Vital Signs Verona. We ve been in business for 22 years, and. Verona, Wisconsin. Owner: Mike Chamberlin. First featured in SignCraft: July/August 2008

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1 Vital Signs Verona Verona, Wisconsin Owner: Mike Chamberlin First featured in SignCraft: July/August 2008 Websites: Shop size: 4500 sq. ft. Graphics equipment: Gerber Sabre 408 router Roland VersaCAMM VS-540 printer Seal 54 base laminator Roland CAMM-1 plotter We ve been in business for 22 years, and in the same location since There are five of us here now; four guys in the shop plus me. In 2008 we added a Gerber Sabre 408 CNC router. That s really changed the type of work that we do, and there s so much more that it has enabled us to do. It s really opened our eyes to what can be done with dimension, and that s the type of work we really enjoy. It has also changed how we re perceived by our customers people see what we do and they re like, We didn t know you guys could do that! We knew it was a Vital Signs design, but we didn t know you could make that type of sign. It s definitely helped us get noticed a little more. We re picking up bigger jobs and bigger clients because of it. We re producing more expensive signs, too. Instead of the run-of-themill $300 MDO signs, we re selling $2,000 and $3,000 signs. A good example is the Great Wolf Lodge, which owns twelve water parks across the country. Having them as a client has been a huge step for us. We re making high-end dimensional signs for them and shipping them all over the country. Until recently, nearly all of our work has been within a 30-mile radius of our shop, which includes Madison, Wisconsin. Madison is the biggest city near us. A lot of what we do is for the local businesses here in Verona, though we ve been working for many of them for over 20 years. We ve got a great team in the shop; we work well together and the workflow is pretty seamless. Mark Kramer has been here for 17 years; Justin Chamberlin, my son, has been here for going on 11 years; Ryan Pollock has been here for nearly 9 years. Our newest member is Dan Berry who has helped us on and off over the past few years. The way we run things here, if someone calls or comes into the shop, whoever talks with them first is the person who pretty much runs with that client. No one here needs me to babysit them, and that s nice. The mix of work here is roughly dimensional signs and vehicles. We do quite 3-by-14-ft. recycled barn wood panel, hand lettered with lettering enamel 24 SignCraft March/April

2 50-in.-diameter recycled barn wood panel, letters and graphic are Precision Board HDU [ finished with 23k W&B Gold Leaf [ distressed aluminum inserts on Ale House letters Printed on 3M film with 3M laminate 4-by-4-ft. recycled rusted corrugated roof panels for backer panel, routed HDU graphics finished with acrylic latex paint Routed Precision Board HDU finished with acrylic latex paint Router-cut Dibond aluminum composite letters [ com], stud mounted on wall finished with acrylic latex paint Printed on 3M film with 3M laminate March/April 2014 SignCraft 25

3 2-by-4-ft..125 distressed aluminum panel, routed and installed with MBS standoffs 4-ft.-diameter routed HDU panel, finished with acrylic latex paint, 23k gold leaf accents, distressed aluminum center panel is painted with House of Kolor Kandy Koncentrates. Printed on 3M film with 3M laminate 5-by-10-ft. routed HDU panel finished with acrylic latex paint and black smalts; letters finished with 23k gold leaf 26 SignCraft March/April

4 36-by-42-in. Dibond aluminum composite panel; top panel is with PVC with PVC graphics and is mounted on MBS standoffs. Mark Kramer, Ryan Pollock, Mike Chamberlin, Justin Chamberlin, Dan Berry and Bernie the shop dog. a bit of vehicle lettering, but ever since the dimensional work started ramping up, it seems we re always building something in the shop. The interior dimensional work is probably my favorite. The outdoor dimensional is fun, too, but then you re dealing with permits and ordinances, and that s not so much fun. The interior work keeps us busy during the colder months when it just isn t practical to be working on outdoor projects. Last year was our best year ever we knocked it out of the park last year. We feel pretty good about that, especially after over 21 years in business. In my free time I have been playing around with some art done with aluminum, a grinder, different sanding and cutting disks and some House of Kolor Kandy Koncentrates. It all started from having scrap aluminum lying around the shop from our signs. Every month or so I would send someone to the scrap yard to recycle it, and he would come back with a $30 check. I figured there had to be a better way to use this aluminum. So I started scratching and painting the aluminum. It s gone pretty well, and I do about five art shows every summer. I have my work in three contemporary furniture stores in Milwaukee and Madison, and online at The pieces I work on are much bigger then when I first started. I buy 4-by-10-ft. sheets of 2-by-5-ft. overall; letters and logo are cut from 1/8-in. aluminum. Logo pieces are bent, mounted on spacers and overlaps are airbrushed; diamonds are HDU board. Letters are layered and airbrushed to accentuate the effect. Double-sided 8-by-4-ft. sign with 1/2-in. PVC letters on routed HDU board with green and red smalts background; accents are 23k gold leaf March/April 2014 SignCraft 27

5 2-by-4-ft. brushed Dibond aluminum composite panel; graphics are ½-in. black Sintra PVC with 1/8-in. gloss black Dibond aluminum composite laminated to it. PB Resin was poured on top of letters and logo for dome effect. 54-by-66-in. double-sided internally illuminated cabinet with halo lit letters; letters and accents finished with 23k gold leaf 2-by-5-ft. double-sided internally illuminated cabinet with halo lit letters; distressed aluminum background and an aluminum leaf outline on letters 18-ft. overall length; logo is front lit; letters are reverse lit. Distressed aluminum letters are finished with House of Kolor Kandy Koncentrates. 28 SignCraft March/April

6 aluminum and cut them to size on our CNC. I wish I had more time to put into it. I m 54 years old, and I ve been running the shop for 22 years. I ve enjoyed it, and it s been good to me, but I don t want to do this forever. I m ready to walk out the door in the next five to seven years and let Mark and the guys take over. We ve talked about it, and we want to make the transition in a way that works for all of us. There s more I want to do, and I want to step away from the shop while I still have time to do them. I ve got to have my ducks in a row, obviously, with finances, but I could see myself getting out in the country a little, and maybe having a little shop where I could do my art and could also make a few signs now and then certainly not to compete with Vital, but just to have something to do. All good things must come to an end, and we want to come up with a strategy that will let the transition go as smoothly as possible. SC Wholesale ADA & Architectural Signs Trusted industry provider since 1959 ADA Architectural Photopolymer Photoluminescent Dimensional Letters Custom Logos & Graphics Illuminated Interior Signs Visit Scott at ISA Orlando Booth Check out our: 1728 New Catalog at ISA Orlando Competitive Pricing Industry Leading Turn Times National Rollout Capabilites Toll Free: info@scottsigns.com Production Facility: 1480 Gould Dr Cookeville, TN From an interview with Mike Chamberlin by John McIltrot 4-by-4-ft. double-sided black Dibond aluminum composite panel, with Sintra PVC graphics and a distressed aluminum panel Quality Sign Blanks Since sheryl@allwoodsignblanks.com Often imitated but never outdone, nothing beats the natural beauty of a cedar sign. Start your next piece of artwork off with the best canvas available: A genuine Allwood Sign Blank. Dealer inquiries welcome March/April 2014 SignCraft 29