Sign Builder July 2021

THE HOW-TO MAGAZINE

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

PAINTS: M AS S I M A L I M PACT

SIGN BUILDER

ILLUSTRATED

VINYL BRANDING:

PROJECTS AND PRODUCTS

HDU FOAM:

MANAGING LARGE ORDERS

Yeah, it’s like that...

ChannelBender® Series Automated Channel Letter Solutions

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CONTENTS JULY 2021

VOL. 35

NO. 312

HOW-TO COLUMNS

14

MASS PRODUCING CUSTOM ORDERS

By Jeff Wooten Managing a large order of custom HDU signs.

16

BREAKING THE SUPPLY CHAIN

By David Hickey Learning to adapt to shortages.

DEPARTMENTS

4 6

Cover Photo: Bauer Sign and Lighting.

10 30 32

EDITOR’S COLUMN

Editor Jeff Wooten takes a look at how branding is playing a significant role in some client’s projects.

IN THE INDUSTRY

“Shapeshift Oakland” wall art project takes shape, a pet airport project, and a casino makes a wager on a video screen upgrade.

SIGN SHOW

The newest products and services from sign manufacturers.

SBI MARKETPLACE

Advertisements and announcements from the sign trade.

SHOP TALK

Clay McDaniel presents key pieces of advice for small businesses to succeed with their social media.

21 FEATURES

18 21 25

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28

THE BEAR NECESSITIES OF PAINTING

By Jeff Wooten Massimal bear sculptures get a colorful makeover.

PERFECTING HIS CRAFT

By Maura Keller J Signs and Graphics wraps everything from vehicles to digital kiosks.

SPOTLIGHT: BRANDING SIGNAGE

By SBI Staff The latest projects and products related to branding solutions.

COOKING UP A DIGITAL SOLUTION

By Jeff Wooten Sonny’s BBQ gains more exposure with its new digital sign.

July 2021

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July 2021, Vol. 35, No. 312 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 David Hickey, Maura Keller, Clay McDaniel

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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Two Options.

Endless Possibilities.

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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 OCTOBER 6-8:

Branding is Everything

PRINTING United Alliance, which brings together the largest and most diverse audience in the printing industry, will be taking place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. (printingunited.com)

The image remains the thing these days.

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get a gauge on where vinyl and branding might be headed over the coming months and years (and without Agassi’s help).

The latest installment of a research report made up of commercial printers, graphic and sign producers, apparel decorators, functional printers, etc. and released by Printing United Alliance this past May, found some interesting advancements in the tracking of print business indicators in the wake of COVID-19.

When asked what printed products are expected to grow over the next year or two, respondents overwhelmingly answered wall/architectural/building graphics (63.4 percent) followed by vehicle wraps/graphics (51.4 percent). The survey found that nearly half of respondents expect compliance/safety signage to grow, while 42.4 percent anticipate floor graphics to grow for at least another year (to support a gradual, safe transition out of COVID-19 restrictions).

So while the branding message might remain the same, its methods of delivery are going to be worth keeping an eye on at your shop (especially with any of your returning event or hospitality clients). It’s up to you to figure out how to best serve up these solutions to your commercial clients. Hopefully this issue will help.

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/Cre8 design.

I

t’s amazing to think it’s been over thirty years now since then-tennis star Andre Agassi’s camera commercials extolled that “image is everything.” And yet, here we are today and this sentiment still holds court—at least in terms of advertising, identity, and visibility. Could Agassi have been a Nostradamus with more Grand Slam titles?

The reason I bring this up now is that, when putting this month’s issue together, it became pretty apparent early on our theme was going to be branding; and if there’s one thing about branding, it’s that image is, you know it, everything.

A majority of the time, branding equates to vinyl, but I think this month’s issue broadens this definition a bit.

Sure we cover our share of vinyl wraps (p. 21) and spotlight the latest print-related projects and products (p. 25). But we also go in-depth about how Massimal bear sculptures became the mascots on-site and in-advertising for a recent art campaign in downtown Milwaukee (p. 18), as well as how one restaurant utilizes digital signage to promote its brand (p. 28).

Still, to bring up another old TV commercial, vinyl and branding are going to be the big “two great tastes that go great together.” In a way, this was on display last year as social distancing floor graphics and posters became not only the primary focus of essential signage, but also a big canvas for retail and corporate branding.

But as we begin the start of the postpandemic era, it’s an interesting time to

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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CONTROLS

IN THE INDUSTRY

SHAPESHIFT OAKLAND

WALL ART PROJECT TAKES SHAPE

S

alt Lake City, Utah—YESCO, a sign company with more than one hundred years of experience and known for creating internationally recognizable signs, proved their expertise again by recently fabricating and installing the “Shapeshift Oakland” wall art project at the newly built Marriott Moxy Hotel in Oakland, California.

Faulders Studio, a multi-disciplinary architectural firm also based in Oakland, designed the large, sixtyfour-foot-tall “Shapeshift Oakland” structure as a six-story outline.

(Note: Faulders Studio projects have been recognized internationally with numerous design awards, and his work

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has been acquired into the permanent architecture and design collections at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, FRAC Centre Orleans in France, and UC Berkeley Archives.)

Capturing the energy of the Uptown entertainment district, “Shapeshift Oakland” provides a highly visible and identifiable marker for the new experience hotel, creating an iconic gateway to the adjacent arts neighborhood in downtown Oakland.

With its use of vertical lines, a distinct reference to the shape of the border of the City of Oakland merges with the historic legacies of the iconic Paramount and Fox Theater marquees located nearby.

Made from one continuous line, Shapeshift Oakland offers an entrancing visual labyrinth and an image of a city known for its continuous change.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with the final artwork,” stated Thom Faulders, founder of Faulders Studio. “The large, panelized sections and precise joints between the modules, together with YESCO’s exacting on-site installation, really makes the piece read perfectly— as a continuous line that maps the general contours of the city of Oakland.

“From a slight distance away,” continues Faulders, “all horizontal joints visually disappear, structural supports merge into the shadows, and the pattern and linework read absolutely consignshop.com

SBI DYNAMIC DIGITAL

N

All Photos (this spread): YESCO.

EW YORK CITY, NY— Sign Builder Illustrated is proud to announce the launch of SBI Dynamic Digital, a newsletter sent twice a month to your inbox that’s designed to help you navigate the digital signage industry.

Digital signage technologies like LCD, LED, and projection-tod i s p l a y i m a g e s , v i d e o, a n d streaming media are in demand in a number of markets, including hotels, restaurants, retail stores, and more, creating opportunities not only for manufacturers and suppliers but also for sign shop owners. And the demand is only expected to grow.

SBI Dynamic Digital will help you understand what skills and expertise you may need to develop and recognize the assets and skills you already possess that will help you best serve your clients in this field.

Each edition of SBI Dynamic Digital will feature a variety of case studies, insights from digital signage experts, and advice on how to leverage your existing assets and expertise to retain and attract clients seeking digital signage solutions.

Sign up for SBI Dynamic Digital at https://bit.ly/3pAm1Hc.

tinuously without interruption.”

A little bit of behind-the-scene background information about this project for you: Four YESCO technicians installed the 12,000-total-pounds art project (covering eleven days in total) onto the new hotel’s stucco wall exterior with fire-proof sheeting wall using a crane to lift the pieces up and a bucket truck to guide them into place.

