How Sign Company Won Its #1 Client

THIS MONTH I’M going to stop harping on how to be a successful company. Instead, we’re going to delve into a new(-ish) project for our #1 client, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits (and how we used the aforementioned Success Principles to bring this project to life). Family-owned since 1936 (Prohibition ended in 1933), with 125 Florida-only locations and growing, ABC is one of the nation’s oldest (and the state’s largest) alcohol distributors. They have been our largest client for 14 awesome years. How did we meet them?

Well, Jamie Gaines, a salesman for Piedmont Plastics (Daytona Beach, FL location), introduced us in 2011. He knew them because ABC had their very own UL Licensed sign manufacturing shop that he sold plastic to… and they just had to meet us, because “their sign guy is a long-haired, Harley biker, just like Rick Ream.”

No joke. That is an exact quote. (Oh, yay! More accolades for Rick — just what we need, lol.) In our very first meeting, this guy said to Rick: “The only thing I know about sign companies is they never do what they say they’re going to do.”

Quote it up again, ’cause that’s exactly what he said. (I was there.)

To which Rick said: “Hold my beer.” Okay, I’m flexing my poetic license on that one — but you get my drift. We were going to prove him wrong (Success Principle #1) and from that day on, our mission was to ensure he never uttered those words again. Thus began a beautiful relationship…

We started with building channel letters that their guys would install. Then we designed interior signs. Then the building signs and monuments that we would install. Within a year, realizing they had found a substantial partner in us, they shut their signshop down and handed over all of their sign business to Media 1.

ABC builds or remodels an average of seven stores per year.

Our scope now includes the following: exterior building logos, pylon signs, awnings, 400 ft. of exterior perimeter downlighting, architectural corbels, and all lit/non-lit interior signs. And did I mention they are all right here in our backyard?

Here’s where the Success Principles come in. They trust us.

We are in direct, weekly communication with the owners, the COO, CFO, sales manager and so on — of a billion-dollar corporation. All of them. And they expect us to bring them the latest and greatest, give them advice, and literally tell them if their ideas are stupid. What an amazing situation to be in. We love it!

Last year they came to us with a new vision.

ABC usually builds brand new 10,000-sq.-ft., ground-up buildings. But this time they bought an old 16,000-sq.-ft. CVS Pharmacy in Winter Garden, FL and completely gutted it. This saved them time and money, becoming their largest store to date. (Not to mention, it steps up to Isleworth, one of the richest and most star-studded neighborhoods in Florida. What up, Shaq?)

Specifically, they wanted to change the interior vibe of the store. The typical ABC interior features orange, teal, red and blue walls. Visually impactful but this is 2025, y’all. And they were keen to recognize their guests wanted a more modern, clean, linear look with clear directions to their favorite libations and cigars. The multi-colored, bold walls gave way to a crisp light gray and the only pop of color would come from our signs.

Wanna watch it all unfold? Scan the code!