Sign Company Goes Green

Working with our client, Signs By Tomorrow-Chesapeake - I have been impressed at how gung-ho they have been to go green. From the start, I was really taken with this husband and wife team, Lacy and Jason Kuller. They epitomize how the millennial generation understands the impact of making environmental changes for the better and crossing this belief into their business culture. Recently, they decided to expand their operations into a larger space. As a part of this expansion, they wanted to conduct a build-out that was environmentally conscious and exemplifies their eco-practices. Researching and understanding that they could save on their build-out by installing features on their own, they started retrofitting this new space with all types of eco-friendly products. From installing 100% recycled rubber tire flooring in their back space (and quite cushy on the feet, if I might say so myself) to laying bamboo hardware floors for their front lobby and office areas. (Bamboo can be harvested in three years vs. Oak in 120 years). On the walls, they used beautiful red (our favorite color, of course) and eggshell paints that had low to zero Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC – an emission of gas/chemical odor). They installed T8 lighting as well as motion sensors in order to reduce their energy consumption. Additionally, they opened some areas in order to capture natural outdoor lighting to be emitted during the daytime.

While putting toilet dams into their restrooms to conserve water seems like a no-brainer, they also installed a reverse osmosis water filtration system to provide clean drinking water for their customers and employees – eliminating the use of water bottles and extra refuse. And talking about refuse, Lacy and Jason led the way by leasing a single-stream recycling container for the whole shopping center complex – a very neighborly deed. Avid indoor recyclers as well, Lacy and Jason go out of their way to recycle or reuse as much of their scrap materials as much as possible. But that is not it…going one step further, Signs By Tomorrow-Chesapeake just purchased the newest large format latex ink printer from HP. While this might not seem exciting from the get-go; being one of the first companies in the world to install this printer, Signs By Tomorrow will be able to produce large format prints that are odorless and emit extremely low levels of VOCs. Hence reducing ozone emissions inside and out, allowing no hazardous air pollutants or sensitizers to be emitted, and requiring no special ventilation – hence, ensuring the safety of their employees and customers. And if you think they are done, you don’t know Lacy and Jason; they are constantly looking at ways to reduce their impact on the environment. Always searching for new ways to do things, reduce, reuse or recycle – you can bet that Lacy and Jason will be making a huge impact on their community and the environment. Job well done.

Oh…and by the way, we decided to have a Green Grand Opening on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 in order to show the world (or at least Hampton Roads) what going green can really look like. To see the build out in our video check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2hCWIEiK7I and check out our feature in Forbes Magazine http://www.forbes.com/2008/12/04/small-business-green-ent-manage-cx_ml_1204gogreencheap_slide_9.html?partner=email