The entire layout/structure was divided into individual sections, with added horizontal supports.

Fabricated out of 37 sheets of 4-by8-foot 1/4-inch-thick aluminum, the Shapeshift Oakland “maze” was attached to horizontal stringers and vertical C-channels for added support. signshop.com

The wall art was installed in fifteen different sections (each weighing 800 pounds) from bottom to top, with special care taken to ensure that each section was perfectly aligned throughout the installation. This part of the process involved labeling each section of “Shapeshift Oakland” and then “stacking” them one by one from the bottom to the top of the structure.

“We are grateful for the opportunity to play a role in bringing to life such a distinctive work of fine art and design,” remarked Jeff Young, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at YESCO, about this artistic project. “It speaks to the versatility and talents of our sign fabricators and engineers.”

July 2021

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IN THE INDUSTRY CASINO VIDEO SCREEN UPGRADE

S A PET AIRPORT PROJECT

S

TOW, OHIO—With a reputation as Northeast Ohio’s premier large and grand format production facility for graphics solutions and products, Cleveland-based Repros, Inc. knows wall graphics. So, it was no surprise when Recess Creative, LLC, a full-service creative agency also located in Cleveland, approached Repros for a recommendation on a somewhat unusual wall graphic application that they were designing.

The project was for Cleveland Hopkins International Airport’s “doggy relief area,” a dedicated area inside the airport for passengers’ traveling pets to relieve themselves. The customer’s primary concern was keeping the walls in the area clean and protected.

Repros immediately recommended Mactac’s REBEL® H (RB528H) multiprint media. The experts at Repros also suggested that to further address the issue of cleanliness, the Recess team pair REBEL H with Mactac’s newest overlaminate innovation, PermaGard® Shield (PGS128)—which not only protects wall graphics but also features antimicrobial properties.

“Since the customer also wanted 8

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something easy to clean but that offered protection,” said Anthony La Guardia of Repros, “we knew the Shield overlaminate would deliver the added benefits they were looking for.”

Recess Creative jumped on the recommendation, finished the graphic design, and turned things over to Repros for printing and installation.

The graphics were printed out on a Canon Océ Colorado Series printer and installed within one-and-a-half hours using two installers.

“This project started off as a pretty typical install until we learned of the unique requirements of the interior walls,” said Chris Jungjohann, the founder/principal of Recess Creative.

“But working with Repros is always an easy choice. They consistently deliver a high-end product on time and I never have to worry about anything.

“When they suggested this new material to help block out germs and protect not only the walls but the passengers and their pets, we knew this was what we were looking for. The finished space looks awesome and we [know we] don’t have to worry about wear and tear.”

AN DIEGO, CA—San Diego’s Favorite® Casino, Valley View Casino & Hotel, replaced an LED display at their Main Stage Bar & Lounge with an upgraded sixteen-foot video wall using digital display technology from SNA Displays. A/V integrator D3, Inc., procured and installed the LED display, which will show live sports and other entertainment videos for their guests at the bar & lounge. The new video wall will enhance the guest experience with state-of-the-art brightness and clarity for all to enjoy.

“This new addition will enhance the guest experience and provide more crisp entertainment to enjoy,” says Todd Jackson, vice president of Information Technology at Valley View Casino & Hotel.

The new LED screen comes from SNA Displays’ BRILLIANT™ line of indoor display products and features a 16-by-9 aspect ratio. The display is approximately 9 feet high-by-16 feet wide and has a narrow pixel pitch of 1.9 millimeters, meaning the highdefinition digital contains more than 3.5 million pixels (1404-by-2496).

“Valley View Casino already had the infrastructure that was needed in place, so this was an ideal retrofit project,” said Tony Kaiser, project manager for SNA Displays, referring to the display that was replaced. “So installing the permanent technology was fairly straightforward, and we are very pleased with the results.”

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SIGN SHOW DIGITAL PRINTING EQUIP./SUPPLIES

LED MODULES/TUBES/ STRIPS

Experience the Latest Roland DGA Technologies at their Business Builder Web Page

Major Upgrade Made to SloanLED’s Stick-based Sign Cabinet Lighting Solution

Roland DGA Corporation has introduced two new ways for prospective and existing customers to see the company's printing technologies right from their desktops. Visitors to the Business Builder page at the Roland DGA web site can now request a personalized virtual product demonstration or view devices in a 3D showroom with the click of a mouse. These online options—alongside Roland DGA’s Business Builder roadshow, dealer showrooms, and returning tradeshows—create more opportunities for buyers to see the company's products in action. Virtual product demonstrations are available for the IU-1000F high-volume flatbed printer, VersaUV® LEC2 UV printer/cutters, VersaUV® LEF2 benchtop flatbed printers, and TrueVIS™ series printers.

The new 3D showroom—a virtual equivalent of the physical showroom at Roland DGA’s corporate headquarters—allows visitors to take a “tour” and get a three-dimensional look at the company’s product offerings. Visitors can click on any of the devices to rotate the machine, get a close-up view, access videos and more information, and request free print samples. rolanddga.com/sites/2021-business-builder-events

Light technology leader SloanLED announces the launch of SloanLED PrismBEAM24, a significant upgrade to its pre-assembled stick-based LED lighting solution for illuminating new and retrofit sign cabinet applications.

The entire PrismBEAM24 range features a one-piece construction with no on-site assembly required and is available in all standard lamp sizes, single- and double-sided, for fast, easy installation using existing sockets. PrismBEAM24 leverages the power and efficacy of SloanLED’s premium 24V channel letter modules to deliver improved optics and four points of light per module for optimum uniform illumination at 5 to 8 inches (127 to 203 mm) and a maximum of 16 inches (406 mm) from the face. PrismBEAM24 is available in 6500K light color temperature and benefits from a revised extrusion for significantly increased rigidity and less product flex, incredible efficacy at 165 lumens per watt, up to 100 percent more lamps per power supply, and a 10-year parts and labor assistance warranty.

PrismBEAM24 also features Constant Current Technology, which eliminates the line loss and voltage drop issues and the need for expensive, heavy-gauge hook-up wire and connectors often required with competing products. sloanled.com

ROUTERS/ENGRAVERS Tormach microARC 4 Provides High-precision Fourth Axis Machining in a Compact Footprint The fourth-axis machining microARC 4 from Tormach, Inc., works with all the company’s machines—from the PCNC 440 Mill to the 1100 M/MX Mill.

The microARC 4 reduces both operator workload and cycle times with a high-quality, low-maintenance harmonic drive. The drive provides extremely precise motion control, coupled with much higher rapid speeds than a worm-drive unit. The microARC 4 features near-zero backlash levels because of the harmonic drive system. Compared to a similar-sized worm-drive fourth axis unit, the microARC 4 achieves anywhere from a 400 to 600 percent reduction in backlash. Another benefit is that no maintenance is required, providing a much lower cost of ownership than an oil-filled worm drive unit (which requires periodic oil changes and top-ups). The microARC 4 features a smoother start and stop motion due to a crossed-roller bearing instead of a large oil-film hydrodynamic bearing that is common on most other fourth axis units that require a transition from static to dynamic friction. Stock can be passed all the way through the chuck and out the back of the fourth axis—no need to cut stock into small pieces when doing a production run of many parts. The microARC 4’s motor is mounted directly in-line with the axis of rotation instead of off to the side (providing an extremely compact footprint), and its lightweight and strong aluminum body allows for installation into the machine without a hoist or team lift. tormach.com/microacrc-4-4th-axis-38412.html

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SIGN SHOW DIGITAL PRINTING EQUIP./SUPPLIES New NEPATA UA770 Coreless Rewinder/Trimmer Gets Precise with its Cuts Supply55, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of workflow products for the digital printing segment of the sign and graphics markets, and NEPATA GmbH are pleased to announce the release of the new NEPATA UA770 30-inch Coreless Rewinder/Trimmer.

