The ownership partners of (l. to r.) CEO Dale Gravning, Jamie Sutterfield, and President Jim Sutterfield and their staff completed a ‘miracle’ project with Haggen’s expansion last year, and Signs Plus is on a 30 percent annual growth track. (Photo by Patrick Downing)
according to Sutterfield. “We have invested heavily in automated technology since 2013, reducing labor costs and making us competitive with the larger regional and national sign companies we find ourselves competing with. “Many of our new clients who were purchasing signs out of state and having them shipped to Washington have now turned to us locally for much of their Pacific Northwest signage needs.” Signs Plus also purchased a new production facility on Marine Drive in 2013 that provided nearly 20,000 square feet, double its previous Bellingham facility. The improvements continue with the recent acquisition of its first 3D printer. Jim and Jamie Sutterfield founded Signs Plus in 1992, beginning as a small commercial shop creating banners, promotional signs, and vehicle lettering. They became partners with Jim’s parents, John and Betty Vargas, in 1994. Four years later Signs Plus purchased an electrical manufacturing and installation company that opened the doors to a much larger market. Signs Plus now designs, manufactures, installs, and services a broad array of signage – electric, neon, direction, banners, murals, and more. One of their more fun projects that Sutterfield recalled was making all the signage that appeared on the sets of a movie, “Walking Tall,” (2004), a remake starring The Rock. In 2005 John and Betty Vargas retired and Gravning, a Bellingham native, returned home to become a co-owner and CEO. With such
strong local ties, it’s no surprise that Signs Plus is active in the community, making in-kind donations and encouraging employees to serve as board members and event volunteers for not-for-profit organizations. “We believe in supporting and giving back to our communities,” Sutterfield said, “and we have made the community an extension of the service we provide to our customers.”
Describing a project remodeling 23 Haggen stores that helped boost sales by 30 percent last year: “We effectively did almost three years’ worth of work in a six-month period. And we completed every location on time.” — Co-owner/President Jim Sutterfield, Signs Plus
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