Mark Hackley, Author at Augusta Sign Company

What Electric Sign Companies Don’t Tell You about Quality Wood Signs

July 11, 2015 By Mark Hackley

Many times if the choice is between erecting an electric sign or wood sign at your business, the leading response would be to go electric, especially if a custom electric sign company is doing the selling.

Considering the lifespan of redwood and cedar signs, the potential for eye-catching designs with gold leaf, neat three dimensional aspects, and spot-lighting, wood signs should not be overlooked. I once sold an electric sign for a restaurant for a little over $10,000. The sign was neat and eye-catching, but a wood sign could have had the same or better effect for less. Here, even in the humid southeast, the finish of a painted wood sign should last ten years, essentially the same as a painted electric sign. And, just as the aluminum and steel components of electric signs last for decades with proper maintenance, a hand-painted wood sign will do the same.

I just got finished restoring more than a dozen signs that I had built in the early 1990’s and they all refurbished well, looking like brand new, and ready to go another 20 years between recoats.

Here are some things you can do with wood signs:

V-Carved letters for special lighting effects
Incorporate Gold or Silver Leaf into the designs
Utilize 3-D Carved pictorial elements
Add Multiple Level of Graphics for Shadow Effects
Utilize Natural, Transparent Stains in Backgrounds for Environmental Effects
Easy to Refresh and Maintain

If you or your organization needs help with selecting the right sign for your business, please contact us.

Read about my back-in-business story in the Waynesboro News Virginian Here!

Many things are the same and some things are different than before:

WHAT’S THE SAME?

Licensed Class B Virginia Contractor
Dedicated to Product Quality and Customer Service
Strong Sign Design Capabilities
Specializing in Hand-Crafted Quality, Custom Wood Signs
Good/ Better/ Best Options
Range of Customers will be from Small Entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 Companies
Many Returning Customers

WHAT’S DIFFERENT?

Many New Customers
No Sales Office; I come to you when you need help with a signage project
Smaller, More Selective Workload: Our products and services are valuable to your image and worth the wait in scheduling your project!

Who Makes Signs in Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County?

July 11, 2015 By Mark Hackley

Who makes signs in Waynesboro, Staunton, and Augusta County? I do: Augusta Sign Company that is.

I, Mark Hackley, founded Tree Street Signs in 1990, two years after settling in Waynesboro, Virginia. Beginning in my home on Pine Avenue and then gradually growing into shops on Charlotte Avenue, followed by a larger one in Crimora, I steadily increased the business from one customer to over a thousand in ten years.

The small business grew so fast that I could hardly keep up with the orders! It was a true blessing, but I had a hard time managing it all. Giving into all the stress of starting up a new business, and then taking it to new levels, I sold the company to the Wilcoxen family in 2000. The new owners soon moved the business from Crimora to Stuarts Draft; then tragedy struck twice and both owners passed away, leaving the business an empty shell and ghostly reminder of days gone by when customers were helped and new sign identities were fabricated and installed all around Augusta County. Tree Street Signs had been in business for 19 years and I was sad that it died out.

After I sold the sign company, I went into sales and marketing within the sign industry and with a non-profit organization that helped hungry people. I always dreamed of getting back into the sign business on my own again, but to tell the truth, I was a little scared to start over. But then, little stepping-stone miracles happened, and now I’m back in business again full-time, fifteen years later.

Read about my story in the Waynesboro News Virginian Here!

Many things are the same and some things are different than before:

WHAT’S THE SAME?

Licensed Class B Virginia Contractor
Dedicated to Product Quality and Customer Service
Strong Sign Design Capabilities
Specializing in Hand-Crafted Quality, Custom Wood Signs
Good/ Better/ Best Options
Range of Customers will be from Small Entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 Companies
Many Returning Customers

WHAT’S DIFFERENT?

Many New Customers
No Sales Office; I come to you when you need help with a signage project
Smaller, More Selective Workload: Our products and services are valuable to your image and worth the wait in scheduling your project!

Who Makes Bronze Plaques in Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County?

July 11, 2015 By Mark Hackley

Who makes bronze plaques in Waynesboro, Staunton, and Augusta County? I do: Augusta Sign Company that is.

I, Mark Hackley, founded Tree Street Signs in 1990, two years after settling in Waynesboro, Virginia. Fifteen years after selling the sign company in 2000, I am once again back in business!

One of the things I did well then and now, is designing and installing custom plaques.

Back in the 1990’s I made plaques for many people, including the Waynesboro Airport, the Waynesboro Public Library, along with many area churches, schools and non-profit organizations across Augusta County. The neat thing about making plaques is in the design and selection of materials to use to honor the person, or people involved. There are many choices to consider for long-lasting plaques:

Solid Cast Bronze
Solid Cast Aluminum
Plate Metals
Porcelain Enamel
Hardwoods
Gold Leaf

The plaques I made in the 1990’s are still around, quietly boasting the efforts and achievements of the greats around Augusta County, Virginia. If you or your organization needs help with selecting the right plaque for your special person or occasion, please contact us anytime.

Read about my back-in-business story in the Waynesboro News Virginian Here!

Many things are the same and some things are different than before:

WHAT’S THE SAME?

Licensed Class B Virginia Contractor
Dedicated to Product Quality and Customer Service
Strong Sign Design Capabilities
Specializing in Hand-Crafted Quality, Custom Wood Signs
Good/ Better/ Best Options
Range of Customers will be from Small Entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 Companies
Many Returning Customers

WHAT’S DIFFERENT?

Many New Customers
No Sales Office; I come to you when you need help with a signage project
Smaller, More Selective Workload: Our products and services are valuable to your image and worth the wait in scheduling your project!

Signage That Stands Out

January 26, 2015 By Mark Hackley

Mark Hackley, artist, sign maker, and community leader shares his insight and experience. Whether you are considering a new sign, refurbishing an old one, or just plain curious as to what this is all about – you came to the right place. Mark Hackley is a licensed Virginia Contractor able to offer turn key service on many projects.

With a strong background in architectural and graphic design, let us help make your image one that stands out and lasts!

feel free to call us (540)-943-9818