According to the supplier, the UA770 Coreless delivers fast, accurate rewinds, precision cuts, and automatic label printing for lot number traceability, while eliminating the cost of cores when rewinding. The UA770 Coreless features support for coreless or 40mm core rewinds and has the benefit of up to 140 5-foot rewinds per hour. The UA770 Coreless boasts a 99.9 percent rewinding accuracy and rewinding and trimming up to thirty-inch widths. Another benefit of the NEPATA UA770 30-inch Coreless is that it features precision cuts with a variance of less than 1 percent—resulting in less waste, less rejects, and fewer customer complaints. It also has a productivity gain of over 40 percent compared to analog methods. The automatic label printing function includes bar codes for professional inventory control, reduction in shipping errors, and elimination of roll length errors. Metric and Imperial system data is supported concurrently.

Types of material that can be processed with the UA700 Coreless Rewinder/Trimmer include self-adhesive vinyl films, sandblast mask, vehicle wrap films, magnetic films, flex films, flock, heat transfer vinyl, banner material, VHB tape, photo paper, engineering paper, wallpaper, reflective films, window tint film, and other non-woven films. supply55.com

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SIGN SHOW VINYL/VINYL FILMS Mactac Enhances Its IMAGin PrintVinyl Promotional Media Series Mactac® Distributor Products is now providing customers more options for economical vinyl solutions related to indoor advertising and promotion with its IMAGin® PrintVinyl and PrintVinyl Grey promotional media series. Designed for wide format printing applications (UV inkjet, solvent, eco-solvent, and latex), IMAGin PrintVinyl and PrintVinyl Grey provide printability, color, and performance at an economical cost. There are several products available in this line. The PV300 series is a 3.2-mil matte or gloss white, soft-calendared PVC film coated on one side with a removable or permanent pressure-sensitive adhesive and supplied with a 78# claycoated liner. It is designed for general purpose indoor or short-term outdoor advertising and promotion on flat or slightly curved surfaces. Outdoor durability is three years. PVG300 series is a 3.2-mil gloss or matte white, soft-calendared PVC film that is coated on one side with removable or permanent opaque, gray acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive and supplied with a 78# clay coated liner. It is designed for indoor or medium-term outdoor advertising and promotion, up to three years on flat or slightly curved surfaces. Meanwhile PVG529P is a 3.5-mil gloss or matte white, soft-calendared PVC film that is coated on one side with permanent or removable, opaque, gray acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive and supplied with a 90# Layflat liner. It is designed for indoor or medium-term outdoor advertising and promotion up to five years on flat or slightly curved surfaces. IMAGin PrintVinyl and PrintVinyl Grey products are made in the U.S.A. They feature a two-year shelf life and are backed by Mactac’s Open Image Warranty™. (866) 622-8223; mactac.com/graphics

WHITE RED BLUE

GREEN

ORANGE

YELLOW

AMERICA’S TRUSTED NAME IN NEON IS NOW YOUR TRUSTED NAME IN FLEXIBLE LED

CALL: 800.793.4793 EMAIL: sales@sfeg.com 12

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SIGN SHOW SOFTWARE-DESIGN/PRINT/ROUTER/ESTIMATING Latest Version of SAi’s Flexi All-in-one Design to Production Software Includes More Features SAi has released Flexi 21, the most feature-rich version of its flagship sign-making software. Created as an all-in-one solution for design, print, print-and-cut, and direct-tovinyl production workflow, the 64-bit RIP system is engineered to meet the demanding design to production challenges of sign & display and large format print providers for both novice and more advanced users, while continuing to be highly productive with fast processing speeds. SAi’s Flexi 21 design and RIP print software now supports multilayer/white and varnish ink layered printing. With this versatile and powerful tool, Flexi can generate white or varnish ink on the fly or from the white layer in the predefined design. Users can control how the ink is printed in both the Flexi Design and Flexi RIP Production Manager functions. This “sandwich” mode printing supports outputting multiple layers—for example, a bottom layer of white, color in the middle, and varnish on top. With the ability to preview the white channel beforehand, users save RIP and print time and avoid wasted materials. Flexi 21 includes a host of advanced features. Jig templates allows users to design and save jig templates that will precisely match the jig on the printer bed for printing on multiple parts (such as phone cases). Users also no longer have to wait for the print job to finishing RIP-ing to start printing, and they can now define their own custom, cut line spot colors and give the custom names (simplifying the cutting process). Inkset channels and profiles can be customized to different color modes, if your printer supports custom ink. Flexi 21 also features Adobe Illustrator® layer support (multi-layer Illustrator or PDF files can be split into multiple jobs which then can be processed as spot colors like white and varnish). thinksai.com

High quality standoffs at an unbeatable price! It’s easy to see why sign makers and installers everywhere use Simply Standoffs from Gyford for a wide range of projects and budgets.

Choose quality. Choose craftsmanship. CHOOSE GYFORD. To see the entire Simply Standoff line, visit standoffsystems.com. standoffsystems.com • 775.829.7272

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HOW TO

ENGRAVING ASHLEY BRAY HDU FOAM | BYBY JEFF WOOTEN

Mass Producing Custom Orders

Q

uint Creative Signs of Piqua, Ohio specializes in creating one-of-a-kind dimensional signs that help set businesses and organizations apart from others. Sometimes this can involve large amounts of custom signage for an order, which can require the need for extra detail in planning, scheduling, and logistics.

The shop is currently undertaking a series of sign projects for several Texasbased convenience stores, having already completed two locations at press time (with four to six more on the horizon).

For the first location, Quint Creative Signs produced fifteen identification signs of one size and three double-sided signs of the same size, as well as ATM and large restroom signs. At the second store, they crafted twenty-five of the same size wall signs.

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“We made every one of these signs unique; none have a duplicate frame or background,” says Brian Quinter, owner of Quint Creative Signs. “I didn’t want to see all these signs hung on the wall and notice a repeated pattern on them.

“While this took longer, I think making them unique is a much better result for this client.”

Quint Creative first designed the 3D elements of these signs using Vectric Aspire. They then routed the signs out of DUNA-USA CORAFOAM® on their AXYZ CNC router. “After we finished routing them, we did a little hand-carving and sanding to each sign for a little more added effects,” says Quinter.

The circular icons featured on each sign are made out of black PVC and feature printed vinyl faces on them.

The background and raised text on

the signs were painted. “We primed all the signs and then applied a base color to each one,” says Quinter. “Each sign went through two glazing steps, in order to achieve the wood-looking color. We sprayed the primer coat, but all the other paint was done by hand.”

As you can imagine, dealing with a large order of custom dimensional signs necessitates a detailed production schedule.

Quinter says they broke the orders down according to size. “We first CNCrouted all the signs of one size,” he explains. “While one group was finished and another was on the CNC, we proceeded to doing our sanding and hand-carved details and getting them ready for primer.”

