Coach Carroll’s intent to simulate an actual game environment at Seahawks training camp in time for the first practice was no easy project. He wanted a new scoreboard that was big enough to see from all 3 practice fields. The Sign Factory was the only local company with the needed equipment and personnel readily available to complete the job under a tight timeline and without damaging the field.
“Installation consisted of standing up 2 huge pipes in concrete without penetrating the membrane mesh protecting the field,” said Jim Risher, President, Sign Factory. “We were able to deploy our own excavator, crane truck and flatbeds to remove dirt and create the footings large enough to hold the pipes and not destroy the field.”
Seahawks Equipment Director Erik Kennedy was put in charge of the project and wanted a company with a proven track record. “We chose All American Scoreboards because of their work with teams such as the New York Jets, Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns, “said Kennedy. “It was All American who recommended we hire the Sign Factory to handle what figured to be a tricky installation based on the water and sewer systems, hills and slopes.”
The Sign Factory and Everbrite, the parent company of All American Scoreboards, have a long history of working together to install and service signs for brand name companies such as Subway and Mc Donald’s. Microsoft’s search engine Bing, which is quickly gaining market share, is the official sponsor of both the training camp and the new scoreboard. Everett Steel was able to supply the two 12″ square tube pipes to hold the scoreboard in place.
“The team from the Sign Factory, Dennis and Tom, did a phenomenal job of navigating the tough terrain and tight timelines to get the job done,” said Kennedy. “They were very organized and detailed. The entire process went smoothly.”
The scoreboard is 24′ tall overall; 8′ tall x 24′ wide with two 3′ x 24′ panels. The Sign Factory is uniquely positioned to handle the toughest installations. For more information, call Dennis at 425-822-1200.
Article originally published on PR Buzz.
The Sign Factory creates lively in-park signage for the Seattle Mariners.
By Steve Aust, Signweb.com
ING Direct, the Dutch-based financial-services giant, elected to sponsor the Hit It Here Cafe at Seattle's Safeco Field, home of the Mariners. The firm hired The Sign Factory (Kirkland, WA), which it had contracted for numerous sign installations throughout the Pacific Northwest, to fabricate the project.
It’s not your father’s ballpark anymore. Gone are the days when the only advertisements were whatever graphics could fit on the outfield walls or scoreboard, or when concessions involved a tepid hot dog, stale peanuts and flat beer or soda. Not only are Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs constantly seeking new advertising platforms, but fans are seeking a more upscale experience with better amenities and more palatable dining options.
The Seattle Mariners, which arguably cater to one of the more sophisticated constituencies among MLB cities at its Safeco Field, hit a home run on both counts when ING Direct, the Dutch-based, financial-services conglomerate who operates its West Coast headquarters in greater Seattle, decided to sponsor the Hit it Here Café at Safeco Field, which allows fans to watch the home team while dining on angus-beef burgers of salami-and-hummus platters while enjoying one of 99 beers offered.
Of course, successful on-premise branding required effective signage. ING hired The Sign Factory (Kirkland, WA), which had installed signage at ING headquarters, after reading its proposal for the Hit It Here sign. The Sign Factory executed the design based on the signframe’s original, angled grid background, and used half of this structure.
Jim Risher, The Sign Factory’s president, said, “”Based on our lighting, engineering and design experience, we convinced ING’s representatives the neon provided the only realistic illumination choice for the sign. The exposed light source wouldn’t be covered by a lens or cove. Energy consumption was a concern, but, using high-efficiency, electronic transformers minimized the difference versus using LEDs, he said.
The Sign Factory creates lively in-park signage for the Seattle Mariners. By Steve Aust
To illuminate the 4 x 60-ft. sign, The Sign Factory implemented 18 Transco UTX Service Pro Transformers, which power 680 linear ft. of neon tubing, which comprises a mix of 15mm, cobalt-blue and orange-citrus Tecnolux tubing for the letters, and EGL6500CL bright-white tubing for the background. To accent the backdrop, the shop coated the face with Matthews satin-finish, acrylic-polyurethane paint.
Risher said installation proved a challenge. Because of the tight confines, The Sign Factory built a staging area on a sloped section of bleachers. To transport the sign to the staging area, the shop packed the sign in six, 10-ft.-long sections.
It’s one of the most recognized signs at the M’s ballpark: The Hit-it-Here Café. When one of the world’s largest companies needed to re-brand the infamous sign, they automatically enlisted the experts at The Sign Factory.
The ING Direct project presented a significant challenge to design, manufacture and deploy an entirely new state-of-the-art sign that emulated the existing Hit-it-Here Café sign in time for opening day at Safeco Field. The Sign Factory team utilized their expertise, experience, complete neon department and industry-leading quality control program to install one of the most aesthetically pleasing and well lit signs at Safeco field.
