How much effort does it take to start your car? Before opening the door and queueing up your favorite playlist, do you reach into the engine compartment and coax the pistons to move? Do you use a flint to ignite combustion in the cylinders? No. You simply climb in and turn the key.
Imagine a world where every task was that simple. If you’re a customer of Image National Signs, you’re not far from that reality.
“Handling the details through highly specialized teams is kind of our thing,” said Image National’s President Steve Watts. “We manage each sign program from beginning to end, making it easy for customers to partner with us.”
To put it simply, Image National does more than just make signs. Their team of nearly 150 employees is composed of engineers, metalworkers, carpenters, welders, designers, painters and project managers all dedicated to streamlining the process of developing, fabricating and installing signs across the country.
“For a national sign program where a company may be branding hundreds or even thousands of locations, our services are invaluable,” said Steve. “We help to improve their specifications, we coordinate with construction managers, landlords, building owners, municipalities and installers, and we wrap all those moving parts into one package.”
Image National’s dedication to turnkey solutions is what attracts companies like Caliber Collision, Metro by T-Mobile, Banfield, Holiday Inn and Albertsons. Although the majority of their clients are national, the company also has a team dedicated to local accounts and delivers projects like Autovol and JUMP.
Over the past 65 years, Image National has evolved from a neon sign company to a national leader in large-scale sign manufacturing. Setting the industry standard for quality, design, materials and customer value, Image National offers monument signs, LED channel lettering, pylons, directional signs and large format digital printing.
“Our customer’s brand is as important to us as it is to them, so we make sure they’re proud of everything we do.”
Although six decades in business is ample time to research, adapt and grow to meet industry demands, Steve emphasizes the importance of consistently checking in on scalability to avoid operational challenges or quality issues.
“Efficiency and productivity are critical to managing costs and delivering a quality product, so when you’re considering your plant layout, equipment, ERP and internal processes, it’s important to really think beyond the present and prepare for where you’re headed and where you think you will go.”
Looking that far into the future can be intimidating for someone with little industry experience, which makes an Idaho Manufacturing Alliance membership a worthwhile investment.
“It’s a place to meet other operators with similar challenges that you can learn from,” said Steve. “When I was new to manufacturing, IMA provided resources and connections that shortened my learning curve. I was able to participate in learning opportunities and reach out to established experts.”
Whether it’s talking to a peer through IMA or holding face-to-face interviews for employee hopefuls, Steve values personal connections.
“We don’t have any plans to lose the personal touch at Image National,” he said. “It’s a fun culture with great people and we’re always looking for more skilled workers to join our team.”
To learn more about Image National Signs, visit www.imagenational.com.