Signs of the Times - November 2012 - (Page 72)

An Icon Looks at 80 How Poblocki Sign Co. has evolved over eight decades By Steve Aust Ben Poblocki founded Poblocki Sign Co. as a one-man operation in 1932. Since then, it’s blossomed into a national sign company. In honor of its achievement of reaching octogenarian status, Terry McGushin, Poblocki’s president, sat down and answered these questions. Besides technology, how has the culture of the sign industry changed in 80 years? If Ben Poblocki could walk into your shop today, what would be familiar, and what would be strange? In today’s industry, customers are savvy and able to educate themselves much more about signage with the Internet. People are able to research signage online and come to a better understanding of what they want. But, there are many things we, Poblocki, can offer them that they can’t find on a website. There is considerably more that goes into the development of signage than you can find on a website: ADA compliance, zoning regulations, maintenance concerns, safety and environmental issues. It’s great that information exists to help customers educate themselves about signage and get ideas, but we still want to be involved in the conversation early in the production process so we’re able to deliver solutions that meet their unique needs. Manufacturing tools and techniques will always evolve, and we’ll continue to push that progress. But personal relationships with our customers, especially those who are new to working with a sign company, will always remain important. Did a particular client or project help put Poblocki “on the map?” We were fortunate to be there in the early days of McDonald’s, Ford and GM, and we provided sign solutions that grew with them. Performing quality work kept them coming back as they opened more locations. Theatre marquees were a big part of our early work, but adaptability and dependability have been key parts of what’s made us successful. Any company that has survived a Great Depression, a World War, a couple of recessions, and significant changes in the marketplace can say the same thing. We see that when we look at our history, and how Ben Poblocki built a company that did what it had to do, and served where it had to serve, to survive and then build success. How has the company managed to adapt and gain market position? In recent years, we’ve looked at where the construction market has been most likely to bounce back. That’s led to our expansion into the Southeast and our manufacturing facility in Raleigh, NC. In doing so, we upgraded our entire organization there. We upgraded all of our machinery, and ensured that we were able to bring what makes us successful where we started, to a place where we were able to grow and diversify our offerings. How much has the development of social media impacted your marketing efforts? What socialmedia facets have been most beneficial? Social media is definitely playing a growing role in our marketing efforts, particularly as we look to connect with the industries and customers with which we work, in a way that demonstrates our capabilities. We have people on our team with considerable experience and expertise that improves our entire staff. With the development of the Internet, social media and related 72 SIGNS OF THE TIMES / NOVEMBER 2012 / www.signweb.com http://www.signweb.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signs of the Times - November 2012

Signs of the Times - November 2012
Contents
ST Update
Technology Update
Vinyl Apps
Strictly Commercial
Lighting Techniques
The Moving Message
Technology Review
Technology Review
Design Matters
New Products
London 2012
The Rules of Attraction
Extreme Weather
An Icon Looks at 80
The Value of Signs
Enter ST ’s 2013 Intl. Sign Contest
Industry News
Industry News
Editorially Speaking

Signs of the Times - November 2012