For the one-size signs, Quint Creative was able to get six sign CORAFOAM sign blanks on their CNC table at a time.

“We ended up doing a lot of rotating of signshop.com

All Photos: Quint Creative Signs.

Managing a large order of custom 3D signs.

HOW TO

HDU FOAM | BY JEFF WOOTEN

the signs, since there is only so much space,” says Quinter.

After they got twelve of the signs primed, Quint Creative moved them into a room where they did hand painting while they moved more in for priming.

“We will wait for all the signs in the group to be primed then we move into doing the base color,” says Quinter. “Depending on the quantity, this can be done in a day or a day-and-a-half. Then we plan a day for each glazing step and a day to paint the text and check for touch-ups.”

Quinter says that one challenge of reproducing numerous, multiple types of similar dimensional signage is making

sure that their vendor has enough HDU in stock to keep them rolling with the project. “On our newest order, we ended up having our distributor get us a skid directly from DUNA-USA,” he says.

They also pay attention to paint supply. “We use Nova Color Paint for these signs. They have a shop in California,” says Quinter, “so we need to make sure we have plenty of time for it to arrive before we need it.”

Quinter mentions that this client had a really quick lead time on their first order of signage, so they had to inform them of the steps required and the time it was going to take to make them. “We always try

to lengthen the CNC lead time,” he says.

For the first order, the sign shop shipped a batch of per-size signs back to their client as soon as they finished them.

“On the current order (and going forward), we plan to ship everything at once to reduce shipping cost for the client,” says Quinter.

Quinter says it can be challenging for smaller-sized shops to keep other projects rolling when working on an order requiring large amounts of signage. “Sometimes it works out okay in the end, because of paint drying or CNC routing time, where you can’t really work on this project and have to do another,” he says.

Brian Quinter hand carves extra detail before adding on the primer.

Convenience store signs.

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HOW TO

BUSINESS ENGRAVING MANAGEMENT

BY ASHLEY BRAY

BY DAVID HICKEY

Breaking the Supply Chain

A

dd supply chain shortages— particularly in plastics, aluminum, and lumber—as one more challenge for sign companies to navigate in 2021. Our industry is hardly alone. Everything from chicken wings to pool chlorine is in short supply.

There are a myriad of issues behind each of these shortages—from winter storms that took out plastic manufacturing in Texas to a lack of qualified tanker truck operators creating lines at the gas pumps this summer.

In some ways, it’s a fitting end to what I hope are the last gasps of the pandemic.

We’ve had to adapt in so many ways over the last year or so. But there are non-pandemic issues, too.

Tariffs set off price increases in aluminum in 2018 and a robust construction boom has driven lumber prices through the roof.

Even as we emerge from lockdowns and rebuild the economy, finding re-

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sources promises to be an ongoing challenge for our industry.

But what if this presents an opportunity instead? What if we learn as an industry to adapt quickly and find new ways to serve our customers while protecting our companies’ bottom lines?

That proactive approach was discussed in a panel at ISA International Sign Expo 2021-Virtual in April. Mark Dancer, a Fellow at the Institute for Distribution Excellence, and MJ Singhani, director of supply chain for United Kingdom-based Principal, joined me to discuss ways that we can innovate and adapt well beyond the current shortages.

Singhani said that shortages are forcing distributors to work more collaboratively with clients. When a certain material isn’t available, this collaboration can help find alternate products. Dancer said that new partnerships would drive new processes, which could pay dividends for decades.

Dancer told attendees how one paint supply company had reorganized into three distinct business units—one focused on retail, one on sign, and one on consulting.

“The immediate benefit was each of the customer segments could say, ‘I see what you’re about. I need this from you,’” explained Dancer. “They got focused solutions.”

Singhani may not have been the most popular person in the room when he noted, “There are other pandemics and crises five or ten years down the road.

There is always something lurking.”

But he noted that if we learn from the supply challenges the last year has brought, the end-result will be a stronger industry.

Dancer echoed that sentiment by saying, “We are much more of a global economy and any crisis is going to cause supply chain issues.”

So what’s the solution here exactly? signshop.com

Photo: Shutterstock.com/Travel mania.

Learning to adapt to shortages.

HOW TO

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

After the last few years, it’s a risk we can’t really afford to take.

What products are you having trouble finding? What innovative ideas have you come up with to overcome supply chain issues?

I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a line at David.Hickey@signs.org.

David Hickey is the vice president of Government Affairs at the International Sign Association (ISA).

Photo: Shutterstock.com/Zapp2Photo.

The National Association of Manufacturers has included supply chain improvements as part of its American Renewal Action Plan. The plan includes ideas like supporting American manufacturing with investments and tax rebates that encourage growth.

There has been a lot of talk about “reshoring,” or bringing manufacturing of items that funnel into our supply chain, back into North America.

It’s a complex issue to be sure. But I’ve also heard of sign, graphics, and visual communications companies turning down jobs because they can’t get the components to deliver the project on time.

In some ways, it’s cute to complain about the chicken wing shortage. But when it comes to our industry, these vital components threaten jobs and the viability of our industry.

BY DAVID HICKEY

signshop.com

July 2021

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FEATURE NAME DIMENSIONALS

BY JEFF AUTHOR WOOTEN

NECESSITIES OF PAINTING

V

isitors to Cathedral Square Park in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin this summer are being welcomed by five colorful bear sculptures. Celebrating the colors of the LGBTQ+ community, this “Massimals MKE: Rainbow” art campaign made its debut this past June just in time for the start of Pride Month.

However the story behind these five bears (known as “Massimals”) and their

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new, colorful rainbow sequence is best told as a collaboration between a creative artist, an organization dedicated to boosting interest in downtown Milwaukee, and a sign shop equipped with a great reputation, a spray booth, and a talented team of installers.

“Massimals MKE: Rainbow” kicked off Jumpst(ART) Downtown 2021, an arts and culture initiative created and overseen by Milwaukee Downtown,

Business Improvement District (BID) #21. This summer-long “safe and exciting” promotion is about “experience” and encompasses everything from new murals, temporary art installations, live canvas paintings, and more from local artists. (Note: See sidebar on page 20.)

The Jumpst(ART) campaign is intended to encourage people to return back to the downtown area and “jumpstart” the economy there during the June signshop.com

Photo: Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21.

THE BEAR

Massimal bear sculptures get a colorful makeover.

Five repainted Massimal bears make up “Massimals MKE: Rainbow” at Cathedral Square Park in Milwaukee, as part of the area’s Jumpst(ART) Downtown culture initiative.

and July months until more events return in August. “We’re trying to fill that incredible programming void right now that most American cities are facing,” says Gabriel Yeager, downtown environment specialist for Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21. “While we’re opening up much quicker than anyone anticipated, most of our summer events in Milwaukee had already been cancelled, so we are trying to revive and reanimate signshop.com

our public spaces with art, such as these Massimal bears.”

The Massimal bears were designed by artist Jason Scroggin of Scroggin Studio, a design research practice in Kentucky.

Scroggin Studio has produced nationally and internationally recognized and award-winning designs that present new ways to interact with built form from the scale of the city to interior environments.

“Massimal” refers to 1:1-scale abstractions of animals that are built in the form of massing study models produced in architectural design practice. These Massimal bears were built using an egg crate with a lattice grid type of system.

