Augusta Sign Company

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Prayer and my Small Business

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Finding God in our Messes

It was back in the middle of February this year when the realization hit hard. I had one more big job in production, but nothing but a few small sign jobs when that was completed. I wasn’t sure how my cash flow for March was going to cover my payroll checks. Usually March is a strong month, and the economy has been really strong for a good while. I had loads of big jobs quoted, but none were filtering in as new projects. So I began to worry.

Last time this happened was a few months after I started the business in the summer of 2015. There were no substantial jobs on the horizon. Back then I remember praying super hard for work. The kind of praying you do in your life that’s the real deal, not just the “Lord, thanks for my food” type of prayer. This was down-on-your-knees, down-in-the-trenches, fear-spurned prayer. Fervent type.

And I have to say it worked! I was so thankful for what was provided afterwards and a steady work flow since; until this February.

Fervent Pleading

Things were looking very bleak, kind of like the gray winter skies. The time had come again for prayer. I am not sure how I went so long without asking for daily guidance with things. Sometimes I just got tied up with things on the to-do list and prayers and devotionals were pushed aside.

Quick Answer

I prayed hard that February night. It wasn’t a very long prayer, but it was fervent! Early the next day I received a call from a customer needing a price on rebuilding a brick monument sign that was destoyed in a car accident. I had no idea at the time of how God was quickly working for me behind the scenes!

I did the survey the next day and as I was leaving a lady pulled her car next next to me, wound down the window, and told me that she had gone to the store the previous night at 9 PM, returning about a half-hour later to find the sign knocked down. I prayed about 9:15. The answer came immediately!!

No one was hurt in the accident, and although I was competing with other sign companies, I won the job a few weeks later. Through this project God also provided work for a local brick mason who needed work. I subcontracted his company to rebuild the brick base that was destroyed.

Soon afterwards the floodgates opened for new projects at Augusta Sign Company! I had a very strong March and April!

Thankful!

Prayer really works and helps me in my day-to-day business life (which trickles down to my personal life providing the means to put food on the table, pay for my Jeep payment, and help keep a roof over our head).

I am very thankful for God’s help. If you own a business, first of all PRAY. Secondly, if you need a sign, reach out to me anytime. I’ll be praying for your business on a more regular basis!

Augusta Sign Company offers sign products and services to Central VA. You can reach them at 540-943-9818.

The Versatility of Aluminum Composite Signs

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A large Aluminum Composite Panel being lettered in the shop, with a stack of smaller ACM signs seen in the background. This customer ordered over 100 signs in one order for 9 regional sites in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.

PLETHORA OF OPTIONS

Back when I first began making signs, aluminum composite panels were not in common usage in the sign industry. Maybe they are a by-product of the space age, and were still in development back then! The only choice for aluminum sign panels used to be solid aluminum of various thicknesses. These heavier, solid aluminum sign options are still here, but along with them is now a plethora of composite options.

ACM is a lightweight alternative to solid metal for traffic and site safety signs.

BUDGET-FRIENDLY MATERIAL

Aluminum composite material (ACM) is generally less expensive, easier to cut and handle, and typically comes pre-finished. ACM panels are manufactured with a thin veneer of aluminum on both sides of an inner non-aluminum core. I most often use the panels with solid plastic cores. They are very stable outdoors and are very rigid and flat for great-looking, durable signs!

ACM sign panels are great for cut vinyl graphics or digitally printed vinyl. The panels are very versatile and are used for free-standing signs as well as wall signs, and can be used for both interior and exterior applications. They make great signs in various wayfinding sign systems. I’ve used them for both the interior and exterior signage at many local churches. I also have a private university customer that utilizes ACM for kiosk maps, building identification and directional signs, parking signs, and other types of uses around campus.

ACM is easily machined into various shapes and makes a great base for digital graphics. The panels are also perfect for spanning corrugated metal walls with no need for framing or cross- supports.

