Sign Builder June 2021

THE HOW-TO MAGAZINE

J U N E 2021 | S I G N S H O P.CO M

DRIVING

DESIGN SIGN BUILDER

GETTING GRAPHIC WITH SIGN SHOPS

ILLUSTRATED

WOMEN LEADERS 2021: TAKING THE REINS OF SIGN COMPANIES

PROJECT MANAGEMENT: FAST TURNAROUND SIGNAGE FOR QSR

CONTENTS JUNE 2021

VOL. 35

NO. 311

HOW-TO COLUMNS

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CRAFTING YOUR DIGITAL IDENTITY

By Jim Hingst How to develop an effective content marketing strategy.

DEPARTMENTS

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10 30

Cover Photo: Just Fab Graphics.

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EDITOR’S COLUMN

Editor Jeff Wooten reviews our latest Webinar devoted to hiring young talent and previews this month’s Women Leaders 2021 special.

IN THE INDUSTRY

Three opportunities to sell signs based on post-pandemic activities, a multiplex employs projection solutions, results of new sign industry economic report, and putting up graphics on an exterior brick wall.

SBI MARKETPLACE

Advertisements and announcements from the sign trade.

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SHOP TALK

Chris Biscuitti introduces you to Tustin, California’s Small Business of the Year.

FEATURES

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24

SIGN SHOW

The newest products and services from sign manufacturers.

20 22

WOULD YOU LIKE SIGNS WITH THAT?

By Ashley Bray Kemp Signs provides a fast turnaround on signs for quick-service restaurants.

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SPECIAL: WOMEN LEADERS 2021

What happens when women take the reins of sign companies?

COMMUNITY BUILDER

By Ashley Bray Wendy Graves builds relationships in and out of the sign shop.

LEARNING & LEADING

By Ashley Bray Lisandra Hernandez-Lopez continues to elevate her company and her career.

ALL IN THE FAMILY

By Ashley Bray Courtney Ramos-Fincher leads her family’s company into the future.

DRIVING DESIGN

By Ashley Bray Lindsay Theisen turns a passion for design into a graphics business.

RISING ABOVE

By Ashley Bray Brenda Velázquez’s business philosophy is taking her places.

June 2021

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June 2021, Vol. 35, No. 311 Sign Builder Illustrated (ISSN 0895-0555) print, (ISSN 2161-0709) digital is published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation

Subscriptions: 800-895-4389

EXECUTIVE OFFICES

President and Chairman Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. Group Publisher Gary Lynch 88 Pine Street, 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10005 Office: 212-620-7247; Cell 646-637-5206

EDITORIAL

Editor Jeff Wooten 323 Clifton Street, Suite #7, Greenville, NC 27858 212-620-7244 jwooten@sbpub.com Managing Editor Ashley Bray 212-620-7220 abray@sbpub.com Contributing Writers Chris Biscuitti, Jim Hingst

ART

Art Director Nicole D’Antona Graphic Designer Hillary Coleman

PRODUCTION

Corporate Production Director Mary Conyers

CIRCULATION

Circulation Director Maureen Cooney mcooney@sbpub.com

ADVERTISING SALES Sales Manager David Harkey 212-620-7223 dharkey@sbpub.com

Sign Builder Illustrated is published monthly. All rights reserved. Nothing herein may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher. To purchase PDF files of cover and layouts or hard copy reprints, please call Gary Lynch at 212-620-7247 or e-mail glynch@sbpub.com.

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EDITOR’S COLUMN

AGENDA

BY JEFF WOOTEN

Note: Due to COVID-19 concerns, all events listed below are subject to change. Please check each show’s Web site for any cancellations or reschedulings that may have taken place after press time.

JULY 2021 JULY 21-24:

The Mid-South Sign Association’s SignConnexion event will be occurring at the Ross Bridge Golf Resort in Birmingham, Alabama. (midsouthsign.org)

OCTOBER 2021

Upward and Onward

OCTOBER 6-8:

PRINTING United Alliance, which brings together the largest and most diverse audience in the printing industry, is scheduled to take place in Orlando, Florida. (printingunited.com)

Young people and women are making an impact.

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June 2021

International Sign Association to inspire and empower women in the sign, graphics, and visual communications industry and help them aspire to elevated leadership roles in their company.

A recent survey of manufacturers conducted by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute found that 30 percent of overall manufacturing professionals are women, and while they only represent a quarter of production jobs, concerningly one in four women indicated that they are considering leaving the industry because of career progression.

Meanwhile a recent Small Business Trends survey that was conducted by the Small Business Trends Alliance found that 32 percent of small business owners are women (an increase from last year’s 27 percent).

The sign industry crosses into both of these categories (manufacturing and business), and we hope these profiles of just a few of the women who are doing outstanding work designing graphics, building and installing signs, and managing businesses will give you a better understanding of their viewpoints. We also hope it will show you why the sign industry continues to stand out amongst all the other manufacturing segments to them.

JEFF WOOTEN Editor, jwooten@sbpub.com

OCTOBER 25-29:

The 2021 LightFair architectural and commercial lighting conference and tradeshow, which will be incorporating new safety protocols and specific mitigration measures, will be happening at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, New York. (lightfair.com)

NOVEMBER 2021 NOVEMBER 4-6:

Photo: Shutterstock/ Maderla.

L

ast month, I previewed our Webinar, “Successful Ways to Recruit Younger Workers to Your Shop,” and I wanted to let you know that it is officially available in the Industry Resources section of our Web site (https://bit.ly/2RhY6jb).

I was honored to speak with Stephanie Poyant Moran, director of Sales Operations at Poyant Signs in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and Thomas Lamont, a teacher at the famed U.S. Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School (or Valley Tech, for short) in Upton, Massachusetts and co-implementer of the school’s revamped and enhanced Painting & Design Technology program that even encompasses signs and graphics (“School Signage,” January 2021).

If you’re interested in bringing onboard high school, trade school, or college students at your shop, then be sure to check out our conversation. Hear their advice on how to make your sign business more attractive to younger workers, better ways to get the word out about your shop and any job opportunities for them, whether you need to adapt your management style, and more—including how family-owned shops can continue to keep younger generations interested in the business.

This month, you’ll notice that we also have a Women Leading the Industry special series of articles grouped under “Women Leaders 2021” branding. Women Leading the Industry is an initiative put together by our magazine and the

Reconnect, Rethink, and Recharge, in-person, at the 2021 SEGD Conference Experience Philadelphia. This gathering is the only conference specifically created for the experiential design community. The three-day event will focus on inspiration and education, with a combination of hands-on workshops, design tours, summits, networking socials, thought leadership sessions, and the NEXPO show floor. (segd.org)

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IN THE INDUSTRY

TRENDS:

N

ew York City, New York—AMC Global, an international custom market research firm specializing in launch strategies and brand tracking, and OpinionRoute, a leader in insights process management, released the twenty-eighth wave of its ongoing study on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study, which polled 300 consumers over the age of 21, focused on pandemic-related trends that respondents would like to see continue, such as new ways of dining, increased outdoor seating and food delivery, and more “shopping local” behaviors.

There are plenty of signage opportunities to take advantage of based on these findings, and we’ve highlighted three.

1. Dining. The restaurant/bar industry

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was one of the hardest hit by the pandemic and, as a result, one of the most innovative industries. Some new practices, like increased outdoor seating, curbside pick-up, and QR code-driven virtual menus, will continue as consumers demand these services.

According to the AMC Global study, 68 percent of respondents want to see restaurant delivery of food to your car or curbside pickup continue. This means restaurants will need signage (outdoor banners, pole signs, or even window graphics) to tell customers where to park and a number to call for pick-up, if applicable.

