W.J. Strickler Signs

Congratulations to salesman Mike and his family. Matthew, one of Mike and Cindy’s sons recently finished his doctorate in geophysics while working in paleomagnetism at the University of Michigan, that in itself is a great accomplishment but Matthew even accomplished more, his work deciphering and corroborating differing theories on the movement of the earth’s crust brought some closer to further support the theory that there was at one time a supercontinent called Pangaea. Matthew will continue his studies when he moves to Norway as a post doctorate fellow at the University of Oslo.

Stand Out From the Crowd
Welcome! 2011 is in full swing and one of the first words that comes to mind is Growth. We already know Spring time brings new growth to the trees and fields abroad, however this year I believe that growth has a double meaning. As our economy begins the long climb from a global recession, we too will begin to re-establish our market share and grow our businesses.

Spring Time is slowly coming to our neighborhoods, and that means that seasonal products and promotions will be making their way to the forefront of our “to do” lists. There is no getting around them! And I can’t think of a better way to assist you in the task then your Electronic Message Center (EMC) Sign.

Whether it be a seasonal product, promotion, event, etc., let your EMC work for you. Plan aggressive schedules now for spring time events and let your EMC put the word out and grow your customers enthusiasm.

Be Direct with Your Message!  It’s All About Presentation…
Speaking the truth is a good thing, just be careful how you say it.  Promoting honesty and integrity is a GREAT way to run a business.  Never belittle your audience.  Keep the content positive and precise.  In most cases you only have a brief amount of time to “get the word across”. 

Programming Tip – Spell Check is a Good Thing!
Don’t let an image of your sign be the next Internet sensation because of a spelling error.  Make sure to use the Spell Check feature located within the software before updating your sign.

Strickler Signs would like to welcome the following customers to our family of EMC Sign programmers.

Advanced Vein & Laser

Apple Automovive

Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar

Bob Ruth Ford

Grease Monkey

Heritage Valley FCU

Mountz Jewelers

SAVES Company 29

Universal Athletic Club

Thank You again for your continued support of W.J. Strickler Signs, and we look forward to being able to further assist you with all your onsite advertising needs again in 2011.  Please feel free to contact us if you have something you would like to see in future newsletters.

Jeremiah Reichert came to work for us as a sales representative in August of 2010 after spending time working in construction and manufacturing throughout the mid-state,  Jeremiah is a graduate of Hanover High School and currently resides in Hanover with his wife of 7 years Lindsay.  When Jeremiah isn’t working he is an avid sports enthusiast and enjoys Hunting, Fishing, Softball, Golf and Bowling. Jeremiah is a rabid sports fan and follows the Penn State Nittany Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Orioles, Duke Blue Devils and the Washington Capitals.  Jeremiah came to a realization that he wanted to learn and develop a career that would offer long term stability and financial security with a local organization that would allow him to have a career and not just a job, so he began the search for the company and the field he wanted to work in and sales seemed like the best fit for his long term success.  I personally have known Jeremiah over 13 years and can say that his determination and competitive nature will be a tremendous asset in the sales field, Jeremiah approached me asking A LOT of questions about the company and my experiences working here prior to beginning his attempts to seek out a position with the company.  If you haven’t already please take a moment to introduce yourself and I can safely say if you want to talk sports or hunting he will always be willing to talk and share information and ideas with you.

For the first time in my 18 plus years of playing fantasy football, we have a tie in the fantasy football championship. Well it’s been that kind of year!
Team Wagner (lead man/ road crew) and Visigoths (company President) score 110 points each in the final game to share the crown of Strickler Signs fantasy football co champions for the 2010 season.
Team Wagner had the best team in the league from the start of the season till the playoffs with a 12 and 2 record ,scoring 1658 (league high) and surrendering 1270 points (league low).
The playoffs are a new season and everyone that makes the playoffs starts over with a 0 and 0 record. The 3rd seeded Visigoths 9 and 5 record proved to be too much for the 6th seeded Spongebob Whoopass (service technician) in the first round, winning with a score of 147 to 87. Visigoths then beat the 2nd seed Achmed’s Bombers (graphic designer) 103 to 97 in the semi round to advance to the championship. Meanwhile Team Wagner having a bye in the first round beat Romo’s Homo’s (estimator) in the semi’s 120 to 87 to earn his way to the championship game. Second seed, Achmed’s Bombers 9 and 4 with a tie, came back thru the losers bracket to beat Romo’s 106 to 78 to take 3rd place in the league, 5th seed Romo’s finished in 4th place, Spongebob Whoopass finished 5th in league by beating yours truly 4th seed (Six time world champs) 93 to 90 to give me 6th place,7th place goes to Scoots (graphics technician), followed by 8th place Balt’s Dirty Dozen (accounts receiveable) ,then 9th place go’s to Hall’s of Fame (office manager) and, last but not least our very own football guru Mexican Express (installation manager).
It was a fun season, although very quiet on the trash talk front. There was lot’s of conversation and fellowship throughout the the season here at Strickler Signs, which helps make Strickler Signs a great place to work and the best sign company in the land!
Till next season….Go S-T-E-E-L-E-R-S!

