The SignMan Story

The SignMan opened for business on May 15, 1990 with just four team members and a great deal of spirit, in fact, spirit was really all we had back then. The team was truly united and worked hard together getting paid for what we loved to do - build really neat signs. We were all proud of what we were building and it showed. The SignMan grew rapidly in reputation and in sales. The work, all custom manufacturing, became overwhelming. Our dedication and persistence continued and more people joined the team. The SignMan was here and was here to stay.

There are fond memories of all-nighters and wonderful memories of team meetings after work to figure out how to deliver what had been sold that day. Memories of how two phone lines had to be off the hook when we were cutting substrate. We all thought that we were a team, but it took the tragic loss of one of us to really know just how strong a team we were.

Tragedy struck with the illness and death of Cindy. The company found itself without two key members of the team, Cindy and myself, for about two years. The SignMan survived because of the extraordinary abilities and dedication of the rest of the team. Everyone just filled in the gaps with work, with support and with love. They kept the energy and the spirit of the company alive. There exists no finer group of people in any organization. We continue to succeed because of the loyalty and dedication of each and everyone in the company. This group of people are more than employees they make the SignMan what it is. We are all very proud of one another and very proud of the company.

Looking back in time we now realize that The SignMan was on the right track when several things happened in the same time period. One was an evening that a businessman in the advertising field approached one of our group at a restaurant table and said; "You work for the SignMan don't you?" The SignMan was now known in the community. The second event was on a Sunday morning when one of the team was seen, in full Sunday dress, at the top of a sign. He was out with his family after church and noticed something was wrong with the top corner of the sign. He had climbed up the structure to fix the problem. The sign was thirty feet high. The team spirit and company culture had been set - quality at any cost; teamwork at all cost.

Our worst business experience was also one of our best testimonials. Several signs faded after just three months using a new material that was unfamiliar to us. Over $10,000 worth of these signs had been installed when someone on the team noticed one of the signs had faded. Our decision was to call every customer and we replaced all of the $10,000 worth of signs. It was a very expensive mistake but the customers were all impressed with our honesty and our warranty service. These customers are all still active with us today. The mission of quality, product knowledge and customer satisfaction had also now been set.

The SignMan was started on a strong belief in oneself and also on persistence and dedication to the task. These are the elements of its spirit and the reason it will always persevere. The company's true debt is to its people.