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Spokes of Hope

As I discussed in my last posting, I was able to ride from our house to downtown Indianapolis last weekend.  One of the reasons I wanted to make this venture was to attend the Central Indiana Bicycle Assn. (CIBA) swap meet.  I was able to have great conversations with good friends and later I met my wife for dinner and went to the charity event "Dollars for Dempsey"  at the Milano Inn.   But that is not the subject of this entry.

At the swap meet, I was sitting on a ledge watching the crowd when I was approached by a (I have to be diplomatic, because my wife reads these postings) lovely lady with a smile that could melt ice cream, (OK, I failed on the diplomatic part).  Her name was Cindi and she wanted to talk to me about an upcoming bicycle ride, "Spokes of Hope".  I will get to the ride in a second.  But more on Cindi.  Cindi was one of those special individuals that was committed to the cause.  She is a two time survivor of cancer with a spirit that was contagious.  Ok, now I am sounding like a stalker.  No, Cindi's lust for life and all consuming smile brought back the best memories of my brother.  Todd (my brother) gave Cancer the fight of his life and taught me that at no time do you have the right to feel sorry for yourself.

Cindi told me her story with a smile on her face and I could not help but like her.  she did not tell me the story for herself, she was telling it for those battling now and for those that will be battling in the future.

This event is Right in my "wheel" house.  I LOVE to ride my bicycle and I have a chance to raise money for the disease that has Decimated my family.  As discussed above, My brother battled testicular Cancer that turned into leukemia. I was privileged to participate in a bone marrow transplant with my brother; my best friend.  Cancer also took my Mother and Father.  As I sit here writing this entry, I was informed that it will take another member of my family.  Candidly, I am tired of Cancer taking my family and friends.  The "lonely" time on my bike is actually not "lonely" at all.  It is my time to remember and candidly, spend time with those that have passed before me.  Sorry, I digress

SPOKES OF HOPE.  I love this event and will be a smiling, grateful participant.  Please visit this site and either/or/and participate, remember someone you knew that fought Cancer, hug someone that fought cancer and won the battle, donate.

Thank you for reading.

Dempsey - My Hero

I fell in love this weekend.  (Don't worry, my wife knows.)

My heart was stolen by this big lug named Dempsey.  My love affair began early Saturday morning when I was looking for something my wife and I could do together that evening.  I came across a benefit being held at the Milano Inn called "Dollars for Dempsey".  I immediately thought that this had to be for either a child or a pet.  I went to the web site and read the story.  I now had to go.

To summarize the story, Dempsey is a mix of a boxer and some other BIG dog.  When Dempsey was 8 weeks old, he was set on fire and left.  It is speculated that he was intentionally burnt.  Unable to prove criminal activity, the prior owner was fined a whopping $20.  (Now I am really irritated. If this was a person, not a dog, it would not have gone so well for the prior owner).  Others may have given up, but not Dempsey.  With burns to his underside, tail and feet (he lost most of his pads and has no toes) Dempsey fought like a champ to survive.  Dempsey's luck changed through the loving and caring of the Henry County Animal Shelter.  They nursed him back to "health" and found him a new home.  Dempsey was adopted in June 2011 by Eileen Orban, public educator and burn prevention coordinator for the Pike Township Fire Department. Now he spends his time visiting local schools and burn camps to teach children about fire safety and show them firsthand the dangers of fire.

The Event

My wife and I made plans that I would ride my bicycle downtown and tour the city for a while and she would meet me later to watch the Colts game.  The plan worked beautifully and we had a wonderful time at Scotty's Brewhouse watching the Colt's future in Andrew Luck and the rebuilt horseshoe team.  After securing my bicycle in the car, I asked if she was up to stopping to see Dempsey.  Being the animal lover she is, how could she say no.

When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to find a Patio with live music, and folks enjoying great food and beverages with their pets.  We had never been to the Milano Inn and have to say they did a fantastic job.  There was a silent auction set up outside the patio and they were selling tee shirts for the cause. We put some bids on the silent action items and then went looking for the star of the evening.  Since Dempsey had just gone through a surgical procedure, he was in a cage and could not associate with the guest.  It was obvious this was not his preference.  What a good boy.  You could just tell Dempsey loves life and his interaction with other animals and people.  We were very fortunate to meet Eileen, her husband and two daughters.  The Orban's are a special family and fantastic ambassadors for Dempsey.

The Cause.

Dempsey has found another guardian angel in the form of the Indianapolis Veterinary Emergency Center (IVEC).   While he's reached his full-grown weight, a near 100 pounds, he struggles to walk on all four deformed paws.  Dempsey also has deformed muscle tissue on both front legs, which causes restriction to the movement in his wrist joints, and affects his tendons. He is missing most of the pads on his feet and has an average of two per foot. Because he experiences discomfort in the manipulation of all four feet, he is putting extra wear and tear on his other joints.

While Dempsey is on the road to a full recovery, he needs YOUR help. He requires 8-10 staged reconstructive surgeries, in which IVEC's staff is facilitating, to improve his quality of life. IVEC will match every dollar donated to help pay for his medical bills. The goal is to raise $10,000 for Dempsey's Burn Fund.

Request

Go to the IVEC and DONATE  to the Cause.  You will find a listing of several Indianapolis Veterinary Referral (IVR) animal hospitals and businesses participating in this effort where you can drop off donations or you can donate directly through PayPal.

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.