Sign Lights Community Spirit
14 years ago a local businessman in Carlsbad, California named Carlton Lund began dreaming about putting up an arched sign over a downtown street which would welcome everyone who saw it. It took years but he teamed up with the local Chamber of Commerce and a national business headquartered in town and pushed ahead. Federal Heath Sign Company worked with him on numerous designs until the many stakeholders were in agreement. TaylorMade Golf Company agreed to donate the funds and finally all the pieces were in place!
That is just the beginning of the story… The community was buzzing about this sign – it was so much more than just a beautiful sign. It symbolized the spirit, the pride, and the strength of community this small seaside town had built over the years. Finally the big day was nearly at hand.
Federal Heath fabricated the signage and the steel structure erecting it all in one piece during the night of December 29. Former CSA Board member and past President, Ray Smith, was the project manager. Along with the sign, Federal Heath coordinated the electrical work, sidewalk repair, street closure/traffic control and decorative light fixtures.
The event was widely followed by local press and TV stations. The media coverage was phenomenal, the air electric with excitement. On January 8th, the city had a dedication event and officially lit the sign for an estimated crowd of 5000 citizens- and cheers erupted! This video captures the exuberant energy and the pride of a community, affirming that when a vision is matched with expertise and support, a town can become something bigger than a collection of residents.
And as far as signs go, this one is pretty remarkable! Smith reported that though the sign was 82 feet long it matched up with the pin connections with only an inch of tolerance. “Pretty amazing making something that large and still fitting like a glove”.
To see a second video with the sign actually being installed, view this minute and a half YouTube video.
Teresa M. Young has been a consultant to entrepreneurs since 1986, in both retail and B2B sectors. In 1991, she became President of Sign Biz, Inc., a full-service business development company. Young sits on multiple boards, including as Past Chairwoman of both the International Sign Association (ISA) and California Sign Association. She is an accomplished code writer, web developer and contributor to the Git Repository. Young is also an in-demand speaker, engaging business owners with topical and powerful business insights and strategies in support of best business practices and modern marketing strategies under her MintyWorks and Coffee with T brands. 200 click-and-mortar enterprises were established under the Sign Biz business model with more than $19,000,000 worth of SBA-backed funding for these businesses.