One of the largest technological advancements over the years has been the automation of processes which used to be done by hand. Photo courtesy Steel Art Signs
SMC: What do you foresee for the future of the industry and Steel Art Signs?
TH: It will be interesting to see what happens in the marketplace, because we haven’t had high interest rates for a while, and we have them now. It’s possible people will go back to renting signs, because they may want to conserve money for other things.
There are going to be more infrastructure contracts coming up, as almost every major Canadian city is trying to catch up to where they should be, as far as moving people to and from work, and everywhere else. It’s not just Toronto building rapid transit, subways, and rail lines. Calgary also has a system, as well as Vancouver.
There will also be retailers who want to have a nice presentation for their customers. Not everyone is going to buy everything online. They will want a store to go to, so it’s going to be very important for companies to match their look to what their clients want to see. Hotels usually upgrade their lobbies every five years, and fast food restaurants usually upgrade their locations every 10 years. Similarly, if you’re a retailer, you can’t just leave the outside of your store looking the same. As a result, there will be sign business as people modernize or upgrade their image. There will also always be car dealerships. People won’t be buying cars online, so they should flourish.
Additionally, some of these projects are getting larger and larger. Previously, there might have been a project that was $2 million or $3 million, and now we have projects that are $11 million and $12 million. You might suggest some of the larger sign companies have a better chance at those than some of the smaller ones. However, if one company takes the lead, they might subcontract to the smaller companies to do what they’re good at. Either way, it’s going to be a lot of business for everybody.
Going forward, some signs will also be made offshore, which is already happening in North America. It will be another thing to juggle with to keep your employees busy, but to be competitive, you might need to have some signs made in Asia, to meet the price your customers want to pay here.
Steel Art has a full suite of tools and equipment available in their plant, which gives them the ability to carry out every project from start to finish. Photo by Carly McHugh
SMC: What advice would you give someone who is either just starting out, or approaching a large milestone, to achieve continued success in their business?
TH: For the people starting out, I would just say go for it, because from what I’ve seen in the sign industry, larger companies lose some of their clients to smaller companies. No matter the size, this always seems to be taking place. There are up-and-coming new companies who have different ways of looking at the world, and maybe their owner is more eager, so they end up growing, taking business from other competitors, and being successful. There will always be an upward swing for people starting out in the sign business, which is great, because it keeps it alive and keeps everybody else on their toes.
For someone who’s reached a certain plateau, we used to just make large, exterior, on-premise signs, and now we make interior signs, and illuminated and non-illuminated signs. We’ve even gone outside the sign business and built displays. Even if you’re at a certain plateau, you should get into other products or industries, so you have a viable business. Then, if one area of business isn’t busy, you have another area to service, so you can keep all of your people busy.
SMC: Is there anything else you would like to add about the shop, your upcoming milestone, or Steel Art’s accomplishments over the years?
TH: I grew up in the sign industry and it’s been very rewarding. At 73 years old, I still enjoy it. It’s always changing and evolving, and it never stays the same. It’s an inspiration, and anybody who wants to join the industry will get a lot of self-satisfaction. There are great people in the industry in Canada, there are a lot of great companies who have done well over the years, and it’s a great place to be.
