of Mr. Collier’s oratory that caught my attention. It was when he stated (and I am paraphrasing) Butler University does not make concessions along the way. This was such a powerful statement and a wonderful business lesson.

Let’s look at the hiring of employees. How many times do we just hire a body rather than conduct a search based on detailed job responsibilities and personality traits deemed necessary to a successful hire. We then compound this error by making excuses when the employee fails to meet our expectations. We are making concessions to a bad hire.

Through the implementation of the Butler process, we can dramatically improve chances of success. When making a key hire, list out the job responsibilities and expectations of the position. Further, determine the personality traits that the successful applicant should embody. These “standards” can then be used to structure the interview. Finally, when the right applicant is hired, hold them to these standards without concessions.

A successful hire is properly screened, trained, coached and nurtured.

Indianapolis Facade Rebate Progam

2010-02-10T08:19:00.000-05:00

A member of our staff, Amanda Gates, brought a wonderful program to my attention. This program, the 2010 Commercial Facade Improvement Program, is a grant through the Fostering Commercial Urban Strategies (FOCUS) Initiative.

This opportnity allows any business owner or tenant in the city of Indianapolis to apply for a grant to assist the funding for visible improvements to primary facades and primary building entrances. These improvements include but are not limited to doors, windows, signs, awnings, and brick, stone, wood or other building surface material.

This grant will potentially fund up to 50% of project costs up to a maximum grant of $20,000. The application deadline for the first round is February 26th.

A facade grant selection committee will award projects with priority consideration to projects that will achieve the highest impact on: 1) the property being improved, 2) the block where the property is located, and 3) the neighborhood in which the property is located. Preference will be given to businesses in the targeted Focus Commercial Corridors: Martin Luther King, Jr. Street, West Washington Street, Fountain Square area, East 10th Street, 16th Street, North Meridian Street and Irvington.

I have included a link to the program documents below.

Program Documents

This grant is like any other, it has requires paperwork filled out and guidelines followed, but the benefits far outweigh the costs. It is refreshing to know that organizations like FOCUS are working diligently to improve the image and perception of Indianapolis.

FOCUS is an innovative partnership between LISC, the Central Indiana Chamber of Commerce, the Indianapolis Coalition for Neighborhood Development and the City of Indianapolis. This city-wide collaboration is making changes in the planning, advocacy, and delivery of economic development projects. Through this partnership, the FOCUS initiative is creating vibrant neighborhood business districts and establishing long-lasting relationships that connect neighborhoods with businesses and new resources to revitalize urban markets.

This is a fantastic initiative and I look forward to finding ways Sign Craft can increase our participation. I am excited about the potential opportunity to utilize our expertise in developing products that both enhance the aesthetics of the community and provide the advertising/identification needs of the business community.

Guns at Work

2010-02-01T10:25:00.000-05:00

I am so excited. The state of Indiana is promoting “Bring your gun to work day” every working day of the year. While I understand many believe that it is their constitutional right to brandish a weapon where ever and whenever they deem necessary, I have to question the timing and the necessity of this legislation.
There are several in Sign Craft whom will disagree with my evaluation of this issue. I employ several hunters. A primary argument in favor of this legislation revolves around the hunters’ ability to participate in their sport prior to work and go directly to work without return their weapon to its rightful storage area. Not a bad argument. However, this legislation does not pertain to just hunters. It pertains to anyone that owns a gun.

As a business owner, one of my primary responsibilities is the health and welfare of my employees. Like most, I take this very seriously. By the state mandating that I do not have the right to prohibit firearms on my property, they dramatically increase the chances of an incident occurring.

While I am sure, that there are those currently bringing firearms to Sign Craft, I am also confident that they understand our views and policies prohibiting this action. In these difficult economic times, managements of companies have to make some difficult decisions which sometimes include layoffs and other actions that are not popular. This legislation significantly increases the pressure on these decisions. If an employee has a firearm in his/her vehicle, the timeframe for “cooling off” has been greatly diminished. I am comforted to know that the legislature through this legislation has held us harmless if something does happen, it is a financial comfort, not a moral or psychological comfort.

I know that this is a significant issue to some, yet I fail to see how this issue is of dire importance when the unemployment rate in Indiana hovers around 10%, the state of the commercial real estate market is in shambles and small businesses are struggling due to current lending practices.

The verbiage of Senate Bill 25 is copied below.

Firearms in locked vehicles. Prohibits a person (which includes an individual, a corporation, and a governmental entity) from adopting or enforcing a policy or rule that prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting an employee of the person (including a contract employee) from legally possessing a firearm that is locked in the employee's vehicle while the vehicle is in or on the person's property. Excepts possession of a firearm: (1) on school property, on property used by a school for a school function, or on a school bus; (2) on certain child care and shelter facility property; (3) on penal facility property; (4) in violation of federal law; (5) on property belonging to an approved postsecondary educational institution; (6) on property belonging to a domestic violence shelter; and (7) at a person's residence. Provides that a person who, in compliance with the prohibition, does not adopt or enforce such a policy or rule is not liable for resulting injury or damage. Authorizes a civil action for damages, costs, attorney's fees, and injunctive relief to remedy a violation. Deletes an outdated reference.

International Sign Association - Government Relations Committee

2010-01-28T10:20:00.000-05:00

I am very excited to announce my appointment to the International Sign Association (ISA) Government Relations Committee for 2010.

The ISA has a long and impressive history of advocating for the Sign Industry. The sign companies, service providers, end users and the community at large benefit from the diligent work of the ISA. The ISA represents the industry before the US Congress and federal regulatory bodies and tracks and responds to sign code issues at the local and state levels.

The Government Relations committee seeks to improve the understanding of the social and ecomomic value of signs through an improved regulatory, legislative and case law environment. It's objectives are to support the advancement of sign rights; increase ISA's visibility and influence with the federal and state governments; increase communication and education to improve the understanding of the value of signage; enhance the ability of ISA to track and fight restrictive sign codes throughout the country; and improve upon knowledge base of attorneys and other professions relevent to the sign industry.

