New company - Heath Northwest

my final project with National Sign Corporation...



First of all, I'd like to say thank you to Tim and Steve Zamberlin, and the entire team at National Sign Corporation in Seattle, WA for 4 years of a great experience.  I am proud of the time we spent together and the beautiful projects we were able to help our customers with.  National Sign Corporation is in its 99th year of operation, and I wish them the best of success as they approach their centennial.

I am excited to announce that I will be joining the team at Heath Northwest in Seattle, WA starting March 3rd, 2014.  Heath is a customer first organization which has been helping companies with distinctive electrical advertising in the Pacific Northwest since 1967.  At one time in its history, it was the powerhouse signs company in the region with the largest manufacturing plant in the area.

Currently, we have a great sales, design, support staff, as well as a full fleet of service and installation vehicles, with a top-notch crew of service techs and sign journeymen.  The current owner of Heath Northwest is Ramsay Signs in Portland, OR.  Ramsay is the oldest sign company on the west coast, having been in continuous operation since 1911.  Because of a large footprint and multiple sign companies in the region (including 3 additional companies in Oregon), we are able to offer the highest level of design, service, and overall experience to our customers.  We are also able to design, permit, and manufacture signs and ship across the country at large quantities for corporations and national franchisers.

I look forward to continuing to serve my customers, and hope to help more companies in the Pacific Northwest attract more attention to their locations with distinctive and beautiful signage.  If you have any questions or needs, or if you would just like to comment, feel free to call me at 360-259-2178 or leave a comment below.

Culinaire - high-end retail, locally owned

When you walk through SouthCenter Mall in Tukwila, WA, you don't think mom and pop shops.  This is the largest shopping destination in Washington state, including some of the trendiest and high-end retail storefronts in the entire Pacific Northwest.  Westfield's strict and comprehensive design guidlines insure that every tenant has a high-end look to keep the entire shopping experience enjoyable and truly worthwhile, as many of the consumers travel up to 2 hours to come here.

Culinaire - quality cookware and kitchen supplies

When a sole proprietor wants to open a shop inside the mall, the challenges can be overwhelming.  Patricia Washington, President of Culinaire, Inc, was up to the task.  With vision for her business, and dedication to the hard work required for the difficult path ahead, she has opened a store in the mall that looks and feels better than most of the national 'anchor' and 'name-brand' tenants within.  National Sign was able to help with her marketing efforts by providing her with sizeable displays within a cost-effective budget.  Culinaire may not have commercials on the radio, mail-outs to the entire region, or TV spots, but they are a growing and profitable business, partly due to the marketing benefits of well-designed signage.

Storefront display with push-thru letters and halo background, coupled with a double-sided blade sign

Though Culinaire has been open almost 9 months(and years and years before that with a different owner), look for their grand opening sometime this fall.  For help with signage like this, call me at 360-259-2178 or email me.  Also, please help a local business by visting Culinaire in Southcenter Mall or liking their facebook page - facebook.com/CulinaireCooks.

Working with our partners

I wanted to give some praise to Elite Commercial Contracting in Kent, WA.  They are working with us on an interior decor project, and their quality work on schedule was exactly what we needed for this project.  They are a cabinet shop, and they were able to laminate some of the sign backgrounds for us.  We special ordered 16' lengths of 3/4" MDF, and did a specialty millwork procedure called a pull-down route on our Gerber flatbed CNC router.  Elite came to our shop, picked up the custom cut pieces, and brought them back about a week later.  Timely, and very nice...

Shipping out a sign package

It's exciting when one of our exterior sign packages goes out the doors on its way to Louisville, Kentucky or somewhere else around the country!

   

I'm not sure exactly where this sign is going, but I know some restaurant in the MidWest is going to get a very attention-getting display!

Almost 2 years...

I've just modified my profile.  I now am 34.  I also am in my second year of learning to be a salesman.  Here are some of the important things I have and am learning:

1. Time Management - Just like a service position, or a manufacturing position, time is money.
2. Diligence - Consistency in filling the pipeline, following up with customers, asking for referrals
3. Goals - don't settle for people to call me, reach 30-50 decision makers a day!
4. It's not about me, it's about my masters (customers)
5. If I treat my fellow employees(and family) with the same respect I treat my customers, my customers will sense it
6. Business is simple.  Serve people, and they will want to do business with you!

Overlake Medical Clinic

Hospitals need signs for a few reasons.  Similar to any business, they need branding imprinted on the local demographic.  They also need to market to new customers and patients, especially with such an abundance of health clinics and hospitals in King County, Washington.  But hospitals also need to serve the public by having clear, visible identification.

That's where we come in:  helping hospitals with clear, visible exterior signage - that also portrays a beautiful, on-premise brand.

Marketing Display or neon sign?

There are lots of sign companies.  There are lots of graphic designers.  However, the rarity of on-premise exterior marketing displays is a testament to the artistic talent, craftsmanship, and experience that is required to create signage at this level:

To create a display, that is both artistically compelling, and yet has the raw marketing draw required for a local business - that is truly challenging and rewarding when done right.

That is what makes the difference between a branded experience and a sign.