slowdncr

I was just putting together my schedule for the Western States Sign Show and realized that the ISA Chairman's Reception is at 6:00 on Saturday. We'll be fashionably early for your 5:00 meet up and fashionably late for the reception. In any event, I hope to meet some of you at the PB Alehouse, and if not there, maybe when the Show opens on Friday. I'll be a Greeter at the doors. If you're on the fence regarding the show, call your sign distributor, like Montroy or N Glance, and they'll get a free pass to you. See you there!

Yeah, I agree. I will only miss the quick walk to Gaslamps that the Convention Centers offered.. I guess you locals take it for granted, but us out-of-towners have a great time along 5th Avenue. :

That's almost as good as "Civil Service"

Dan, You might want to get one of the Tabletops in the Exhibition Hall. They're reasonably priced and a great way to get in front of potential customers. Space is going fast. For more information on registration for the show go to: http://www.wssc.us.com/ See you there!

So we're back trying to firm up this meet. I've stayed at the Catamaran before. Their lounge really isn't that bad, but there are some places on the ocean beachfront a few blocks away that might give us a chance to get away and not be too obvious to all others at the hotel.

I can't speak for the WSSC, but I'm pretty sure they'll accommodate you under the circumstances. My advice is to use the link to contact their Exec., Patti King.

Look forward to seeing your product. There are about 42 exhibitors registered right now. For those that want to see more information on the show go to: http://www.wssc.us.com/

I'll try to be there. I'll be the one walking over from Hooters.

Good point. I'll check in with Mikey. No one in California is a "competitor". We are all in the same business. That's why I put so much stock in these events, and to meet individuals like yourself that are willing to share what they've learned from being in the sign industry. I'll be registered at the Catamaran and will welcome the chance to discuss your product and our potential applications.

I will be there, Manuel. I've been going for the last 3 WSSC San Diego regional shows and I always get a lot out of it. Of course, as a member of the Board of Directors of the California Sign Association, I have to go. But I like the intimacy when compared to the larger shows, allowing more time to rub shoulders with WSSC and ISA Board members and more attention from the exhibitors. This year, the show ismoving from the oversized Convention Center to The Catamaran Resort on Mission Bay which should allow us to take the place over. And, Buckeye, I have already registered for your seminar.

A very interesting thread, and obviously viewed on all kinds of different levels, each of which I can identify with. The California Sign Association will be offering a couple of dinner meetings next week with a speaker that will be covering the business opportunities these social network sites offer, "Collaborating Citizen 3.0" with Heather Honea. The southern California meeting will be January 13 at Hunter Steakhouse in Oceanside and the northern Calif. meeting will be January 14th at Francesco's Restaurant in Oakland. Call the CSA office at 916.932.0021 or contact me via this site if you're interested.

We have used Channelume/Let-R-Edge on hundreds of individual letter projects for well over 30 years, and I've known David Sevine for as long. Welcome to the Sign Syndicate!

Of course, you could look at it as a great opportunity to build new signs. With construction of new retail centers at a standstill due to the economy, existing space will be coveted, especially given some of Mervyn's choice locations. At 100,000 sq. ft., Mervyn's is a dinosaur when it comes to modern retailing. They'll probably carve up the space to accommodate 3 or 4 "big box" tenants for whom we can build new signs.

I'm not sure the questions allow me to address the common distrust I have for product manufacturers that try to sell direct to me. I remember when Actown first introduced their transformers and they circumvented the distributors. For me, that resulted in an immediate distrust of the company and the product. This prejudice generally holds true, regardless of the product quality or pricing. Also, I usually get better customer service from my distributors then I do the product manufacturers. Special orders, returns, critical deliveries, etc. all get handled with less anxiety when I deal with the distributor, not the factory or their rep.

Thanks for the reminder. Us older guys don't adjust well to this stuff, but I did manage to add my Avatar. Thanks. Skip

Gary, thanks for the link. It's hard to believe that those are paintings. There is a Bay Area artist, Terry Thompson, that does a very similar thing. If you'd like to check him out, go to: http://thompsonpaintings.com/index.shtml Skip

Well, Mr bartender, since it's still before noon, make mine a virgin Kamikazee... Time is not hands on a clock but what you do with it. I manage. All the volunteer stuff is because I care about this industry, and our family's tradition in it.

Thanks. Those were the days. Since I joined this informative forum, I suspected I might know you. I just don't have the time, what with writing for the newsletter and chairing committees and, oh yeah, running my company, to be as active as I'd like here. Are you going to reveal your identity, or at least email me? www.billmoore.com

The California Sign Association will be celebrating their 50th Anniversary next year, and guess who is chairing the Committee? In doing so, I'm getting some great historic photos from member companies and sign families. Speaking of which, this pic is of my Dad' and Grandfather's company doing an install ca. the late 50's.

Albert_Sklar.BMP I received word of Al's passing via the California Sign Association, of which Al and Barbara Sklar were active members and gracious supporters. It was one of those moments which causes one to reflect, like a flash of gas filled tubing gone dead, recognizing that one of the great ones had fallen. In today's sign environment, there are very few qualified to take his place. In my lively discussions with Al, I had always held him as a consumate man of his craft and a true innovator. In the bustling isles of the trade shows, I would bow before him in gratitude for running the U.L. gauntlet in getting the G-Cup and Conduit Plug Assembly approved, freeing us to finally install border tubing in a manner that was both safe and clean, and for a while (before Electrobits were approved for inside letters) allowing us to get rid of those confounded Hage and PK Housings. My sincere condolances to Barbara, daughter,son-in-law and family. Skip

"Is the timing of a site like this, for this aspect of the trade the wrong time?" As this discussion relates to timing, I feel that the operative word is time, at least for me it is and it seems everyone else in the trade that I talk with. I am president of our company (15 employees) and I've been putting in 12 hour days for 5 years and I'm still behind. I am V.P. of the California Sign Association (CSA), which I call my "other job" where I get a great deal of satisfaction in giving back to the industry that has supported me and my family for 30 years while maintaining my awareness of the myraid of issues facing the sign business. I'd like to think I'm efficient with my time management, but visits to forums such as The Sign Syndicate become a luxury I frankly can't afford. It's frustrating for me, because I like what you're doing here. I like the dialoque and comradarie, and even the silly things that go on. The frustration comes from not being able to fully participate. When I registered, I looked forward to sharing experiences with others that face the same challenges and triumphs in an industry I've was born into. Unfortunately, my typical day has not allowed such "Is online communication too far ahead of the baby boomer generation who seem to run the industry?" No, I don't believe it is. While neon and electric sign building are traditional trades, I don't think anyone can get by without a computer and DSL service and be successful in today's market. And if they think they don't need it, they're just in denial. So, the hardware and browsers are there. "Is it fear of spreading ideas to your competition?" While I have witnessed this behavior, I don't subscribe to this theory. I wouldn't be an active memebr of national and state electric sign associations if I was. I think the exchange of ideas and new concepts is like fertilizer to the future of the industry. Keeping ideas to ourselves is short sighted nonsense. "Is it too intimidating getting involved?" For many, I'm sure it is. The process of engagement is the most difficult. Once in, it can prove to be an addiction. There are always the lurkers and the outspoken. "Is there something you would like to see more on/more of on this site?" Since I haven't had a chance to utilize the site as I had envisioned, I am in no position to say. "Is this site not serious enough?" From what I've seen, I think it runs both ways, but not obsessively so. I like the whimsy and personal candor that I find here. It's fun without being offensive. Thanks for asking. Skip