The current environment in several areas of the country, including Indiana, is to limit signage for aesthetic reasons. I am very concerned by this trend. The sign industry has the responsibility to educate and council local, state and federal communities on the value of signs and the rights of business to use this most valuable form of advertising.

Limitations on signage for aesthetic reasons could and does limit a business's ability to present a unique and recognizable message that is valuable to the business and potential customers. In addition, we have found that limitations on size, font, color and height can also pose a safety hazard. If a potential customer cannot find the business due to a lack of signage visibility, their eyes will wonder from the road, becoming a hazard to themselves and others. This concept is no different or less dangerous than texting while driving.

Sign Craft joined the ISA because the ISA is the advocate for the sign industry. I joined the Government Relations committee because I see a real threat to our industry and also the communities at large resulting from restrictive sign codes. It is our responsibility to get involved and become part of the solution.

Below is a link to Vital Sign - Vibrant Communities Video that was produced by the ISA. It does a very good job of showing the value of signage in our everyday lives.

http://tiny.cc/gdxXT

Freedom Field, Columbus IN.

2009-11-30T08:41:00.000-05:00

While the Sign Craft team strives to provide a quality experience and product for all clients, there are some projects, just by their nature, that command a higher sense of pride.

The building of the signage for Freedom Park in Columbus, Indiana was just one of those projects.

Freedom Park is a nine acre playground that is totally handicap accessible. The park was made possible through the generosity of individuals and corporations in the Columbus community. These donors understand the value of providing all children a safe place to be children. I do not purport to know the complete history of the park, but it's import to the community was strongly conveyed though the detailed and professional interactions our team had with the design selection team.

I would personally like to thank Randy Royer, of Browning Day Mullins and Dierdorf for recommending Sign Craft for this project and the selection committee for allowing us to participate. In addition, I would like to thank Ian Curry and Amanda Gates from Sign Craft for their dedication to this project

Sign Craft is honored to be associated with this project and appreciates the hard work and dedication of those that made this possible.

Trade Associations

2009-10-20T11:35:00.000-04:00

Yes; Trade Associations. You know the meetings many of us attend and then return to our own businesses. With all that is going on in the world, why would I select Trade Associations? The answer is simple. I have attended two of these meetings in the past few weeks and came to some interesting conclusions. They are:

1. The meetings never come at a good time and it is never very hard to convince myself that there are more pressing issues in my schedule than attending the meeting.

2. I am always pleased that I don’t “wimp” out and fall for my rationalizations and miss the meeting.

3. I always learn something new when I attend a meeting.

4. The interaction with other business owners and executive in the same Industry is invaluable.

5. Interaction with vendors allows us to keep abreast of changes and advances in the Industry.

6. Our Associations are made up of the best of the best in the Industry that are working hard for the betterment of the work environment we all compete in.
It’s just plain wrong to reap the benefits of these organizations without giving back.

My focus for the rest of this topic will be on the Midwest Sign Association (MSA). The MSA is the regional association affiliated with the International Sign Association (ISA). The coverage area is Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania. However, most of the participating companies are from Ohio and Michigan. Note that I said “Participating”. It is my view that just paying your dues does not make you a participating member and I am always surprised at the lack of participation by prominent companies.

I understand the reasons for not participating. I just don’t buy them. The combination of the MSA and the ISA does so much for all companies in the industry regardless of membership and participation. Our industry, as most others, is going through a very rapid transformation. Major issues include the move from neon to LED’s, message centers and their regulation, mercury legislation, licensing, sign codes and many, many other topics. Participation in the MSA allows us to stay abreast of these topics and if necessary, band together for the benefit of our industry and our constituents.

Participating in a trade organization reminds me of a group project. There are those that do the work and those that ride the coat tails and reap the benefits. Companies must decide if they are going to lead or sneak a free ride. It is simple to write a check and put the logo on the web site. It is much more difficult to dedicate yourself and your company to these organizations that work so hard for all of us. The bottom line is that these organizations are only as strong as the membership participation allows them to be.

I would urge any company that is a member of MSA to attend the meetings. Sign Craft has been a member since 2001 and I have attended most of the meetings. In this time, I have benefited from the updates on the ISA committees regarding legislation, education, safety and many other topics. I have gained valuable insights from the educational seminars and most importantly, the interaction with other experts that participate in our industry. For those companies that do not belong, I would urge you to consider membership for the betterment of the industry. Finally, I would urge our customers to inquire about the Company’s involvement in trade associations when making a decision. Companies that participate in Trade Associations are committing to the industry with their time, money and expertise. In my view this is the definition of Professional.

Please find the link to the MSA web site below

MSA Website

Sign Craft on the Move

2009-07-09T11:37:00.001-04:00

As noted in the July 7, 2009 IBJ Real Estate Weekly, Sign Craft Industries has secured a lease for 43,000 square feet in our current building. We are moving from the end cap location of 8920 Corporation Drive, to 8808 Corporation Drive. Our new home is located in the middle of the building.

We are currently anticipating the build-out and relocation to be completed by the beginning of October. Based on the plan developed by Phil Sheingold (COO) and the operations team, the move will not impact our ability to fabricate and meet customers’ expectations. Through the redundancy of equipment and proper planning, we will continue to work in the old space, as the new space is prepared and equipment moved.

While this is a strange time to be adding space, we believe it was necessary to assure Sign Craft’s continued growth and our ability to provide our customers the service they deserve. Sign Craft experienced a 54% increase in revenue for the first quarter of 2009. While the integration of the Sign Studio and Atlas acquisitions were contributory, the growth was primarily generated internally. This internal growth was a nice blend of successful large bids such as the Old National Bank conversion of Charter One branches and the rebranding of Vincennes University and the smaller single sign projects.

While we cannot forecast that this growth will continue, we believe that the new space will put us in a great position to take full advantage of our superior fabrication abilities when this economy turns around. Please stay tuned for further updates on this move and Sign Craft in general.

2009-03-23T20:27:00.000-04:00

Short and to the Point. I am humbled by the actions of the Guardians of Sign Craft Industries.