Another trend over the last few months was the rise of QR code-driven virtual menus to prevent the sharing of physical menus. For QR code menus to work,

guests must have a way to scan the code, and this is where signage comes in.

Banners, tabletop tents, window graphics, decals applied to tables, etc., can all be printed with the menu’s QR code and displayed throughout the restaurant.

2. Retail. While the pandemic pushed a large portion of shopping online, it also led to increased patronage of local shops as consumers sought to support those store owners in their communities. According to this study, 79 percent of respondents said they wanted to continue shopping at more local, independent stores.

Reach out to the local shops in your area about new window graphics, posters, or even an outdoor digital display.

Educate them on how branding and signage can help their businesses keep up signshop.com

Photo: (Top) Shutterstock/antoniodiaz.

THREE OPPORTUNITIES TO SELL SIGNS BASED ON POST-PANDEMIC ACTIVITIES

MULTIPLEX EMPLOYS PROJECTION SOLUTIONS

Photos: (Top) Shutterstock/Shaun Waldie; (Bottom) Sinalite.

C

the sales momentum.

Similar to restaurants, curbside pickup grew in popularity among in-person shoppers at big box stores, local shops, and grocery stores. According to this study, 65 percent of respondents want to see curbside/parking lot delivery of goods from non-food retailers continue, while 62 percent say they want curbside pickup of groceries to continue.

Just like with restaurants, these retail businesses will need signage explaining the curbside pick-up process and where to park. Think designated parking signs, pole signs, window graphics, and even column wraps in parking garages.

3. Healthcare. The healthcare field was not exempt from the changes ushered in by COVID-19. Many doctor’s signshop.com

appointments are now held virtually. And when a patient does visit a provider’s office, they often have to wait in their car before being admitted in.

In fact, 49 percent of respondents of the AMC Global survey hope that this practice continues.

With this in mind, signage opportunities at doctor’s offices can include window graphics, parking lot signs, and outdoor banners. Signage printed with QR codes also play a role here as many patients are prompted to use QR codes that take them to a health screening or intake form they fill out on their phones.

Bottom line? The world and the way many of us do business may have changed, but the need for signs has not.

—Ashley Bray

Y P R E S S , C A L I F O R N I A— Theater goers to the upgraded Venice Cinemas in Taoyuan City, Taiwan, are being greeted with a suite of awe-inspiring visuals and innovative projection and content management solutions.

Five new halls at the basement level are equipped with 27.8-foot screens, adorned in special color schemes and connected to a spacious lobby featuring highly immersive waterfall projections that accentuate the multiplex’s distinctive “aquatic” theme.

In the new lobby, the lifelike panoramic waterfall projection is powered by six Christie DWU630_GS 1DLP® laser projectors, while content management is accomplished by two Christie Pandoras Box® Players nd a Pandoras Box Manager.

The installations were completed

by Christie’s trusted par tner, Dacoms Technology, which has more than three decades of expertise and experience in cinema and professional AV systems integration.

“As an independent exhibitor, we need to find ways to engage our audiences and provide them with inventive and refreshing experiences,” said Maggie Lee, special assistant to the president of Venice Cinemas. “The waterfall projection, titled ‘Deep in Venice,’ in our new lobby is a case in point, as this ‘aquatic’ theme is synonymous with the name of our cinema.”

June 2021

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IN THE INDUSTRY INDUS EXTERIOR BRICK WALL GRAPHIC

NEW ECONOMIC REPORT

ON THE SIGN INDUSTRY TRY

A

LEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA—The overall economy is poised to grow beyond initial projections, leading the sign industry to also see improvement. But commodity prices continue to remain high and somewhat unstable, at least in the first half of the year, according to the Sign Industry Quarterly Economic Report, produced by IHS Markit for the International Sign Association.

The report covers the first quarter of 2021 and was prepared in April. It is sponsored by the National Association of Sign Supply Distributors (NASSD).

The report assesses four segments of the industry: two supplier markets (printing and electrical/digital signage) and two end markets (electric/digital signage and architectural signage). It also forecasts commodities.

Some quick highlights involved with this latest Sign Industry Quarterly Economic Report include: * The four market segments all show improving outlooks for 2021, with 2022 a year of continued recovery, IHS says. The end market architectural signage is expected to begin to decline in 2021.

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* IHS Markit has revised its forecast for year-over-year U.S. gross domestic product growth for 2021 and 2022, thanks to rates of vaccination and easing of restrictions. IHS anticipates growth in 2021 of 6.2 percent and 4.3 percent in 2022.

Global growth also is expected to increase to 5.1 percent in 2021 and 4.3 percent in 2022. Outside of the U.S., China is leading the global growth, expected to grow at 7.8 percent in 2021 and 5.7 percent in 2022.

Commodity prices remain high, though steel is expected to level off in the last half of the year. Paper markets are tightening, while packaging supplies are starting to cool. Lumber remains high and will continue to increase in 2021.

The report is free for ISA, ISA Affiliated Association, and NASSD members. Non-members may purchase it for $1,000 per quality forecast. A recorded webinar, in which IHS details the findings in the report, is also available (https://bit.ly/3y7cOtG).

For more information about this report, visit signs.org/quarterlyreport.

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Photo (far left) Shutterstock.com/Eightshot_Studio.

S

T O W, O H I O — Tu f f m a n Equipment and Supply of Sandusky, Ohio approached union print specialist Loris Printing (also of Sandusky) for assistance in updating its current external building wall graphics to reflect the company’s latest marketing design.

When the Loris Printing team removed the Mactac IMAGin ® RoughRAP™ wall graphics, they were impressed with how clean and easy the process was—the old RoughRAP material left no adhesive residue behind.

Loris Printing moved the new branding project forward with RoughRAP™ and Mactac’s accompanying PERMACOLOR® RAYZor™ clear matte overlaminate, maintaining the brick wall’s original appearance and enhancing protection against outdloor elements.

Loris Printing used a ValueJet 1624X large-format printer from Mutoh America to print the fourpanel, 10-by-8.5-foot graphic. The team installed it using a heat gun from the bottom up over a period of two-and-a-half hours, while battling ten to twenty mile-perhour winds.

“The installation was incredibly easy,” said Craig Hofer of Loris Printing, Inc., “and the finished results were amazing—like that of paint on brick.”

SIGN BUILDER

ILLUSTRATED

Interested in digital signage but don't know where to start?

We’ve got you covered.

Subscribe to SBI’s Dynamic Digital Newsletter for tips, strategies, and how-to guides on getting started in this booming market.

SBI Dynamic Digital is a “how-to” guide to digital signage, including: • A close look at new products and services providing digital signage solutions.

• Case studies of sign shops successfully selling and installing digital signs, including which products and services were used.

• Insights from digital signage experts on what you can do to capitalize on this fast-growing market segment.

• Advice on how to fully leverage your existing assets and expertise to retain and attract clients seeking digital signage solutions.

