6 EMCs Equal to Their Tasks

MOST BUSINESSES HAVE a lot to say and little room to say it. To tackle this conundrum, some companies turn to electronic message centers (EMCs). “EMCs can be programmed directly at current customers [and] can reach new customers,” Widmer Signs’ (Scranton, PA) project manager Teresa Crichner says. “They act as a billboard and can complement or supplement advertising campaigns, making [them] a crucial business investment.”

The Sky’s the Limit

Long-time partners Bismark Sign Co. (Bismark, ND) and ESCO Mfg. (Watertown, SD) are at it again, this time with custom signage for Sky Dancer Casino & Resort (Belcourt, ND). The 36-ft.-high main sign was constructed from nine components, including 3M Panagraphics III flex face substrate, Allanson International addressable RGB LED Modules, LED modules from US LED, a Daktronics digital display and AkzoNobel paint. “We love the opportunity to dream up and design beautiful signs and having a partner like Esco is the cherry on top!” says Alexandra Lund, co-owner of Bismark Sign.

Can’t-Miss Signage

Attention to detail, speed and price: Three factors Tri-Supply considered when hiring Bakers’ Signs & Manufacturing (Conroe, TX) to create and install their monument sign. The aluminum structure with LED-illuminated channel letters contains reverse-fabricated, LED-halo-illuminated architectural bands, as well as a Watchfire LED display board. Bakers’ sourced items from Principal Sloan, Eastern Metals, A&C Plastics, Graphics Solutions Group and Matthews Paint. “Team Baker loves this type of work,” co-owner Jeremiah Baker says.

Fresh, Homegrown Signage

Klusty Sign Associates (Cincinnati) won Watchfire’s 10th Annual LED Sign Awards Grand Prize by creating a 17-ft.-tall digital display showcasing Garver Family Farm Market’s (Middletown, OH) product assortment. Featuring a Watchfire XVS digital display with a pixel pitch of 8mm and a viewing area 6 ft. high and 12 ft. wide, the display offers a pixel matrix of 216h x 432w and communicates via a 4g cellular receiver. The display was mechanically fastened to a rear support frame composed of aluminum angle sheeted with surrounding aluminum panels, President Vince Klusty says.

Scroll Out a Welcome

When it comes to EMCs, Coastal Signs & Graphics (Slocomb, AL) offers a complete solution, owner Todd Sallas says. So when Taylor, AL’s mayor went looking for the city’s message center replacement, Coastal was happy to undertake the project. Constructed using ACM (aluminum composite materials), the sign was fabricated entirely in-house while the Trident display uses digital graphics sourced from Signs365. Principal Sloan’s HanleyLED manufactured the lighting components and power supplies, while the CNC routing equipment ran on Vectric software.

Where No Sign Has Gone Before

“[It’s] always satisfying to design and build a prominent, highly visible sign for clients,” owner Jeff Thomas of Crossroad Sign (Lynnwood, WA) says. “When digital signage is involved, it’s great fun to show a first-time user how to maximize the power of a new EMC.” Indeed, great fun was had by Crossroad in designing, permitting, project managing, component fabricating, EMC training and helping to install the Garage Plus pole sign in Spanaway, WA — a first on the customer’s property. The large LED cabinet was outfitted with a 96 x 29-in. Daktronics EMC.

Small But Mighty

For the Little People EMC (Kingston, PA), designed and installed by PA Signs/Widmer Signs (Scranton, PA), project manager Teresa Carichner says the 2-ft. 6-in.-high x 9-ft.-wide, internally illuminated sign cabinet was fabricated using .063-in. heavy-gauge aluminum. Then the shop added a 3/16-in. white polycarbonate sign panel with a full-color digital print on translucent vinyl alongside a UV satin laminate with illumination provided by Principal Sloan LEDs, as well as 60W Principal Sloan power supplies. The 9mm message center was manufactured by Cirrus LED, using ScreenHub software.