This past weekend, through our partnership with Hokanson Companies, Inc, we completed the exterior conversion of 65 Charter One branches to Old National Bank (ONB). This task was completed in just over 40 days. This entailed designing, permitting, fabricating and installing 77 sets of ONB channel letters within this time frame and still service our numerous other customers.

This feat necessitated the unselfish dedication of each and every Guardian in our organization. Our channel letter department was amazing in their ability to uphold our high standards for quality while at the same time turning up the volume on quantity. In addition, the custom fabricators stepped up and assisted in the fabrication of the numerous wireways. On the design and project management fronts, our staff worked diligently to get the renderings and permits through the system and finally, I can not say enough about our installation teams who worked third shift to get the signage installed.

The crescendo was this past weekend when 9 interior and 8 exterior teams touched each and every one of the 65 branches and removed banners over the newly installed exterior ONB signs and installed over 100 ONB interior banners.

It is absolutely amazing what we can accomplish together. I can not possibly thank our staff

enough for the long hours and dedication. It was truly appreciated. I am confident that we pulled off what others only dream of.

The Battle between Ascetics and Effective Advertising

2009-02-25T11:00:00.000-05:00

In these tough economic times, how is the desire of communities to improve their ascetics reconciled with the benefits businesses and communities derive from signs. This question resonated when I read an article in USA Today titled "Cities ease signage rules to boost business". The link to this article is attached to the bottom of this entry.

Over the past few years, many municipalities have reviewed their sign ordinances with an eye on improving ascetics by enacting stringent sign codes. These codes normally reduce the size and brightness of on-premise signage. This discussion does not include billboards and I will not venture an opinion on that topic. My interest lies with on-premise signage businesses use to attract and guide potential customers into their place of commerce.

Like so many other discussions, the topic heated up because of abuse and lack of proper regulation. That's right, I am calling for some legislation. However, there has to be a balance between controlling sign clutter and effective advertising.

We have found that the most stringent signage regulations were normally enacted in communities where growth was rampant and businesses were willing to tolerate the code just to open a business in that community. These regulations limited the size of letters, the color of signs, the number of signs, the type of sign to be used, the illumination of the sign, and the use of temporary signage such as banners. With regards to free standing businesses and muti-tenant buildings, these codes also restrict the number of large sign within a certain proximity to each other, the height of the sign and the illumination.

When a business opens, there is a very good reason they look to install a sign. An on-premise sign allows a business to brand itself. Many times our first impression of a business is our reaction to their sign. But the sign does much more than that. A recent survey of customers leaving new businesses that had a sign installed in the prior 30 days found that 50% of the respondents indicated the sign was the primary reason they stopped in the store. The Small Business Administration's (SBA) publication "Why use signage", notes that "in an impulse oriented business, good signage can be the difference between success and failure. Good signage can increase a business's opportunity for success."

Signs represent the most effective and least expensive form of advertising. They are on the job 24 hours, 365 days a year. According to the SBA, "the primary criteria in selecting a successful location for a business are visibility, accessibility and parking. An effective on-premise sign is a critical component of visibility, and without a properly designed and placed on-premise business sign, a commercial site cannot function at its full economic potential."

Signs also play a roll in public safety. One of the primary reasons for on-premise signage is to direct potential customers to the place of commerce. Three factors should go into the determination of the adequacy of the signage for this purpose. They are the height of the sign itself, the size/legibility of the copy and the illumination. A deficiency in any of these three factors can result in significant traffic issues. For drivers looking for a specific business, an inadequate sign will result in their paying more attention to finding the business than on the road and for impulse buyers, a late identification of the business results in driving acrobatics we have all witnessed (it's always the other driver.)

The following chart which is based on research conducted by Richard Schwab entitled "Design Considerations for On-Premise Commercial Signs," shows the distance a car travels from the time a driver first sees the sign until the car can come to a safe stop

Speed With Lane Change Without Lane Change

(In Feet) (In Feet)

25-30 410 155

35-40 550 185

45-50 680 220

55-60 720 265

>65 720 280

Now assuming the sign can be seen from the distance listed above, it must be legible. Experts recommend that the letters be a minimum of one inch tall for every 25 feet of distance. This means that the smallest sign for a 30 mile an hour speed limit would be 16.5 inches tall.
For road side signage, it is important that the sign is not concealed by landscaping, or vehicles and that it is mounted within 5 - 10 feet of the nearest edge of the public right of way.

The following table shows the suggested height to the top of the sign face based on speed. It also assumes that the bottom of the sign face will be at least 7 feet from grade to eliminate the issue with ground clutter.

Speed Lanes Height

25 2 12 ft

25 4 12 ft
35 2 20 ft
35 4 20 ft

45 2 35 ft

45 4 35 ft

55 2 50 ft

55 4 50 ft

Freeway NA 75 ft

The illumination of a sign assures readability day and night. This makes the sign a 24 hour sales person for the business. In addition, it is another factor in assisting consumers to their destination.

The newspapers and other news media bombard us with notices of layoffs and closings. However, these are just the tip of the iceberg. These normally do not report the impact on small businesses and their employee's. From the battleground, I can personally vouch that times are tough and most small businesses are feeling the pressures of this economy. As discussed in the article mentioned above, some communities are recognizing the value of signage and easing stringent sign codes. However, other communities such as Los Angeles are attempting to radically reduce the benefits of on-premise signage. Businesses need all the assistance they can get. In tough times, it is important to grab the consumers attention and nothing does that better than a well designed sign.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-01-05-signs_n.htm?loc=interstitialskip

The Lessons of ImagePoint

2009-01-19T11:09:00.000-05:00

It is 1944 and a manufacturer of plastic products opens for business in Knoxville TN. Do you think those founding members knew the impact they would have on so many lives in 2009?
Could they have ever envisioned the extreme highs their offspring would experience over its 65 year life? Conversely, did they fear the evil virus that would eventually infect and render it defunct.

My research of this company is limited to information gleaned from their website, but it appears that the founding members were true entrepreneurs. With their eyes and ears finely tuned to customer pains, they recognized a simple request from the Pet Milk Company as their chance to break from the pack . In 1947, they were asked to produce an illuminated sign made of Plexiglas. They could have looked at this as a request, but they recognized it for what it was; on opportunity to offer the market a new product that would catapult the H. G. Brooks Company to the leadership roll of the sign industry for decades to come.

