6 minute read
Ask John: You’ve Arrived
You’ve Arrived
By John Duever
Q: Tim Evans asked, “What was that one project, that one client, that made it really sink in… ‘I’m a professional now,’ and why.”
Great question, Tim, and thank you!
I think this question is multifaceted, and it has changed over time as Vinyl Images has scaled in size, revenue, core competency, and reach. There are a lot of levels to professionalism, and there are a few different clients that stick out to me over the years that were memorable and give me goosebumps even when I think about them now.
Denny Brauer and Strike King Fishing Lures – In the Midwest, bass fishing is extremely popular, and Denny Brauer is the Michael Jordan of bass fishing. The stars aligned, and I had the opportunity to wrap DB’s Suburban and bass boat. I went all out on this wrap; the Suburban was a relatively straightforward commercial wrap, but where we set the bar was with his bass boat. The team at Vinyl Images wrapped everything, I mean everything. Exterior, trailer, interior, even when you opened up the storage on the decks – all of the gel coat was wrapped. When Denny arrived to pick up his rig, he was completely blown away and said it was the best wrap he has ever seen. This rig gained some traction online and led to one of my largest commercial fleet accounts to date. The owner of this company is big into bass fishing, saw DB’s rig, and drove down to St. Louis from Chicago for an in-person meeting with me. He just showed up at the shop unannounced. We chatted for a short time, and that led to Vinyl Images making one of our first large splashes in the commercial fleet graphics industry.
The initial wrap made me feel like we had “made” it, but the opportunities that have come from that, and what we did with those opportunities, is what has really made me feel like we were finally professional.
Bigfoot 4x4 – Who doesn’t like monster trucks?! And when it comes to monster trucks, there is only one that matters to us – Bigfoot 4x4 and Bob Chandler. The monster truck circle is relatively small; everyone knows each other, and if you get the opportunity to get “in” that circle, you take it. Vinyl Images began our quest to wrap Bigfoot by becoming a sponsor for the Monster Truck Racing Association (MTRA). After a year or two, we won the coveted “MTRA Sponsor of the Year” award at the annual banquet. We beat out the likes of Summit Racing and Firestone, to name a couple of other sponsors. This put a big spotlight on us and gave us the opportunity to have simple talks with Bigfoot 4x4. Realizing that it was essentially the perfect fit as we are like-minded and from the St. Louis area, we became fast
friends and have serviced their fleet of vehicles and monster trucks since that day. The Chandler, Trent, and Bigfoot team are part of the Vinyl Images family, and we would go to war for each other. And it all started with a vision and the love of big lifted trucks and blown big block motors!
Ridiculous Chrome Ceiling – This job made me feel like we “made” it for multiple reasons, but let me explain the project so you understand the scope of the job.
Imagine a 75’x30’ sculpture made out of foam, wire mesh, cement, drywall putty, all sanded down smooth and painted – that is on the ceiling of a large open office space. The sculpture was made to look like liquid metal. Imagine a pool of liquid mercury, and you drop a rock in it; there are waves and a lot of movement. Well, those waves and movement happened to be 75’x30’, and the relief of the waves was up to 24” in some spots, and it was on the ceiling, so we were working upside down. Got it? Yes, it was blasphemous. The impossible project if I’m being honest. When I went onsite to see what I had gotten myself into, I was in disbelief of what they wanted accomplished. I knew I had to call in the big guns to help me install this.
I reached out to the chrome kings around the world and flew them in to assist. Kevin Kempf –PGNOLA, James Tate – Tate Designs, Phil Aquin – 3M, Jim Miller – Miller Decals, Blake Madsen – Brand Command, Dimas Brasil – Banana Buffers, Joe Duever – Vinyl Images, and myself. The reason this job made me feel like Vinyl Images had “made” it is multifaceted. Establishing
ourselves as a company that can take on anything and that being known by all the major architects, design firms, and construction companies in the Midwest was a major point that made me feel this way. This job is still referenced regularly in these pools and continues to garner attention. Secondly, I was able to call my friends, who happen to be powerhouses in the adhesive-backed industries, and each of them immediately said “heck yes!” when I asked if they were interested. This opened my eyes to my network and the group that I was a part of. Just crazy to think about and incredibly humbling at the same time.
Overall, we are just getting started, but these three projects/clients over the last 15 years were what began to put us on the map. It is not the opportunity you get; it is what you do with those opportunities that will set you apart from the rest of the field. If a door is cracked open for you or your business, my recommendation is to take a couple of steps back, take a deep breath, lower your head and shoulder, and run through that door like your life depends on it. Doors don’t get cracked open often, but when they do, you better make the most of it because second chances are increasingly rare.
