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1 week ago | 
signshop.com | Jeff Wooten
Picking up the pieces of someone else’s struggling sign business is never an easy process. But that was the situation Nichole Loati found herself in 13 years ago when the owner of Great Big Graphics in Morristown, Vermont asked if she’d be interested in buying her company. Great Big Graphics had been a very successful company for twenty-five years before the then-owner bought it. But mismanagement cost it (no pun intended) big time.
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1 month ago | 
barandrestaurant.com | Jeff Wooten
One could say the restaurant industry featured a bit of Dickensian flavor last year—a “best of times, worst of times” situation, if you will. On one hand, the industry continued to grow as a whole, with the National Restaurant Association (NRA) celebrating an expected record-breaking total sales of $1.1 trillion in 2024.
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2 months ago | 
signshop.com | Maura Keller |Jeff Wooten
For more than seventy years and three generations, the Stade family has been creating memorable and impactful signage for companies and businesses dotting the East Coast. Located in the Moosehead Lake area of Maine, Harold Stade established this sign-making legacy after serving in the 82nd Airborne during WWII. He started painting signs and even attended the New York City Trade School for sign painting, fine lettering, and showcard artistry.
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2 months ago | 
barandrestaurant.com | Jeff Wooten
It truly is the best of two culinary worlds—with some regional flavor baked into the mix—at the new Tiki Taka restaurant that opened in early January at the remodeled, rebranded Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. “Global influence” plays a tasty role at this 138-seat indoor/outdoor restaurant, as vibrant, bold Japanese and Spanish cuisines featured on the menu are imbued with Southwest ingredients. The overall end-result is a flavorful experience for guests.
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Feb 25, 2025 | 
signshop.com | Jason Barger |Jeff Wooten
Nine out of every ten employees say they want to work for a more meaningful culture. People want to feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves; they want to feel appreciated, valued, and cared for. In the midst of so much angst, division and uncertainty in the world that seems out of our control, people need to be reminded about what is within our control.
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Jan 6, 2025 | 
signshop.com | Jim Hingst |Jeff Wooten
The technology shift from analog to digital, which began more than forty years ago, provided sign makers with many new business opportunities. Innovations in computerized plotter-cutting and digital print technology initiated mass-produced graphics and reduced production costs. These technological advances also lowered the barriers to entry and opened the flood gates to a torrent of new competitors, such as commercial offset printers.
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Nov 26, 2024 | 
signshop.com | Jeff Wooten
Marketing automation isn’t a thing of the future—it’s very much a part of the here and now for small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) across the world. However there are a variety of marketing automation tools that many are unaware of and have the ability to help SMBs reach customers in a timely and effective way. In order for SMBs to compete with larger firms when it comes to customer reach, they need to approach their marketing plan with a strategic mindset.
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Nov 12, 2024 | 
signshop.com | Jeff Wooten
When it comes to sign shop roles in digital signage projects, most of the times, this work is going to encompass electrical and installation. However there is also work needed to be done on the part of sign makers to acquire these jobs in the first place—as well as continue their involvement in this field. Deacon Wardlow, continuous improvement manager at Vantage LED in Ontario, California, advises, “Don’t look for vendors. Instead look for partners.
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Oct 29, 2024 | 
barandrestaurant.com | Jeff Wooten
Sunny’s Steakhouse (affectionately known by many as Sunny’s) opened in early October as an indoor/outdoor dining establishment in the up-and-coming Little River neighborhood of Miami, Florida. To say this opening was highly anticipated and eagerly welcomed is an understatement—for a variety of reasons. For starters, Sunny’s Co-Owner Will Thompson has a recent history of setting up accolade-generating ventures in Miami.
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Oct 11, 2024 | 
signshop.com | Jeff Wooten |Ashley Bray
We believe that you hire for attitude and you train for success.” That’s the philosophy espoused by Pete Rappoccio, owner and founder of Sign Pro, a full-service sign company based in Plantsville, Connecticut. Sign Pro believes those attributes are the foundation that sign shops should be focusing on when it comes to bringing on the best candidates to their work force (designers, fabricators, installers, support staff, etc.).
