HOW’S THIS FOR a job timeline? Awarded the job on July 12. Complete the project including print, permits and installation by Aug. 9. Oh, did I mention this is an enormous window perf project, for not one, but both McCallum Hill Centre Towers I and II in downtown Regina, SK, Canada?
The schedule was by far the most challenging part of the job, according to Carl Weger, president/CEO of local Sleek Advertising Ltd., which proved more than up for this high-rise adventure. “Sleek Signs was engaged by multiple stakeholders to help with the 2022 Grey Cup pageantry in Regina,” Carl says. For those not in the know, the Grey Cup is Canada’s version of the Super Bowl.
The majority of the celebrations were held at the Regina Exhibition Association Limited (REAL) grounds. “There, we wrapped the ITC exterior, various installations within the building and scaffold arches at the secondary entrance. In addition we worked with our marquee mall, airport, downtown/warehouse districts,” he says. But the “crown jewels” of the celebration were the downtown towers where Sleek covered almost 10,000 sq. ft. of glass.
Sleek’s installers (above), using the only accessible single swing stage for the project. The Grey Cup Festival centers around the Canadian Football League’s championship game.
The customer provided the artwork files and base mockups. Sleek Advertising tiled and divided the art to ensure it was scaled and spec’d properly for the glass and application approach, Carl says. “It was all vector, so working on the scale was not a concern; it was more a challenge to ensure the print column sections would allow for stretch and accommodate any errors in application,” he adds. Sleek used Onyx RIP software to drive their HP Latex 3100 series printers to image FLEXcon window perf — almost enough to cover two football fields.
Bear in mind this was a high-summer installation, and if you don’t think it gets hot in Saskatchewan, think again. “Wind is a major factor as well as the heat, which was recorded at over 100 degrees Fahrenheit,” Carl says. Plus, Sleek Advertising’s installation team had to work around other events. “We had to stop for the Farmers Market twice and the Regina Folk Fest, which took a perfect weather weekend from us… [Also] we could only work on one tower at a time, due to only having access to a single swing stage.”
But when they got the go-ahead, the installers went virtually nonstop. “We had nine installers total on the towers in rotation, working 16-hour shifts pre-dawn to sunset for seven days,” Carl says. Overall, his company invested more than 500 total person hours in design, production, logistics and installation.
Sleek Advertising is aptly named. The way they did this job, it’s no wonder they will just have opened a second location in Calgary, AB, Canada by the time this column is published. When asked what advice he would like to offer to fellow sign pros facing similar challenges, “Add in significant project management time and contingency time for wasted labor resources,” was Carl’s reply. “We had to do training, orientations, preside surveys, safety inspections, planning and permitting. Those aspects of the job were longer than the squeegee time.”