Laguna Hills, CA – June 7th, 2013

Ken Kindt of Signworld awards Tim Howard with the Signworld Career Club Award

Signworld, a turn-key business opportunity in the sign industry, as a part of its 25^th anniversary celebration held in conjuction with its recent annual convention and tradeshow, introduced a new award during the award ceremony honoring Signworld owners who have been in operation for over 20 years.

The award, accurately called the Signworld Career Club Award is Signworld’s version of the Lifetime Achievement Award and was awarded to the following Signworld owners:

• Ron Marcotte – Sign Diego – est. 1988
• Joani Cortright – Supersigns – est. 1990
• Gary Glascoe – Nor-Cal Signs– est. 1990
• Lee & Kay Clausen – Signs On Time– est. 1991
• Tim Howard – Prismatic Signs – est. 1991
• Steve Koonce – Speedy Sign Company– est. 1991
• Tony Pettoruto – Insta Signs Plus– est. 1991
• Dennis  & Linda Prina – America’s Instant Signs – est. 1991
• Tom & Neil Cotter- America’s Instant Signs – est. 1992
• Ken Clarkson – California Graphics & Signs– est. 1993
• Doug & Maria DeCastro – Signvertise – est. 1993
• Glen Fujinaga – Mauna Kea Signs – est. 1993
• Carl & Cynthia Ramsey – Signs America – est. 1993

Ken Kindt awards Carl and Cynthia Ramsey, Signworld owners of Signs America, with the Career Club Award.

Signworld would like to congratulate each of these Signworld owners for their passion, endurance, energy and entrepreneurial spirit to build there business through the Signworld business model and ultimately make a career out of being a Signworld owner.

Signworld continues to foster an environment where owners are encouraged and empowered to grow their businesses in a successful manor and ultimately make a career of their business endeavor.  If you would like to learn more about how you can make a career out of being a Signworld owner, please fill out our Contact Us form and one of our representatives will connect with you shortly to provide additional information.

Laguna Hills, CA – January 25^th, 2013 – Signworld, a turn-key sign business opportunity, announces the celebration of 25 years in business.

Ken Kindt unveiling Signworld at a tradeshow on January 30, 1988

Since 1988, Signworld has evolved from a single retail sign company, offering simple cut graphic signs, to an organization consisting of 260 commercial sign companies, spread across North America, offering everything from banners and tradeshow displays to monument signs and channel letters.

Signworld founder, Ken Kindt, with years of experience as a financial planner and as an executive for Ford Motor Co., had a passion for manufacturing and a strong desire to be an entrepreneur.  Thus, Signworld’s precursor was created as a single sign company,  fulfilling the growing need for signs as businesses continued to grow around him.  Kindt soon realized that his business model could be duplicated, but the thought of franchising didn’t appeal to him.  He opposed all of the rules and royalties enforced by franchise concepts and felt they would hinder the ability for the small business owner to grow, and more importantly, maintain control of their success.  Kindt determined that a business opportunity or a licensing model would best suit his concept, hence  Signworld was established  on January 25, 1988, in Honolulu, HI.

“What started out 25 years ago as a desire to create a system that could be duplicated in the small manufacturing setting, while also creating an alternative to the restrictive franchise world, far exceeded any expectations that I had during our very humble beginning.  We’ve made a lot of progress over the last 25 years, Signworld has transitioned from the retail store front to a light industrial property; from marketing in the yellow pages to utilizing the power of websites and internet dominance; from simple vinyl signs to large format photographic signage, displayed in unique ways and places; and from a handful of entrepreneurs to a family of 260 Signworld Owners, spread across the United States and Canada”, stated Kindt.

Jack Werner, Executive V.P. of Signworld and a former Signworld Owner says, “Signworld started in 1988 with a handful of operations trained by the Signworld staff and loosely connected to each other.  Over the years, the organization has grown to over 260 operations throughout the US and into Canada. Many have been passed from generation to generation. Camaraderie has increased, interaction has flourished with owners sharing projects, advising each other on suppliers and best practices, forming mastermind groups, attending internal webinars, and creating a network of close knit allies meeting annually to share and learn together. Over the years Signworld has become a “family”. It’s the one feature that truly makes us unique as an organization and makes me proud to be a part of”.