Subscribe Now: www.signshop.com/dynamic-digital/

SIGN SHOW LAMINATING EQUIPMENT/ SUPPLIES

MONUMENTS/ PYLONS Peachtree City Foamcraft Acquires PVC Sign Manufacturer The New Kit Peachtree City Foamcraft, a wholesale manufacturer of foamcore monument signs and HDU sign panels, has acquired wholesale PVC sign manufacturer, The New Kit. Peachtree City Foamcraft’s move to expand its manufacturing footprint comes as Lee Holcomb, who founded The New Kit in 1980, announces his retirement from the signage industry. The New Kit is a wholesale manufacturer of PVC signs, PVC panels, and turnkey sign kits (including street signs, stop signs, and address plaques). Peachtree City Foamcraft plans to integrate The New Kit line of products into their existing product line while expanding manufacturing efforts. The acquisition strengthens Peachtree City Foamcraft’s position in the signage industry as the largest wholesale manufacturer of monument signs, architectural signage, and now carved PVC sign panels and kits. Peachtree City Foamcraft will be manufacturing the product out of their three existing locations in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Nevada while maintaining the same quality of product and service that The New Kit customers have come to know and love. (877) 862-0840; foamcraft.info

PermaGard Shield Overlaminates Protect High-touch Areas and Graphic Images Brand-new PERMACOLOR® PermaGard® Shield anti-microbial protection overlaminates from Mactac® Graphics Products feature a specially formulated and innovative built-in protection that helps reduce the spread of disease-causing (or sickness- and infectioncausing) organisms such as Staph, MRSA, Salmonella, E. Coli, VRE, Listeria, and Pseudomonas. In addition to anti-microbial properties, the products also feature abrasion and moisture resistance as well as UV inhibitors that help retard color fade caused by UV light exposure. Constructions in the PermaGard Shield products line include: PGS128 (Permanent), which consists of a 3.2-mil matte clear vinyl film coated on one side with a clear, pressure-sensitive permanent adhesive and a 50# glassine liner; PGS228 (Removable), featuring a 3.2-mil matte clear vinyl film coated on one side with a clear, pressure-sensitive removable adhesive and a 78# clay-coated liner; and PGS6400 (Textured Permanent), comprised of a 3.75-mil clear polypropylene film with a textured gloss finish (which helps to eliminate glare) and a permanent adhesive system protected by a 1.2-mil clear PET liner. (866) 622-8223; mactac.com/permagardshield

SERVICE TRUCKS/CRANES Elliott Equipment Enhances Its Reach with the Nextgeneration Sixty-five-foot HiReach AWP The new L65 HiReach material handling aerial work platform from Elliott Equipment Company has been engineered from the ground up as a replacement for the company’s L60. Designed to reduce weight, increase reach and lifting capacity, and improve serviceability over the outgoing L60, the L65 provides operators with a high-performance tool that costs less to own and has a smaller carbon footprint. Key features of the ANSI A92.2-compliant L65 include: A 65-foot working height (3 percent increase), a 59-foot side reach (5 percent increase), 600-pound platform capacity (20 percent increase), over 3,300 pounds of toolbox capacity on non-CDL chassis (55 percent increase), 5,900-pound main boom lift capacity (63 percent increase at full extension), user choice of single-stick or three-stick remote controls, 160-degree platform rotation (78 percent increase), a Stow & Go platform jib with unrestricted 500pound capacity, Bluetooth remote diagnostics that improve serviceability and reduce downtime, short-jack capability with one-side vertical outrigger deployment for confined spaces, a low-profile bed with three-step bumper that improves access, integrated tiedown rails and toolbox installation that improve flexibility, a four-plate boom design that reduces deflection, a lower control station with phone charger, and 33 percent fewer hydraulic fittings (reducing potential leaks). (402) 592-4500; elliottequip.com

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SIGN SHOW LED MODULES/TUBES/STRIPS Keystone Technologies Welcomes the World with Keystone Live!

Keystone Technologies has expanded the scope of its interactive demonstration, Keystone Live!, with a new, experiential space located at the company’s headquarters in Lansdale, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia. The recently opened hall offers members of the lighting community a vision of what “Light Made Easy”—the company’s motto—can mean. The newly opened center blends design and function into a truly unique experience, offering customers a way to get hands-on knowledge of Keystone products and their applications with live presenters and demonstrations. Keystone also offers Keystone Live! On Tour, a fleet of mobile demonstration vehicles that travel across the country providing customized events for clients at the locale of their choice. Keystone Live! includes creative displays of Keystone’s range of commercial and residential solutions in four primary product categories: Lamps (Keystone offers a wide range of LED lamps—including linear, HID replacement, compact LED, A-shape, decorative, spotlight, PAR, and reflector styles); Fixtures (Keystone’s popular lines of indoor and outdoor fixtures are ideal for upgrading to energy-efficient LED technology); Power Supplies (reliable LED drivers and emergency battery backup solutions that power a range of products remain the bedrock of the business); and Controls (commissioning and adjusting light is made easy with second-generation, field-installable, screw-in motion sensors that install in seconds or wired PIR, microwave, and daylight sensors). The Keystone Live! space is fully functional and equipped with an array of audiovisual equipment to bring the sensation of in-person attendance to clients anywhere in the world. The center is also open to customers who follow COVID-19 protocols, and guests are welcome to schedule meetings on site. keystonetech.com

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June 2021

Sign Builder Illustrated

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HOW TO BRANDING | BY JIM HINGST

Crafting Your Digital Identity

O

ne of the core initiatives of today’s marketing plan is content marketing. If you are unfamiliar with the term, content marketing is a form of digital advertising.

Instead of being an “in your face” hard sell advertising or chest-pounding promotion, its goal is to first build a relationship with your audience by providing value in the form of useful information.

Business visitors to your Web site are looking for content that can help them make more informed decisions. By providing your prospects with more industry news that they can use, they will spend more time on your site.

By regularly posting new content or updating existing Web pages, you also improve your search rankings. What’s more, if you repost some of your content on a social media platform with a link to your

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site, you can help increase your site traffic.

When you provide your target audiences with relevant and reliable information, you build your reputation as an industry authority, as well as strengthen your relationships with your customer base. Content, which addresses questions that your customers frequently ask, also serves a customer service role.

The objective of your content marketing strategy is to turn your investment into cash, converting your site visitors into customers. To do that, the content or information that you provide must be relevant to your target audience—it must provide value, it must be unique enough to attract attention, and finally, it must provide a compelling call to action to generate a response. Doing so means that visitors are more likely to look to you as a dependable sign provider.

Why Some Companies Fail Content marketing experts estimate between 80 to 90 percent of businesses engage in some form of content marketing (company blog,YouTube videos, podcasts, etc.). These same experts believe that only 10 to 20 percent of those companies are achieving the return on their investment in time and money that they desire.

You have to define your audience. A graphics professional will likely communicate with a number of different audiences—retailers, B2B businesses, Cstores, and fleet companies, for example.

The content of your message should be tailored to the interests and basic needs of the different audiences. Content that appeals to the food industry will likely not appeal to manufacturers. The types of signage or graphics you promote will be different for each market that you serve. signshop.com

Photo: Shutterstock.com/ By Rawpixel.com.

How to develop an effective content marketing strategy.

HOW TO

Photo:Shutterstock.com/ By EtiAmmos.

BRANDING | BY JIM HINGST

Involve your employees (especially field salespeople) in selecting the content that addresses the frequently asked questions that concern your target prospects and existing customers. This input should help you select not only the written content that appeals to your audiences, but also the type of videos and imagery that will be most effective.

By involving your employees in your content marketing initiatives, you can energize their enthusiasm in your business, which can help build the spirit of team unity.

If you want your people to become excited about your program, let them know what you’re trying to achieve and the activities that are in the works. Being in the sign/graphics business, your employees likely have the creative skills and realworld experience, which they can contribute to the content that you provide.

If you want your message to connect with your audience, you’ll need to understand the problems of your target markets and then construct your content, which provides solutions.

Keep your content marketing strategy simple. After determining your target audience, ask yourself, “What are the problems, needs, and interests of my audienc-

Measuring Content Marketing ROI After you define the objectives of your program, determine what metrics you’ll use to measure whether you’re achieving your goals. In gauging your success, measurement should be ongoing versus an end-of-the-year review.

