Snoochie
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Posts posted by Snoochie
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Reading your list, you've hit a number of offenders for my companies as well! Fairmount and Icon are at the top of my list. I've told them to remove us from their vendor databases, as they are horrible at paying. The PM's I've delt with personally at Icon have absolutely no common sense or sign knowledge.
Jeff;
Their job is NOT to know the sign business or have common sense.Their job is to get a contractor to perform a service and then make sure that they are not paid too soon. They obviously have no common sense because if they did they would understand that deceiving and bullshitting fellow contractors is not a sensible business practice and can't last forever. They would then understand that they are no more expendable to the company than the contractor they are tasked to deceive. Therefore they will be assuring their future unemployment stint.
Nope, sign knowledge, common sense or even decency is not a prerequisite to work for the company you mentioned. But fear not, the fact that they have a high turnover of PM's suggest that there are still those who will not sell their soul for a paycheck.
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I know it doesn't matter in the larger scheme of things and can't reverse this horrible, unnecessary and tragic event, but I wonder who the builder/installer of this electronic message sign board was?
Are there others they put in and where are they at. We don't need any similar incidents at any other airports.
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Action National
Entera
Fairmont
Regency
Icon
Sign Depot
Nationwide Sign Service & Repair
Atlas Sign Industries
The Radiation emanating from these companies spreads throughout the nation like that which comes from Plutonium, attaching itself to any life form it happens upon.
Be careful when dealing with these serial offenders lest you want Radiation Sickness..........
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I wonder who the fabricator/installer was on this sign? How about the inspector for the governing body that has jurisdiction?
Surely lawsuits will follow but cannot return this young boy back to his family.
Truly saddens me to see incidents like this.
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We haven't had any contact with any of those companies listed except for Nationwide sign service and repair and I have to say that they were great with us...We have completed 2 service calls for them recently (this year) and the pay was 45 days and 40 days and everything went smoothly with them. They were very friendly and professional and I would definitely recommend them....Just my 2 cents here.
Fair enough on your 2 cents !
Take a read on the thread Lets start the National Sign Co. "Hall of Shame" - Naming Names. Some agree with you and others disagree with you.
Maybe some of the offended companies who appear on that list of names should respond and clear the whole thing up.
But if you have had success, great and I hope it continues. Hopefully those who disagree can get their individual scenarios resolved and this company can be forever removed from this "Rogues Gallery" of names.
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After reading many posts on the Sign Syndicate, it seems as if a handful of names come up with regularity when the word "Deadbeat" is mentioned and the odor apparently stretches across many states in our great country.
These names are as follows;
Action National
Entera
Fairmont
Regency
Icon
Sign Depot
Nationwide Sign Service & Repair
Some others that got an individual mention were, Archer and Sign Craft of Indiana.
These last (2) look to be isolated incidents, but who knows.
But what I do know is that if across our great land the same stories keep coming up when certain names are mentioned, it can't just be coincidence. Where there is smoke, there usually is fire. It seems the same stories of Low Pay, No Pay, Slow Pay and every other Pay along the railroad track of sign contracting has been told and told again.
So, while I don't know who is the "Head Stinker" in this group, I can say that many on this board consider them in the "Stinker Club". I would suggest being very careful when dealing with these names and always try to give a heads up to a fellow contractor when and if these names do come up. Nobody likes being Sucker Punched and it doesn't feel good when it happens.
Good Luck in navigating your ship with these fine folks and may your payments be fair and rapid and your pain healed.
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Add comments regarding Archer Signs here. Keep up the pressure.........
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Like many of you, we do our fair share of subcontract work. I know when our Work Comp is close to expiration my email will be blowing up with requests for COI's. Not a big deal. Here is where I would like you guys opinion.
Just now I recieve an email. We need your COI. Ok. I respond, attach our COI and we're done with it. Two seconds later I recieve an email saying we didn't list X company as additional. I let them know if they have a project they would like us to work on, I have no problem listing them.
Years ago our agent told us this was basically letting them have free insurance and exposing ourselves. What do you guys do? I hate being a jerk about things, but I don't want to list X company as additional insured if we never do anything for them. This particular company told me I was now removed from their list.