Of the many changes that have been made over the years is the use of the internet for marketing.  “The Internet has offered a unique opportunity to market your business more effectively than ever before. It allows the content to be driven by your customer base rather than traditional methods of creating an advertisement that you want your customers to buy into.  Best of all, most web-based marketing is free and can be easily modified without the help of a professional.  The internet is always working and potential customers are always searching for solutions.  With our internet marketing model, many owners attain 50%+ of their new business from the web, making an owners web presence an unpaid and highly successful sales representative.” Dan Werner, V.P. of Operations, added.

Sign technology has also come a long way in the last 25 years.  “What started out as simple cut-graphic signs, made on a small vinyl cutter, has morphed into photo-realistic images being printed on a number of materials, via inkjet technology.  The inks, equipment, materials and application processes have improved immensely in a relatively short period of time.  Signworld has stayed on the forefront of  new industry technology by working closely with manufacturers and suppliers and will continue to stay at the top of the technological pyramid”  stated Paul Wagner, Signworld’s V.P. of Technology since 1990.

Members from the Signworld Corporate team recently attended the SGIA, Specialty Graphic Imaging Association, Tradeshow in Las Vegas, NV.  The tradeshow featured over 500 vendors exposing sign & graphic companies to their raw materials, sub-contracted goods and equipment.  Signworld spent most of the day reviewing products and equipment that could be beneficial additions for the Signworld organization.

Paul Wagner, Signworld’s V.P. of Technology said of his experience at the show, “I attend a number of industry tradeshows every year to stay privy to new raw materials being provided for the digital printing industry as well as new equipment that could be utilized by our network.  I found the show to be one of the better ones that I’ve attended in 2012 and was able to learn about a number of new materials that could help our group of independent owners provide a better offering to their customer base.  Along with that, I was able to spend some time with some of our most valued vendor partners to make sure that our offering through those channels and the support provided is always a step above what the traditional independent sign company might have access to.”

“The SGIA has done a great job building their show into what it is today.  I’m glad that I was able to break away from the office for the day to attend, meet with some of our valued vendor partners and more importantly, start the education process on new products and materials.  We have a great vendor program put together for the Signworld family but we are always looking at ways to make it better.  I had the chance to meet with quite a few potential vendors that have a great line-up of products.  All of which would be a great addition for the Signworld Owners in expanding their businesses.” said Dan Werner, Signworld V.P. of Operations.

Contact Us learn more about how you can become a Signworld Owner and take advantage of the preferred vendor program provided by Signworld.

Signworld recently held its Annual Convention and Tradeshow in late April at the Golden Nugget Hotel in Downtown Las Vegas, the site of some of Las Vegas’s oldest signs.  The successful private event which is hosted for Signworld Owners from all over North America was attended by over 200 Signworld Owners and their employees making it the largest attended event in Signworld’s 24 year history.

The annual convention and tradeshow put on by Signworld provided free upgrade training for each owner and their employees as well as complimentary meals during their stay.  Ken Kindt says of the event, “We pride ourselves in being able to provide an annual event that includes all of the amenities that we offer.  There are not too many franchise/business opportunity organizations out there that are willing to offer free upgrade training and complimentary meals throughout the event.  Our goal each year is to make the event better each year, while still maintaining the ability to make it virtually free to the individual outside of their travel expense.”

The Convention consisted of 30+ seminars, panel discussions and roundtable discussions aimed at teaching those in attendance new techniques to run their business more efficiently and more profitably, new products that are available to them and the marketing opportunities with those products as well as industry trends.  Signworld also offered a full schedule of events for sign-makers (employees of Signworld locations) where they were able to learn new vehicle wrap techniques and design tips, color management and new ways to maximize their current equipment.

The tradeshow portion of the convention continued on the same path of growth that it has experienced over the past few years growing from 38 vendors displaying their goods at the 2011 event, to 50 vendors displaying their goods at the 2012 event.  Trish Tratos of Spot-On Signs said of the convention portion, “It was really great to meet the reps that we have been talking to on the phone or have emailed in the past.  The variety of exhibitors in attendance was amazing and it really opened our eyes to the possibilities of growth in the sign industry.  It’s easy to get in a rut and use the same vendors over and over if you are not careful, so this event really recharged us on getting more involved with other vendors that may offer better pricing or products.  Signworld did a great job of putting the event together and we look forward to taking what we learned at the convention and implementing it into our business.”