You probably have heard the maxim, “What gets measured, gets done.” Without measuring the metrics of content marketing, you’ll never know if the content that you are producing is working.

To do that, first decide on the deliverables that you should measure.

es in these markets?”

To answer this question, interview some of your best customers. You could conduct your interview under the guise that you’re writing a case study on a successful graphics program. That way, you can kill the proverbial two birds with one stone. You can learn more about the unmet needs of the market as you gather the information for your case study.

What types of content will be most effective in delivering your message? In addition to developing case studies, you could produce a video or develop a com-

signshop.com

BUSINESS CUSTOMERS TO YOUR WEB SITE ARE LOOKING FOR CONTENT TO HELP THEM MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS.

pelling story for a newsletter.You can also deliver the same story on several social media platforms. I’m sure that your current customer base has asked many different types of questions. You can create content using a FAQ format.

What distinguishes content marketing is its focus on producing quantifiable results for your business. Measurable results include the number of followers to various social media platforms or how many subscribers that you harvest for your email list. The best results are, of course, the leads that develop into sales.

To develop a content marketing strategy that you can turn into cash, your first goal is to build an audience. One solution is to find another company in your field that is already successful in content marketing and then model their behavior.

Another approach is to capitalize on your expertise in the graphics market.

As a graphics professional, you probably excel in some facet of our industry. Perhaps you are the expert in your part of the country in retail graphics or electrical signage or vehicle wraps. You should build your content around that particular niche. This is how you differentiate your content from your competitors for whatever media platform you choose.

After you decide upon your target market and identify their unmet needs, you must address your content to satisfy your audience’s primary interest: “What’s in it for me?”

To answer that question, try to walk a June 2021

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mile in your prospect’s shoes and try to truly understand your prospect’s problems and their buying cycle before proposing generalized solutions.

If your audience is the retail market and you’re the expert in window and wall graphics, they frankly couldn’t care less about how you manufacture and in-

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stall graphics or what type of printer you use. They care about attracting attention that entices shoppers to walk through their front door. They care about creating a pleasurable shopping experience for shoppers to browse. Most of all, they care about stimulating impulse buys.

The key to building an audience is to

deliver content that is unique and different. Don’t write about what all of your competitors are writing about. Don’t follow others down the beaten path. Instead blaze your own trail. If your message is not unique and different, it will be lost in the noise of the crowd.

In building an audience, include a call to action in your content. While you can include a toll-free number or an email address, a better choice is a subscription button to capture a prospect’s email address along with their name, business, address, and phone number.

What’s important is that you collect the email address of respondents in a spreadsheet, which you can control and use at your discretion. That way, you freely use the list for future follow-up, such as a newsletter sent monthly to your subscriber base.

Content marketing doesn’t take a lot of money, if you do it yourself. Instead it takes time, considerable work, and patience. Start by collecting bits of information on your primary area of expertise.

If your primary business is vehicle graphics, build an album of pictures showcasing the programs that you developed then write a short description for each program. All you need are a few sentences that explain what the customer wanted to achieve followed by how the design satisfied their business goals.

In writing these short case studies, the problem/solution is effective. For example: “Customer XYZ was slowly losing business to a new competitor.

The business owner felt that his store needed a makeover, but he did not have a large budget. To overhaul the store’s appearance, the designer developed a colorful and cost-effective window/wall graphics program, which increased traffic and sales.”

The key to a successful story is to provide your readers with value. Describe a problem that your audience can relate to with details and information that your audience can apply to their business. Make sure that your story is factually accurate.

Finally remember that the story is not about you; it’s about your customers’ unmet needs and the solutions to their problems. signshop.com

STAND OUT

FROM THE

CROWD

Sign Builder Illustrated is the “how-to magazine” of the sign industry. Each issue includes SBI’s signature “how-to” columns and features with detailed, step-by-step instructions covering a wide range of signage. SBI’s website (signshop. com), newsletters, Buyer’s Guide, and digital edition keep you updated with timely news, recent projects, and upcoming industry events. fb.com/SBIMag

@SBIMag

Sign Builder Illustrated

SIGN BUILDER

ILLUSTRATED

PROJECT MANAGEMENT FEATURE NAME

BY ASHLEY AUTHORBRAY

WOULD YOU LIKE

SIGNS WITH THAT?

emp Signs and Service, Inc., is a full-service commercial sign company based in West Palm Beach, Florida. The sign company began in 1995 providing service and installation throughout South Florida before adding on in-house fabrication in 2010. Kemp Signs started with just one employee and has since grown to thirty-plus employees.

The full-service sign company does everything from routed signs, illuminated signage, and laser engraving to metal/fabric canopies and awnings. The shop also does a lot of sign work and LED retrofits for every brand of gas station. In addition, the company has begun working on more ADA signage projects recently and 16

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June 2021

is branching out into more custom jobs.

What really drives this over-twentyfive-year-old sign company, however, is the work that it does with fast food clients like Burger King, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Dunkin’.

Order Up! Kemp Signs has long-standing relationships with many large fast food corporations like Dunkin’ and McDonald’s, handling the custom fabrication and installation of signage elements for these brands across much of the state of Florida.

“I think the reason why we really started to grow with them is because we can custom make [sign elements] to maxi-

mize the size that they need,” says Doug Walton, director of Fabrication at Kemp Signs. “We don’t just make two or three different size channel letters for the building—we can do whatever size possible to maximize the exposure for the location and get it done in a timely manner.

“Typical larger sign companies dealing with national franchises may make a handful of different sizes, and with the restrictions of local municipalities, sometimes that doesn’t fit into their allowable square footages, or it just doesn’t look right on the building because of what has been pre-manufactured.”

Because Kemp Signs handles everything in-house and very rarely outsources signshop.com

All Photos: Kemp Signs and Service, Inc.

K

Kemp Signs provides a fast turnaround on signs for quick-service restaurants.

Kemp Signs installs a custom interior sign at the largest McDonald’s in the world.

McDonald’s wanted a a neon-inspired look for its custom sign.

work, they are also able to turn around jobs faster, which appeals to national franchises like McDonald’s.

“We do everything from start to finish whether it be the designing in-house and the permitting, right on out to the install and doing the footers. We don’t try to sub anything out,” says Kemp Signs Owner and President Steve Kemp. “It’s my customer, and I want to keep them happy.”

Kemp says permitting is the thing that can slow down a job the most.

“The biggest problem in south Florida, and I know across other parts of the country, is that there are issues as far as getting permits, and there are so many code restrictions on sizes and monuments and how tall pole signs can be,” says Kemp.

“Most places don’t even allow pole signs anymore. So with every one of them, we signshop.com

try to max out the square footage.

“We do it right here in-house and can get it done a lot faster, especially when the permitting sometimes takes two to three months. By the time we get the sign permits, they’re already done with the building, and we have to jump right on it and get the install done.”

Running on Dunkin’ Dunkin’ is a client that appreciates Kemp Signs’ way of doing things.

The sign company is currently working on one to two sites a week for Dunkin’ (many thanks to the company’s recent rebrand from Dunkin’ Donuts to Dunkin’), but the relationship started with just one ship-in install job for a Dunkin’ franchise owner fifteen years ago.

“Once I did one of his sites, he started

telling everyone, ‘you need to use Kemp Signs,’ and I did a lot of the installs,” explains Kemp. “Then we got to do the manufacturing, and now we pretty much manufacture everything for Dunkin’ inhouse except for the menu boards.”

Kemp Signs recently completed a job for a new Dunkin’ location built on the west coast of Florida. The sign company fabricated and installed metal awnings, canvas awnings, drive-thru canopies, channel letters, and more.

