As we leave 2016 behind, there is quite a lot to reflect on before leaping into 2017. It can really be summed up in a few key points that made it a year to remember.
National Companies
You would think we have racked up a lot of sky miles with all the places we’ve been this year, but the success of our national accounts comes down to key partnerships to ensure installs to our clients nationwide.
Both C-2 Education and Workout Anytime have given us the opportunity to work with some great franchise owners and installers across the United States. Pinnacle Custom Signs has literally been able to work with sign partners from the southern tip of Florida and up to Portland, ME on the East Coast – then all the way to Sammamish, WA and down to Encinitas, CA to service our clients out west.
We started doing business with national account Phantom Fireworks just three minutes from our office in Buford, GA and have now installed signs for the company in Erie, PA as well as Roswell & Marietta in the Atlanta market.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cugNm1HYGCY&w=500&h=255]
New Equipment
We’ve talked a lot about our new equipment. However, the addition of the Flatbed Printer, Roland Printer, and Laguna Router have allowed Pinnacle to have one of its most successful years to date for both our business and our ability to serve our clients.
New Team Members
New equipment and new services have allowed us to introduce new team members to the staff to support the customer service that we center our business model and success upon. Bryan, Danijah, and most recently Monica have all come on board to help us make our processes stay efficient and our quality to stay above industry standard.
We are also excited about the new “tiny” family member soon to arrive in 2017! Misty welcomes her newest child into this world and adds an extended family member to our hearts!
New Projects
Batory in Chicago:
Two Years ago we were able to help Batory Foods with their sign needs at their distribution facility in Atlanta. Their satisfaction with our service gave Stephen the opportunity to head out to Wilmington – just outside of Chicago- to assist with their new facility during 2016. Batory needed 2 building signs, visitor parking signs and a directional monument signs. We produced the signs in house and sent them to our installer in Juliet, just outside of Chicago.
Stuart Pro Air:
As a long-standing client of Pinnacle, Stuart not only gave us the chance to wrap 11 service vehicles this past year but also consulted with us on their branding. During the second half of the year we worked with Stuart to redesign their traditional vehicle wraps to create a more personal touch with their newest design and helped put 5 new warmer friendlier service vans on the road to increase their mobile marketing in communities all over the Atlanta market.
GDOT:
We learned that good enough for government work, sometimes has a flair of design this year. Our relationship with the Georgia Department of Transportation took on a new meaning in 2016 with our sign project at their main facility in downtown Atlanta. Pinnacle had the opportunity to add wayfinding signs to assist visitors and some art styled pieces to give the building a touch of class and elegance to represent the services they provide the state of Georgia. Check out this video to see more of this project.
GSU:
We have been working with Georgia State University for several years now to provide direction and clarity to students and visitors all over Atlanta in recent years, but this year we also had the opportunity to help them re-brand their new locations as they merged with Ga Perimeter College. From call center signage, adding signs to parking decks, or just motivational inspiration for students and staff – GSU kept us designing and on our toes during 2016.
New Customers
There is no greater compliment to a business than a new customer or clients. We are lucky to have had several of these in 2016 that led to both the success and growth of our business. There are too many to name them all but here is a highlight list of some of the ones we got to work with frequently this year.
Workout Anytime Corporate:
We have already mentioned Workout Anytime once as a national partner, but 2016 saw this partnership explode as we started with the corporate office to standardize the internal graphics and window graphics at all clubs to ensure brand continuity. We also had the recent opportunity to sponsor their first Franchise Conference.
Werner Law:
Werner Law was not one of our biggest jobs this past year but it was one of our most interesting. The law firm in one of the busiest sections of Atlanta gave us the opportunity to improve their branding with interior and outdoor signage, but also brought us back to install an electronic message board outside of the firm to do a better job and conveying messages to the thousands of people who drive by daily.
Cook Construction | Real Estate:
Cook has several divisions of real estate and construction services that went through re-branding this year. The marketing department reached out to us for assistance and we’ve had the opportunity to produce various indoor and outdoor signage all over the state for them in 2016. From re-branding the front corporate monument sign, adding wall graphics, providing on the job site post and panels signs, to simply producing coroplast real estate directional signage – we’ve worked with this company to ensure the Cook name stands out and stays within compliance of the job-site.
Gwinnett Children’s Shelter – Home of Hope:
Pinnacle always love to work with those who help others and the Home of Hope definitely provides help for women and children in their local community. Our team loved the opportunity to helped in transforming the Gwinnett Children’s Shelter to the Home of Hope through internal graphics, a monument sign, pole banners, and some miscellaneous signage to transform this center for those who in need. Take a tour of our work in this video.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUjTbz-IBE8&w=500&h=255]
Lake Arrowhead:
Real Estate has definitely seen a resurgence this year, and we got the opportunity to help multiple businesses showcase their properties like the Lake Arrowhead community. From large directional signs to smaller wayfinding signage, the community impression through signage helps drive future homeowners in the direction of available properties.
Aimco Apartment Homes:
From Miami to Maryland, this national apartment corporation trusted us to revitalize everything from parking signs to pool rules this year. You can get a good idea of some of our work from this recap at Foxchase in Virginia this past summer.
New Opportunities
From the back-lit channel letters of DeSo Hair Bar in Atlanta, GA to glow of Del Monico in Cedar Grover, NJ – we have had the opportunity to create and install the bright lights that gleam in the night all over the country for entrepreneurs who help America succeed.
So as you take a step out into the unknown to start a new business or open a franchise, we are here to quickly help clients and customers find their way to your door. From the entire staff at Pinnacle- Happy New Year! We can only hope 2017 it as good to us as 2016.