I have to chuckle at this whole scenario as I go through the exact process you have outlined on a regular basis.
Your potential customer wants to be listed as an "Additional Insured" on any project and you want it to be project specific. Most national vendors or NSP's want to be listed as an "Additional Insured" and if you don't list them this way, they won't sign any agreements. Some GL policies charge for the "Additional Insured" and some, like mine, do not. Depends on your policy company of record.
You are basically worried that you are giving your potential customer a free ride to use your policy whenever the need arises. That usually is not the case if you are not the contractor of record on any project. Can I absolutely say this would never happen, no, but not likely. In my years off issuing coi's to potential and actual customers, I have not had this happen to me.
Heck, you can have the police mis-identify you as the person at a crime scene. This is not the normal, but it does happen and you can't prevent all situations from haunting you.
If you solicit a lot of national types, NSP's or even large end customers such as Starbucks, Petco, Exxon, etc., get used to it. You will hand out certificates with this proviso regularly. You have to decide who you will solicit and will provide insurance to. But the number of certificates can be vast.
And just to make this whole process even more sticky, wait until the words "Waiver of Subrogation" come up. This is monster all its own. And in some cases with some vendors like FM Maintenance, they want either an umbrella policy to raise the aggregate limit to 3 Million or have you raise the aggregate limit on the policy itself.
The fun never ends with insurance and its effect on the construction industry.
Best of luck going forward....
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After reading many posts on the Sign Syndicate, it seems as if a handful of names come up with regularity when the word "Deadbeat" is mentioned and the odor apparently stretches across many states in our great country.
These names are as follows;
Action National
Entera
Fairmont
Regency
Icon
Sign Depot
Nationwide Sign Service & Repair
Some others that got an individual mention were, Archer and Sign Craft of Indiana.
These last (2) look to be isolated incidents, but who knows.
But what I do know is that if across our great land the same stories keep coming up when certain names are mentioned, it can't just be coincidence. Where there is smoke, there usually is fire. It seems the same stories of Low Pay, No Pay, Slow Pay and every other Pay along the railroad track of sign contracting has been told and told again.
So, while I don't know who is the "Head Stinker" in this group, I can say that many on this board consider them in the "Stinker Club". I would suggest being very careful when dealing with these names and always try to give a heads up to a fellow contractor when and if these names do come up. Nobody likes being Sucker Punched and it doesn't feel good when it happens.
Good Luck in navigating your ship with these fine folks and may your payments be fair and rapid and your pain healed.
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I think it's time for a campfire, and a Kumbaya sing along.
Mark;
As the infamous Rodney King once said........... "Can we all just get along?'
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I am sure that a few of you are waiting for this......I AM NOT UNION
I have all the licenses and certifications just like the Union has. I work any place I want to. I work anytime I want to. I answer to no one.
I am located in Brooklyn NY..I work in New York City everyday without any issues. I work with every Union except the sign union.
....Stop drinking the Union Cool Aid and get with reality. I have never met any Union Sign man who works everyday, They are always waiting for the next big job to come and then get laid off.
I have seen some of the best signs and worst sign from Union and Non Union Sign Companies. A label does not mean quaility.
NYC does not require Union Installations, Just that you are NYC Licensed. Pass it on.
Paul;
You answer to no one.
What about the Wife or the IRS...........................
Just adding a little levity to such a solemn subject that has sparked emotion from all.
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I think we are confusing the whole issue of unions on this thread. It is one thing to disparage the union for using techniques that we find offensive and quite another to disparage the union worker.
Like I said, I know many damn good union electricians who do a very competent and honest job. They care about their profession and will, in confidence, tell you many things they don't like about the union. But, they are well trained and are what I would call highly skilled. There are of course many hacks i have come into contact with who don't represent the trade very well.
The same can be said about non union electricians I that I know and have worked with. One of the best electricians I was ever privileged to work with, Paul, was not and had never been in the union. He was one of the best I have ever seen. I also worked with many non union hacks who I wouldn't even let wash my truck.
