Pam Power
We sat down with Women to Women Network member Pam Power of Impact Sign Co., and here's what she had to say…
Who are your clients/customers?
Our clients and customers range from individuals to large businesses, and everything in between, who are looking for a visual advertising and signage partner.
How do you help your clients/customers?
We are a full-service sign company which means we help with everything from vehicle wraps and business signage, to real estate, church, preschool, and public school signage. We also do signs for construction sites, special events, and exhibits. Since we are a full-service shop, we are able to help our customers from concept to installation. Most of our clients come in with their own graphics and know exactly what they want and need, while others work with our full-time designer on logo and branding creation. We see ourselves as a production house, but we can support our clients with design work as well.
What brought you to this line of work?
My dad started our company in 1998. He had been the West Coast VP of Sales for Henry Wienhard's Brewing, and when Henry Wienhard left Portland for good in 1997, my dad had the choice to relocate to the L.A. area or take a severance package. He chose the severance package, which allowed him to start our business.
He did a full executive headhunt search and looked at other franchises and then acquired skills, a legal team, and some very basic equipment and materials. He was not beholden to a franchise fee or requirements in terms of clients he had to support, so he was always able to take the business in the direction he wanted. This has worked to our benefit as we have migrated through multiple ups and downs of the market over the last 23 years.
My dad's sales background, especially the bottom line management that he had to do for a national company, gave him the education he needed to manage the business. He was able to do everything via cash—he's never taken on a line of credit.
I have been involved since the beginning, in 1998. My brother, our friends, and I were the free labor that helped get the company off the ground. After college, I moved away for about a decade. I helped run the marketing remotely and developed any collateral they needed, like rebuilding the website. When my family and I moved back to town in 2014, I started working part-time and slowly increased my hours. I have taken over most of what my mom has done in the past, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, H.R. operations, marketing, and sales.
What brings you the most joy in your business?
I enjoy meeting new people, getting to know their business, and developing relationships. Some people will come to us because they know we can do banners or the sign on the front of their building, but then we start talking and they realize we can accomplish so much more.
Just today, as I was driving into work, I saw a vehicle that we had done for a father-son company. I was so happy to see our work and the clients. We still keep in touch with them through social media. Having a good relationship with our customers brings me joy. We may not work with each customer every day, but we are always there for people to bounce ideas off of—we enjoy the collaborative process.
What defines you and your business?
Our business is a family. Not just myself and my parents, but also our employees. There is honesty amongst our team about our capabilities, limitations, growth opportunities, etc. Most of our employees have been with us for over six years. We have one gentleman who just hit a decade. We really pride ourselves that our team has been together for a long time and that we're all taken care of.
What's the most important thing you want people to know about your business?
The most important thing I want people to know about our business is that you should always ask if we can accomplish your vision. Many people tend to pigeonhole sign companies into just banners or window graphics, but our company provides visual marketing and advertising solutions. What we can do nowadays is far beyond what we could do in the past.
For example, we can create branded wall art to replace wallpaper, print your logo directly onto your laptop, or print custom PPE for you to put on your counter. The possibilities really are endless.
I also want the Women to Women Network to know that our company is founded, in part, by a woman—my mom. We're here to support anybody and everybody.