Contact Us learn more about how you can become a Signworld Owner and take advantage of the free upgrade training provided by Signworld

Signworld recently held its Annual Golf Outing in conjunction with the Signworld Annual Convention and Tradeshow. Signworld Corporate decided that it was time to utilize the event, which over the past few years has seen a rise in attendance, to raise awareness and money for a great cause. With much consideration for many great causes, the charity of choice for the 2012 outing was the Wounded Warrior Project.

“The choice of the Wounded Warrior Project as our charity of focus became much more apparent as the right choice to us after the decision had been made. Signworld has a number of Veterans in the group, some who were injured during duty and some who weren’t, and we are eternally grateful for their service which has helped protect our Freedoms. In fact, shortly before the golf outing, we received notice at HQ that the son of a Signworld Owner was injured in a firefight in Afghanistan. We are happy to announce that he will make a full recovery, but when that news crossed our desks, we knew we were supporting the right cause with this year’s event.” Said Dan Werner, VP of Operations for Signworld.

The outing, held at The Arroyo Golf Club in Las Vegas, had 52 participants consisting of Signworld Owners, Preferred Vendors, Signworld Corporate Staff and Signworld’s special guest of honor, Ret. Army and Marine Corp. Sergeant, Joseph Perez. Joseph, who is a wounded warrior himself, is also a WWP Mentor. Joseph joined in on the fun and had a great day on the course not only playing a great round of golf, but also raising awareness of the WWP and the contributions they make to wounded vets coming home from combat.

Jack Werner, EVP of Signworld, said of the outing, “We had a great day on the course with a great group of people and we were ultimately able to do something that we preach quite often to our owners, ‘Be philanthropic’. We were able to raise awareness for a great cause and more importantly raise a good amount of money that will help in the rehabilitation process of injured vets coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan as well as other warzones around the world. We look forward to supporting the WWP and other worthy causes through our events for years to come”

To learn more about the Wounded Warrior Project, you can visit their website at www.woundedwarriorproject.org

“My experience with the Signworld corporate staff has been exceptional.  They are always responsive, helpful and fully committed to assisting in any way possible to ensure owners’ success.  They are generous with their time, ideas and suggestions.  They will be there as much as you want/need them to be or as little.  I have very much appreciated their candor and concern.  Unlike what I’ve heard about other business models, they are the polar opposite of “take the money and run”.  The effort put into providing quality programs at our annual conference, educational webinars throughout the year and vetting vendors nationwide to make sure we are privy to the best pricing and service is phenomenal.

Relative to the Signworld family of individual owners at large, I have never had a more experienced “support group”.  Not only within my weekly Mastermind group of Signworld Owners but beyond I can always count on getting prompt answers and excellent advice.  Again, the willingness to share is perhaps the best I’ve experienced in any position I’ve held corporately.  We regularly share “war stories” and let each other know what mistake we may have recently made to spare our fellow owners the expense and frustration of making the same error.  That just does not happen in corporate America where everyone tends to guard their resources and never admits to a mistake.

As a Signworld owner, you are plugged into 24 years of collective expertise.  I am limited only by my willingness to take advantage of it and apply the shared advice of those who have gone before me.”

Laguna Hills, CA – June 24, 2011 – Ken Kindt of Signworld today highlighted advantages gained from the business relationship with HP and Grimco Sign Supply.
Signworld has had 10 new operations since January. “Choose the HP DesignJet L25500 which features latex based ink rather than the solvent-based inks that are used in most large-format printers”, said a visibly pleased Ken Kindt, President of Signworld.

Emphasizing on the initiative of going green concept lead by HP, Ken Kindt said,“The L25500 offers a “greener” technology not only in energy savings based on how the printer is run, but also offers a more environmental friendly latex ink that has virtually no VOC’s and needs no additional drying or out-gassing time for the print to be ready for lamination.”

“With over 20 years in the business, Signworld has established itself as the leader in the no-royalty sign business concept. We look forward to reap benefits from this alliance with HP and Grimco Sign Supply so that all our Sign business owners can take advantage of this new technology.” said Jack Warner, Vice President of Signworld.

About Signworld
Signworld is a national organization with more than 260 independently owned sign companies, which provide commercial custom signage and graphics. Jack Warner and Ken Kindt lead the Top management at Signworld. It is personable, creative, rewarding and ideal for people-oriented individuals who have the desire to learn how to manage a sales and production business. Signworld affiliates are a cut above traditional sign companies. Ongoing support and training is provided along with state-of-the-art equipment. Signworld business model runs on a no royalty concept. You can learn more about Signworld at www.signworld.org