Jodie Parnell, owner of 1 Hour Signs & More in Sudbury, Ont., finds he needs to work hard not only to deliver on the promise embedded in his company’s name, but also to be ready for whatever comes next.
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Comsign is a small shop in Edmonton with roots dating back to the 1940s and which has passed through many owners’ hands over the years. Originally known as Commercial Signs, its name was shortened in 2001 after a change in direction to focus on the architectural signage market.
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Phil Aquin’s career in the sign industry spans almost his entire lifetime, as he began helping his father weed, mask and install vinyl graphics at the tender age of 13. Today, he runs Adhere Graphics, a small and well-regarded vehicle wrap shop in Elie, Man., a 20-minute drive from Winnipeg.
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AIP Media has found a foothold in the market as a trade-only supplier of printed graphic installations, specializing in large-format pieces. Based in Mississauga, Ont., the company works with a variety of business-to-business (B2B) clients across North America to implement installations for a broad variety of projects, big and small.
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In the 23 years since Montreal Neon was founded by Linda Dupré and Carlo Paolucci, the company has grown substantially from a 464.5-m2 (5,000-sf) sign shop to, today, a newly built 5,760-m2 (62,000-sf) facility, with plenty of room for further expansion on a 16,723-m2 (180,000-sf) lot.
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Hadi Nouri, founder and CEO of GTA Car Wrap, did not enter the sign industry through a traditional route. After earning a bachelor degree in software engineering in Iran, he moved to Canada in 2006. He studied English as a Second Language (ESL) at Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, followed by Seneca’s Digital Media Arts (DMA) course at York University.
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As the motto at MitoGraphics puts it, “We print everything except paper.” Based in Cambridge, Ont., the company produces an unusually eclectic mix of output, from signs, banners and displays to tiny graphics, decals and labels.
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When Mike Douglas (pictured) started DNS Industries in Vaughan, Ont., on a shoestring in 2001, he was able to serve a previously established base of retail and food service clients with custom manufactured point-of-purchase (POP) displays, floor stands, counter displays and other components for their environments.
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By Peter Saunders
Sandy Baird had several careers before opening Windwalker Sign Studio in Port Colborne, Ont., where he has established a successful niche over the last five years by providing carved signs to local retailers and other businesses seeking a traditional style.
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On September 17, El Mocambo co-owner Sam Grosso confirmed the nearly 70-year-old concert venue on Spadina Avenue in downtown Toronto would be closing on November 6. The ‘for sale’ sign had been up for months and a conditional deal was finally being worked out with an unspecified buyer.
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