WALL COVERINGS
BY ASHLEY BRAY
A SIGN OF
GOOD KARMA All Photos: Impression Signs.
L
Serving up signage at Pizza Karma.
ike many converts to the sign industry, Eric Gustafson had no sign background when he opened Impression Signs in Oakdale, Minnesota in the summer of 2013. Gustafson’s previous careers include a background in accounting as well as stints in various leadership roles in corporate America. It wasn’t until he decided he wanted to start his own business that he happened upon the sign industry and the Signworld business model, which is a business owners’ alliance of more than 350 sign companies. signshop.com
At the start, the model operates similar to a franchise as it trains its members, recommends the type of space to lease, etc. After that, each business operates as an independent brand with no fees. “It’s a really awesome support network for starting a sign business,” says Gustafson. “Unlike a franchise, there’s no royalties other than what you paid them upfront.” Impression Signs is a full-service shop that does everything from vehicle and fleet graphics to exterior channel letters and monuments to interior ADA and wayfinding signs. Recently the shop has
provided larger sign packages consisting of exterior wayfinding, ADA, monuments, etc., for apartment complex renovations. The shop is guided by a set of five core values: integrity, value, partnership, client success, and getting better everyday. “We’re really focused on, number one, helping our clients succeed first as a mindset,” says Gustafson. “And two, making sure that we ourselves are getting better everyday.” Impression Signs recently put its core values to work helping a new restaurant franchise, Pizza Karma, succeed. DevelMarch 2021
Sign Builder Illustrated
29
