Sign Builder Illustrated - October 2008 - (Page 8)

Quotes & Comments Paying Off Debts I am writing about a subject that many sign companies likely do not want to hear about. As a professional courtesy, we perform work for out-of-the-area sign companies. This includes (but is not limited to) surveys, permit procurement, installations, and service. Over 70 percent of our past due receivables are sign companies. When inquiries are made regarding payment, we get a myriad of reasons for non-payment. I won’t itemize them here, as they are mostly stall tactics. It would seem that, being in the same profession, companies would strive to take care of their brothers in business. Regrettably this is not the case. We will likely continue to help out our fellow sign companies, but it is frustrating [knowing that] going in that payment in three months is the norm. It is really hard to buy groceries with a purchase order from “A to Z Sign Company.” I am certain these companies will recognize themselves. I hope this letter will cause them to re-examine their payment [or lack of] philosophy. — Robert Rogers Barber Sign Company, Inc. Vallejo, California SignBuilder I L L U S T R AT E D October 2008, Vol. 22, No. 160 Sign Builder Illustrated (ISSN 0895-0555) is published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation EXECUTIVE OFFICES President and Chairman ARTHUR J. McGINNIS, JR. Publisher ROBERT P DeMARCO . 345 Hudson Street, 12th floor New York, NY 10014 212/620-7244; fax: 212/633-1863 EDITORIAL EDITOR Jeff Wooten 323 Clifton Street, Suite #7 Greenville, NC 27858 252/355-5806; fax: 252/355-5690 jwooten@sbpub.com MANAGING EDITOR Chris Ytuarte 345 Hudson Street, 12th Floor New York, NY 10014 212/620-7223; fax: 212/633-1863 cytuarte@sbpub.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS An Honest Mess-up Ed. Note: This month, we’re writing about Jim Vitous and his work at Custom Designs in Keene, New Hampshire (“A Custom Built Sign Shop,” page 60). Vitous purchased the company after spending several years in the sales side of the identification industry. The following is a humorous aside detailing an incident that happened to Vitous on the first day he visited his new business that also serves to demonstrate how taking over a sign business with no previous experience can be fraught with unintended peril: “The first weekend after I purchased the business, I came in, took a look at the place, and thought it was a mess. So I started cleaning up. I threw anything out that had a 1/4inch of dust on it. “[Previous owner] Jim Pulanski and [shop foreman] Kris Arnold came back in on Monday and looked around. They said, ‘Hey the place looks nice and clean. That’s great! But where’s all the inventory?’ “I told them I threw out anything that had a 1/4-inch of dust on it, and Kris said, ‘But we make a lot of dust.’ “It was at that point that I ‘got’ it and had to rethink my strategy!” — Jim Vitous, Owner Custom Designs Keene, New Hampshire Digital Design Peter Perszyk Electrifying Issues Randy Wright Hingst’s Sign Post Jim Hingst New Dimensions Mark Roberts Superfrog’s Pond Butch “Superfrog” Anton ART Corporate Art Director Wendy Williams Associate Art Director Phil Desiere Art Production Manager Todd Blanchard PRODUCTION Corporate Production Director Mary Conyers-Brown CIRCULATION Circulation Director Maureen Cooney ADVERTISING SALES EAST COAST SALES MANAGER Jeff Sutley 212/620-7233; fax: 212/633-1863 jeffsutley@sbpub.com MIDWEST AND WEST COAST SALES MANAGER Addendum The unabridged version of “That Legendary L.A. Style,” a profile of Eric Goodwin and Garage Graphics that appeared in the July 2008 issue of Sign Builder Illustrated, can be accessed at www.signshop.com. Don Rogers 212/620-7214; fax: 212/633-1863 drogers@sbpub.com For reprint information contact: PARS International Corp. 102 W. 38th St., 6th Floor New York, NY 10018 212/221-9595; fax: 212/221-9195 Circulation Dept.: 800/895-4389 Sign Builder Illustrated welcomes all letters, comments, questions, and suggestions. Write us c/o: Jeff Wooten, Editor, Sign Builder Illustrated, Williamsburg Common, 323 Clifton Street, Suite #7, Greenville, NC 27858 or FAX: (252) 355-5690. E-mail address is: jwooten@sbpub.com. 8 Sign Builder Illustrated October 2008 http://www.signshop.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sign Builder Illustrated - October 2008

Sign Builder Illustrated - October 2008 Contents SBI Agenda Quotes & Comments Contributors Revving Up for WrapQuest Dispatches Sign Show Sandblasted and Dimensional Sign Rescue, Part Three UV Ink and Printer Update, Part One Black is Black! Makin' Money With Molded Letters Making a Monster A Custom Built Sign Shop The Evolution of Architectural and ADA�Signage Finishing That Makes the Cut Maximizing In-store Signage and P-O-P Displays Wide Format Opportunities Panel Saws: A Precise Cut SBI Marketplace Q&A

Sign Builder Illustrated - October 2008

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