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Sustainability Business of the Year28 Sustainability Business of the Year
Sustainability is more than a passing thought at Signs & Shapes International, Inc. It’s built in. A client of the Nebraska Business Development Center for employee training and other projects, Signs & Shapes designs and manufactures inflatable, “WalkAround®” mascots for sports teams, amusement parks and other organizations and businesses; huge flags and inflatable RocketSigns. It also rents inflatables and flags, and provides contract management of costumes and staffing for appearances around the world—all from a two-yearold, energy-efficient facility in north Omaha.
Co-owners Scott Bowen and his father, Lee, helped design the new building to incorporate innovative energy-saving features including ground source-coupled geothermal heat pumps that condition the air. The 48 geothermal wells are 300 feet deep and circulate water in a closed-loop system that utilizes clean, potable water.
Skylights stream natural light throughout the building, and a white acoustical ceiling treatment brightens the space and inhibits noise. The walls are precast concrete insulated with polystyrene foam. Outdoors, storm water retention was incorporated into the site design to reduce the need for irrigation and prevent run-off.
Their efforts have earned an “Engineering Excellence Award” from the American Council of Engineers.
They also care about the community. Signs & Shapes’ sister company, The Prevention Group, employs an educational psychologist to create youth educational programs for public safety departments, school districts and non-profit groups. The two entiSustainability Business of the Year
ties are collaborating with researchers from the University of Nebraska Medical Center to study employment opportunities and training strategies for people with autism.
Additionally, Signs & Shapes partners with nearby Kellom Elementary School to extend its social skills programming, and makes the new building available for tours, outreach and learning opportunities such as Omaha North High Magnet School’s science course examining green energy and sustainable building design.
“Plus,” says Scott Bowen, pointing to a huge inflatable crocodile made for Tokyo Disneyland, and a giant ball from Toy Story resting in a corner of the production area, “it’s a fun place to work.”