For the aluminum elements such as the channel letters, Kemp Signs routed them out on its CLN 100 Series router and bent them on its CLN Bender Model 7 CNC Auto Bender. Kemp Signs has had a long-standing relationship with CNC equipment manufacturer CLN of South Florida, Inc., which is located only about June 2021

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Kemp Signs provided metal awnings, canvas awnings, drive-thru canopies, channel letters, and more for a new Dunkin’ location on the west coast of Florida.

an hour from their shop. (Note: Kemp Signs also has a MultiCam M-Series router on their production floor.)

For graphic elements, Kemp Signs always uses 3M™, which is the only approved manufacturer of Dunkin’s signature orange and pink brand colors.

For painted elements, Kemp Signs used AkzoNobel paints, and they’re able to match in-house directly to the color needed. OSRAM LEDs were used for the illuminated parts of the job.

Walton says that the fabrication timeline varies, depending on the location and the number of elements needed.

“The fabrication, depending on the size of the job, can go anywhere from a week to three weeks—depending on if it’s a double or single drive-thru, how many wall signs they have, and whether we are doing canopies or awnings,” he says. “A smaller store takes about a week for fabrication. A larger one, with two drive-thrus, you’re probably looking at three weeks.”

For installation, Kemp Signs has excavators to dig their own footings, as well as a fleet of about seven sign cranes from Elliott Equipment Company and Skyhoist.

Installations like the Florida west coast 18

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Dunkin’ typically take three days.

“With most of our jobs, the first day we’ll dig our footers,” says Kemp. “On the second day, we’ll pour them, and hopefully we can be doing wall signs and things like that while we’re waiting for an inspector and a concrete truck.

“And then the third day, we’ll install the drive-thru equipment and anything that was poured on the second day.”

Epic Signage for Epic McD Similar to Dunkin’, Kemp Signs has a long-standing relationship with McDonald’s that started with ship-in installs and progressed to include fabrication. Today they handle the installation of all the standard sign elements for McDonald’s across most of Florida.

On a recent project for the largest McDonald’s location in the world in Orlando, the franchise needed something different.

The 19,000-square-foot, three-story location is open 24/7 and features a gourmet menu, an arcade, the world’s largest PlayPlace, and more. For a location known as the “Epic McD,” only the most epic signage would do.

Kemp Signs received a rendering from

Kemp Signs can custom make any size sign element for its customers.

the architect that called for a custom sign on the second floor depicting an order of fries next to a burger with the word “McDonalds” sandwiched inside it.

“They asked for suggestions on how to build it,” says Kemp, who explains they were looking for a neon-inspired look, which his company achieved through a clever use of acrylic and OSRAM LEDs. “We built the contoured aluminum can, which is the [front], black area, and then we routed out one-inch-thick clear acrylic [using our CLN router] and contoured it to take the shape of neon so that it gave the appearance of neon,” says Walton. “We illuminated it with different colors of [OSRAM] LEDs from behind, and it had a remote switch in it that animated it.

“There was a little bit of coordination between having to section off the interior of the cabinet to get the different colors, and then the routing of the controller for the animation.”

It took Kemp Signs about two weeks to build out the sign, and they installed it the day after they finished. Installers used Tapcon screws to affix the sign to the interior concrete wall. signshop.com

WOMEN LEADERS WOMEN 2021: INSTALLATION LEADERS 2021

BY ASHLEY BRAY

OWNING

UP

What happens when women take the reins of sign companies?

Photo: Shutterstock.com/Dino Osmic.

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arly this past April, the Harvard Business Review released research that analyzed over 150 companies to determine how the firms’ long-term strategies shifted when women joined the executive-level C-suite. The research found that adding women marked fundamental shifts in risk tolerance, openness to change, and a focus on R&D. According to the Harvard Business Review, “the integration of female leaders at the highest levels of an organization impacts its approach to innovation, and ultimately suggests that including more women in executive decision-making may lead firms to consider a wider variety of value creation strategies.”

The growth of women-owned businesses is also booming. According to the 2019 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report from American Express, over five years (from 2014-2019), the number of women-owned businesses increased 21 signshop.com

percent, while all businesses increased only 9 percent. In that period of time, firms owned by women of color grew at double that rate (43 percent). And the growth in the share of total revenue by women-owned firms during that time increased the most in the construction industry (31 percent).

Also noteworthy in this report, the share that women-owned businesses represent of all businesses has skyrocketed from 4.6 percent in 1972 to 42 percent in 2019.

The sign industry is no stranger to women-owned businesses. This month, we’re highlighting five of these boundary-breaking female leaders in our special spotlight, Women Leaders 2021.

In the following pages, you’ll hear from CEOs, founders, presidents, and owners on how they manage their companies, the challenges they have encountered and overcome (including COVID-19), and

the advice they have for other women in the sign industry.

These leaders are making changes in all aspects of their companies—from business philosophies to actual physical and technological improvements at their locations. Others are finding ways to mentor and bring together women from across the industry to pass along the lessons and skills they’ve learned.

We hope you find this special spotlight informative and inspiring. And if you’re looking for more ways to support and get involved with women in the sign industry, visit signshop.com/wli and signs.org/ wli to learn about Women Leading the Industry (WLI). This initiative was put together by SBI and the International Sign Association to inspire and empower women in the sign, graphics, and visual communications industry who aspire to elevated leadership roles in their company and the industry.

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WOMEN LEADERS 2021: COMMUNITY

BY ASHLEY BRAY

managers, and the sales team on increasing product knowledge of lit signage, dimensional lettering, and more.

Despite inSIGNia Wholesale launching in the middle of the pandemic, the business did much better than projected and was welcomed with a lot of positive feedback in the marketplace.

Graves attributes this to business owners learning in the last year that the more they know and the more relationships they build, the more business they can capture.

Speaking of relationship building, Graves also recently launched the Facebook group Women in Signs, Etc. (WISE), which is a social platform designed to give women a place to uplift, empower, and learn from other women in the sign industry.

We spoke with Graves about this group, as well as advice she has for other women.

Wendy Graves builds relationships in and out of the sign shop.

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ike many in the industry, Wendy Graves took a unique path to the sign industry.

She went from taking X-rays at a local hospital to joining her husband Lloyd Graves, who has a background in commercial signage, full time at his new franchise, Signarama Louisville East.

For the first two years after her husband purchased the franchise, Graves worked part time answering phones, conducting marketing, and reaching out to the contact list before joining 20

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full time.

Six years later, she has handled everything from sales to operations to human resources, and she most recently launched the business’ wholesale side in September 2020, which is called inSIGNia Wholesale.

Graves now serves as president of inSIGNia Wholesale where her day-today role includes contacting small-tomid-sized sign companies that have no interest in manufacturing signage but want to offer that product.

She works with the owners, project

What role does social media play in bringing together women from across our industry?

Social media allows women from all over the world with the same interest in signage to find common ground. signshop.com

All Photos: Wendy Graves.

Wendy Graves: Community Builder

What led you to start the Facebook group Women in Signs, Etc. (W.I.S.E.)?

While doing marketing for the wholesale company, I Googled “women in signs” and nothing came up. On the wholesale side, I spoke with so many women each day in different roles. I continued to check across other platforms and noticed there wasn’t a group for women only.

ISA has a great initiative called Women Leading the Industry, but it wasn’t something daily or weekly that women could connect and engage with.

I had to include “Etc.” in the name because I knew we couldn’t just talk about signs. When I laid it all out, W.I.S.E. stuck!

The Facebook group launched at the end of January and has grown over 250 percent since. It is currently at 184 members and growing every day.

