With this being our 25th year in business, I’ve been reflecting about how things worked back when we began and how the business has evolved throughout the years.
I’ve observed marketing trends come and go, but the way signs are built is a continuous development and improvement. With the advancement in new materials and equipment, we are able to complete nearly all our manufacturing in-house. A more challenging part of the process can be sign allowances, which are dictated by local ordinances and how they’re interpreted. It keeps us sharp as we’re continuously developing new ways to do things.
The staff has increased over the years, and I feel fortunate in finding some key people along the way (or they found us). A top priority is discovering the right person that fits the culture, and then working with their strengths to create a position that allows them to shine.
Although we have facilities in three locations, we currently use our Torch River space for mostly SeaDek fabrication. We’re considering bringing the facility back to full operation to help relieve some of the stress on our Petoskey and Traverse City manufacturing areas. Both spaces are stretched to capacity, which has us evaluating how we can better move projects through the shop to be the most efficient from a job process standpoint.
Overall, I am grateful for the people who trust us with their image and for the team that helps us thrive. Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs has said that he is often asked about job satisfaction, and why everybody is having such a good time. He notes that job satisfaction has much less to do with your job and much more to do with you; cheerfulness is a big part of work. This is an attitude that I try to inject into each day. Every day isn’t perfect, but let’s have some fun too! That’s Core Value #9… Git’R Dun and Have Fun!
