Finding Your Way in Indianapolis

Sign Craft Industries (SCI) is honored to be selected by Indianapolis Downtown Inc. to refurbish and enhance the wayfinding signage in downtown Indianapolis. Our cities commitment to being a destination for conventions and sporting events attracts scores of visitors each year.  These signs ease the stress for residents and visitors of locating the facilities they are looking for; or just enjoying the sights of the Indianapolis.  Many times the difference between a good time and disappointment is the ease of getting to your destination.  

Please enjoy the progression of this project through pictures.  Pictures speak louder than words.  Hope you enjoy the ride.  Please check back often for updates.

Great Day to 

Start a new Project

IDI, Corbin Design and Sign Craft worked together to ensure Sign Craft matched the Color and Design intent location plan and sign message schedule developed by IDI and Corbin Design 

Signs Get stripped naked... down

to their original metal luster.  

Sandblasted Beauty

The final manicure is
completed to make sure 
the signs exceed
Expectations

Signs are stood upright

at attention to 

receive their new coats

(of Paint)

That new Coat is 
going to make them look
Marvelous!!!

We DO look 
Marvelous...
Where are our legs????

Oh NO...
That Color will not go with
this fine new look...
We need a fine 
Powder Coated finish.













Boom Baby
Now were Styling!!
Ready for a Decade on the 
TOWN

Careful Gent
I have a date with Millions
of Visitors and Residents

Easy....

Safety Gents

Oh this is SO exciting
I get to go across from 
Circle City Mall

Looking Good!!!

Lucas Oil Stadium

For the record:

The difficulties related to the exterior signage at Lucas Oil Stadium has recently been highlighted in a Indianapolis Business Journal article and in a segment on WRTV, Channel 13 news.

Because of Sign Craft’s association with these signs, I believe it is critical that I clarify our involvement.

These signs were manufactured by Atlas Sign Company prior to Sign Craft’s acquisition of Atlas in September 2008. For the first five months after the acquisition, we serviced these signs under a normal warranty. However, it soon became evident that these signs had severe electrical and structural issues.

In concert with the Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority (ISCBA) representatives and engineering firms, we derived a plan of resolution.

Our work began in July of 2009 and has been ongoing since that date. All of this work has been completed 175 to 200 feet in the air via a swing stage, walking the steel frames or repelling. Obviously this is dangerous work and safety is our number one priority. As such, snow rain and wind has impaired our ability to work. Despite these conditions, our crews logged in over 8600 man hours fixing these signsa as of the end of December, 2010.

While the boots were part of the problem, there were other fundamental issues with the signs electrical and structural make up. Our work has included but was not limited to:

1. Rewiring the signs from the inside out.

2. Remaking and replacing a substantial number of the 2000 neon units.

3. Replacing several of the 500 transformers from the original installation and placing all the transformers in protective boxes.

4. Enhancing the structural support of these signs based on the engineers recommendations.

Sign Craft has dedicated three to Six crew members to work on this project continuously for over a year and a half. During this time, the signs have been fully functional for every event hosted at Lucas Oil Stadium and presented Lucas Oil Stadium and Indianapolis in the best light possible.

Sign Craft and our employees are all proud citizens of Indianapolis and/or Central Indiana and we are proud of the work we have completed at Lucas Oil Stadium. It is our commitment to get this job done in the near future and provide the ISCBA and CIB with a quality product.

Big Thank You To Kit Stolen and Salin Bank

I would like to personally thank Kit Stolen, COO of Salin Bank, for taking time out of his schedule to share his expertise with the Midwest Sign Association. The combination of his well prepared presentation and candor during the round table session provided invaluable information to those in attendance.

Kit's presentation was a good complement to the morning session where Tony Busch started the day off with a focused presentation on Cash Management.  The subject matter was right on target.  Tony's years of experience in the banking industry and his exposure to thousands of companies similar to those in attendance made him the perfect presenter.

While these presentations were geared more for owners than to sales, they were important and relevant to all of us.  The attendance of sign companies at these sessions was anemic, but those that did take the time to attend left with some extremely important advice from experts in the field of banking.  Thanks again to both Tony and Kit for presenting to the MSA.

Successful PNC Conversion

I want to use this space to personally and publicly thank all of our associates for a job well done.  This past weekend, we worked diligently with our general contractor AGI, to complete the conversion of several National City Bank branches over to PNC Bank.  The goal of the weekend was for the branches to open up on Monday with no visible "signs" of National City and all PNC Bank signage in place and operating.

As with any conversion, much of the work was completed prior to the conversion weekend and necessitated the inclusion of office, fabrication and installation associates.  Sign Craft fabricated and installed some of the product and received and installed the remainder.  Thanks to the organizational  skills of both our Project Manager, Amanda Gates and our Service and Install manager, Natalie Sirois,  our pre-conversion work was completed and we were well prepared for conversion weekend.

