Services

LED Retrofits

Neon tubes require up to 15,000 volts, at a low current, to operate. LED’s use either a 12 or 24 volt power supply. There are still billions of lineal feet of neon tubes installed in channel letters. Pylon signs and wall signs typically utilize fluorescent tubes, so energy savings isn’t as dramatic, but is still substantial. Converting all your signs to LED’s generates savings on utility bills with a payback on your investment in as little as 2 years. But wait, there’s more…

  • Energy efficiency- consumes 60%-80% less electricity
  • Maintenance- reduces service calls from 2-3 per year to once every 5-10 years
  • Lifespan- lasts 50,000-60,000 hours (burning 10 hours/night = 16+ years)
  • Durability- solid state technology, less breakage
  • Environmentally friendly- fluorescent and neon contain toxic phosphor and mercury
  • Instant on- other technologies must warm up
  • Not sensitive to low temperatures
  • Energy rebates- many utilities are still offering rebates for converting to LED

Code Research

Local municipalities have tightened up on what’s allowed for signage under their jurisdiction. The height, square footage, colors, luminosity, and even materials for signs are regulated with increasingly detailed and restrictive codes. In most cases, signs are grandfathered and regulated by whatever codes were in place at the time they were installed.

Why Regulate Signs?

Communities attempt to regulate signage on health, safety, and welfare grounds. Many of these ordinances have been defended based on traffic claims that signs that are “too big” are dangerous to drivers. To some observers, restrictive sign codes are arbitrary and confusing. Most cities don’t want to look like Las Vegas. On the other hand, if signs are too small and difficult to see, businesses suffer.

Options

Let’s say you’re rebranding and want to change out all your signs to the new logo, layout, and color palette. If sign codes have become more restrictive for specific locations, you have options. Rather than removing and replacing an entire pylon sign, for example, you may be able to re-face using the existing cabinet. Or, replacing the cabinet using the existing pole may be allowed without impacting overall height and square footage. 

Sign Design

Your company’s logo and color palette should make it easier to find and recognize your stores. Many companies design their logos for one-dimensional printed materials or for electronic purposes such as magazine ads, business cards, letterhead, and social media pages. Signs are three-dimensional and may be internally illuminated with LED’s, neon, or other lighting sources. Designing and engineering signs involves much more than putting a logo in a square box.

Performance

The performance of your signs is critical to properly and consistently displaying your brand. A certain PMS color can look much different depending on the substrate, application method, and lighting. Our designers are experienced in making sure your signs look great and perform as expected.

Brand Books

National sign programs require a wide range of sign types to adapt to a variety of situations. Whether you need a corporate signage program designed afresh or are looking to enhance an existing program, we can design solutions to enhance your brand identity.

Photo Edits

If you’re replacing existing signs, you will want to see the difference between existing and proposed signs. Before approving a quote for the proposed changes, you’ll want to know what the sign is going to look like. Our designers create before and after digital illustrations so you know exactly what you’re getting.

Sign Installation

Perfectly engineered and manufactured signs will still perform poorly if installed incorrectly. Enterprise Signs utilizes a vetted network of thousands of local installation partners that undergo a thorough qualification process. Looking good on paper is just the first step. Installation partners are constantly evaluated and graded based on performance metrics. Those that grade the highest receive more work. Those that don’t perform as well are held in reserve or never used.

Scope of Work is King

Our project managers provide detailed yet easy to understand scopes of work. Also, with more than 20 full-time field engineers across the country, Enterprise can also provide pre-installation training with local technicians. The day of installation is the culmination of weeks or even months of work. Best in class planning and training gives our clients confidence that they just can’t get elsewhere.

Right Tool for the Job

There’s always a cheaper way to do things. A worker on a ladder in the bed of a pick-up truck costs less than a skilled technician using a $200,000 state-of-the-art lift truck. Enterprise matches the equipment to the job with safety, scope of work, and long-term reliability dictating the type of equipment and processes required. Do it right the first time and the results will endure.

Sign Manufacturing

Enterprise Signs’ robust supply chain delivers consistent quality from coast-to-coast. Talk about scalability… Enterprise provides access to virtually unlimited manufacturing capacity, Tier 1 components and materials, reduced freight costs, and speed to market. All while maintaining 100% control and accountability over the entire process.

Comprehensive Capabilities

  • Channel letters
  • Pylon and monument signs
  • Wall/cloud/cabinet signs
  • Directionals and wayfinding
  • Interior signs
  • Window & door vinyl
  • Awnings
  • Electronic Message Centers (EMC’s)

Sign Permitting

Code research gives you a certain level of confidence in the types, size, and overall height of the proposed signs. But it’s rarely 100% certain. Although sign ordinances are written and detailed, they are often interpreted differently by zoning officers. Sometimes their interpretation is negotiable, sometimes it’s not. Yes, sign permitting is often subjective and frustrating. Enterprise Signs manages the entire permitting process on your behalf to get you the best possible results.

How Long Does it Take?

There are times when our local partner walks in with a permit application and walks out the same day with a permit. That’s rare. Most sign permits are secured in 1-4 weeks but may take longer. As a rule, the denser the population, the longer the permitting will take.

Variances

If your sign design is not compliant with local codes, it’s possible to request a variance, which is a legal exception from the code. To receive a variance, it’s likely you’ll need a justifiable reason, which could include:

  • The sign would not be visible to motorists because of existing buildings, trees, or other obstructions.
  • Signage would not be seen by motorists in a time to safely react and stop at the business.
  • Existing signs reduce the visibility of a sign on your property.
  • A larger sign would be more appropriate because of the scale of the building.

Sign Surveys

Onsite surveys, or site audits, are like the foundation of a home. Since every element of your home will rest upon it, ensuring a complete and solid foundation is key to everything that comes after it. Surveys are a snapshot of current conditions that form a database drawn upon for many decisions to come.

Just Sign Pictures?

Taking high resolution digital photographs of signs is obviously part of the survey process. But effective surveys are much more than that. Taking photographs of different angles of signs may uncover defects or attributes that are not obvious like cabinet depth, missing retainers, raceway or wireway, wiring not to code, etc… Photographs should also be taken of overall site conditions, fascia, traffic flow, and even nearby competitors.

Measurements

Again, not long ago, surveyors would get out their tape measures and measure everything they could reach. Try getting a tape 20’ to the top of a pylon sign on a windy day. Measurements were usually just estimates with potentially large degrees of error. Today, lasers and tools with sophisticated algorithms do all the work with incredible accuracy. Bottom line, accurate measurements have a huge positive impact on budgeting and sign recommendations.

Site Plans

In the old days, surveyors would hand-draw site plans and, in some cases, a CAD drawing was created to present to the client. Talk about time consuming! Today, satellites are ubiquitous, so site plans are much easier and faster to create with much more detail.

Specialty Contracting

Enterprise Signs’ parent company, Ferrandino & Son, has been coordinating national facilities programs for over 25 years. Enterprise can serve as your one stop shop for these important services.

Services

  • Paving
  • Landscaping
  • Snow Removal
  • HVAC
  • Plumbing
  • Handyman
  • Lighting & Electrical
  • Capital Projects