Sign Biz® Enjoys 20 Years Of Success

Posted on May 05, 2009 by Kel Sajid (CM)

"Milestone Honorees Shine At The Sign Biz® International Convention"
Dana Point, CA - Sign Biz International is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year! Sign Biz, Inc., founder of the largest non-franchise sign chain in the US, again produced a fresh, innovative and relevant program for business owners and their staff at their annual Sign Biz International Convention, dubbed "the Reunion." At this year’s event in Las Vegas in April, the Corporation held a particularly festive awards ceremony. Acknowledging the accomplishments and performances of the latest Sign Biz Members to reach industry benchmarks for the first time is a long-standing tradition at the Sign Biz Reunion.

This year, Teresa M. Young, President and CEO of the 20 year old company, honored three Sign Biz Network Members for achieving annual sales in excess of three-quarters of a million dollars. With a real sense of delight, Young inducted Joe and Don Cherrie of Sign Crafters, Bob Kuhlmann of Sign Magic, and Chris Meeker of Imagine Graphics, into the Sign Biz $750,000 Milestone Club.

In a not-so-hot economy, the Cherries, Kuhlmann and Meeker each generated their own heat. Sign Crafters, located in Louisville, Kentucky, racked up sales of $817,000 in 2008, Sign Magic had sales of $823,543 and Meeker’s store, based in Eugene, Oregon, tallied up a whopping $846,601 in annual sales.

In business in Eugene since 1993, Imagine Graphics is a regional leader in the creation of high quality, digitally imaged signs and graphics. In a supposedly stagnant economy, Meeker, and his wife and co-owner, Erika Leaf, are expanding. PhotOregon, another well-known name in Eugene visual media for more than 30 years, will join the Imagine Graphics family by the end of 2009, bringing commercial photography capabilities together with the wide range of digital printing services already offered at the facility. By then, Meeker and Leaf will have completed a state-of-the-art, 4,000 square foot photography studio that will accommodate all of the new services within their current location.

"We're thrilled to join forces with such a well-respected, local business and offer our customers even more possibilities. We’ll continue to push the definition of a digital imaging company by focusing on the best solutions for our customers' needs," says Meeker.

Adding to the sizzle, Young inducted three stores into the Sign Biz International Century Club for achieving sales that for the first time met or exceeded $100,000 in a single month.

Ann & Bob Landgraf, of Graphic Expressions Signs & More, located in Streetsboro, Ohio, were recognized as Members of the Century Club for sales of $101,467 in March, 2008.

Joe & Don Cherrie, Sign Crafters, were also honored as Members of the Century Club in recognition of outstanding performance for sales exceeding $109,000 in April, 2008.

And Chris Meeker, Imagine Graphics, was again honored as a Member of the Sign Biz International Super Century Club for sales of $170,427 in June of 2008.

Joe and Don Cherrie, winners of the Louisville Better Business Bureau’s Torch Award, have been providing the Louisville business community with finely crafted signs for over 18 years. Sign Crafters and Nimlok Kentucky recently merged into a larger facility. The Cherrie Brothers now have an additional 1600 square foot showroom at their new location in Bluegrass Industrial Park, less than three miles from their current location. So much for stagnation!

To date, more than 20 Sign Biz Member companies have been inducted into the Million Dollar Milestone Club for annual sales in excess of $1 Million. Sign Biz President Young acknowledged that while she has always been gratified by her network member’s strong work ethic and outstanding contributions to the industry throughout the years, she was particularly heartened this year, in the midst of all the economic gloom prognostications, by her Network entrepreneurs’ exceptional resilience, fierce focus and continuing thrust towards growth. "We look forward to many more years of increasing success for the Sign Biz Network!"

About Sign Biz® Inc.
"Our Mission is to provide an innovative and productive digital sign & graphics business model, the best education and equipment, and lifetime member services, to support entrepreneurship in the most successful network of full-service imaging sign companies worldwide."