Thankful for Sign Talents
Budding Artist
I’m very thankful for sign talents that have been with me for over fifty years. It was the fall of 1976. Jimmy Carter had just become our new President. I was a freshman at Spencerville Junior Academy, a Christian school in Montgomery County, Maryland. Our principal, Maynard Yeary, contracted me to paint our school mascot, a bee, on the band’s bass drum. All through my school days, in fact, from day one, I had been the resident artist and go-to guy for calligraphy, posters, illustrations, or charts. It actually all started before school.
When I was just two years old, still in diapers, Mom said I would pull soup cans from the cupboard, and copy the letters. One of these early “Mark Hackley” drawings has even been preserved in a book of memories that she assembled and made sure I kept safe into posterity! I skipped Kindergarten and on my very first day in First Grade, I won the handwriting contest, my work displayed on the wall from the start. Then soon after, I won the best drawing of our school building, and so on up through Junior High
(now Middle School) where I was the artist for the school newspaper and yearbook. So it only made sense that by the time I reached High School it was appropriate that I be hired to paint the bass drum, which was a pretty challenging task for a guy used to pencil or pen and ink as a medium. I remember researching the proper paint to use for plastic surfaces. I wish I had a picture of the drum, but I don’t; But I do remember it was a success. The first of many successful sign projects!
Applied Arts
From there, I went on to paint huge mural-type backdrops for the senior play, letter certificates for student awards, design and make campaign posters for school government candidates, and the list goes on and on. After high school, I had a 
scholarship to attend Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, but declined to take a position as a sign apprentice instead with the US Navy in Bethesda, Maryland.
There I learned how to paint various freestyle letters by hand under the tutelage of experienced sign painter, Herb Root. I learned the basics of industrial painting and sign painting but did not feel like a master as of this point. When I transferred to Andrews Air Force Base in 1982, it was here that I became proficient in the trade and after about three years, I felt like I could take on any job with ease. and speed. I lettered the entryway of the air terminal used by our President and Congressmen, lettered water towers, helipads, interior and exterior wayfinding signs, safety 
billboards, airport taxiways, insignias, vehicles, you name it!
It was after these early years of training, I felt confident enough to start my own sign business. My Uncle Ellsworth Hackley (A.K.A. Boo-Boo) was the entrepreneurial example in my family who I emulated starting out. Soon I had a part-time business where I developed a good sense of limitations for my talents- certain jobs I was good at and certain ones I was not.
In 1990, I went full-time into the sign biz. Looking back after all those years, I am extremely thankful for the God-given talent of art and design. That talent has enabled me to be self-sufficient. It has enabled me to help people and organizations 
needing to get noticed and be profitable by increasing revenues; It has helped me realize and share this great gift, a gift that leaves a lasting impression everywhere I go. I’m forever passing signs all over the place that I put into service decades ago! It’s humbling to see all the work I was blessed with the ability to complete.
This Thanksgiving has allowed me time to reflect on my talent and those who have purchased it or benefited from it in some way. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!
Mark Hackley owns Augusta Sign Company of Staunton, VA.
1619 Middlebrook Road, Staunton, VA 24401 540-943-9818
mark@augustasigncompany.com
GOLD OR NO GOLD
carving class in Stowe, Vermont, taught by expert carver, Jay Cooke. I remember thinking that I could share some of the craft I learned with businesses in Virginia, perhaps improving the aesthetics of our area with nice signage. From 1990-2000 when I owned and operated Tree Street Signs in Crimora, I believe I was able to do just that!
the colors of the old sign were just too drab. They wanted a white background with a black and gold color scheme. (Later on I found out they were originally from Pittsburgh, so the Pittsburgh Steelers’ black and gold color scheme was in the back of their mind in this decision.) They weren’t worried about losing the gold leaf as long as the renovated sign popped so people could read it well.
I and my helper, Marshall, installed the sign back onto its 6X6 wood posts after sanding and painting them in the field with Sherwin Williams white latex enamel house and trim paint. Since they were previously painted, the latex house paint will work well on the posts giving them a flexible finish to last a good long while.
Looking for a simplified way to use old electric sign cabinets? I bet I have had a dozen calls about sign face replacement since I restarted my commercial sign company here in Waynesboro, Virginia two years ago. Many people who go into business for themselves will rent or purchase a former commercial building. When they get the building, most times they also get the old signage. Jurisdictions usually make businesses remove or reverse or otherwise block out the old sign faces in electric sign cabinets until new owners or tenants come along.
Need help installing interior signs out there?? Last week I got a call from the local Window World retail store asking if 
metal, and wood at schools, medical offices, corporate headquarters, government facilities, and pretty much anywhere people want to show off their brand to the visiting public!
I started and ended the year off doing what I like best: restoring old wood signs. Some of the signs weren’t worth restoring and needed to be replaced, but usually if they were built from woods like cedar, redwood, or mahogany, then restoration was the best option for my customers. MDO plywood signs that aren’t framed may not be good restoration candidates and replacement is usually best. Such was the case with a sign I replaced as a signage subcontractor for a local landscaper. Last January, I replaced the oval panel for the 
Unframed edges will allow moisture into the panel over time. It doesn’t take Mother Nature very long to penetrate and destroy unprotected edges! For metal signs, I try to make sure the framing and support structures are strong enough to help the signs stand up to the sometimes harsh Augusta County winds and rains and other forces of nature.
and fire lane signs and striping for the parking lot after the fire inspector recommended them.
business or non-profit with limited capital for signs, banners can be a good option to get your name out there for a few years. If your banner is not being used for temporary advertising, you’ll probably need to investigate whether a sign permit for the banner is required.
When I owned and operated Tree Street Signs in Crimora in the 1990’s, I did my share of vehicle graphics. Lettering the vehicles for service contractors with fleets of commercial trucks was a large portion of the workload. Now that I downsized with Augusta Sign Company, my shop can only facilitate small vehicles. The fleet of cars I lettered for Valley Vital Care fit perfectly in my 14′ X 30′ garage. I can also handle decals and magnetic signs easily from my smaller shop, and have done many of these for customers over the past year. In warmer months from spring through the fall, I can also letter larger trucks and vans in my side lot, and I also utilize my customer’s places of business to install vehicle graphics year-round on larger units.
doing signs on a part-time basis. During my period of hesitancy, one thing pastors and counselors would tell me over and over was, “You can make a mission of your business.”