So keep in focus that the you may not like the practices of the unions, but there are some damn good technicians who came through or are currently in the union. There are also many who are working and are exemplary who are not in the union.
I, myself, am not in the union and look objectively at both sides.
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Kenn, I would doubt you could fire a union worker without probably three warnings, then maybe you'll have to give him a week off without pay. Then there will have to be a meeting with his local rep. At least that's how it would work in the UAW. Your opinion regarding work quality between union and non workers seems to have changed a bit from your first post. I think one thing most of us agree on is the fact that union workers tend to have that attitude of arrogance that implies that they will work at their own pace, and if you don't like it, you can take it up with my union rep. Which is the problem I have. It's as if they work for the union, not for you.
Having direct experience with the union as it pertains to electricians, that electrician who belongs to the IBEW, indeed does work for the union and he is simply rented to the employer. That is just a fact of life in the electrical trade.
Having said that, I personally know many electricians who are union and I can tell you that they are damn good. No, they are triple damn good and know their trade backwards and forwards. The training that they received is thorough and prepares them for the work experience they will face. But, they do tend to be mavericks and kinda go at their chosen direction. In addition, they make some damn good dollars for going in that direction.
But, once again, having said that, there are some hacks who belong to the union and get along solely because they are part of the union and are a protected species.
For the record, I have seen so many hacks in the electrical trade who do not belong to the union it makes my head split with pain. So in the end, it is up to the individual to make of his career what he or she will. But the union guys I know do a good job and absolutely love the pay because it is very good. The road to get into the union is long and winding and hard to get on, but once you do get on that road, the journey is sweet...........
Also, for the record, I do not belong to a union so I have no axe to grind either way.
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Their strategy is to make it such a hassle to get paid that you will just give up and accept what they want to pay you....when they get damn good and ready. When you ask, the lady (I am being nice here) will refuse to give you the owner/pres. name. Pass the buck is the game.
Chubby;
Welcome to the brave new world of Nationals. The name of the game is to get you to do the work, delay payment and wait for you to either accept a smaller payment or simply get tired and walk away. The key word for you to remember when fighting to collect should be Tenacity.
Paying NSP's state that they will remit in 30 to 45 days, but that just is fantasy. With those that actually pay you, expect no sooner than 90 days. And when I say 90 days, that will be after a long protracted fight in which you will be lied to, insulted, hung up on and a whole host of other crapola thrown out that you never knew existed.
This is the new reality ....................
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I don't believe anyone was making fun of Sign Ninja. The original post lacked details. My response was an attempt at humor. Not aimed at him in any way. Now that we have some more information. We can all process it.
I second what Alltex has just said.........
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OK, I give up..........
Who is this person and what is your interest in him??
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I DO have to chuckle at those who are in our industry leadership that tell me, that I...and this site hurts the sign industry because of the topics we tackle and dare to take on. To be accused of "tearing down....bashing......not getting it right.....putting the industry in a bad light...." because it does not follow into their play is.....quite amusing.
Leadership is NOT about licking your finger to see which way the wind is blowing, or doing a poll and base a final...... base a decision on possible revenue loss or relationship loss. It's about making the "right decision...the right call" and sticking with it.
When it comes to a hard important decision there are two options, "What comes easy" and "doing what's right". Doing what's right is usually the long hard, lonely road.....SOMETIMES a road that ends up in loss, but the correct road nonetheless.
Glad to see some leadership finally stepping up, we just need to aid/support them in anyway we can.
*This sites 6 month hibernation is over.
Erik;
There always have been, are now and will always be leaders in our society. The same goes for followers.
You, Erik, are a LEADER.
Just like President Truman once said and I paraphrase, " I'm not giving em Hell, I'm just giving the truth and they think its Hell
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Most of you all may know by now of the new ban on T12 lamps for T8's in general lighting except for specialty areas like signs.
What are your thoughts? Don't care, do care...no thought?
Here's my thoughts, and you all know I always have a thought on everything!!
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This is more of the "Do Nothings" doing "something" when he should be doing "nothing".
