Women in Signs, Big Survey and More in May’s Inbox

A Pricing Tip

• Add a simple “Job Cost Reality Check” 48 hours after installation: compare estimated hours, material usage, subcontractor costs and freight against the original quote, then log the variance in a shared tracking sheet by job type. Reviewing these quick post‑mortems weekly exposes underpriced products, habitual labor overruns and recurring estimating blind spots, allowing you to adjust pricing templates in real time rather than discovering margin leaks at year‑end. — Derek Atchley, Derek Atchley Creative, Columbus, OH

Reader Comments

• Enjoyed the shop layout tips on page 20 (see ST, April 2026). Always curious how other shops do things from all aspects. Success leaves clues; don’t be afraid to implement what others are doing (unless of course it’s idiotic). — Matt Robinson, Eastern Sign Tech, Burlington, NJ
• The Big Survey is exceptionally valuable because it helps to see what benefits other sign companies offer employees especially. I also liked the pricing and the profit/costs analyses. — Gayle Goodman Lynch, It’s A Good Sign, Dallas
• The Big Survey revealed that a great majority of signshop owners and managers are older white males. I would love for SOT to take this as an opportunity to spotlight the minority (women- and non-white-owned signshops). — Russell Toynes, Studio Dzo, Austin, TX
• One of my favorite things is Women in Signs. I love seeing women highlighted and helping drive growth for women in our industry. — Torey Rouillon, National Branding, Troy, MI

Reader Ideas

• What’s the worst project you have ever had and why? — Matt Baker, Bakers’ Signs & Mfg., Conroe, TX
• 3D printing. LED innovations. Light projection displays. Drone support for sign business. All things AI. — Corey Perez, Ad Art, Flower Mound, TX
• Exit strategies for owners. — Rocco Gaskins, Abco Signs, Pennsauken, NJ
• I’d like to hear more about fabrication and install employee onboarding/training. We do a lot: CDL training, signal and rigging training, mobile crane certs, and yet will still have employees that seem to be “uneducated” in the field. How are others getting it done or is this an across the board industry problem we should address? — Adam Brown, Sign Effectz, Milwaukee