The bears came to life thanks to construction help from students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Architecture + Urban Planning who put them together late last year at the Wisconsin Center, a convention and exhibition center located in downtown Milwaukee. “Keep in mind that this was during COVID-19, and the entire city was on lockdown,” says Yeager. “So being able to do this safely was a pretty big achievement.”

The five life-sized, full-scale Massimal bears are made out of 3/4-inch-thick wood pre-coated with a glossy white primer. “When we were assembling, it was just as simple as putting them together and painting the sides of the boards that were not treated nor precoated with the white primer,” says Yeager. “Essentially it was all white, and we painted the edges of the bear to give it that white massing model look.”

However “Massimals MKE: Rainbow” is not the first go-round for these bears. They were originally created for a Milwaukee Dowtown, BID #21 winter campaign called “Don’t Hibernate, Celebrate,” which encouraged safety in the downtown area during the pandemic.

“These white massing models looked like polar bears,” says Yeager, “and ended up being the ‘unofficial’ mascots of that campaign.”

The Massimal bears were installed at Cathedral Square Park in January, making it the first time that these types of installations would be displayed outside during the winter.

Although bears are known to hiber-

nate during the winter, their performance during this season was outstanding. “To be honest, we weren’t sure if they were going to withstand the elements,” says Yeager, “but they actually did just fine. Everyone seemed to like them, so we felt we could really extend them into summer.”

Looking at the calendar, Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 decided to try refitting them for their summer campaign.

But this was going to involve giving them a complete color makeover—gone would be the glossy white and in its place would be a plethora of rainbow colors (apropos for Pride Month in June).

Yeager reached out to Dave Salkin, an account executive at Bauer Sign & Lighting Company, a full-service sign shop located in New Berlin, Wisconsin (“That Illuminating Aroma,” April 2021), and inquired about providing fresh coats of paint for this rebrand. (Note: Bauer Sign & Lighting had done some prior work with Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21, including printing banners and graphics on other downtown projects.)

Bauer Sign & Lighting brought all five glossy white Massimal bears back at once to their facility at the end of April. Before placing the bears in their spray booth, they had to clean the dirt and mud off them (much of it had accumulated around the feet), sand any issue areas, and paint them white.

“It was a real trick getting the bears propped up in the spray booth so we could spray from the top and bottom,” says Jordan Bauer, operations manager at Bauer Sign & Lighting, noting that they used a forklift and carts to move the heavyweight sculptures around their facility.

Each Massimal bear was endowed with a unique color (blue, green, orange, pink, or yellow). Working in their in-plant spray booth, the company applied these hues using paints from Matthews Paint.

“Each one took about a day to paint over a three-week period,” says Salkin.

“The paint job on these could have easily been ruined if not done properly,” adds Bauer. “There are a a lot of nooks and crannies on these bears where paint runs could happen. So we turned the air pressure way down in the hard-to-reach July 2021

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Jumpst(ART) Milwaukee 2021 Summer Projects Other special campaigns that combine artistry with branding appearing this summer for Jumpst(ART) Downtown include: • Local artist Emma Daisy Gertal designed a new wrap for a Filipino food truck during Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month.

Symbols in the mural include family generations passing down traditions, the Filipino sun, three stars (representing the three big islands of the Philippines), and banana leaves. The wrap was printed and installed by Mandel Graphics. (May) • Milwaukee-native Josephine Rice transformed the Marcus Performing Arts Center’s RiverWalk boat landing into a temporary spray chalk mural using forty-plus colors. (June) • Spanning 10,000 square feet, artist Greg Gossel transformed the Schlitz Park Powerhouse with the downtown’s largest mural to date celebrating the “beer that made Milwaukee famous,” their manufacturing heritage, and their connection to water. (July)

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areas and just took our time.”

After painting, Bauer Sign & Lighting had to let each bear sit and fully cure before removing it from the spray booth with a forklift. “We couldn’t paint any other projects while they were in there,” says Bauer. “While some might say they were a real ‘bear,’ they were definitely fun!”

Bauer Sign & Lighting strapped all the Massimal bears onto a flatbed trailer on the back of their truck for their colorful return to Cathedral Square Park.

Keep in mind that each of the “Massimals MKE: Rainbow” bears weighs 250 pounds, so this necessitated Bauer Sign & Lighting using a crane to lift them off their truck and trailer and directly to a dolly cart where crew members wheeled them to their resting site and then secured them to their spots in the park.

“They had eye hooks previously installed on them which we attached to ground anchors,” says Bauers. “Their massive weight adds even more protection.”

Salkin says his company looks at these types of installations as public art and admits that this Massimal bears project was pretty unique for a sign company. “Having a spray booth at our facility gave us a leg up on the whole thing,” he says.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony to kick-off Jumpst(ART) Milwaukee was held in the park in early June, with the unveiling of the Massimal bears the highlight.

According to Yeager, the event was attended by a “good representation” of top elected city and county officials.

The bears also come alive at night.

RGB LED spotlights sit atop a pole and

shine down on them. Brighter LED color programming was implemented for the summer season, as opposed to the cooler colors used during winter.

Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21 was able to extend the reach of these Massimal bears thanks to area partnerships.

PNC Bank signed on to present the new re-installation, and several LGBTQ+ community organizations offered support throughout the project.

They also secured ad placement using images of the bears on the city’s Hop streetcar system.

“It promotes Pride Month while also calling attention to the Massimal installation,” says Yeager, “which is really nice ad placement since the streetcar literally stops right in front of them at one point.”

Yeager says that Bauer Sign & Lighting did a great job to meet their restricted budget, which in this day and age can be hard to come by. “Trying to justify project budgets can be challenging. What are we doing again—spray-painting bears?” laughs Yeager. “However we were able to do this thanks to Bauer Sign & Lighting working with us.”

Yeager is thrilled he was able to stretch his budget as much as he could with these Massimal bears and get two really unique art installations out of one project.

Meanwhile Bauer Sign & Lighting is again working with Yeager on decorating and installing ACM panels for a mural install in June. “We’re constantly coming up with temporary signage ideas for the downtown area. Thank God for [them]!” says Yeager. signshop.com

Photos: Bauer Sign & Lighting.

Because of the heavy weight of the Massimal bears, they could only be moved around by forklifts and carts.

CNC GRAPHICS ROUTER

BY

BY BRAD MAURA BURNETT KELLER

PERFECTING

HIS CRAFT J Signs and Graphics wraps everything from vehicles to digital kiosks.

All photos: J Signs and Graphics.

T

he adage, “from small beginnings come great things,” is the perfect way to describe J Signs and Graphics in Aberdeen, North Carolina.

Twenty-one years ago, after already having worked within the signage industry for a number of years, company Founder and Owner Jeremy White decided to set out and make his proverbial mark on the signage industry—albeit in a simple and humble way.

What began out of White’s bedroom eventually moved to a 1,000-squarefoot storefront and then to a 4,500-square-foot space. Today J Signs and Graphics has expanded into a 6,000-square-foot facility (which includes 3,000 square feet of workspace with cut tables, open offices, and a showroom area) providing signage solutions to clients both large and small. signshop.com

In the back of the facility, the company boasts 3,000 square feet of garage space with a 12-foot garage door. This particular space, which measures about eighty feet deep, allows White and his team to pull almost anything into it (including trucks and other large vehicles).

