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bigidea

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About bigidea

  • Birthday 07/04/1968

Profile Information

  • Name
    Mike
  • Company
    CityLights
  • City & State
    Overland Park, KS
  • Gender
    Male

Quick Company Info

  • Equipment
    Looking...after 20 years in the family sign business, I'm out on my own with a start-up from scratch beginning June '08! I'm getting off the ground with not a single nickle in my pocket, and I don't presume to know it all by any means. Please feel free to share your opinions and advice at any time...best of luck to all of us.

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  1. My story starts out exactly like Westcoast's. Grandpa was shop foreman for the largest sign company in town in the sixties, and my dad graduated high school in 1966 and became a union sign hanger for the same company. Then is 1969, they'd had enough, and my grandpa at 54 years old began the family sign business with my dad in his garage. I was born that year, and also grew up playing in the shop until I was working part time and summers off and on through high school. Dad and his brother bought the company in 1982, and like may of us, I said "never". Well never say "never". Here I am at 42 years old, wondering how many years I've officially been in the business. I tried night school for engineering, and a stint in insurance, but there's just something I love about this business. After a couple of years away from the shop, I've worked for a sign supplier and am now back at it with my own new start-up company. I'm going to pursue a few ideas I've had over the years, and hopes are that one day I'll be back with the family business, a little older and a little more wise than before. Saying as much in the context of the sign business, that sounds like a conflicting choice of words!
  2. There was an accident involving their equipment in Kansas City last summer or fall. It was equipment failure that tipped the lift over and killed the two steelworkers who had been working on the new performing arts building downtown. I'd take my trusty 1972 Sponco ladder over lots of bigger and better lifts because I know the equipment intimately and know it's safe. There's a lot to be said for simple and mechanically sound equipment.
  3. You can also try a company called Custom Color (formerly Focus Printing) in Kansas City. They have a good rep for quality wholesale work. Also there's a company in Grimes Iowa called Image Transform - grand format work is their primary line. You can tell them I sent ya but they'll probably charge you more if you do! Oh! There used to be a company back east called BigImage as well, but I haven't heard anything about them in years.
  4. Doesn't Wal-Mart manufacture their own signs?
  5. Actually Gary, N.Glantz does deliver to the Chicago area out of their Milwaukee location, and likely free of charge. I know from this warehouse, the deliveries go to three states at least once a week. I always had a good amount of respect for these guys having known some of them since I was a kid, but now that I'm working with them, I see they work hard to meet the needs of their customers every day. So-to-say, if the Milwaukee branch does as well, you should have a rep to contact there that would take care of you. You can get the branch managers name and contact info off of the N.Glantz website.
  6. Thanks guys. I figured that would be the case for most, but just because that's how I would feel about the same situation doesn't mean it's a universal truth. I have a lot of respect for the supplier - N. Glantz - and we have been buying from them for almost forty years (see I'm still referring to "we" as my father, the guys, and including myself). I think most sign shops I'll visit will also have a measurable amount of respect for this supplier as well. Nonetheless, it's getting past that first hurdle of appearing to be just exactly what I'll be...a salesman. Dressed like a salesman, handing out a catalog and promotional flyers...must be a salesman. So I'll take your collective advice and maintain what will already be my best self - which is a sign guy - and hope that clears the air of any uncomfortable stereotypical pangs of rejection or hard-sell expectations. I'm excited to have the opportunity to peek into the worlds of literally a hundred other sign companies, to see more, learn more, and experience as much as I can. Most importantly, I hope to become an asset and maintain myself as a collegue, and make some friends along the way. Anything else you wish to contribute of your opinions or advice is welcome, and will help me create myself as the best salesman I can be (maybe even help develop this supplier as the best there is to the sign craft). Soon I also intend to get involved with my state sign association and pursue my passion for restrictive sign ordinance and code reform. No doubt a thread on that topic is endless. Keep your opinions coming. Tell me what it is you wish you had from your suppliers that would best serve your operation, save you time and hassle, and would indirectly help your own bottom lines. Thanks much and best regards, Mike
  7. Howdy all. I;ve been reading your posts in all forums available for a few months now and have devemoped a renewed respect for those of us who call ourselves sign-men/women. It's all too easy when consumed with your own day-to-day usual and customary duties and responsibilities to lose sight of the rich dynamics of thsi trade and the wealth of respectable individuals practicing it's various executions every day. I;ve spent twenty years in this business. Started in the graphics production department as my dad taught me everything I needed to know to have a summer job with the family biz. Eventually worked my way through metal fab, paint, installation, service, engineering, sales, and ran the joint for the past seven years. To make a long story non-existent, I found myself out of the game, wife and young kids and an unemployment check. Recently took a new career path with a sign supply distributor and am hoping for the best. This was at odds with doing what I really want to do, which is to fulfill my dream of advancing the family business to the next level, but here I am donning the khaki pants and polo emroidered with corporate logo and an assload of paperwork in trade of my work boots, torn jeans and ball cap. So to the question I would like to ask of my people (I consider myself as "sign-people", and always will). Do I have an advantage as "sign-people" in this role with you all out there, or am I just another guy walking into your shop at the worst possible time prompting you to immediately review your short list of excuses to get rid of the "sales guy"? Your honest feedback and ANY advice would be greatly appreciated.
  8. Howdy all! I've been doing this sign thing for twenty years now. Started farting around my grandpa's shop playing with mercury BB's on the asbestos bending table when I was five. Dad told me not to do it, but I wound up a sign guy anyway. At least dad made sure I spent due time fabricating plastic - metals dep't - paint dep't, before I hit the trucks. Another ten years doing service and install, and then running the little operation for another seven years. Those of you in K.C. shoud know who I am, or have heard some rumour or gossip about the falling out between dad and I. I'd like to practice what I've preached and "not" open another Sign&Light company, but it's what I know best, and it's what I love to do. I've run lighting service crews, developed profitable sign and lighting maintenance contracts for 45 location customers, run finance and operations, done all the reports, scheduling invoicing, applied for all the permits and various other less glorious aspects of COO and CFO of a small shop. I managed lighting service including systems control, underground locating and repair, engineered restorations of junk signs and destroyed foundations, re-wired entire outdoor lighting systems for restaurants and shopping centers, as well as designed and installed the operating systems. I did the design, code research, pricing, engineering, proposal writing, and sales as well. From cabinets and channel letters to pole and monument signs to flagpoles and outdoor lighting operations, and worn every hat as needed to re-image entire shopping centers from request for concept to done-deal. Now that I'm done fluffing myself up, I just want to be a part of something that wants to go somewhere. Oh...and my unemployments about to run out, so I kinda need a job too. I'm halfway a start-up of my own thing, but if an opportunity to join an already viable operation hungry for more came along, I;d be seriously interested. So please do feel free to chime in, or hell just call me up at 206-8129 in Kansas. Best Regards
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