A take away from the consumer, the government picking a winner. The MFG's go along to play along, and they at the same time can cash in on the process of a "need" to replace...or fill a need because it's "Mandated".
This is not a huge take away by any means, but it is the government putting a screw on us again and treating us like children, in turn our childhood stretched out even further because we don't know better even as adults.
The truth is, we hear all this mumbo jumbo about how bright T8's are over T12's, the lumens blah blah blah. Well, it's true to a certain perspective.
I'm sure a marketer out from Edison, or SDG&E took some VIPs (like the CEC) into a facility room and pointed to the Fluorescent lighting fixtures above in a room that had both T12 & T8 fixtures...pointed to them above and said "see how much brighter they are?...and they are xxxx lumens compared to the inefficient T12's" Seeing is believing am I right? Sure T8's are brighter, to the comparison at your local Home Depot, even a 5 year old with a sucker in his hand would tell you the same thing. After all.....100 lumens above another is HUGE.
Lumen's is such a fancy word, it's numbers are striking when used in marketing and expressing.
But what does Lumen's matter and compare when it comes to usable light? Hmmmm??? Lumen's are done/measured in a testing lab with a funny looking sphere
Sure the T8's are bright when you look up, just as LEDs are at the point of light. But what if you measure the usable light where it's needed? I did this. We did this in our site testing here "Project Facilities"
I didn't get a huge number of foot candles when measuring with a light meter on a table/counter top or floor when a fixture went from using T12 lamps to T8's on the floor. In a matter of fact, it only jumped 5 foot candles from the T12 to T8 on a 8' ceiling. That number gets bigger as you measure closer to the fixture, but again..."usable light"....not "wasted light" We don't use the light above our heads unless we need a light to show as a point of origin, a marking.
I only bring this up because up because I've seen the "good" news of how some T12's lamps will be spared in our industry to a point and it's been in a recent thread on halo lighting.
My thought for the week.
Erik;
I have said this Ad Nauseum,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I always go back to my business curriculum in college and one thing always remained in my crowded brain from a marketing class that I had. Government regulation always has and will always be the best marketing tool ever invented. Want something brought to market and capture consumers, get government to mandate it. Car insurance, motorcycle helmets, you name it. Get government to endorse it and you got a winner. It just depends on which side of an issue you are on. T12 good....T8 better....LED even better. Want to make a splash, invest in a lobby group, purchase access to our elected officials and get your product or service to market.
Bottom line to all this? It ain't gonna change so roll with whatever happens to come along and try to use it to your advantage. I guess you could say that I am a Defeatist but I choose to label myself as a Pragmatist.
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Alright.
The Sleeping Bear is starting to wake up from it's short hibernation nap.
Stay Tune!!!
Erik;
Count me in on the curiosity front!
What are you talking about.............
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Empire facilities Management, Bohemia NY Look them up on the web. Make your own decision. I do not do work for them
Paul;
Have you had a bad experience with them in the past? I do not now nor have I ever worked for this company which I believe has changed hands a few times and is now a possession of some outside capital interests. But I did work in the past for Lighting Elysium and I did get paid by them. The repair division of Lighting Elysium was bought by this company and that is what my input solely was and is.
I agree with your summation that you should always research and make your decisions based on that. I am usually apprehensive about any of these NSP's that are out there because it seems their model is to pay grudgingly or not at all for services provided.
But I am curious, as they are in your backyard, as to what you based your decision on for not working for them.
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Wow, that is the worst beating I have seen in a national championship college football game in a long while. Looked like a college football team taking on a Pop Warner team.
If it had been a fight, it would have been stopped in the first round.
I hope "Transco To Go" doesn't do anything rash after that drubbing. Oh well, there is always girls badminton at Notre Dame.
I guess they should leave football alone for a while............
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Checking to see how these guys operate
Chubby;
I can't tell you about this company in specificity, but they accuired the maintenance division of Lighting Elysium of New York, whom I worked for in the past. I did some high end customers for Lighting Elysium here in California and always got paid on or about terms. Our terms were Net 30 Days and payment was usually received at about 35 days without fail. Beyond that, I can't really add anything. But as always, be vigilante.