“In an age of LED’s, this is a 100 percent neon sign with an efficiency level far superior to most other lighting options,” said Jim Risher, President, The Sign Factory USA. “We are very proud of the fact that ING Direct chose to continue our successful partnership on such an important branding campaign. The new sign provides consistent exposure for fans at the stadium and watching at home. This is a great addition to Safeco field.”
The work included significant changes to an existing sign below the Hit-it-Here Café sign, including reconfiguring, refurbishing and repainting to glow neon orange and white, matching ING’s branding. “This project could not have been successful without the depth of experience of Tom Bonifant, who brings years of experience working in complicated environments such as Safeco field,’ said Ken Naaz, V.P., Design and Development, The Sign Factory USA. “Because of our complete in-house neon department, we were able to work directly with the client during the process to ensure quality control at every phase of the process. As a result, everything was ready for opening day.”
The Sign Factory earned the trust of ING Direct after working successfully to rebrand their West Coast National headquarters located in Pioneer Square. ING was extremely satisfied with how the Sign Factory team was able to work with the local historical society to adhere to their stringent guidelines while at the same time installing functional corporate branding.
Media Contact
Jeff Denenholz
206-437-9810
“The most significant sign in Seattle” – City of Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board
The Sign Factory announced today that Seattle Theatre Group (STG), the non-profit organization that owns and operates Seattle’s Paramount Theatre, has hired them to replicate their historic vertical sign. The project is an exact replication, keeping the authentic look and feel of the iconic sign while updating it with modern energy saving materials and electronic technology.
Built in 1928, The Paramount Theatre’s architectural majesty and Beaux-Arts design was created specifically to house film and vaudeville. Surviving everything from the Great Depression to earthquakes, The Paramount Theatre has endured to become one of Seattle’s most beloved landmark venues. The iconic vertical sign is original to the building and in March of 1930 was re-lettered from “Seattle” to “Paramount”.
To restore the vertical sign, The Sign Factory of Kirkland, WA collected measurements, rubbings, and detailed information regarding every piece of steel, nut, bolt, screw, sheet metal, and paint samples from all surfaces. All of the information was brought back to their shop to be processed by their special project team and computer files were generated from the data compiled from the site. 
“We paid meticulous attention to every detail in order to maintain the authentic look and feel of the original historic sign while updating it with modern energy saving materials and electronic technology,” said Jim Risher, President of The Sign Factory.
The Sign Factory will remove the existing sign in 3 sections exposing the steel i-beams that are structurally attached to the original brick building. The i-beams will be sanded, primed and painted with an industrial coating on site. The letters and lighting fixtures will be replaced with aluminum components that are protected by Matthews Acrylic Polyurethane. The new Paramount vertical sign created with aluminum will consist of 17% postconsumer and 27% post-industrial materials; exceeding the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) requirements of 30% for building restoration projects.
“The historic sign consumes a ton of energy, from the historic power transformers and mechanical chasers to the incandescent light bulbs”, said Jim Risher, President of The Sign Factory. “It was very important to all of us that the new sign be as green as possible using advanced technology, while keeping the esthetic look of the current sign.” The replicated sign will be approximately 90% more energy efficient. Currently the vertical sign has 1,932 incandescent bulbs using 11 watts per bulb and are powered by several large mechanical chasers. The new sign will used LED bulbs that use .75 watts per bulb and powered by electronic chasers. In addition, replacing the magnetic transformers with Ventex High Power Factor (HPF) power supplies will save more than 66% of energy consumption when lighting the neon portions of the sign.
About The Sign Factory: The Sign Factory, Inc. is an electrical sign manufacturing, installation and service corporation. With our in house design department we have the ability to design and manufacture signs from start to finish. We specialize in branding multiple locations for corporations, large and small. The company has the capability to provide sign products throughout the US and Canada from our Kirkland, Washington facility. We offer wholesale production and project management on a regional and national basis. Major customers include; national retailers: Macy’s, Albertson’s, Safeway, US Bank, Bank of America, ING Direct, Supercuts, HairMasters, Starbucks, Wells Fargo, local architects, property managers, commercial developers and local retailers.
About STG: Seattle Theatre Group is the 501 (c) (3) non-prof i t ar ts organization that operates the historic Paramount and Moore Theatres in Seattle, Washington. Our mission is to make diverse performing arts and education an integral part of our region’s cultural identity while keeping these two landmark venues alive and vibrant. STG presents a variety of shows from Broadway, off-Broadway, dance and Jazz to comedy, concerts of all genres, speakers and family shows – at both historic theatres in Seattle and at venues throughout Puget Sound and Portland, Oregon.
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Coach Carroll’s intent to simulate an actual game environment at Seahawks training camp in time for the first practice was no easy project. He wanted a new scoreboard that was big enough to see from all 3 practice fields. The Sign Factory was the only local company with the needed equipment and personnel readily available to complete the job under a tight timeline and without damaging the field.
“The team from the Sign Factory, Dennis and Tom, did a phenomenal job of navigating the tough terrain and tight timelines to get the job done,” said Kennedy. “They were very organized and detailed. The entire process went smoothly.”