The H.G Brooks Company changed their name in 1947 to Plasi-line and in 1950 they landed the contract for Coca-Cola. In 1960 they were awarded their first corporate re-imaging program for American Oil and developed the erector network to assure success. This "erector network" hired and managed local sign companies to install the signage that Plasti-line produced. This network allowed Plasti-line to expand its market share and in 1965 build a new 300,000 square foot facility in Knoxville. In that same year the founder of the company sold it to Dart Industries whom subsequently sold it to A&E Plasti-Pac in 1975.

The relevance of the A&E transaction is the leadership change to James Martin. According to their history, Mr. Martin "grew the company to the major multi-million dollar leader it is today." 1975 was also the year that Plasit-line was awarded the GM account which remained their largest account up to 2009. In 1980, Mr. Martin and two others acquired the company. In 1986 the company went public and acquired American Sign and marketing. This acquisition give them the opportunity to offer POP and indoor signage to their customers. In 2003, they changed their name to ImagePoint, to "better reflect the work we do for leading U.S. companies" and they moved into class A office space in downtown Knoxville. The ImagePoint web page states that today, "ImagePoint provides fully integrated branding solutions for the world's greatest businesses. We are an experienced partner you can trust for all your needs, from concept design to delivering a broad spectrum of facility branding solutions that meet your specific needs; project management expertise to provide complete turnkey services to navigate through the complexities of local permitting and surveying, on through to installation with the largest network of pre-qualified installers; and a nationwide preventive and on-call maintenance service program to keep your brand image consistently clean and bright."

Not exactly. On January 9, 2009, ImagePoint announced "it is shutting down, and 450 people are out of a job, the layoffs affect 270 people in Knoxville and another 180 in Florence, Ky." How could such a power house in its industry fall from grace so fast. According to Mr Martin, it resulted from the financial woes of its primary customers in the automotive and restaurant industries. According to the Company press release, they had been attempting for months to secure additional capital without success. In fact, the company claims it happened so fast that they did not have the opportunity to give their own employees the mandated 60 day notice of closure required by the WARN act.

The closure of ImagePoint is a very sad ending to a company with a grand history. However, it was not a surprise to many in and out of the industry. There were clues that the foundation of the Company was not as sound as was projected to the public.

Since its inception in 1960, the erector network fueled the growth of several small sign companies. Up until recently, getting projects from ImagePoint was good work. You were treated fairly and paid in a reasonable time frame. In my first few years at Sign Craft, we did a major project through ImagePoint for McDonalds in addition to several smaller projects. However, the last project we completed was the Bank One to Chase Bank changeover and it was quite different. The project management ImagePoint provided was top notch as always, however, when it came to getting paid, there was always something else they needed. Once that was provided (sometimes for the third for forth time) the story changed to it has been turned in, and it is accounting's responsibility. It got so bad, that we took a trip to Knoxville. There, we were told that all of the payments were processed and checks had been cut. When pressed, it was disclosed that check were cut and held for at least 90 days. That was the day we decided that ImagePoint was not our type of customer. It was not so much the delay in payment as it was the deception and/or condescending attitude of the company in letting us know that payment would be delayed. These delays came well before the economic downturn and they blamed it at that time on the slow payments of their automotive customers.

From the day they signed the GM contract until the day they closed their doors, ImagePoint was highly leveraged in the automotive industry. From the outside in, it appeared that ImagePoint did little to nothing to adjust the payment terms or limit their exposure to this distressed industry. This economic downturn has been catastrophic to the auto industry and orders of signs have probably come to a complete halt, but this was not unforeseen.

Reports are that the credit crunch was the final culprit that brought the company to its knees. Wachovia refused to extend more credit and demanded the liquidation of the Company. There was a report by Larry Mock, managing partner of Navigation Capital Partners, an Atlanta private equity firm that Navigation and others offered to put in $10 million of equity and $3 million in a standby debt facility, to support a Wachovia loan of about $11 million. He wrote that after a 45-minute meeting with Wachovia in December, the bank "never contacted Navigation again" That may be accurate and Wachovia may in fact be culpable for not working with the company, but this is not normal for a bank unless they do not have confidence in the company and the actions they are implementing to correct the situation.

All Companies have a fiduciary responsibility to their customers, vendors and employees and the impact of the ImagePoint closure will have a dramatic impact on all parties.
The impact on the employees is obvious, however, it is surprising that they did not see this coming. Sign Craft quit doing business with ImagePoint because of a lack of confidence arising from responses to direct questions to ImagePoint employees. It was common knowledge that the company was delaying payments to erectors and not being truthful. It was common knowledge two years ago that the Company had cash flow issues.

The impact on the customers will vary based on the level of work that was with ImagePoint. ImagePoint made it very clear to erectors that their customers did not provide deposits. If this is accurate, the impact on customers is the work in process that will now have to be recontracted with another Company and delays in installation. Incredibly, the customers are probably the least affected.

The vendors will be the big losers in this closure. Based on several conversations, many read the tea leaves and either had ImagePoint on COD or had quit working with them. However, since ImagePoint outsourced much of their work, there is a discomfort that wholesalers have been contracted by the outsource company and are not aware yet of their true exposure. There were obviously a significant number of erectors that were still doing work for ImagePoint. Many of these will not make it. This will result in more closures and employees without jobs. In the normal trickle down process, the vendors of these erectors will also incur losses.

There are many lessons to be learned from this story and while they cannot assure a company can make it through difficult times, learning these lessons can greatly improve the odds.

Know your stakeholders and treat them with honesty and with respect. This includes employees, vendors, and customers. In hard times, people will work with those they trust and can rely on.

Constantly review the inherent risk in business relationships. It was apparent several years ago that ImagePoint was over reliant on the automotive industry.

Do what is necessary to secure the survival of the company. Sometimes this means reducing the level of business with a customer or in the worst case firing the customer.

Aggressively protect cash. This includes collection and payment procedures.