The weekend began with a pre-conversion meeting to communicate expectations, review the time lines and  answer any questions.  The meeting was an awesome give and take of information that set the tone for the weekend.  I would love to describe the weekend activities, but I believe the quote from Matthew Lambert the project manager for AGI says it best:

"Thank you just doesn't describe my gratitude for the hard work and effort given by Sign Craft and its Associates over this past Conversion Weekend. The Bank is very pleased with the finished product and the professionalism exhibited through what can be a stressful process.  Sign Craft demonstrated their commitment to success by providing more crews (6) than any other two companies combined.  The "communication" was outstanding with updates coming in real time.  Sign Craft identified and resolved most issues before they showed up in punch, a first for this program.  I can't say enough how much I appreciate the way you stepped up for this incredibly strong finish!"Thank you" may fall short but thank you, thank you, thank you."

The professionalism and experience of our people and the size of our fleet, makes Sign Craft uniquely qualified to complete any size conversion.  When the customer satisfaction and on time delivery are critical, the associates at Sign Craft deliver.  Again, a well deserved congratulations and thank you to all that made this weekend a success.
 

Sign Craft at the Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500 is one of the cornerstones of  Indianapolis culture and is  responsible for bringing an incredible amount of business and dollars to our community.  Indianapolis benefits not just in the month of May, but throughout the year.  Many of the race teams are headquartered in our fair city and purchase products locally and provide a large employment base.

Through the efforts of Mike Ford and our Quick Sign division, Sign Craft has continually increased our involvement with the speedway and certain of the teams.  We count ourselves fortunate to have Mike with us.  Mike has over 20 years in the sign business and also the racing business (he started both when he was 4) Presently, Mike is deeply involved with Andretti Autosports as a spotter for Tony Kanaan. It is a true delight to watch the live in-car streaming during a race on IndyCar Nation and listen to Mike's calls.

Mr. Ford is a true gentleman and a great ambassador for Sign Craft.  His genuine passion has earned Mike many friends in both his chosen fields.  Because of these relationships, Quick Sign has become respected partners with Andretti Autoports Andretti Web Page, Fazzt Race Team Fazzt web page and Conquest Racing Conquest web site.  Quick Sign Continues to work with these teams to meet their signage needs and appreciates their continued support.  In the month of May, Quick Sign provided the signage for several of the garages both internally and externally and other incidental sign needs.  In addition, Sign Craft has provided both exterior and interior signage for their headquarters.

Sign Craft was also extremely honored and excited to provide the background signage for the ABC/ESPN coverage of the race.  It was awesome for all of us to turn on the broadcast and see the fruits of our labor hanging next to Brent Musberger. 

We look forward to expanding our participation in this great event and giving back to those that give back to our great city.

Old National Centre

All jobs are created equal, but some are more equal than others. Designing, fabricating and installing the addition to the marquee at the century old Marat Center was one of those jobs.

The Murat Centre is a popular entertainment venue located in downtown Indianapolis.  As announced Tuesday, Live Nation inked a three year deal with Old National Bank under which the building will be called the “Old National Centre”.  Live Nation runs the venue under lease deal signed in 1995 with the city of Indianapolis and the Murat Shriners of Indianapolis.

Sign Craft worked with the City and the Historical District to create a design that would provide the exposure the new name deserved while respecting the grandeur of the historical building and marquee. Through mutual cooperation, a design was agreed upon and the addition was fabricated and installed by the Tuesday announcement date.

Thank you to the whole Sign Craft team. We should all be proud.

Concessions

Last Thursday the Greater Lawrence Chamber of Commerce (GLCC) secured Barry Collier, Butler University Athletic Director, as the guest speaker for their monthly Rise and Shine breakfast meeting. The combination of one of my favorite events with a sports figure I actually admire, was too tempting to forgo. And I was not disappointed.

The Rise and Shine is a monthly meeting that combines good discussions, a hearty breakfast and an opportunity to learn from interesting speakers. This is all accomplished before 8:30 in the morning. I enjoy the GLCC staff and the attendees at this meeting, and the addition of Mr. Collier to the agenda gave this meeting a gold star in my calendar.

My admiration for Mr. Collier is not based on his win/loss record as a basketball coach; it is on his ability to build quality programs without sacrificing the standards of the University.

On this early March morning when Butler was vying for the Horizon League Championship in Basketball, much of Mr. Collier’s prepared remarks were what you would expect. However, there was a very enlightening insight that Mr. Collier shared with the group that galvanized my respect for him, Butler athletics and Butler University.

Mr. Collier shared that Butler implements an extensive evaluation process of each student/athlete prior to offering them a scholarship. The purpose is to assure that the student/athlete is a good fit for the University and has both the athletic and more importantly, the academic capacity to succeed. While many Universities can make this claim, few can back it up with statistics such as grade point averages and graduation rates. Butler can.

However, this was not the part of Mr. Collier’s oratory that caught my attention. It was when he stated (and I am paraphrasing) Butler University does not make concessions along the way. This was such a powerful statement and a wonderful business lesson.

Let’s look at the hiring of employees. How many times do we just hire a body rather than conduct a search based on detailed job responsibilities and personality traits deemed necessary to a successful hire. We then compound this error by making excuses when the employee fails to meet our expectations. We are making concessions to a bad hire.

Through the implementation of the Butler process, we can dramatically improve chances of success. When making a key hire, list out the job responsibilities and expectations of the position. Further, determine the personality traits that the successful applicant should embody. These “standards” can then be used to structure the interview. Finally, when the right applicant is hired, hold them to these standards without concessions.

A successful hire is properly screened, trained, coached and nurtured.