Snoochie

Erik, Welcome to our new world of reality reality and correctness............... For every true to his conscience person like you who won't produce signs like this, there will be multiple others who will. It is and always will be true that a person would rather lose his principles than his job. Best

Erik; As Bob Dylan so eloquently said, "The times they are a changin". Best

Erik, Couldn't be happier for you !!!!! Continued success going forward......................

We all are acutely aware of the problem of shoddy contractors, licensed or unlicensed and this type of work delivered. But I would ask, what is the solution to all this garbage that gives decent contractors a bad name? We keep focusing on the symptoms but apparently have no answer for the sickness itself. Heck, we don't even know how to adequately identify that sickness to hopefully eradicate it. Best

Erik, To heck with calling about that food grade welding. Give me a call if you need someone for that liquid grade drinking....................... Best

Angie; I would simply say that you should stay on top of payments that are owed to you by any of the entities you have had dealings with. I personally have had dealings with (2) and can say emphatically, "Never Again". Keep in mind, the Venture Capital company makes investments for its shareholders, not for anyone or anything else. Not judging the company for doing such, free enterprise is a good thing, but be aware and protective of your company and investment. Hope all is well and continued success..............

Got this from an NSP who we do not work for but apparently still views us as current. FM Maintenance bought US Signs, FSN merged with FM Maintenance and the entire shebang which includes other names on the E Mail was bought and is owned by Wind River Holdings, a venture capital company. These sisters are now one new entity called Vixxo. No longer separate sisters but one conjoined sister. I don't know if anyone out in cyberspace has had the occasion to deal with any of these folks. I have had dealings in the past with (2) of them and no longer provide service because of, you guessed it, payments or should I say sloooooow payments. Don't need free practice in my trade nor do I need a refresher course in strong arming NSP's to pay. Heads up to all............. To our valued Service Providers, We have exciting news to share about a new chapter in our company’s history. Effective Thursday, March 10th, First Service Networks, FM Facility Maintenance, National Accounts, US Signs, US Brite and US-1 will be known as Vixxo. Our new name represents the unification of multiple companies coming together as one strong brand and it will allow us to increase our presence and promote our services on a larger scale to include product lines beyond those serviced today. We will continue to operate from our current locations, and your contacts and business partners will remain unchanged. Our head office will also remain the same at 11333 North Scottsdale Road, Suite 160, Scottsdale, AZ 85254. http://www.windriverholdings.com/portfolio.asp

Erik; In a nutshell, you are a true sign professional who actually loves and respects the industry. You are like the Hockey player who gets up early every morning, practices to learn his trade at the rink, goes to the game for relatively little money, gets his nose bloodied and teeth loosened and repeats the process over and over because of a love for the sport. Unfortunately, many new players into the sign industry do not have this mentality any more. Its build whatever you can as cheaply as you can while charging as much as you can for as long as you can. Profit baby profit.You in the past have characterized the ISA leadership in this fashion. Yesterday a lift gate salesman, today ISA President and tomorrow a car salesman. He doesn't know the industry let alone care about it. You do care and it frustrates you to see the direction of the industry from craftsman to salesman with basically no professional experience. They eventually will fail but will take down many professionals as they pass through. For those who remain true to their trade good things will come through perseverance and a dedication to their trade. Keep writing and telling it like it is no matter who you piss off. Thanks from me to you..................

Erik, I, for one, appreciate all that you and K Girl do with this venue for all us Contractors to take advantage of. For me "Integrity" and "Respect" stand out at the forefront of what led me to and keeps me riveted to The Syndicate. The other two balance out this 360 degree sign you have on display. All, though, are mutually important Respect......... You can't command this from me as it must be earned. I don't take it lightly and I give it only and I repeat only when it is earned and deserved. Erik you have both earned it and deserve it and I freely give it to you my friend. You are a fantastic Administrator and a Doggone good sign Professional. You and the lovely K Girl deserve all the great things that I know come to you now will come to you in the future. Please don't change, keep giving them hell and keep putting out the beautiful signs that you do. You are a credit to this industry and do us all proud. Thanks for allowing me to be part of this. Peace Out........ Josey Wales, I mean Erik.