Do not let your pride get in the way of good business decisions. In 2003, ImagePoint moved to class A office space in downtown Knoxville. While this may have made the employees feel better, it is hard to imagine how it added to the bottom line. All business decisions should have a focus on profitability and cash flow.

The Right Practice

2008-12-17T08:20:00.000-05:00

Like many other sports fans, I watched the Heisman ceremony last weekend and was very impressed with all three candidates. They were all great ambassadors for sports and any one of them would have been a deserving winner. However, it was the response to a question by the eventual winner, Sam Bradford that caught my attention. The question was “how were you able to be so accurate in your passing, completing over 70 percent of your passes, this year? His response was “I worked on my technique and practiced it over and over”.

This response immediately brought back a life changing moment I had the opportunity to share with my daughter, Christina. It happened shortly after she made the decision to leave her successful gymnastics "career" and take up golf. We had been to the range a few times and she was doing pretty well. However, I was still a little skeptical she would stick with it. OK, I was very skeptical. My daughter was/(is) very social and loved the talk. These were not the traits I would expect to see as enhancers to becoming a successful golfer. Regardless, I was pleased that she wanted to try her hand at the game, so I encouraged her.

The moment happened when we were on a vacation in Florida. I noticed that the PGA pro at the course we were playing was filming a lesson. I asked her if she would be interested in getting an experts opinion on her potential and also receive a video of her lesson that she could keep. She was so excited. We set up the lesson for the next day.

When we arrived at the lesson, I immediately knew I was in for something special. Gary, the PGA pro made a special connection with Christina. It was obvious that he cared. Our lesson was for a half hour, but that didn't matter. He was working with a kid that showed some potential and a passion for the game. The lesson lasted for two hours and he never looked at his watch. My daughter had found one of her mentors.

The moment happened about half way through the lesson. Christina was hitting shots and Gary was taping. All of the sudden, he stopped and asked her to come over and view the tape. He asked her what caught her eye. She started reciting the things he had mentioned were wrong in her swing. He asked her to look past herself in the frame and look at the background. What we noticed was a group of “golfers” hitting balls with some of very bad swings. Balls were going everywhere but straight. It was actually very funny.

Now for the lesson:

Gary informed Christina that practice without a purpose was a waste of time. It is not the quantity of practice as much as it is the quality of practice. Many years ago, I read the definition of insanity is doing the same things we have always done and expecting different results. Exactly! Here was the perfect example. The members of this course were primarily very successful retired business men, but here they were paying money to practice a flawed golf swing. They could have just as easily have spent the money to go to a PGA professional to correct their swing.

My takeaways from this lesson are the following:

If you are going to take up a new interest, find a mentor or professional in the field to assist in shortening the learning curve and eliminating bad habits at the beginning.
As you proceed down the learning curve, stay in touch with that mentor to assure that you stay on the path to success.
Practice with a purpose. In the work environment, I see so many people that remind me of the golfers on the range. They come in and do today just what they did the day before.
Continually evaluate your performance and look for ways to improve.
Practice, practice, practice. Winners work hard when nobody is watching in order to perform when they are. When asked if Christina could be a good competitive golfer, Gary's response was it depends on how much she wants it and how hard she works.
Pay it forward. My daughter has a life long friend that has her best interest at heart. It is her responsibility to Gary and the game to pass on the knowledge.

Through the implementation of these takeaways, you will greatly increase your chances of staying in the groove.

The Groove

2008-12-14T11:14:00.000-05:00

I was sitting in my office today and I could not get a Jeffrey Gitomer quote out of my head. Mr. Gitomer stated that, "the only difference between being in the groove and being in a rut is the depth of the hole." What? Why was this wacky quote sticking with me? I couldn't understand why it was resonating with me at that moment. I had to figure it out. When I first read this comment, I filed it as just another consultant cliché. So why was it now dominating my thoughts?

Then it hit me. I remembered when I was a teenager getting stuck in a snow bank I remembered that my solution was to put it in drive and hit the gas. When that didn't work, I did what every teenager does; I hit the gas again. The only thing I accomplished was turning a groove into an impassible rut. More importantly, I remember my dad's only comment, "if hitting the gas made the problem worse the first time, what made you think hitting it again would solve the problem."

There it was. A literal example of a metaphoric comment. I then thought back seven years to my first conversation with the Staff at Sign Craft. In this meeting, I made it clear that " satisfaction was strictly forbidden". I could see in their faces what they were thinking - "What a pompous jerk". In fact, some of the employees took this comment as a personal attack and accused me of threatening their jobs. Nothing could have been further from the truth. I was actually giving them the key to job security. The world is always changing and there are so many examples of leaders falling because they did not keep up with the changing landscape of business.

My job in 2001 was to move Sign Craft out of their rut and find a new groove. Being open to change was not good enough, Sign Craft needed to demand change. This does not mean that we did not celebrate our successes, it just meant that even in success, we looked for ways to improve. It also meant that we needed to evaluate everything we were doing and determine those that were not working and do something different.

That was seven years ago and the Company has come a long way. However, my message to the staff will still be "satisfaction is strictly forbidden." This has been my message every year. Our objective is to stay in the groove though the implementation of continual improvement. We recently completed our evaluation of the organization and staffing of the combined Sign Craft /Atlas. We completed this task in four steps. First we determined the best structure for the combined company. The next two steps were to determine the necessary skill set for each position and then to match the skill sets of our staff to those positions. The final step was to put the right people in the right positions.

To implement this process properly, we had to set aside our feelings towards our staff and concentrate on what was best for the business. This was difficult, but necessary. The final result we believe will be the foundation for a better and stronger Company going forward. Several people were moved into positions that better fit their capabilities and chances for success. The bottom line is we are better suited to meet or exceed our customers expectations.

My commitment to the Guardians of Sign Craft is that I will never be satisfied. I will continue to look for ways to improve the overall organization. Our focus in 2009 will be to on solving our customers pains with regards to signage. All of our efforts will be focused on continual improvement, primarily in the areas of communication and delivery. 2008 was a great year. We increased revenues in tough economic times, we completed two acquisitions, we strengthened the quality of our staff, we improved our IT capabilities and systems and added some very strong clients to our family of customers. I am certain that we all are aware that the economic climate for 2009 is not pretty. This does not give us a free excuse to accept mediocrity. By removing the word "satisfied" from our vocabulary and focusing on continued improvement, we will improve our products and services to our customers and increase our potential for growth.