“When I first began [J Signs and Graphics], full-color outdoor printers didn’t exist, so I started out with a twenty-four-inch vinyl plotter,” says White. “Mostly what I did was die-cut single-color window lettering and vehicle magnets.” (Note: One of White’s first jobs was a 20-by-30-foot billboard that involved having to cut twentyfour-inch rows at a time.)

Fast forward to today and you’ll find that J Signs and Graphics utilizes the latest technologies, which has allowed the team to hone its skills and expand its offerings to encompass all

aspects of signage—from banners and billboards to cabinet signs and channel letters to road signs, PVC signs, sandblasted signs, routed signs, site signs, vehicle wraps, vinyl signs, and everything in between.

Looking at Wrap Projects J Signs and Graphics specializes in vehicle wraps of all kinds.

With their ability to garner between 30,000 and 70,000 impressions every day, White says it’s no wonder vehicle wraps are among the most effective and frequently used marketing mediums by businesses and organizations across the United States today.

As such, they’ve worked with a variety of clients from household names like Zaxby’s®, Carolina Air, Legacy Home Construction, and Moore Appliance Service, to individuals looking to give July 2021

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J Signs and Graphics does a lot of emergency vehicle graphics for the sheriff’s department and local hospitals.

their personal vehicle a more individualized look.

J Signs and Graphics has found success performing full-color change-outs of personal vehicles. One notable project in this area, according to White, was the recent vinyl color change-out for a performance model S Tesla. “It was originally black, but the vehicle now boasts 3M’s 2080 Satin Flip Ghost Pearl SP280,” he says.

And while vehicle wraps in general are relatively cost-efficient, White recognizes that some businesses or organizations may not want or may not be able to afford a full-body wrap.

Rather than scrapping the idea completely, J Signs and Graphics offers partial vehicle wraps, allowing those businesses and organizations to get the same impressions and influence among their audiences, with less physical coverage. Naturally, since partial wraps cover less square footage than full body wraps, they also come at a lower cost.

“Catered specifically toward those looking to obtain the benefits of full graphic wraps with a slightly lower price tag, partial vehicle wraps offer the perfect solution and are flexible, cost ef22

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July 2021

fective, and durable,” says White.

And their wraps extend beyond just vehicles. According to White, one of his favorite products to wrap is a digital kiosk. One of his major customers is a kiosk manufacturer whose clients include many big box retailers.

VEHICLE GRAPHICS ARE ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE MARKETING MEDIUMS FOR BUSINESSES. “We’re supplied with Drawing Interchange Format (DXF) files the manufacturer uses to cut their metal parts, so it is very appealing to see a graphic match their parts flawlessly every time,” he says.

Designs for Better Wraps So what advice does White have on making designs on vehicle graphics

and digital kiosks truly stand out?

As he explains, vibrancy depends on the type of printer being used.

White worked with Southeast Sign Supply to select his first printer—a Roland DG VersaCAMM 54-inch printer/ cutter. “That turned out to be a great recommendation because, in addition to high-quality output, the integrated print/cut made my workflow simpler,” says White.

For his next printer, he stayed with Roland DG, purchasing a 54-inch TrueVIS VG-540 printer/cutter. And when the time came to get a newer machine, White went back to Roland DG for its next-generation TrueVIS printer/ cutter, the VG2-540.

“We run Roland’s TR2 inks in both our VGs, which helps with color matching and consistency,” says White. “Our previous printers would print more vibrantly [when we saved] EPS files in RGB color mode; however, now that we’re using Roland’s TR2 inks, vibrant colors are effortless. Working in Photoshop® filters allows us to save files in ‘brighter than life’ colors.”

In addition to Roland’s TR2 inks, White prides himself on the state-ofsignshop.com

White says that vinyl lettering just doesn’t catch people’s eye anymore, so vehicle wraps will continue to grow.

the-art equipment that he’s integrated throughout his shop. These include three Roland VersaCAMM eco-solvent printers, a UV flatbed printer, a fourby-eight-foot CNC router, channel letter benders, hydraulics breaks, and all the fabricating tools the team needs to design, manufacture, and complete their customers’ various signage needs.

And although White requests a threeday lead time from his customers, J Signs and Graphics’ largest client produces graphics for digital kiosks and usually need their jobs done in one day.

The graphics produced typically are applied to three or four sides of each kiosk. Multiply that by the number of kiosks they are working on that day, and White and his team find themselves printing, laminating and contour cutting 500 to 600 graphics per job.

More Than Just Vinyl As mentioned earlier, it would be a mistake to assume that J Signs and Graphics is strictly a vinyl-only shop.

“We produce a lot more than graphics and vehicle wraps,” confirms White.

“We also manufacture channel letters and digital LED signs in-house.” signshop.com

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Modular in nature, each LED sign produced by J Signs and Graphics is primarily made up of 25-by-50-inch sealed LED panels. The modular design enables customers to specify the exact size that best meets their unique needs without sacrificing appearance or functionality.

“In addition to their design and sizing, our LED signs offer flexibility from an installation and location perspective,” says White. “With our engineered design, each edgeless module is capable of stacking either horizontally or vertically with no seam reveal.

“The module is able to run independently or in combination with an unlimited quantity of modules.”

Sign Substrate 8 standard sheet sizes • Any thickness up to 24" • Fast turnaround

Owning Up to One’s Success To manage this level of workload, J Signs and Graphics uses ShopVOX for their customer relationship management and job management.

“I’m very pleased with how well it keeps up with managing each job.

Since we’ve switched to ShopVOX, our output has increased dramatically,” says White.

J Signs and Graphics is a prime example of how owning a sign and graphic company means every day is different.

“I’ve always enjoyed challenges, especially when it was something that seemed impossible to reach,” says White. “For example, when learning how to program the video cards with each LED pixel, it was very frustrating; but at the same time, after perfecting each step, it [ended up being] the most rewarding feeling.

“Four years of research, trial and error—we finally have an amazing product at a fraction of the cost. That cost savings is passed on to our customer, which allows us to sell more displays throughout the year.”

Precision Board HDU

www.PrecisionBoard.com • (800) 845-0745 24

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July 2021

Digital printing technology has allowed White to create colorful wraps.

signshop.com

CNC SPOTLIGHT ROUTER

BRANDING

BY BRAD | BY SBI BURNETT STAFF

BRANDING SIGNAGE

SPOTLIGHT

W

elcome to our special section devoted to signage branding. A distinct identity means everything in today’s crowded business landscape, and because of this, branding is not only a key buzzword in the industry but also a key goal for many of your commercial and business clients.

This month’s round-up covers some of the latest projects and newly released products that are related to branding solutions. These write-ups can help you better improve your positioning in relation to being a branding supply source, give you ideas as to the types of projects you can produce and/or sell in this field, or keep you updated with some of the latest developments of interest. Web site links listed at the end of each entry will guide you to further information online.

signshop.com

NEW PRODUCT New V-BOND Ink for VersaUV LEF2 Series UV Printers Roland DGA Corporation has introduced V-BOND Ink for use with new VersaUV® LEF2 series flatbed UV printers. In addition to imaging beautifully, delivering exceptional color results, and adhering well to a vast array of substrates, the new low-VOC, nickel-free ink is compliant with both the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) and California Proposition 65.

