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.

Indianapolis Facade Rebate Progam

A member of our staff, Amanda Gates, brought a wonderful program to my attention.  This program, the 2010 Commercial Facade Improvement Program, is a grant through the Fostering Commercial Urban Strategies (FOCUS) Initiative. 

This opportnity allows any business owner or tenant in the city of Indianapolis to apply for a grant to assist the funding for visible improvements to primary facades and primary building entrances.  These improvements include but are not limited to doors, windows, signs, awnings, and brick, stone, wood or other building surface material. 

This grant will potentially fund up to 50% of project costs up to a maximum grant of $20,000.  The application deadline for the first round is February 26th.

A facade grant selection committee will award projects with priority consideration to projects that will achieve the highest impact on: 1) the property being improved, 2) the block where the property is located, and 3) the neighborhood in which the property is located.  Preference will be given to businesses in the targeted Focus Commercial Corridors: Martin Luther King, Jr. Street, West Washington Street, Fountain Square area, East 10th Street, 16th Street, North Meridian Street and Irvington.

I have included a link to the program documents below.

Program Documents

This grant is like any other, it has requires paperwork filled out and guidelines followed, but the benefits far outweigh the costs.  It is refreshing to know that organizations like FOCUS are working diligently to improve the image and perception of Indianapolis. 

FOCUS is an innovative partnership between LISC, the Central Indiana Chamber of Commerce, the Indianapolis Coalition for Neighborhood Development and the City of Indianapolis. This city-wide collaboration is making changes in the planning, advocacy, and delivery of economic development projects. Through this partnership, the FOCUS initiative is creating vibrant neighborhood business districts and establishing long-lasting relationships that connect neighborhoods with businesses and new resources to revitalize urban markets. 

This is a fantastic initiative and I look forward to finding ways Sign Craft can increase our participation. I am excited about the potential opportunity to utilize our expertise in developing products that both enhance the aesthetics of the community and provide the advertising/identification needs of the business community.

Guns at Work

I am so excited. The state of Indiana is promoting “Bring your gun to work day” every working day of the year. While I understand many believe that it is their constitutional right to brandish a weapon where ever and whenever they deem necessary, I have to question the timing and the necessity of this legislation.
There are several in Sign Craft whom will disagree with my evaluation of this issue. I employ several hunters. A primary argument in favor of this legislation revolves around the hunters’ ability to participate in their sport prior to work and go directly to work without return their weapon to its rightful storage area. Not a bad argument. However, this legislation does not pertain to just hunters. It pertains to anyone that owns a gun.

As a business owner, one of my primary responsibilities is the health and welfare of my employees. Like most, I take this very seriously. By the state mandating that I do not have the right to prohibit firearms on my property, they dramatically increase the chances of an incident occurring.

While I am sure, that there are those currently bringing firearms to Sign Craft, I am also confident that they understand our views and policies prohibiting this action. In these difficult economic times, managements of companies have to make some difficult decisions which sometimes include layoffs and other actions that are not popular. This legislation significantly increases the pressure on these decisions. If an employee has a firearm in his/her vehicle, the timeframe for “cooling off” has been greatly diminished. I am comforted to know that the legislature through this legislation has held us harmless if something does happen, it is a financial comfort, not a moral or psychological comfort.

I know that this is a significant issue to some, yet I fail to see how this issue is of dire importance when the unemployment rate in Indiana hovers around 10%, the state of the commercial real estate market is in shambles and small businesses are struggling due to current lending practices. 

The verbiage of Senate Bill 25 is copied below.

Firearms in locked vehicles. Prohibits a person (which includes an individual, a corporation, and a governmental entity) from adopting or enforcing a policy or rule that prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting an employee of the person (including a contract employee) from legally possessing a firearm that is locked in the employee's vehicle while the vehicle is in or on the person's property. Excepts possession of a firearm: (1) on school property, on property used by a school for a school function, or on a school bus; (2) on certain child care and shelter facility property; (3) on penal facility property; (4) in violation of federal law; (5) on property belonging to an approved postsecondary educational institution; (6) on property belonging to a domestic violence shelter; and (7) at a person's residence. Provides that a person who, in compliance with the prohibition, does not adopt or enforce such a policy or rule is not liable for resulting injury or damage. Authorizes a civil action for damages, costs, attorney's fees, and injunctive relief to remedy a violation. Deletes an outdated reference.

International Sign Association - Government Relations Committee

I am very excited to announce my appointment to the International Sign Association (ISA) Government Relations Committee for 2010.

The ISA has a long and impressive history of advocating for the Sign Industry. The sign companies, service providers, end users and the community at large benefit from the diligent work of the ISA. The ISA represents the industry before the US Congress and federal regulatory bodies and tracks and responds to sign code issues at the local and state levels.

The Government Relations committee seeks to improve the understanding of the social and ecomomic value of signs through an improved regulatory, legislative and case law environment. It's objectives are to support the advancement of sign rights; increase ISA's visibility and influence with the federal and state governments; increase communication and education to improve the understanding of the value of signage; enhance the ability of ISA to track and fight restrictive sign codes throughout the country; and improve upon knowledge base of attorneys and other professions relevent to the sign industry.

The current environment in several areas of the country, including Indiana, is to limit signage for aesthetic reasons. I am very concerned by this trend. The sign industry has the responsibility to educate and council local, state and federal communities on the value of signs and the rights of business to use this most valuable form of advertising.

Limitations on signage for aesthetic reasons could and does limit a business's ability to present a unique and recognizable message that is valuable to the business and potential customers. In addition, we have found that limitations on size, font, color and height can also pose a safety hazard. If a potential customer cannot find the business due to a lack of signage visibility, their eyes will wonder from the road, becoming a hazard to themselves and others. This concept is no different or less dangerous than texting while driving.

Sign Craft joined the ISA because the ISA is the advocate for the sign industry. I joined the Government Relations committee because I see a real threat to our industry and also the communities at large resulting from restrictive sign codes. It is our responsibility to get involved and become part of the solution.

Below is a link to Vital Sign - Vibrant Communities Video that was produced by the ISA. It does a very good job of showing the value of signage in our everyday lives.

http://tiny.cc/gdxXT