I am proud of the accomplishments of our Guardians in 2008 and look forward to continued successes in 2009.

Is Your Sign Working For You?

2008-11-20T10:04:00.000-05:00

You wake up in the morning and drive to work and the first thing you notice is that your sign is not illuminating. Great - Just what you needed. All you hear on the TV and radio is how dire the economic situation is becoming. The headline in the Wall Street journal today was “fears over the financial and automotive sectors as well as the broader economy showed no signs of abating.” Your customers are cutting out spending and your revenue has begun to decrease. In order to survive this downturn you are committed to cutting expenses. Surely putting off fixing that sign for a few months is the right thing to do.

When business gets tough, it is important to conserve cash. All expenses should be reviewed and justified. However, the decisions on what expenses need to be cut can be tricky. While putting off the service on the sign may appear on the surface to be a good choice, it could result in additional reductions in revenue.

A quality working sign brands your business and attracts new customers. We all can remember times when we were visiting a new city, driving down a street looking for a restaurant and made the decision based on the sign. According to the US Chamber of Commerce, on-premise signs draw in as much as 50% of a new business’s customers. According to the SBA, without a well designed properly functioning sign, a commercial site cannot function at its full economic potential.

The converse of this is also true. On the same trip to a new city, we can also remember not stopping at a restaurant because of the condition of the sign. Consciously or unconsciously, we all make decisions about businesses based on the visual appearance of the premises. Your sign is a vital component of this perception.

On my way into work this morning, I noted no less than 15 signs that were either not illuminating or in some state of ill repair. This amounted to over one sign per mile. What is the message these businesses are projecting to the public?

In tough economic times, the competition for decreasing consumer dollars increases. Money spent on the appearance of the premises, branding and advertising can be easy targets for reductions because it is difficult to quantify the return on investment. However, I would contend that expenses that support or enhance revenue streams should not be reduced and quite frankly should probably be increased. Consumers frequent business that project confidence. If a business’s signage is outdated, difficult to read or in ill repair, it is sending the wrong message to the consumer. As stated in Vital Signs – Vibrant Communities, “Nothing says open for business like a good sign”.

To view Vital Signs - Vibrant Communities, please click on this link.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtyBFzGry7I&eurl=http://www.signs.org/

Clarity of Message

2008-11-13T15:09:00.000-05:00

In the famous words of Forrest Gump, "I am not a smart man", but it would seem to me that the Treasury has a huge perception/credibility problem resulting from their recent about face on the use of the TARP funds. My focus is not on the actual use of the funds but in the way the Treasury surprised the markets and congress with the announcement and the lesson that businesses can learn.
As background for anyone that decided to tune out all the negative news, the treasury scraped their original plan on how it is going to distribute the $700 BILLION recovery plan. The treasury spent two solid weeks in late September negotiating with congress to devise the plan to purchase distressed assets from financial institutions in the hopes that it would encourage these institutions to begin lending again. This plan was made public and the treasury had already begun to distribute funds under this plan. Then, without prior notice, the Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson changed course and announced that the funds would be directly injected into banks and other financial institutions and on unclogging markets that fund consumer debt.As I stated, my point is not on which of these strategies is correct. This is a difficult problem that quite frankly makes my head spin. The issue is the clarity of communication and the impact of ambiguity and/or surprise. In response to Mr. Paulson's announcement, members of congress made comments like, "Mr. Paulson has his hand on the tiller and has to do what he thinks is right, but it would've been good to communicate with the markets and congress his thinking" and "such a rapid reversal raised questions about the department's future plans for the rescue funds."
I believe we sometimes forget our stakeholders when we make decisions. None of us live in a vacuum. The only thing I remember from High School Physics is that “every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” I find this to be true in so many aspects of business.
Surprises are very rarely a good thing. Our stakeholders do business with us to fulfill a preconceived benefit. It is our responsibility to bring clarity to this expectation in order to meet or exceed it. If we are trying to bring the highest quality product to a customer that is looking for value or on time delivery, we have increased the chances for conflict because our focus in not congruent with their needs.
Conversely, we also go into interactions with a motive. It is also our responsibility to provide clarity to the stakeholder of our expectations. For Sign Craft, this could be the furnishing of all the appropriate information in a timely manner in order for us to meet their deadline or their adherence to our credit terms.
When both sides have a clear understanding of the expectations, potential conflict is significantly reduced. However, it is not completely mitigated. With the introduction of time and outside influences any transaction has the potential to break down into conflict. Examples would be the impact of one party not meeting their delivery date because a subcontractor missing their deadline, a truck breaking down or weather. The issue is not the outside influence, but the how, when and where the effected party communicates with their stakeholder.
For example, if our product is purchased by a purchasing manager that works in a Corporation, our customer is the Corporation. However, we also have a responsibility to that purchasing agent that made the decision to use our company. When issues arise, it is how you react that determines the quality of a company. Issues will arise. Therefore, a fluid system must be in place to handle these issues. The following are the necessary steps to this system:

Do a detailed analysis of the situation to make sure the issue and the impact on the transaction are completely understood. The key word is detailed. Issues have a tendency to snowball because of solutions that are not well thought out or implemented hastily.

Determine if the problem can be resolved without impact to the stakeholder. If the answer is yes, get it done.

If the stakeholder is impacted, notify them as soon as possible. The goal is to bring clarity to the situation and to bring the transaction back into balance as quickly as possible.

This notification should be made to the person that is personally invested in the transaction. Include this person in the decision making process. This stakeholder’s reputation in their company may be at stake. By allowing them to become part of the solution, they may be able to mitigate damage to themselves, their company and ours.

Once a solution is determined, bring clarity to the solution for both parties.

Rectify the situation as quickly as possible.

Be prepared for other issues that could arise because of the change.

Communicate with the stakeholder when the transaction is completed.

