Signposts Blog

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by ISA member Greg Beyerl, CEO of Sign Craft Industries, Indianapolis, Indiana

I am very excited to announce my appointment to the International Sign Association (ISA) Government Relations Committee for 2010.

The ISA has a long and impressive history of advocating for the sign industry. The sign companies, service providers, end users and the community at large benefit from the diligent work of the ISA. The ISA represents the industry before the U.S. Congress and federal regulatory bodies and tracks and responds to sign code issues at the local and state levels.

Before my career in the sign industry, I was a boys' high school varsity basketball coach. Prior to that, I was just a boy myself, spending my formative years on a farm in rural Alabama. What I learned from farming helped me as a coach, and, all these years later, I see that it also prepared me for a successful career in the "real world."

Here's an interesting but tragic story about the unintended consequences of energy policies gone awry. Traffic lights that are using energy-efficient LED bulbs are sometimes unable to melt snow and ice, causing dangerous driving conditions – including the death of a woman in Illinois.

There really is nothing magical about a Thursday changing to a Friday. There are cheers of TGIF about 52 times each year from across the globe, so it certainly isn’t a special moment worth celebrating. But when the clock ticks from December 31 to January 1 there is a psychological “magic” that leads toward celebration, prompting us to reflect on the past and look forward to the future. I know I am looking forward to Thursday, December 31, 2009 changing to Friday, January 1, 2010 – it has been a tough year for the on-premise signage and visual communications industry.

For the last year, ISA has been participating in the UL Sign Industry Business Panel (SIBP), along with our colleagues from USSC and WSA. The goal of this group is to (in part) "... foster cooperation, effective communications and working relationships between the electric sign industry and Underwriters Laboratories, Inc." and to "... promote fairness and consistency in the application of UL's certification program for electric sign manufacturers."   We participate on the panel because, whether we like it or not, the reality is that UL is an integral player in the electric sign business – and that is not likely to change anytime soon.

Designated Blogger: Lori Anderson, ISA President & CEO

Recently I went with a group of my fellow small business trade association executives to meet with U.S. Small Business Administrator Karen Gordon Mills and her staff. This was a great opportunity to talk about increasing access to capital for small businesses.

Designated Blogger: David Hickey, ISA Government Relations Director

Today the news is that unemployment has reached 10.2 percent, the highest it has been since 1983. Within our industry itself, we know first-hand how sign companies and our customers are hurting, and no one is really certain when things will start to get better. Wall Street seems to have steadied itself since last fall’s debacle, but Main Street has witnessed a steep and painful decline.

Designated Blogger: Kenny Peskin, ISA State & Local Government Affairs Manager

We've long been making the case that reasonable and effective sign codes are vitally important to the success of small businesses and communities. It's just common sense. While there have been many examples of cities across the U.S. temporarily loosening up their sign codes to promote economic activity during these difficult times, there are unfortunately other instances where cities and towns just don't get it. Earlier this year, local officials in Madison, Wisconsin revised the city sign code, including the imposition of very restrictive electronic message center (EMC) regulations.

Designated Blogger: David Hickey, ISA Government Relations Director

Here at ISA we track sign codes across the country every day. With increasing regularity, a particular type of sign is often singled out for attack - the electronic message center, or EMC. Some cities are banning these types of signs entirely, or placing moratoriums on their use. Many of these regulations severely restrict the use of EMCs, limiting the time change to once every minute, or 20 minutes, or even just once per day. Of course, these kinds of draconian restrictions can often defeat the purpose of an end user purchasing this kind of sign in the first place. For many ISA members, these limitations on EMCs are hurting business.