Meeting these important safety standards creates new, potentially lucrative opportunities for LEF2 users. V-BOND Ink is not only ideal for printing on children’s toys, it’s also perfect for direct-printing on school supplies, stationary, jewelry and fashion items, hygiene products, earbuds and electronic accessories, culinary products, pet products, and other substrates. Available in CMYK as well as Gloss and White, V-BOND Ink can be combined with Roland DG’s True Rich Color 2 profiles for a wider color gamut and rich, vibrant graphics. The high-opacity, phthalate-free White ink is perfect for printing rich, dense colors on clear materials, while the Gloss enables users to incorporate unique textural and dimensional effects into prints. https://bit.ly/3zh5igh

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INSTALLATION

NEW PRODUCT

Corporate Branding and Employee Privacy Ranked by Forbes as one o f t h e w o r l d ’s b e s t employers, Cognizant is a multinational technology company that provides business consulting, information technology, and outsourcing services. When building a new office space in Teaneck, New Jersey that includes conference rooms and offices with floor-to-ceiling glass walls and windows, Cognizant sought a unique way to incorporate company branding and employee privacy. To give the space the creative touch it needed, the Cognizant team turned to graphic design and signage company Mixed Media Concepts of Middlesex, New Jersey.

Specializing in wide format printing and architectural signage, Mixed Media Concepts recommended a combination of printed and unprinted window graphics that could be applied to the glass surfaces. They used a total of 4,000 square feet of IMAGin B-free Frosted Window Film (JX5796MBFv2) from Mactac to create a consistent finish.

Mixed Media Concepts printed the material using an HP® Latex 360 printer and installed printed and non-printed material on both first and second surfaces. https://bit.ly/3iw1DoW

Transforming Windows into Eye-catching Displays Sharp NEC Display Solutions has announced its par tnership with Ave r y D e n n i so n , delivering ActiveScene™, an innovative, interactive AV solution. Combining Avery Dennison’s Vela™ Dynamic System and NEC projection technology, ActiveScene provides a comprehensive AV solution to transform existing windows into engaging, eye-catching displays. Utilizing Avery Dennison’s Vela™ smart window film, ActiveScene can be retrofitted to any window or glass surface. Controlled electronically, the film becomes opaque upon command to create a dynamic canvas where users can project a unique AV experience to their audiences, making use of previously underutilized glass wall or window space. When ActiveScene is not in use, the glass remains transparent. Ideal for a wide variety of applications, ActiveScene can be used to transform glass storefronts into large advertising displays, corporate conference room windows into dynamic privacy screens, glass-fronted museum vignettes into informative signage, and more. https://bit.ly/2ShOtS5

TECHNOLOGY Philips 7000 Series Creates Customer-friendly, Flexible Indoor LED Making its debut in North America, the Philips 7000 series bezel-less displays from PPDS provide 1200-nit brightness—perfect for even the most challenging light conditions, even direct sunlight behind glass— and comes in a range of different size variants to suit any design, shape, or size for infinite possibilities. The launch comes as demand for digital signage solutions continues to reach record levels, with global forecasts valuing the market at $16.3 billion this year (2021), and projected to reach $27.8 billion globally by 2026 and $9.2 billion in North America. Growth is being fuelled by increasing demand for digital signage displays in the retail and commercial sectors for advertisement, branding, and broadcast of information—areas where PPDS is now prolific in, with recent high-profile product announcements, including the new X-line video wall and B-Line video wall and signage solutions. Equipped to fulfill even the most ambitious and creative designs, the 7000 series is also readily available in stock in standard flat or with sloping bevelled corners (for L-shape cornering and curvature, 90 to 180 degrees) and in both convex and concave formats for curved installs with perfect results. All units come with built-in cable wiring (keeping power and data cables tidy), while display cabinets are daisy-chained for both power and data to minimize clutter and speed up installation. https://bit.ly/3gr0hZX

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signshop.com

BUSINESS NEWS LSI Industries Acquires JSI Store Fixtures LSI Industries Inc., a U.S.-based manufacturer of commercial lighting and graphics solutions, has announced its acquisition of privately held JSI Store Fixtures (“JSI”), a provider of retail commercial display solutions throughout North America, from RFE Investment Partners for a cash purchase price of $90 million. For more than thirty years, JSI has supplied major supermarket, convenience, and specialty store chains with branded display solutions focused on enhancing the customer experience and driving store revenue.

Multi-year growth in demand for fresh foods, prepared “grab-and-go” meals, and evolving consumer purchasing habits have led to increased demand for JSI’s display fixtures across a deep base of established national accounts. JSI’s solutions are designed, engineered, manufactured, and marketed from four facilities located throughout the United States and Canada.

“At a commercial level, the combination of LSI’s graphic signage and JSI’s display fixtures businesses, together with our deep portfolio of lighting and program management solutions, will provide a compelling, one-stop value proposition for both new and existing customers,” stated James A. Clark, president and CEO of LSI. https://bit.ly/359On1E

signshop.com

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FEATURESIGNAGE DIGITAL NAME

BY JEFF AUTHOR WOOTEN

The Sonny’s BBQ restaurant in Concord, North Carolina is using a new digital display to show JPEG images and changeable messaging.

COOKING UP A

DIGITAL SOLUTION onny’s BBQ started up in Gainesville, Florida back in 1968, serving slow-smoked, real Southern barbecue. Today the chain has restaurants located all across the Southeast.

In addition to cooking up generous portions of oak-smoked meats and sides, the Sonny’s BBQ in Concord, North Carolina found the advantage of using on-premise digital signage—but it was the second time around that proved to be the real selling point for them.

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Tricor, Inc., is the only Sonny’s BBQ franchisee in the states of North and South Carolina, and their Concord restaurant is located off busy I-85 Interstate and a few exits away from the popular Charlotte Motor Speedway (which uses a large LED board). Five years ago, they upgraded from a static two-sided identity sign to a large pole-mounted digital display to gain additional advertising impressions from motorists. A portion of the LED sign displayed the restaurant’s name and logo, and the rest advertised food specials.

“With an LED display, you can have nice JPEG photos and changeable messages on it,” says Tricor CEO Steve Tubel.

Tubel networked with a fellow franchisee who recommended a sign company offering a “rock bottom” price—and unfortunately, eventually ended up with “rock bottom” results.

Within six months of installation, the sign started failing. “At times part of the sign went black and at other times the entire sign was out. We could not advertise our promotions, and sometimes we signshop.com

All Photos: Tricor, Inc.

S

Sonny’s BBQ gains more exposure with its new digital sign.

lost our restaurant identification altogether,” said Tubel.

Rite Lite Signs of Charlotte, North Carolina contacted Tubel offering to take a look at the sign and see if there was anything they could to help. This full-service sign company is actually located only a few miles down the road from Sonny’s BBQ restaurant along I-85, and key workers there had noticed that the malfunctioning digital sign was either fully dark or a certain percentage of the sign was blacking out.

“We have also used Rite Lite Signs for all our neon repair work for several years now,” says Tubel. “They’ve got an in-house neon shop, which is really attractive to us because not many sign companies have that these days.”

Tubel learned that Rite Lite Signs was the contracting company for Watchfire Signs. So a Watchfire representative and sign dealer, Tim Stout of Rite Lite Signs, Inc., met with Tubel at the Concord Sonny’s BBQ and brought the Watchfire demo truck with him. “They had already prepped the demo truck and pre-programmed Sonny’s images onto the display, which was pretty cool,” says Tubel.

It was also arranged for Tubel to visit the Watchfire manufacturing facility in Danville, Illinois to see how the signs are manufactured and quality-tested.