Assure that the stakeholder is satisfied with the outcome.
This is a very over simplified system. It is not difficult, but it is rarely followed. Clarity of communication can only happen when both parties understand the motives of the other party. This is true in all aspects of life. When issues arise, we must slow down and make sure our solutions continue to be congruent with the needs of the other party. In the case of the Treasury, announcing their change to the public without sending up test balloons or discussing the changes with congress resulted in frustration in the congress and an immediate 400 point decrease in the markets.

Pillar Awards

2008-10-18T07:26:00.000-04:00

Sign Craft Industries was recently nominated for a Fishers, Indiana Chamber of Commerce Pillar Award. We were in the category of Business of the year. The other nominees were Community Home Health Services, St. Vincent Carmel Hospital, WestPoint Financial, MacDougall Pierce and Meyer Najem. These are fantastic companies and we were honored to be included in this prestigious list. Our heart felt congratulations goes out to the winner, Meyer Najem.

While it would have been nice to win, I still view the nomination as a significant milestone for Sign Craft.

There we were standing next to the big boys. We were not up for small business of the year. It was Business of the Year. This has been a long hard journey for many of us. It was not that long ago that we were a small company that only serviced product we produced. Over the past seven years, we have generated a compound annual growth rate of 29% in revenues and 20% in Guardian employment. It was gratifying to realize that others outside the Company recognized the hard work and dedication of our Guardians in expanding our market presence without sacrificing quality and/or service.

It was especially nice to have the recognition come from the Fishers Chamber. This Chamber is extraordinary. It is run like a business with a focus on their Mission Statement. I cannot say enough good things about the leadership provided by their President, Christi Wolf. The Chamber received a five star accreditation from the United States Chamber of Commerce. This is their highest rating and very few Chambers achieve this level.

Finally, we are very proud of the Sign Craft Guardians for their involvement in the Fishers community. Fishers is a fantastic place to live and work and was recently named by Money magazine as the tenth best place to live in the nation. The magazine cited Fishers strong economy, home prices, and good schools as factors placing it in the top ten. Our Guardians recognize that for Fishers to continue to progress, it will take the continued involvement of the corporate community. Our guardians are committed to assisting with the design of a progressive sign ordinance, involvement on chamber committees and any other opportunity where their participation would be beneficial. In addition, the Company is committed to providing sponsorship to Chamber events.

Nomination for this prestigious award was further validation of the value of hard work and dedication to community. Sign Craft is committed to Fishers and we are proud to be viewed as one of the communities best businesses. With an eye on growth and community, who knows some day we may just win the Pillar. Congratulations again to Meyer Najem, but also to all the Sign Craft Guardians that made our nomination possible.

SLOW DOWN TO GO FASTER

2008-10-13T15:03:00.000-04:00

Why is it that certain thoughts and comments resonate with us? I was reading a book and came across a comment that I have read a hundred different times about a hundred different circumstances; but this time it caught my attention like never before. The comment was "we need to learn to work smarter, not harder to get ahead." I believe the reason this comment caught my attention is the turmoil in the world, at Sign Craft and in my personal life. While the world turmoil is at best challenging and at worst down right scary, the turmoil at Sign Craft and in my personal life is actually very exciting.

I have found that turmoil is usually caused by change. Note that this change does not have to be negative to create a stressful environment. Most people do not react well to change. Change normally involves taking a risk and risk has a tendency to increase the blood pressure. However, I am less interested in the reaction to change and turmoil than I am in the process I witness people take to new situations.

My slogan has been "slow down to go faster". What! Is that an oxymoron. How can you slow down AND go faster. When I read "we need to learn to work smarter, not harder to get ahead," it brings me right back to "slow down to go faster". I believe the basis of both of these comments is in the attitude, planning, education, communication, follow-through and review. In my observations, new situations are often met with bad attitudes meshed with ill-planned, un-researched solutions that are poorly communicated to those performing the project with no follow-up or review. Amazing how in these situations we get the same lackluster results. It is possible to change theses result by focusing on these key points. I will shortly discuss all of these below:

Attitude

A common reaction to change is to immediately go to the negative. Certain individuals can always come up with reasons why anything outside the norm should not be done. Please do not think they are not creative, some of the reasons they give are very creative. It is not that they do not care. I have found some of these naysayers to be the most dedicated and hard working individuals I have ever worked with. They are just pessimist and adverse to risk. Unfortunately, I would contend that pessimist have a tendency of making sure their fears are realized. I am not saying that all new ideas are great and should not be viewed with a bit of scepticism, however, opportunity does not always come directly and drop in your lap. Attitude and the willingness to do a detail review of new opportunities are critical. As stated by peace Pilgrim, "If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought."

Planning

Details, details, details. Most of our costly errors are created by not spending enough time in the details. This is the cornerstone of "slow down to go faster." We all have a tendency to get into routines. Routines are the ruin of planning. Because we believe we know all there is to know, we take shortcuts and circumvent the planning stage. The best planning systems created can be crushed by assumptions. By going through the planning process and including all that will have an impact on the outcome, we can eliminate routine and assumptions. Not all people are detail oriented. That is why it is crucial to have a detail oriented person involved in the process that will champion the planning phase. At Sign Craft, this falls on the GM and the Project Managers.

Education

We all get so busy that it can be difficult to keep up with the changes happening in our chosen field. This again leads to answers based on past experiences and is dangerous when the business environment is changing. Business is always in a state of flux. Even if there are not revolutionary changes happening in a specific industry, the interaction of that industry with the overall economy, and its employees, customers and vendors demands that we remain educated. Education is as easy as reading trade magazines, interacting with the leaders in your field, attending seminars or classes and several other conventional or unconventional methods of increasing our knowledge base. The death of many businesses has been the lack of knowledge of dramatic changes. Without knowledge, we can not prepare and potentially profit from changes and or advances in our given industry and the economy as a whole.

Communication

I have heard time and time again how nice it would be if we did not have to rely on anyone else for success. Unfortunately, this is very rarely feasible. Proper, timely and appropriate communication is the cornerstone of success. This is true for both internal and external communications. This is also a far reaching topic that others have spent years researching. My intention here is to highlight the importance of communication.