VERY VERSATILE

Here is a partial list of various situations in which I’ve used ACM panels so far to date: Industrial Safety Signs, Retail Shop Signs, Signs for Medical and Dental Offices, Sign for Law Offices, Signs for Schools, Church Signage, Government Signs.

Framed ACM panel with reflective graphics for 24-hour visibility

The panels come in various thicknesses and overall sizes with 1/8″ and 1/4″ being the standards for thickness, and 4′ X 8′, 4′ X 10′, and 5′ X 10′ being the standard overall panel sizes.

How I’ve Morphed from Oils to Acrylics for Non-Blasted Sign Backgrounds

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I still prefer oil-based stains for sandblasted sign backgrounds. Although I loosely use the term “oil-based” I am referring to mostly alkyd-based paints, that use modified polyester-based resins. These types of stains and primers soak in deep and are more thoroughly absorbed into the pores of the wood surface than water-based varieties.

So here’s what I have found works best when coating raw cedar, redwood, and mahogany that will be used for outdoor signs: If the sign’s background is flush with either carved-in or painted-on letters, I recommend a quality oil-based primer for the first coat, (Zinsser is what I like best). Then I’d recommend a high-quality latex for the top coat, using a paint with a high-gloss or at least semi-gloss sheen. I used to always prefer oil-based top coats, like bulletin enamels, but have found through my extended experience that these tend to produce very hard- but eventually more brittle- films, that over time crack and peel at a much greater and much earlier rate than the more flexible acrylic coatings. Plus, if pigmented in reds or some blues, the oil-based colors fade faster than acrylics.

When coating a sandblasted sign background, I highly recommend using an oil-based stain, one or two coats depending on the wood type, condition and porosity. No primer is needed as the stain acts as the primer and finish coat. So in these instances, the old-fashioned oil-based paints are still my preference.

If you’re in the market for quality hand-painted signage, please give me a call at 540-943-9818. I’ve been making high-performance wood signs for many decades!

Mark Hackley owns and operates Augusta Sign Company serving Staunton, Waynesboro, and surrounding areas of Virginia. You can e-mail him at mark@augustasigncompany.com.

Custom Wood Signs for Central Virginia

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CUSTOM WOOD SIGNS FOR CENTRAL VIRGINIA

LARGE SERVICE AREA

Based in Staunton, VA, Augusta Sign Company serves customers within a hundred miles of the shop with custom wood signs!

This large geographic service area includes the following areas:

Staunton, Waynesboro, Harrisonburg, Covington, Clifton Forge, Lexington, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Salem, Charlottesville, Richmond, Elkton, Grottoes, Verona, Weyers Cave, Stuarts Draft, Crimora, Amherst, Lovingston, Nellysford, Wintergreen, Afton, Crozet, Massanutten, Middlebrook, Goshen, Clifton Forge, Mount Sydney, Mount Crawford, Dayton, Broadway, Timberville, New Market, Stanley, Luray, Front Royal, Woodstock, Mount Jackson, Edinburg, Strasburg, Stephens City, Kernstown, Winchester, Fairfield, Natural Bridge, Fincastle, Troutville, Buchanan, Vinton, Rocky Mount, Ferrum, to mention a few!

TYPICAL CUSTOMER BASE

Customers we serve generally fall into these categories:

Churches, Medical Offices including Dental, Optical, and Veterinary, Professional Offices, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Downtown Retailers, Specialty Shops, Hospitality, Private Farms and Residences, Industrial, Specialty Services, Schools, Libraries, and Museums.

TYPICAL SIGN TYPES

The typical types of custom wood signs we produce include:

Post and panel type signs where the wood sign is one or two-sided, mounted between two poles, or hung from a single post. Posts can be supplied by the customer, or we can fabricate or provide posts made of wood or aluminum. We can also provide standard iron scroll brackets for single-pole or wall mount signs.