Signage is the first common factor, but a close second, of course, is being women in this trade.

The social media platform is a safe place to share funny stories or read a word of encouragement for the day or even just that moment.

Working in this trade, at times, ladies can feel alone; however this social platform allows us all to connect on two things that make us all have a common bond.

Without social media, we couldn’t connect with women sign professionals in other states or even the other side of the world.

Social media is bridging the gap where state lines, oceans, and time zones keep us apart.

The first six are already in taping.

They will cover rebounding from tough situations, scaling your team, marketing, and much more.

What are your future plans for the Facebook group W.I.S.E.?

In June 2021, the podcast W.I.S.E. Wednesday’s will launch. It will be a bi-weekly podcast where I invite guests on to discuss any number of topics.

Guest spots are open to any lady in the sign industry. We all have a story to tell, and someone can learn from your journey, beginning, middle, and end.

At this moment, I am focused on growing the Facebook group to sup-

SOCIAL MEDIA ALLOWS WOMEN FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD WITH AN INTEREST IN SIGNAGE TO FIND COMMON GROUND.

port ladies daily, launching the podcast, and getting traction and good feedback from it. Down the road, I would love to host women-only events on a local, regional, and national level.

Women in signage hold a lot of seats in very important roles. Learning, growing, and mentoring will only improve these positions and help the next generation of women see value in this very important trade now and into the future.

Any advice for other women in the sign industry?

Build a network. Days are long and very stressful at times. You will need people to lean on and get inspiration and strength from. Don’t be afraid to do the work.

At times, you will be tested to prove your abilities and knowledge—be ready and make yourself proud.

You don’t have to know everything, but you should always be willing to learn and grow!

inSIGNia Wholesale launched in September 2020 and is the wholesale side of Signarama Louisville East.

Signarama Louisville East handles everything from channel letters to monuments to vehicle graphics. signshop.com

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WOMEN LEADERS 2021: MANAGEMENT

BY ASHLEY BRAY

Hernandez-Lopez continues to elevate her company and her career.

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isandra Hernandez-Lopez entered the sign industry in 2003 when a family member became a licensed sign contractor and was establishing his company to subcontract from national sign companies. The family member needed an assistant sign installer and someone to assist with the administration for his start-up business.

With Hernandez-Lopez’s background in payroll, human resources, and information technology, and her husband’s previous experience in the sign industry, the roles were a good fit, and both joined the company.

Since it was a startup sign company, Hernandez-Lopez soon found her hands in all the service coordinating, purchas22

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ing, permit expediting, and computer information technology system issues while also continuing to handle all the administrative duties. Any construction or signage processes she wasn’t familiar with she Googled or learned through her husband.

After becoming unemployed when the recession hit in 2008, HernandezLopez landed at another sign company as a project coordinator on a highly demanding national account, working under a salesperson who recognized the potential in expanding her knowledge by teaching her to read and understand architectural prints and general building construction. Hernandez-Lopez developed a passion for signs and saw potential long-term success in the industry.

Tell our readers more about your role at ELLA Signs.

My role at ELLA Signs has always weighed heavily on my shoulders, beginning with me preparing, studying, and passing the state licensing exam. Now in hindsight, it was not difficult, in comparison to navigating through the process of structuring the business as a corporation and the tax ramifications and benefits. The need for me to be well versed in everything from taxes, insurances, human resources, accounts payable and accounts receivable, etc., is something I learned to enjoy doing.

The energy others see in me when handling all those roles will inevitably direct the energy of others in their roles at ELLA Signs. The selection of individuals interested in coming on board with ELLA Signs is a role I hold with great importance, because if the individual selected mistakenly ends up being a bad fit to the team, it may be difficult to correct the choice without costing a busisignshop.com

All Photos: ELLA Signs.

Lisandra “Lisa” Hernandez-Lopez: Learning & Leading

Thanks to repeated promptings by their son, Hernandez-Lopez and her husband opened their own sign company, ELLA Signs, Inc., in 2017 with the intention of productively servicing customers in a prompt, professional manner.

When customers call ELLA Signs, they feel confident they will get someone on the other end of the line who is knowledgeable about signs and can address technical questions as needed.

ELLA Signs found its niche as a small subcontractor providing superior service to national sign customers.

When the pandemic hit a year ago, ELLA Signs stayed afloat thanks to its biggest project to date—the rebranding of multiple buildings in multiple locations in Southern California, expanding from the City of Palmdale to the City of Rancho Carmel in San Diego County.

When rebrand work slowed in September, ELLA Signs looked for a new location. Layoffs were inevitable at the start of this year to survive, but HernandezLopez says the shop is slowly coming out of the hard times as it gets back to the work level it had prior to the pandemic.

ness money. Some key positions, such as Chief Operations Officer, I was fortunate to find the ideal candidate for within my family. My sister Michelle, who I brought into the sign industry eight years prior, is much like a clone of me.

Now my role at ELLA Signs has been lighter: coming up with ideas, direction, and finding an approach to the many speed bumps we encounter throughout our day-to-day functions.

What are some of the challenges of running a company?

In the first two-and-a-half years of ELLA Signs’ existence, a challenge in running the company were the job titles of Chief Executive Officer/President. Being identified with such important job titles in a small business seemed too big of a leap for me in my career, although leading, planning, and executing strategies were duties I handled without any hesitation.

The doubt or feelings of insecurity I felt in my capabilities as CEO of the company required me to overcome them so I could proceed successfully. It would be only then that I could value my effect on ELLA Signs as equal to those by CEOs at large multimillion-dollar corporations. The negative comparison was only a perspective in my mind, because the impact to the company did not go unnoticed by others.

Another challenge for me is one I have seen not only as CEO of ELLA Signs but at many sign companies throughout my time in the industry. It feels as if the sign industry may be a dying trade at times.

There are individuals who have been working in this trade for many, many years, contributing so much with all their in-depth knowledge and experience, but choosing to continue in doing things in an antiquated manner and not wishing to change anything they feel is not “broken.” This resistance limits the potential for union of the skilled tradesman and an eager apprentice in the sign industry.

Technology now affords us the ability to service customers in a real-time manner, allowing the upload and retrieval of photos from virtual clouds in an instant, as well as job site forms filled out/sent signshop.com

electronically, and the ability to speak directly with customers via FaceTime or Google Duo from the field when needed.

What are some of the changes you’ve made during your time as CEO? With ELLA Signs being a small sign company that is looking to keep growing as much as possible, changes and enhancements happen often.

One of the first changes that felt quite necessary was the need to implement a time-tracking system that would alleviate the headaches in creating work schedules, collecting timecards, and running payroll.

Using paper timecards versus a phone application was such a benefit for the administrative staff as well as for employees. It was a costly expense to absorb for a small business, but eventually, the administrative hours spent handling these duties were cut.

Figuring out that ELLA Signs could subtly and continuously remind customers of its value in service by incorporating short taglines on our email templates, forms, and correspondence was a small but necessary enhancement.

I feel what it conveys is our priorities and core values we hold for our customer that often are forgotten as necessary when seeking out a vendor through an estimate on a project.

The small detail can essentially help remind the customer to not only consider the bottom figure but that the vendor who shows up on their project is a representation of themselves.

Are there any women in the industry who have inspired you?

I started in the industry at twenty-four years old, helping a family member out temporarily (which I thought then).

After a couple of years working for my uncle, I found out who the president of Superior Electrical Advertising was at that time. To my surprise, it was a woman: Patricia “Patti” Skoglund. It excited me to hear that and had me asking my uncle all about her. I finally got to meet her at a Las Vegas trade show. That is when I decided to follow in her foot steps, if possible, leaving my own mark in the sign industry.