Gotta say that Rocco makes sense on this caper. There are definitely easier things to steal so why go through all this trouble and risk with a identifiable piece of large equipment?? Must be more to the story than meets the eye. Curious indeed.......... Best

Darn Erik, not only a terrific Sign man but a Bootlegger as well. What is next in your bag of tricks? Best

Erik; Will you have a catalog for this new line of fixtures? Now you are in my wheelhouse as I work with this type of product regularly. Best

Many National companies like Action Nation and others get free lighting, sign or electrical work all the time............... So not free drawings or ads? Best

Oh my gosh.................. stay as far away from Action as humanly possible.They are like a Venus Fly Trap looking for their next unsuspecting contractor. You might want to verify that this is actually a guise for the infamous Action before you jump to conclusions. Maybe just a coincidence. If it is, then I would say your next course of Action (no pun intended) is clear. Best

Jack; I think this gentleman was referring specifically to our Canadian Brothers. Just out of curiosity, of the 40 Franchisees you have under contract, how many are in Canada? For the record, Yesco is probably one of, if not finest sign company in the universe in my opinion........ Best

Erik, I couldn't agree with you more.Hopefully everyone had a seat when the music stopped playing.......... Best

Karl; Is your maintenance going to continue through MC or will operations eventually be transferred to your new sister maintenance company, Divisions? Divisions already has their network of service providers in other venues as the original post by Erik refers. Or will they stay out of your turf? Best

Welcome to the club my friend. Everyone wants to be indemnified by everyone for everything. The question is then, who is going to pay for all of this? Best of Luck going forward in the brave new world............

The "Good Old Days" are most definitely gone when there was sanity in our industry, not to mention the swath of other areas in our country where sanity prevailed.. Add me to the list of those who yearn for those days. But they are gone and i fear never to return. I pray to God that I am wrong though. Keep fighting the good fight guys................

Of the USA women's soccer team. Kicked ass on The Fourth of July....... Sometimes the best man for the job is a woman! Go USA

Outriggers, we don't need no stinking outriggers. On a serious note, glad that no one was hurt.................

At least its the right color, no? Best

Erik; From the CSLB, General QualificationsTo qualify to become a licensed contractor an individual must be 18 years of age or older and have the experience and skills necessary to manage the daily activities of a construction business, including field supervision. Or, you must be represented by someone else with the necessary experience and skills, who serves as your qualifying individual. The contractor or other person who will act as the qualifying individual must have had, within the ten years immediately before the filing of the application, at least four full years of experience at a journey level, or as a foreman, supervisor, or contractor in the classification for which he or she is applying. The experience claimed on the application must be verifiable and individuals who have knowledge of the experience must certify the accuracy of the experience information provided by the applicant. Are there any financial requirements to meet in order to qualify for a contractor’s license?Yes. All applicants for a new contractor’s license, other than those applying for a joint venture license, must have more than $2,500 worth of operating capital. Operating capital is defined as your current assets minus your current liabilities. Contractor's BondA Contractor's Bond is a requirement for the issuance of an active license, reactivation of a license, and for the maintanance of an actively renewed license (Business and Professions Code Section 7071.6). The bond is filed for the benefit of consumers who may be damaged as a result of defective construction or other license law violations, and for the benefit of employees who have not been paid wages that are due to them. Requirements for the Contractor's Bond:The bond must be written by a surety company licensed through the California Department of Insurance. The bond must be in the amount of $12,500. The business name and license number on the bond must correspond exactly with the business name and license number on the CSLB's records. The bond must have the signature of the attorney-in-fact for the surety company. The bond must be written on a form approved by the Attorney General's Office. The bond must be received at the CSLB's Headquarters Office within 90 days of the effective date of the bond.

Nancy. Glad to hear you are proactive with your payments. More should follow your lead......... Best of luck going forward.

I guess 61 days is the new Net 30........... I suppose it will be just a matter of time before some companies will float the idea of taking a 2% discount for payment at 60 days. No matter how easy the rep is to work with, I can't and most importantly won't, accept these terms. I don't get free financing from anyone in the operation of my business so I don't feel obligated to hand out that same free financing. But that is just how I see it. If you can work with this, then by all means go for it. For the record, I was toying with the possibility of working for these folks but my gut told me not to do it and now I feel OK with declining........... Best