Entry monument signage where the customer usually has a masonry contractor construct a brick or stone base designed for a custom wood sign. Augusta Sign Company is a licensed contractor and can subcontract sign base construction, or build certain types of stucco or custom wood sign monuments in-house.

Contact:

Mark Hackley

540-943-9818

 

OTHER SIGN SERVICES

In addition to custom wood signs, Augusta Sign Company can also help customers with Directional Signage and Wayfinding, 3-Dimensional Letters, Hand-Painted Specialty Signs, Gold Leaf, Vehicle and Window Graphics, Banners, Bronze Plaques, Industrial Safety and Parking Lot Signage.

Augusta Sign Company began as Tree Street Signs in 1990, changed its name in 2000 and began operating full-time as Augusta Sign Company in 2015. The shop is located in Augusta County, Virginia.

HOURS OF OPERATION

Mon-Fri 9:00AM-5:00PM, Closed Weekends and Holidays

 

5 Easy Ways to Market Church Events

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5 Easy Ways to Market Church Events

5 Easy Ways to Market Church Events:

1- Make a Banner: Banners are inexpensive ways to promote an event at your church. I make lots of banners for area churches of all denominations and many times I will donate my time to install them if they are reasonably close to my shop in Staunton, Virginia. I make simple banners in my shop using pre-cut and hemmed rolled one-sided banner stock material, a white 13 oz. material that has a glossy sheen. I design the banner layouts on my computer design software and use a vinyl-cutting machine to cut the graphics that I later apply to the blank, white banner. The banners come with pre-spaced grommets that allow for hanging on poles with hooks or attaching to walls and other flat surfaces with screws and fender washers. For more detailed banners or ones with more than one or two colors, I send them off for digital printing. In my small shop, banners may take longer to complete than some of the other shops in my area. If people are in a big hurry, I usually suggest they contact “All Phase Graphics” in Staunton, or “Viking Forge Design” in Waynesboro. Both these shops have in-house digital printers and may produce banners faster than what I can do. If you plan ahead, it takes about 1-2 weeks to get a banner order out during normal production levels at my shop.

2- Use a Marquee Sign: I often sell church signs that have a marquee sign component. A manual marquee is a sign that has tracks for changeable letters and churches can create and display custom messages advertising upcoming events to the public. The proper letter heights for your site can be calculated by considering viewing distance and speed limit. Most letters are in the 3″-8″ range for the church marquees I have made, and the letters are typically black on a white background. A church situated on a high-traffic highway may be more inclined to invest in an electronic marquee which has many advantages over the manual marquee signs that I can produce in my shop. I recommend churches interested in electronic signs contact “Holiday Signs” in Chester, VA.

3- Use Memorial Bricks to Fund a Comprehensive Marketing Campaign: I sold a sign to a Baptist church a few years ago by recommending they conduct a fundraising campaign first by selling memorial bricks. These are engraved bricks that can honor living or deceased church members and friends and are set in a foundation at the base of the church sign, or anywhere on the church campus where people can appreciate the memorialized members. The church raised enough money to purchase a new sign and they had a friend lay the brick at its base. Money raised this way could also be used for a comprehensive marketing campaign for a church event or events.

4- Make a Yard Sign: Churches can use the yard-type signs used by realtors and contractors to post information about upcoming events. These signs are generally smaller than banners, so they would be most effective for churches in residential areas versus those on main highways. I would suggest investing in a metal sign with a metal frame and utilize rider panels to gain more space for the message. If you’re on a tight budget, you can also use corrugated plastic material for the signs and these can be installed in the ground using inexpensive wire stakes. But remember this important rule: you get what you pay for!

5- Use a “Burma Shave” Series of Signs: If you have enough road space, you might consider designing a message that you can write over a series of yard signs. This type of set-up is always more effective in grabbing attention to your event!

 

Contact Mark Hackley, Augusta Sign Company, 540-943-9818