On this project for TDI Signs, ELLA Signs was the subcontractor that removed the old signs and installed the new signs (pictured) manufactured by them.

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WOMEN LEADERS 2021: ARCHITECTURAL

BY ASHLEY BRAY

the company.

Ramos-Fincher’s main focus, however, is the well-being of the company, which she says is directly correlated to the well-being of its people.

That attention to wellness became even more important when the pandemic began over a year ago. RamosFincher says that the company was able to avoid massive layoffs and actually has more employees today than it did in 2020.

What has changed is the number of projects. At the start of the pandemic, A.R.K. Ramos kept busy with jobs already in the pipeline. Now, the company finds that many clients are hesitant to start new projects due to lingering uncertainty and fear about the market and economy.

We spoke with Ramos-Fincher about how she tackles challenges like these as well as the advice she has for other women in the sign industry.

Ramos-Fincher leads her family’s company into the future.

C

ourtney Ramos-Fincher is carrying on her family’s legacy by serving as president/ CEO of A.R.K Ramos Architectural Signage, a company her grandfather founded seventy-five years ago.

Running a company is difficult, but running a family business can be even more complicated. RamosFincher admits she struggled for a long time with imposter syndrome until she remembered something a

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professor once told her, “You may get the job because of your name, but you keep the job because of what you can do.”

Today Ramos-Fincher has grown securely into her role as the head of A.R.K. Ramos where her day-today work includes maintaining all aspects of the business—sales, quoting, customer service, production schedules, and financial decisions as well as envisioning what’s next for

What are some changes you’ve made during your time as president?

Being a seventy-five-year-old business that has existed in the same space for all of those years makes maintenance a large part of our everyday life.

We’ve air-conditioned the entire plant and replumbed our natural gas piping—all in conjunction with keeping an eye on the latest and greatest.

For example, we made upgrades to Web-based programs to allow sharing of documents instead of a bulky networking system.

We’ve also focused more on efficiency and waste reduction. Every designshop.com

All Photos: A.R.K. Ramos.

Courtney Ramos-Fincher: All in the Family

You’ve served as president since 2014. What are some of the challenges of running a company?

Forgetting to work on the business instead of in the business. As president, you’re expected to have all the answers, and it’s scary when you don’t. The pandemic was so uncertain, and that’s not a feeling I am comfortable sitting in. I have to have a plan, make a plan, and enact a plan.

WE’VE IMPROVED AND INCREASED COMMUNICATION FROM MANAGEMENT TO THE ENTIRE PLANT. partment tracks their production so we can more easily identify (and correct) bottlenecks. We track production down to the square inch.

Comparing departmental material usage allows us to find waste. For example, we may find that one department is ordering more material than the other for the same amount of completed pieces.

I’ve also had to get better at having difficult conversations about salary, job responsibilities, expectations, and reality.

In addition, I’ve placed more emphasis on the well-being of employees.

We have monthly food trucks, better maternity/paternity leave, and more flexible PTO. We’ve also improved and increased communication from management to the entire plant—not just from management to the foreman and then to the employees.

Any advice for other women in the sign industry?

Be secure in knowing your gender and your life experiences have value within your company and industry. We shouldn’t compartmentalize our lives.

What we learn at home/with kids/in life is valuable at work.

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For more information on our full line of CNC tools, call 888-680-4466 or visit www.ShopBotTools.com. We’ve got the right tool for the job.

signshop.com

June 2021

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WOMEN LEADERS 2021: GRAPHICS

BY ASHLEY BRAY

set up the printer in her living room.

Today Theisen serves as owner/graphic designer of Just Fab Graphics. The shop now operates out of a new location, which includes a 20-by-40-foot install bay called “The Wrap Room,” an 18-by30-foot office, and a 40-by-30-foot space to grow into.

The company has three employees: Jill Payton, project coordinator and installer; Zach Maatman, designer and installer; and Theisen’s mom Sherry Theisen, head of eBay sales. Theisen still serves as the primary designer, and she also does installs.

We talked with Theisen about the challenges of starting her own business, what lies ahead, and her advice for other women.

Theisen turns a passion for design into a graphics business.

L

indsay Theisen has been an artist since childhood. When her parents would ask her what she was drawing, she would say she was “making a design.”

That early drive to draw stayed with Lindsay, and she immediately began working in the sign industry after graduating from college.

After losing her job due to a round of layoffs in 2017, Lindsay decided to start her own business. She knew she was a well-rounded designer with experience in newspapers, industrial design, mar26

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keting/mailers, large format graphics, and more, and she felt that she could design just about anything.

Using all of the money she had, she bought a powerful computer for design and founded Just Fab Graphics in Mount Pleasant, Michigan from her living room.

At the start, Theisen outsourced her printing, but she soon realized she was spending more than she cared to on outsourcing. She took the plunge and bought a Roland DG TrueVIS VG2-540 printer/cutter. She sold her couch and

How did Just Fab Graphics fare during the pandemic?

Our business dipped initially, but things are better now. We were able to stay open, however, my employees were at home. I was wrapping enclosed trailers and full semi cabs by myself.

During the shutdown, we ran a special for businesses that needed signage. signshop.com

All Photos: Just Fab Graphics.

Lindsay Theisen: Driving Design

What industries do you serve?

We provide graphics and signage for companies in the hospitality, construction, industrial manufacturing, retail, restaurant, and service industries. We also provide vehicle graphics and lettering for the local fire department and the sheriff’s office.

We do vehicle graphics for personal vehicles, fleets, snowmobiles, side-bysides, food trucks, and regular delivery and service trucks.

We also do window graphics for storefronts along with banners, labels, decals, and floor graphics. We print graphics for promotional items like license plates, lip balms, and key chains, and we even print fish fry tickets!

I love the variety of the work. I can be on a semi-trailer in the morning and selling interior window perf in a car dealership sales department in the afternoon. No two days are ever the same.

We produced lots of safety signs and social distancing window and floor decals. Lately we are printing “open now” signs. Unfortunately some of my clients have gone out of business due to the pandemic.

Theisen’s work truck shows off her wrapping skills.

Tell us about your eBay store.

Our eBay store has been a really successful venture for us. It’s tailored to auto enthusiasts. We sell all types of floor graphics and banners for garages and “man caves.”

Some of our most popular items are four-by-four-foot floor graphics with the customer’s favorite car make and model (muscle cars, sports cars, and vintage) printed on non-slip floor material.

We also sell a lot of two-by-four-foot banners, some with custom images of the owner and their vehicle. We ship these graphics all over the country as well as internationally, and we have tons of return customers.

Tell our readers what lies ahead for Just Fab Graphics.

I’d like to expand our eBay store. It’s a really great tool, and it provides extra income for print-and-ship items. I would also like to add one more person to our staff to keep in constant contact with our customers. We have the production power we need, and a great team already in place. I’m looking forward to the future for JFG! Do you have any advice for other women in the sign industry?

You must work hard and not quit. Do your research. You will take many big risks and chances, and you have to be brave. If you are unsure, ask. Figure it out.

Do everything you can to find your answer and not give up. Bounce ideas off of other professionals in the same business, ask them questions and for advice, and build those relationships.

Reach out to them so that you’re all on the same page.

Above all, there has to be passion behind your drive to be in the industry. signshop.com

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WOMEN LEADERS 2021: BUSINESS

BY ASHLEY BRAY

that humbling hard work ethic vibe that she watered me with,” says Velázquez.

“Now her granddaughter is looking up to me with the same eager eyes to learn.”

Over the years, Velázquez has also mentored many women in Houston and taught them the value of “branding” themselves, being known in their city first, and always giving back.