Change was already in the air, as this particular Sonny’s BBQ had undergone an interior and exterior renovation that started in late December 2019 (ten days before Christmas) and lasted until March 2020.

However the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the grand opening of the renovated restaurant, as they had to shut down their dining rooms as soon as the renovation was completed. “March through June was pretty rough and pretty dismal,” says Tubel.

By the third week of June, things started picking back up. “Although we couldn’t open our dining room, we were able to do drive-thru, take out, third-party delivery, curbside, etc.,” says Tubel, “and that kind of gained some traction.

We eventually were able to reopen our dining room to 50 percent capacity.”

Yet the malfunctioning exterior digital sign remained a problem. “It was out signshop.com

a good part of March through August,” says Tubel. “There was no logo and no messaging on it. And at night, you could only see our building and parking lot lights, but no one could see this sign with our logo on it.”

So Tubel made the decision last August that it was time to replace the malfunctioning sign at the Concord Sonny’s BBQ and upgrade it with a new 10mm Watchfire LED display.

Sonny’s BBQ stayed open regular hours during the Rite Lite Signs installation of the sign. Fortunately the sign is located in its own corner of the parking lot that wasn’t blocking traffic. Still Rite Lite Signs scheduled their installers to arrive and begin work hours earlier than the restaurant’s 11:00am opening time.

It took Rite Lite and their bucket and crane trucks about an hour-and-ahalf to remove the old sign. Throughout the day, they got everything fastened and hooked up. “They were off-site by 4:30pm,” says Tubel.

The new 6-by-12-foot Watchfire digital sign is in operation 24/7 each day.

Local jurisdiction bans the use of video on digital signs and development covenants prohibit reader boards, so the Sonny’s BBQ sign is displaying still images that change every thirty seconds.

“The county allowed us to split our logo, but we also have multiple messages on it for a limited time on it—such as of-

fers and daily specials,” says Tubel. “We also use the sign to run charitable type of promotions, as well as special messaging like, ‘Welcome, Race Fans!’”

Tubel easily programs the sign himself using Watchfire OPX Manager. “I manage the Sonny’s logo portion of the sign and use the other part for messaging about food, displaying photos, running promotions, or a combination,” he says.

“There are times when we do a 50/50 split, and there are times I’ll go ahead and do a little bit smaller logo (30 percent) with a larger message or photo image with the software.”

Tubel is also using the digital sign to address the labor shortage affecting many restaurants today. They’ve successfully programmed two of the rotating messages to successfully recruit workers.

“Because of its location, the sign is basically up in the air and projecting that, ‘yes, we’re hiring and here’s the Web site to visit,’” says Tubel. “We wouldn’t be able to advertise in that manner with a static sign.”

Sales have experienced double digit increases since the sign install. “We haven’t seen any monthly sales dips since the Watchfire sign was installed,” says Tubel, “We attribute a lot of this growth, in addition to the remodel, to our new sign.”

Note: Portions of this article appeared in a prior press release.

The old sign.

July 2021

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MARKETPLACE

VISIT

FOR ADVERTISING OPTIONS CONTACT: DAVID HARKEY (212) 620-7223

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SIGN BUILDER’S

BUYER’S GUIDE

Your Direct Source for Products & Services Get access to vital product and service information from manufacturers and distributors by visiting www.signbuilderdirectory.com

COMPANY

URL

1

Coastal Enterprises/Precision Board

www.PrecisionBoard.com

24

InfoDirect #

PAGE

2

Duxbury Systems Inc.

www.duxburysystems.com

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3

Echod Graphics

www.echodgraphics.com

30

4

FDC Graphic Films Inc.

www.fdcfilms.com

27

5

France Lighting Solutions

www.francelighting.com

12

6

Gyford

www.standoffsystems.com

13

7

HDUSigns.com

www.hdusigns.com

11

8

J Freeman Inc.

www.jfreeman.com

24

9

Keystone Technologies

www.KeystoneTech.com

10

Nova Polymers

www.novapolymers.com

11

SA International

www.thinksai.com

12

SDS Automation

www.sdsautomation.com

C2

13

Signs365.com

www.signs365.com

C4

14

SinaLite

www.sinalite.com

15

Southern Stud Weld

www.studweld.com

5 3 17

9 23

COMPANIES IN SIGN SHOW 16

Mactac

www.mactac.com

12

17

Roland DGA

www.rolanddga.com

10

18

SA International

www.thinksai.com

13

19

SloanLED

www.sloanled.com

11

20

Supply 55, Inc.

www.supply55.com

10

21

Tormach, Inc.

www.tormach.com

10

3 EASY STEPS 1. Go to www.signbuilderdirectory.com

3. Select among dozens of companies in each category to find the best solution for your business.

2.Find the category of products or services you need

SIGN BUILDER

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WORLD’S MIGHTIEST SIGNAGE MAGAZINE!

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. fb.com/SBIMag

Sign Builder Illustrated

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July 2021

Sign Builder Illustrated

31

SHOP TALK ONLINE MARKETING | BY CLAY MCDANIEL what’s not working. Perhaps that means brainstorming new types of content, posting more often or at more regular intervals, or doing more community management on your social media channels.

CLAY MCDANIEL CEO of Ripl Inc

Social Media Must Do’s

Key pieces of advice for small business owners.

Consider focusing on a “hero” social platform. If you feel like you are spread too thin trying to manage all of your social channels, see if one is performing much better than the others and then focus your energies there.

Some channels don’t make as much sense for certain types of businesses.

Visual platforms like Instagram often benefit retailers, while Twitter can be beneficial for sharing news and managing customer service.

Know your customers. Small businesses often can’t afford to do mass marketing, so you need to make sure your social media activity is pinpointed to your customers’ needs. Spend the time to really personify your customer and know what will speak to them and that will help as you develop new content throughout the month and year.

To read more, visit https://bit.ly/3iA9uCc. Add a call to action button. This button sits just under your cover photo on your Facebook business page and can be added to Instagram as well.

Make sure that it fits your business so potential customers can engage immediately to “Shop Now,” “Book Now,” “Sign Up,” and more.

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.

Sign Builder Illustrated

July 2021

“Make sure your social media activity is pinpointed toward your customers’ needs.”

Set goals for your social pages.

Having a page just to have a page isn’t the best strategy, so set some measurable goals so you know what’s working and

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.

32

Delete or archive old content. Comb through your past Instagram posts and Twitter tweets and decide if any are outdated or no longer applicable to your business. Go through each of your story highlights at the top of your Instagram feed and remove outdated content. And if you’re not yet using Instagram stories for your business, you should start. This is a great way to keep important content indefinitely since highlights last forever while stories only last twenty-four hours on the platform. Be sure to also go through your past tweets to determine if there are any that might spark controversy or seem tone deaf and delete those as well.

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.

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.

signshop.com

Photo: Light Years Ahead.

C

lay McDaniel is CEO of Ripl Inc., a software company empowering hundreds of thousands of businesses to make the most of their time by both elevating the quality of and simplifying the execution of their social media efforts to help them drive more business.

This month, he has key pieces of advice in this field for small business owners.

Refresh your business profile images and main images. Your profile picture and cover/banner image are your most notable visuals on each platform and should feature your logo or something representative of your company for this upcoming year—like a shot of your location, your team, or your key products.

SIGN BUILDER

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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.

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