By Kelly Miller
The sign out in front of your business is often the best form of advertising you have. Not only does it let potential customers find you, it provides around-the-clock brand exposure. When you work with the experienced professionals at Signarama of New Tampa (located in Wesley Chapel off Bruce B. Downs {BBD} Blvd., just south of S.R. 56) the company’s outstanding team will create a customized sign that displays the powerful, impactful image you want for your business.
Signarama is the world’s largest sign franchise, in business for more than 27 years and with 1,100 stores worldwide today. Signarama offers 24/7 online ordering, combined with a comprehensive one-on-one consultation to custom- create any type of sign for your business, including ad specialty items, banners, box signs, channel letters, custom graphics, custom logos, digital graphics, vehicle wraps, directory signs, individual letters and more!
Owner Beatriz Cardona and her husband Rob Hiller moved to the U.S in 2002 from Venezuela. She earned a High Technician in Computing degree in her native country and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT, graduating Magna Cum Laude.
Cardona worked for Tech Data as a sales manager in charge of the Puerto Rico territory before she decided to start her own business. She opened the Signarama location in Wesley Chapel in September 2010, so she is celebrating her fourth year in business this month.
Besides the retail store space, Cardona also owns a 7,500-sq.-ft. manufacturing plant on S.R. 54 in Lutz, where all of her clients’ signs are created, using the latest technology and highest quality products. Signarama proudly stamps all their signs with the Underwriters Laboratories® (UL – a safety consulting and certification company) label, indicating that they are certified for safety and that each piece holds up under UL testing.
“From business cards to electrical signage, we create products to help you make your business grow,” Cardona explains. “Because we manufacture pretty much every project in-house, we have control over each stage in the process.”
That means you can expect a better quality product than if you were to order from an online vendor that might not have the same strict quality control procedures as does Signarama.
Signarama’s friendly staff members understand all phases of sign creation and installation. For example, anytime a business installs an exterior sign, a county permit is required. The knowledgeable staff at Signarama understands city and county ordinances and will work with their customers to obtain a permit before the sign is installed. They take care of everything, Cardona says, including the engineering drawings, gathering documentation, filling out forms and submitting everything to the proper government entity.
Connie Bladon, executive director of the Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC) Foundation, says she uses Signarama for all her signage needs.
“Their customer service is fabulous, and they’ve have excellent turnaround time on all my projects,” Bladon explains. Signarama created the large Tampa Bay Buccaneers banner currently hanging on the outside of FHWC, as well as banners advertising the hospital at The Shops at Wiregrass mall and signs for events the foundation sponsors. Bladon, who says she met Cardona at a Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) meeting, notes that it’s not only important to her to support local businesses, but as she explained, “When I give Signarama a project, I know it will be done right.”
Signarama offers a large variety of products including:
• Outdoor Signs — Choose from an assortment of outdoor and exterior building sign products like yard signs, sidewalk and real estate signs, neon, illuminated and directional signs, monument signs, wood and engraved signs, political signs and even traffic signs.
• Indoor Signs — Office and indoor building sign products like safety signs, signs for the disabled, tactile and Braille signs, directional and engraved signs, menu boards and directories.
• Banners — Signarama has heavy-duty banner products like poly banners, vinyl and nylon banners, flex face and banner stands.
• Dimensional Signs — Channel letters, dimensional signs, ready to apply vinyl lettering, labels and decals.
• Vehicle Graphics & Lettering — Find vehicle wraps, lettering and graphics, vehicle magnets, and special service vehicle graphics. Most vehicles can be lettered in one business day.
• Display & Point of Purchase (POP) — Customized or pre-fabricated trade show displays are available, as well as POP products, including panel displays, fabric displays and flags, table tops and covers, LCD and pop-up displays.
Steve Domonkos, specialty leasing manager for the Shops at Wiregrass mall, said that what attracted him to Signarama was, “the one-stop shopping. They have everything from vinyl graphics to fully-lit signs. One store meets all of our needs.”
Domonkos adds that he regularly orders banners, posters, street pole flags and sidewalk graphics to advertise mall merchants, as well as local businesses at the super-busy shopping center.
“Nine million people are walking through the mall annually, seeing these ads made at Signarama.”
Signarama has an impressive list of local clients, including Verizon Wireless, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO), the Academy at the Lakes Day Schools, LifePoint Church, Smoothie King, Pasco Hernando State College, Ierna’s Heating & Cooling, the Wesley Chapel Hampton Inn and many more! They’ve even created signs for the New Tampa Neighborhood News (NTNN)!
“Not only did Signarama get our indoor and outdoor signs done in just a couple of days, they also made sure they installed them prior to our ribbon cutting and Grand Opening in March,” says NTNN general manager Nikki Bennett. “And the signs themselves are really beautiful.”
Not only will the expert staff at Signarama work with you to ensure your sign is the best it can be, you also can check out the Learning Center section at Signarama-NewTampa.com to educate yourself about design tips. Cardona says that if potential customers can’t easily read your sign, chances are they’ll ignore it.
For example, Cardona notes that when it comes to picking the best colors for a sign, be sure to choose ones that have a high contrast for better visibility. Good choices are yellow with black, yellow with green, and white with any dark color like blue or red. Some color choices sacrifice readability like red on black or choosing tone-on-tone variations such as blue on purple. A tip if you’re set on using dark combinations, like red on black, Cardona says to consider outlining the edge of your letters in white. This technique allows for more separation between the colors and will attract your audience’s eye much better.
Cardona and Hiller are New Tampa residents and are very active in the local community, including the Wesley Chapel Rotary Club, the Wesley Chapel Lions Club, and several local Chambers of Commerce, including the WCCC. They also regularly raise money to help St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Cardona’s store has won the Signarama Top Store Appearance Award and Signarama Gold Star Achievement Awards for outstanding sales volume. It also won the WCCC 2012 Small Business of the Year award, Pasco Hernando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 2012 Medium Business of the Year award, and Pasco Economic Development Council 2013 Manufacturing Industry of the Year award.
From concept to completion, the dedicated professionals at Signarama will show you how to grow your business with custom signs and more. The store is located at 1821 BBD, Ste. 111, next to Nutrition S’mart. For more info, call 994-0101 or visit Signarama-NewTampa.com.
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