New Member Welcome
The Sign Biz 30th Anniversary Convention launched with opening remarks and a new member welcome by Teresa M. Young, Sign Biz, Inc., President. After reviewing the agenda for a packed program, Young formally welcomed the owners of four new Network Members who came on board in the last eight months. These were: Urmila & Vinay Bhandari, founders of OM signs & Graphics; Mike Frawley & Sheri Kraft, owners of Signtastic! Arizona; Todd Peters, new owner of Mr. Sign; and finally, Steve & Amanda Ramdhani who were opening Cloudbreak Signs this month!
Perspective on Thirty Years
It all started with a timely retrospective presented by Teresa M. Young, Sign Biz President. The many achievements of the Sign Biz organization and its Members were encapsulated in a look back at the past 30 years. From what was lauded as the most powerful missing children’s program of its time, the Miles of Hope initiative, to the current day Wrap Heroes accomplishments, bringing gratis wraps to doc bands for infants, attendees were uplifted. The years leading up to the founding of Sign Biz, Inc. were part and parcel to the presentation; the philosophies and tenor of the organization derived in large part from Young’s experiences and background.
A Big Day
From eye-opening cyber security keynote, to two big paneled General Sessions and six POWOWs (Power of What Owners Want roundtables), this special Reunion provided the most exciting new resources and buzz-worthy guidance that we have EVER seen!
The opening Cyber Security keynote by Lance Larson, Ph.D., CISSP, CEO of Larson Corporation was engaging and relevant: Larson revealed how today’s hacks take place in business, signage and by national entities.
The AMPED Game Changer session was the first of two top-voted General Sessions at the Reunion. The Game Changer products thrilled attendees, from free wrap classes, to gaining a competitive edge with non-aluminum frames for SEG designs. Many award winning products revealed, such as the best ‘quick change’ LED lighting ever, and the finest resolution DTG printer on the market today.
The second was National Accounts, Part 2 – a symposium devoted to exploring national sign company work and installs in depth, unique to these Sign Biz conventions. Read the National Accounts story here.
The hottest game-changers of the year were revealed during the AMPED Game Changers session: Keystone’s Sign Hero – the fastest way retrofit sign cabinets with LED; Fellers free vehicle wrap classes; Denco Sales’ special offer on the FreeJet DTG printers- highest resolution award-winning textile printers with the lowest production and service costs in the industry; SEG Design from JDS Sign Supply, featuring a game-changing modular, non-metal system; Perfect Patterns and exquisite new products from Gemini Sign Products; and the much anticipated 3D Hologram advertising medium offered through Glantz.
“Mike and I want to thank you for an outstanding meeting this year! All of the sessions were very valuable. Excellent job!”
~ Linda Levitan & Michael Quigley
The 30-Second Challenge!
“Thank you and thanks for all you did with the Reunion – it’s always of great benefit to get the latest information and interact with the other Sign Biz members.”
~ Shane O’Harra
To maximize every available opportunity to learn and have fun, this year, a new team challenge was launched with lunch. While enjoying gourmet-quality food, table teams received instructions and blank script sheets, for crafting the perfect elevator pitch. One spokesperson from each team would present during the Gala dinner event, and a winner chosen. Read more below to learn what happened!
INSPIRING ACHIEVEMENTS
The Gala brings together friends, new and old, and provides the ideal platform for the annual awards ceremony. This year was exceptional, recognizing not only the 30th Sign Biz Member shop to achieve $1 Million in annual sales, but also a host of other remarkable achievements and awards. Here is the line-up of Milestone Awards, for those achieving new heights in revenue for the first time:
Century Club: Jay & Yesha Patel, Platinum Signs & Design (Pictured right)
$750K Milestone: Chuck & Anne Williams, Sign Systems Technology, Inc.
$750K Milestone: Joe Tindall, GrandMark Signs, for sales of $886,060!
Milestones!
$1 Million: Jeff & Kim Thomas, Crossroad Sign. Pictured right, accepting on behalf of Jeff & Kim is Chris Brady
$1 Million: Toby Stephens, Elite Sign and Design
$1 Million: Stephen & Andrew Boyter, Malaya Signs
$2 Million: Lauran Wang, Mustang Sign Group
$2.5 Million: Justin & Michael Seibert, The Sign Brothers
“What a fantastic show again, as always!” ~ Toby Stephens
Sales Consultants of the Year!
And finally, the awe-inspiring Sales Consultants of the Year awards! The 23rd annual SCOYAs were awarded this year to a Rising Star, and a Top Sales Consultant, in honor of their commitment to service, dedication to each project, and ability to manage the multi-layered sales process with their teams.
First up, the New Rising Star. Any consultant that has been selling for 12 months or less can be entered in this category. This individual was nominated by Lauran Wang, owner of Mustang Signs in Kennewick, WA, for sales averaging $29,254, and a peak month of $52,982 in his 10th month on the job: This year’s winner is Brad Prescott!
And next, the much anticipated Sales Consultant of the Year, honored for highest sales and nominated for the quality of their performance. This year’s #1 Sales Consultant has achieved average monthly sales of $72,440 and a top grossing month of $256,933! Nominated by Justin Seibert, co-owner of The Sign Brothers in Athens, GA, the winner is Derrick Wolfe!
Heartfelt congratulations to both of our SCOYA honorees!
Another Winner!
Elevator Pitch Winner was Dennis Brandon, Sales Consultant at Innovative Signs & Graphics! (Photo, right) In true millennial style, his prompts were via mobile device, though to everyone’s amazement, he did not use them at all! Every word was memorized and delivered perfectly! He was the crowd favorite, beating out stiff competition from 5 other teams. Congratulations, Dennis!!
Member Honors
Two Sign Biz Members who contributed as panelists in the National Accounts Part 2 symposium were also recognized. Pictured above is Aaron Cradduck, Solano Signs, one of the two panelists for this symposium session.
Pictured above is Michael Trotter, Sign Magic, one of two Sign Biz Members who contributed extraordinary information as panelists in the powerful National Accounts Part 2 education session.
“I wanted to thank you for everything you and your team did at the event and at the dinner. I know there was a lot of coordination involved with putting all that together. It was a great time! And that recognition from you / Sign Biz means a lot to me.” ~ Mike Trotter
The Gala Games!
There is crazy and then there is Reunion Gala Crazy. Late in the evening, it is time for four teams to make waves in “Beach Games” aka inspired insanity! This is a themed team event like no other, and our esteemed sponsors get to be judge and jury! Often bribed with drinks and money, sponsors (photo, right) are “treated” to the best the Sign Biz Network can offer in the Crazy category.
This year’s theme was “Beach Drama” and the zany antics of crabs, dolphins, seagulls, and more took center stage! Battling for the win were teams Crazy for Shore, Aquaholics, Gone Coastal, and Tropic Like it’s Hot! Gone Coastal took the prize for crazy. Indeed…See the photos at the top of this article, because words can never fully describe what happens….