Best of Luck
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I guess no bad news must be good news...................
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Does anyone have any experience with these folks? I notice that they are in the same city as Broadway National and was wondering if there is any connection?
Best to all.................
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Probably the main reason we have the best Healthcare in the world is because of profit. It's profitable to keep people alive and to treat illness. Take the profit out of anything. Where's the money and the incentive to develop anything new?
Yep,
Reminds me of a book I read in college called 'Atlas Shrugged' written by Ayn Rand back in the 50's .
Her book describes the eventual collapse of society due to governmental interference in industry and the elimination of a profit incentive for the most productive in the society.Lo
Was this the same Ayn Rand who was a devout Atheist and and absolutely was opposed to any agrressive acts such as war for any reason?
She also thought the poor were basically worthless entities who should be thrown on the scrapheap of society.
An intersting factoid you may not have known;
Rand underwent surgery for Lung Cancer 1974 after decades of heavy smoking. In 1976 she retired from writing her newsletter and, despite her initial objections, reluctantly allowed Evva Pryor, a consultant from her attorney's office, to sign her up for Social Security and Medicare. I guess in the end she succumbed to being one of the takers after years of being fiericly Capitalistic.
Yes, I read Atlas Shruggd and Fountainhead along with other books such as Soul on Ice, Malcom X and Catcher in the Rye but to name a few as required reading in my junior high curriculum. They were all required reading but I never subscribed anything more to them other than required nonsense to pass my class.
And we all know how the proclamation of being an Ayn Rand junkie which guided his adult life worked out for Representative Paul Ryan. I think the majority of folks in the country weren't too impressed with Ayn Rand or Mr. Ryan.
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I am familiar with Rands beliefs , political and philosophical view points. Don't claim to be a "Rand junkie"
I very simply stated that Mark's comment along with other comments in this thread ,ie..doctors are ready to walk away from their profession due to the new health care law ,reminded me of a book I read 25 years ago.
Seems to be a lot of liberties taken in this thread to put words or intents of others opinions /statements in question and proceed to attack them. Don't take yourself so seriously bro. I respect your opinion but don't preach to me .
If you were educated in the U.S. progressive public educational system I Seriously dought that any of Rand's works were part of your curriculum at any level.
Randy;
I am far from Progressive or Liberal. I just said that I had read Ayn Rand and didn't go for it. I am not an Atheist, am not anti-war no matter what the circumstances and don't believe that the poor are to be discarded. As far as an Ayn Rand junkie, I was referring to Paul Ryan who said she had a profound influence on his life and views. If you want to take the blame via transference, that is up to you. I didn't imply that you were an Ayn Rand junkie.
I never attacked you or put any words in your mouth. I respect your opinion and definitely am not preaching to you. I am serious about some things and lighthearted about others. I wasn't educated in the Liberal or Progressive education system, rather the American public education system. I did read the works of Ayn Rand but didn't take them too seriously. Her opinions were her opinions and she was entitled to them, same as you. I just don't consider her an expert on American ideals or values. But at any rate, I was exposed to her work in a curriculum that allowed me to accept or reject her thesis about life and not be criticized for my views.
Lastly, I doubt very highly that any doctors are going to walk away from their profession after putting so much time to earn the title after the rigorous regimine it took to become a doctor in the first place. They may make alterations to their career path or business practices, but the very thing that drove them in the first place to become a doctor and why they took the Hyppocratic Oath will burn deep in their soul and guide their actions..
If this offends you or you read anything else that you are categorizing an inference by me, I think you have simply misunderstood me. Sorry.
Also, I read in my earlier years a book that I consider on par with "Atlas Shrugged" and that was "Green Eggs and Ham" by the quintessential philosopher Dr. Seuss. But i must admit, I don't know which was more prolific in its social theories.....
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Controversy over electric signs splits industry - A NO Brainer!!!
in General Message Board
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Doesn't sound too bad to me........
Sitting in the desert, gazing at the stars while enjoying a good cup of Joe.
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