Augusta Sign Company

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How I Made Signs in the Staunton Historic District

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MAKING SIGNAGE HISTORY

Several months before his planned opening I received a phone call from a California customer who owned commercial property in the Staunton Historic District. The historic downtown of Staunton, Virginia is a great place to locate a retail business for owners wanting to operate in a small town setting that is rich in history. When I saw the initial call come in, I thought it was just another spam call after noticing an unusual area code. I allowed the call to go to voice mail, and found out that it was a legitimate new sign request.

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RENOVATION EXPECTATIONS

The customer had recently renovated space to house two retail stores, a small cafe and a much-needed laundromat, and he wanted to interview me to see if I could help him with signage. After our initial meeting, I was able to determine his needs and get him a price based on design drawings provided by his architect. Starting a new business requires a lot of start-up capital so to limit his expense of the new signage, I was able to provide him with contact information to the specified sign bracket supplier from which he could order the customized brackets specified by the architect himself. This would save him the cost of my markup, and I was eager to help him with that if he ordered the custom ACM sign panels and the installation of the signs and brackets from Augusta Sign Company.

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CALIFORNIA DREAMING

Since he lived in California and only came to the Staunton area every month or two, we timed our meetings to when he was in town. We determined a reasonable completion date to align with his final inspection and I proceeded with the construction of the signage. Once ready, I delivered the signs and installed the custom aluminum brackets into the old brick of the historic brick walls with anchor bolts reinforced with epoxy adhesive. It was an unusually windy summer evening with a passing thunderstorm in the area, but I was able to get the brackets and sign panels installed by the pre-determined deadline. While I was at it, I lettered his front door window as well!

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Mark Hackley is owner/operator of Augusta Sign Company. Augusta Sign Company is a VA Class B Contractor and is based in Augusta County, Virginia. Inquiries for new sign projects can be directed to mark@augustasigncompany.com, 540-943-9818.

Gymnasium Wall Banners and Choir Hall Displays: Helping Athletics and Music Departments at Local Private High School

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This project was done in coordination with Jon Styer of At Ease: Design & Consulting, who designed the updated banners for the school’s gymnasium four walls. Augusta Sign Co. provided manufacture and installation of the banners. The project was located at Eastern Mennonite School, Harrisonburg, VA.

The finished wall of banners!

Walking back to the man-lift which was provided by the customer!

Arranging the 4-panel display on a wall with a sloped floor was a challenge!

Part of the project was making maple plywood headers with raised metal letters, and hanging framed pictures.

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.