We spoke with Velázquez about her challenges and triumphs as a business leader, as well as the ways in which she aims to inspire other women in the industry.

Brenda Velázquez: Rising Above Velázquez’ business philosophy is taking her places.

L

ike many, Brenda Velázquez fell in love with the sign industry thanks to a family connection. Her husband and mother-in-law were both neon fabricators and worked for years for a number of sign companies. In 2001, together with Velázquez, the trio founded commercial sign business Future Sign Company in Houston, Texas.

Although Velázquez never learned the art of neon bending, she did master all other aspects of the sign trade, including the ability to understand all types of construction codes, assist in production

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and installation ideas, and be an asset to many businesses and exclusive partners in unique projects throughout the years.

Her degree in business has also helped in her multi-faceted role as founder & CEO, where she handles everything from sales to client relations to team building.

Velázquez has kept family front and center as she juggled school, raising children with husband Luis, and trying to grow in the sign industry. She also spent ten years as the primary caretaker and manager to many nurses for her mother-in-law Elvia’s long-term care in their home. “Elvia had

You’ve served as company president for twenty years. What have you learned?

I’m still learning and will be a lifelong student. I think we all are.

Four major lessons I’ve learned have been the following: First, I’ve learned that there is no such thing as balance with work and family time. You are either focused on one or the other but always knowing you are working for something bigger than yourself. As a mother of four, I had to teach myself to push hard with my team while helping my children understand what work ethic and capitalism is all about. However I also learned to turn the phone off when I’m with my family and only focus on them when I’m not working.

Second, I’ve learned how to speak up more when being creative for the sign industry. I truly love to advocate for us.

Third, I’ve learned that teaching and inspiring other women is something very rewarding to me.

Fourth and lastly, I’ve learned to expand my critical thinking ability under pressure.

What are some of the challenges of running a company?

I would say capital at the beginning of a startup, resiliency in the middle of growsignshop.com

Photos: (Top) The Women’s Home Houston; (Opposite Page) Future Sign Company.

How did Future Sign Company fare during the pandemic?

The week of the shutdown we all stayed home and quickly became bored. As soon as it was confirmed that we were essential, we took off like stallions and, like many, adapted to change. We were blessed to have stayed consistent with work.

ing pains, and shortage in craftsmanship for the sign industry once you grow.

On your LinkedIn, you mention The 4 Business Rs: Reliable, Responsive, Resourceful, and Respectful. Can you talk more about them?

You must master The 4 Business Rs, hands down, no matter what type of business you run or own.

Reliable: If you can’t be reliable and complete a project, learn to say no and focus on what you and your team can handle. Responsive: If you don’t respond to clients, they will find someone else. Always respond to any type of communication. Resourceful: If you want to be different, you better be resourceful and creative in every project. Customer service goes a long way though—it’s your best free resource if you are starting off. Respectful: Respect your team, oth-

ers in your industry, and clients.

At the end of the day, there is plenty of work for all of us; we all learn from each other. The 4 Business Rs help us stay humble.

Any advice for women in the industry?

Find your “why” and don’t depend on motivation. Be disciplined.

Be fierce, be creative, and always use your voice to give your team ideas or to take your company to the next level.

Make sure those ideas are voiced to the right people. Don’t allow anyone to take your shine or hard work away.

Also try to go to the field and be a part of the production and installation process.

This is where you will fall in love with the sign industry more and more. Watching those drawings come to life is such a joy.

If you feel burnt out, take a break, but don’t you dare give up! Keep pushing! Remember why you started and learn to re-

flect and not get offended easily.You have to have thick skin to work with us sign people.

Lastly my advice goes to all the teenage girls like my sixteen-year-old daughter, Angelina. Find a mentor and shadow them, take notes, and try something new this summer within the sign industry that will inspire you.

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SHOP TALK MINUTEMAN PRESS OF TUSTIN, CA | BY CHRIS BISCUITTI

Meet Tustin, California’s Small Business of the Year.

J

ames and Doris Moore are the owner s of the Minuteman Press printing franchise located in Tustin, Califor nia. They opened their business in 2014.

Not only did the Moores remain open and operating during the COVID-19 pandemic (under the “essential business” banner), but the couple was also recently bestowed the Small Business of the Year award by the Tustin Chamber of Commerce.

“Winning Small Business of the Year gives us the validation that our high-quality printing services and our involvement in the community is appreciated,” says James Moore. “Being involved in our community has been an important part of our business mission.

“We enjoy helping those in the community market grow their businesses.”

James says that one of the bright spots they offer is being able to help

other local businesses with everything they need to operate safely during the pandemic—providing products such as PPE and social distancing awareness materials such as floor and window graphics, restaurant menus, gloves, and face shields.

“In addition, our custom graphic design services are also highly sought after by businesses looking to refresh their branding,” he says.

One other point of focus for James and Doris is simply letting everyone know they are there for them as local business owners who support other local businesses.

“We have found renewed value in picking up the telephone and making calls to our clients rather than just [relying] on email or social media,” explains James. “The response from these calls were overwhelmingly positive, with a sense of happiness and re-

Sign Builder Illustrated Magazine (Print ISSN 895-0555, Digital ISSN 2161-4709) (USPS#0015-805) (Canada Post Cust. #7204564; Agreement #40612608; IMEX Po Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Canada) is published monthly by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation, 88 Pine St. 23rd Floor, New York, NY 10005. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices.

Prices are subject to change.

Pricing, Qualified individual working in the sign industry may request a free subscription. Non-qualified subscriptions Print version, Digital version, Both Print & Digital versions: 1 year US/Canada/Mexico $50.00; foreign $99.00.

Single Copies are $15.00 ea. Subscriptions must be paid for in U.S. funds only.

For Subscriptions, & address changes, Please call (US Only) 1-800-553-8878 (CANADA/INTL) 1-319-364-6167, Fax 1-319-364-4278, e-mail signbuilder@ stamats.com, or write to: Sign Builder Illustrated, Simmons-Boardman Publ.

Corp, PO Box 1407, Cedar Rapids, IA. 52406-1407.

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June 2021

COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2021. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. For reprint information, contact: Gary Lynch, Publisher (212) 620-7247 or glynch@sbpub. com.

A California sign shop makes a big impression on its local community.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Sign Builder Illustrated, PO Box 1407, Cedar Rapids, IA. 52406-1407.

Instructional information provided in this magazine should only be performed by skilled crafts people with the proper equipment. The publisher and authors of information provided herein advise all readers to exercise care when engaging in any of the how-to-activities published in the magazine. Further, the publisher and authors assume no liability for damages or injuries resulting from projects contained herein.

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Photo: Minuteman Press, Tustin, CA.

Putting Locals First

lief that someone was willing to reach out to them and help them with their marketing needs.”

“It is important that, during this time of uncertainty, we reach out to our customers and focus on the bigger picture of reopening and recovery. We are simply asking how they are doing and what we can do to help.”

Minuteman Press Tustin also launched a free Web portal, Bounce Back Tustin, that provides free local listings to businesses and encourages people to support local businesses.

Minuteman Press Tustin is actually the first business that the Moores have owned and operated. “Before [opening] Minuteman Press Tustin, I was in the printing industry, which focused on different printing press companies on the production side,” says James.

When asked what advice he would give to other sign business owners, James answers, “If your [shop] is experiencing a slowdown, shift your focus and try to adapt to the changes that are occurring within the market area. You should be flexible and never too comfortable. You need to be aware of what is going on around you.

“Pick up the phone and reach out and don’t always rely on digital communications. If you don’t know people, then they don’t know you.”

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