In the sign industry, quite a bit of time elapses between the placement of the order and the delivery of the sign. Unfortunately, the norm has been little or no communication with the customer during this “dark period”. Often, the first communication is that the signage will not be delivered on the due date. This is unacceptable. The customer should have a clear understanding of the status of their order at all times. In addition, they should not be surprised by what they receive as the final product. Finally, bad news or any news where the tone could be misconstrued, should not be done via email. It should be delivered by telephone or face to face.

Internal communication is no less important and is very similar. We all have to rely on others to get the job done. It is important that the information moves up and down the chain of command fluidly and accurately to assure that the customer receives a quality on time product. Again, errors occur because of assumptions. Through the use of proper communication, assumptions can be eliminated. Proper communication would encompasses the right people being informed at the right time with accurate information. It also is important that all the pertinent questions have been asked and answered, all the answers to open questions resolved and conveyed to the appropriate people and that any new questions that arise are directed to the right person. It is a ever moving circle of information.

Follow through

This is as easy as doing what we agreed to do. Again, this can be external as well as internal. Again, we must rely on other people. The basis of this reliance is a trust that the other person is doing what they agree to. If this is not the case, than communication needs to begin again and a new agreement reached. Problems will most always arise when we vary off the agreed upon plan. This is also true with customers, employees and vendors.

Review

Where proper planning is the foundation for the short term, review is the foundation for the long term. By doing an analysis of each process and/or job, we are able to determine where we could improve. This improvement can come in many forms such as efficiency, profitability, customer satisfaction or safety just to name a few. In addition, by including all parties in the review, we exponentially increase the benefits derived out of this review. However, these benefits are only as good as the changes we incorporate into the new processes/jobs. Review without implementation is a waste of valuable resources, time and money.

We need to learn to work smarter, not harder to get ahead. Slow down to go faster. Both of these statements demand that we engage our brains to derive better solutions. Throughout the day it is easy to find examples of people doing a process exactly like they did it the day before. When you ask why the do it that way, they will reply either, “this is the way I was taught” or “this is the way I have always done it”. If you follow up with the question, is this the best way to do it? They will often look at you perplexed. Many have not been asked to become part of the solution.

At Sign Craft, we want all of our people to take a critical eye towards their responsibilities and come up with a better way. This is not a one time look. Every job should be looked at as a chance for improvement. By working smarter, we can increase efficiencies and better serve our customers.

Comments on the acquistion of Atlas Sign

2008-09-28T05:33:00.000-04:00

I am writing this entry in response to the numerous questions about the future of Atlas Sign. As with any combination, there are rumors surrounding the transaction and the future of both Sign Craft Industries and Atlas Sign. As we stated in our press release dated September 15, 2008, we have a high regard for Mr. Gilley, the prior owner of Atlas, and the Atlas Sign Company. Over the past 25 years, Atlas has built a great reputation and a solid customer base.

In the near term, it is the intent of Sign Craft Industries to continue to operate out of our current facilities at 3150 Rand Road Indianapolis, IN under the name of Atlas Sign and 8920 Corporation Drive Indianapolis, IN as Sign Craft Industries.

We are beginning the process or evaluating the best long term solution for Sign Craft and Atlas Sign with a primary focus on best servicing our current and future customers.

For the current Atlas Customers, it is the intent of Sign Craft Industries to honor the contracts and warranties in place from Atlas Sign Company and incorporate the Sign Craft commitment to on-time deliveries of quality products and services. We are excited about the opportunities this combination of two fine companies will bring to the market and look forward serving your signage needs.

Thank you for your continued support and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 317-842-8664 Extension 320.

Recent Growth

2008-09-25T13:43:00.000-04:00

The past few months have been as interesting as any I have experienced in my short 30 years in business.

At the beginning of 2008, I set a goal for Sign Craft to more than double its revenues in two years. This was a pretty lofty goal considering we had already grown by over 400%. So what made me so bold?

The answer is both complex and simple. Nothing is achievable if a goal is not established and progress towards that goal is not monitored. Conversely, anything is possible when a stretch goal is established as the guiding light of all activity.

While there are many proponents of this logic, it is not as easy as it sounds. Day to day activities, people issues and tough times are just a few of the distractions that make a goal just words on a sign. When this happens, the goals are hung right next to the mission statement and forgotten.

Goals are not accomplished if they are not internalized and lived. Through this process, goals take on a life of their own.

When I established the goal, I announced it to my staff and certain other key Guardians. I also expressed it to many of our business partners and associates. Publicizing my goal sharpened my resolve and made it difficult to renege. I then constantly reiterated the goal. This was again intended to keep our focus on the prize. However it also generated buy-in by the key management team who were critical to the plans success.

What I did not expect when I set this goal was the economic downturn we are now experiencing. Many believed that based on these events, I would reset the goal to a more “achievable” level. Not a chance. A goal is set to guide us though hard times. In fact it is in hard times that creative solutions sometimes create the best opportunities.

That has been the case for Sign Craft. By taking the time to invest in technology and hiring the best people, we were able to continually improve our core competencies and strengthen our balance sheet. This allowed us to not only weather hard times but flourish.

Companies, as with people, normally react in one of three ways to hard times. They either look at them as opportunities, challenges to survival or catastrophes. Those companies that plan for bad times are prepared and are sometimes able to find great opportunities at favorable prices. This was confirmed again today when JP Morgan Chase announced the acquisition of Washington Mutual at a discount.

In 2008, Sign Craft has chosen to look for opportunities and have taken the necessary steps to profitably grow the business. These actions put us in a position to complete two very favorable acquisitions that will add quality annuity clients to our already strong customer base, dramatically increase our fabrication, installation and service assets and capabilities and most importantly add fantastic personnel to the team.

I am a firm believer in stretch goals and I believe that this goal is a primary reason we should be close to our double by the end of 2009. In addition, I am a believer in good people and Sign Craft has the best. The moves we have made this year would not be possible without their buy in to our stretch goal and more importantly, their dedication and hard work. I am forever in awe and grateful.