Strickler Signs is privileged to be named as the sole signage provider for Martin America. Martin America is the world’s first global office air-park. Martin America Strickler PR

I’m sure Tesla didn’t put much thought into the lyrics of their 80’s hit song “Signs” when they performed it! But if you think about it signs are everywhere. Signs, like any thing else mechanical cars, appliances, machines etc., eventually need some tender loving care to keep them in working order. Whether it’s a fluorescent lamp sign, channel letter sign with LED’S or neon or an electronic EMC sign, maintenance is important. That’s why sign service techs are so important to the sign industry.
Here at Strickler signs I feel we have some of best service tech’s in the in the business. Ron Phillips and Brian Driesbach our top service tech’s have been trouble shooting, repairing and servicing signs for over 30 years combined and I never seen a sign either one of them could not get working like a new sign. All of are install guys here at Strickler Signs are also top notch service guys, so do this (call on Strickler Signs for your service needs) don’t do that! (contact the other guy) can’t you read the signs!

Use this truck to advertise your charitable event!

Strickler Signs utilizes a specially built LED message center truck for sales demonstrations, but we also help charities advertise their events by letting them park the truck at the event. We enjoy supporting good causes so we are more than happy to work with charities. We ask the event coordinator for sign content. After receiving the content, Derek programs the message center truck. The truck is delivered to the site, set up and the message center begins to advertise with the bright lights.

Some times we might not be able to meet a group’s schedule if the truck is being used by the sales staff, but other than that, we are happy to accommodate.  There are some other restrictions or considerations that may apply as well.

Bank monument sign with EMC

Electric highway sign with LED message center

On premise pylon sign with electronic message center

I will finish with a quote from a bank that utilizes message centers at all of their branches where local zoning allows. “It’s amazing to see how the offices with the LED signs tend to open more accounts than the offices without the sign, especially when we are advertising rate driven products on the message centers.

No doubt, the present may be the most economically tying time  most of us will experience in our lifetimes. It is imperative business owners and managers take care of themselves as well as the people they lead. What are you doing to stay positive and how are you helping those in your sphere of influence?

Keeping a positive mental outlook has been trying for me Our industry has been negatively impacted since November of 2007, and that is a long time to be in the ”trenches” battling to remain profitable. One can sometimes feel like a lab rat trapped in a maze and every attempt to exit the maze results in hitting a wall sooner or later.  I have had to make some tough decisions in reaction to reduced revenue, whereas these decisions take a toll on a compassionate individual, they also help to make us more business savvy. This new found acuity will serve as well as we move into the recovery phase. Our sharpened skills will improve our profitability in the future. This is one of my coping mechanisms helping me to rationalize our difficulties.

If you are abusiness leader, how are you coping? Are you sharing your thoughts with those close to you? Even though your compenstation has decresased, are you taking vacations? Are you connecting with your spouse and sharing your frustrations with them? Are you being proactive by creating plans to grow your business as the recovery continues? Are you doing something I have not mentioned?

Please don’t forget about your people. Maybe business leaders have more overall challenges than the rank and file during this time but the average employee is probably frustrated and a little scared right now. Those who have lost their jobs or had their income cut enough to produce financial hardship may have bigger problems than some CEOs and Presidents. What are doing to take care of your people? I have concentrated on being as translucent as prudent. We conduct quarterly State of the Union Addresses where I explain: where we have been, where we are now, and where we are heading. These meetings are very informal and much data and feelings are exchanged. It is critical to be open with your people and tell them the scary stuff as well as the hope for the future. If they do not know the state of the business it is very easy for their imaginations to fill in the blanks with very negative notions. It is your job to let them know as much as you can and in the process reduce their stress levels. Your employees can not function properly or provide proper customer care if they are working in a high level of anxiety, and besides, caring about them should always be your concern.

“However good or bad a situation is, it will change!”