Founded on honest company standards and top-notch products….  

Wait wait wait…. You have heard this speech from everyone out there. Want to know what sets Sign-A-Rama, Metro Detroit apart from the rest?  

• We LOVE a challenge! Custom anything, that is what gets us up in the morning!
• Our team is made up with Metro Detroits FINEST Sign staff available… Period.
• Our management team alone has over fifty years of combined sign knowledge!
• Your sign WILL be perfect… that is just how we do things.
• Not only will our sales team be on time… but they actually SHOW UP for appointments!
• We love crazy, odd, strange projects… they make GREAT stories to tell later!

 

So with all this setting us apart, why just “buy a sign” when we can promise to make it an experience to remember? 
 

Some say there are two sides to every story…

     At Sign-A-Rama they couldn’t be more correct! 

The local story: 

A great man by the name of Ed Progar (Company Founder) once stopped for lunch across the street from a Sign-A-Rama in Dearborn and thought to himself “I could really use a quick sign for a presentation at the office. He walked in and was absolutely amazed at the Sign-A-Rama concept. From start to finish the process was streamlined and very efficient. He began asking about franchise opportunities in the Detroit market.  

Ed and his wife Joann had raised an amazing family in Livonia, all children to be very proud of. Deep inside Ed had the entrepreneurial itch that he just couldn’t avoid. Together they made the decision in November of 1998 to retire as an engineer from Ford Motor Company and go into business for themselves. They proudly opened up one of the original Sign-A-Rama locations in Michigan, based in Madison Heights. This is where the foundation for an incredibly customer service driven sign company was laid. Both Ed and Joann firmly believed (and imparted on their staff) that if you take care of customers they will take care of you. They couldn’t be any more correct! 

At the same time in 1998 an enthusiastic and energetic man by the name of Bob Chapa had just moved to Madison Heights to finish his college degree in Architecture. While on the way home from a late night class at Lawrence Technological University he passed by a new sign company with a shiny red “Now Hiring” sign in the window. This sign caught his eye for two reasons… One, it was across the street from the apartment he had just moved into. Two, it was a SIGN company. Bob had sworn that he was done with signs, in fact it was the last place he wanted to work through college. Something drew him in anyway.  

There is a little more back story here… Bob Chapa had actually grown up in a family owned Sign Company based in Waterford Michigan for most of his childhood. His parents Bob and Marci Chapa had built a very successful business and had not only instilled the value of hard work, but also indirectly taught him all the core basics of the sign business. From vinyl production to large scale fabrication he had spent years working in the family business in just about every aspect of the company. But this led to the tough decision, Bob was absolutely passionate about pursuing his dreams of becoming an Architect. In fact, it was all he ever wanted to do. Dare he walk in the door and ask for a job application when he was focusing so hard to move his life into another direction?  

The obvious answer was yes, and that was a night that changed not only his life… but that of Sign-A-Rama Madison Heights.  

Ed and Bob hit it off right away, an immediate comfort zone for the two of them. In fact, Bob stayed with Ed late into the night helping to get production caught up. Ed and Joann hired Bob that night as the first production person in their new business. His “can-do” attitude and their service-driven mentality made for a great team. 

As a few years passed and the business began to grow, Bob worked through college and eventually did receive his Architecture degree. That is when the tough decision was really in front of him. About to get married, the decision to go off in search of an Architecture position or take a new job offer from Ed as the company Operations Manager. Running the company was an exciting opportunity, and perhaps the best decision Bob ever made (aside from that wedding!).  

A few years later Bob and Ed became business partners and purchased that same original Dearborn location that Ed saw while at lunch years prior. This was the beginning of a whirlwind of exciting expansion and growth changes. Bob purchased the Madison Heights location from the Progars completely in 2005, Ed and Joann have since retired and stop in to visit as often as they can.  

Bob and his incredible team have taken the company in many directions since 2005.

The first major decision was breaking into the digital printing industry right away, this opened the doors to many possibilities for our clients.  

In 2006 Sign-A-Rama, Madison Heights went through its most exciting change to date. They began construction on a new Headquarters Building along Stephenson Highway. Moving from 1,200 sq. ft. to 12,000 sq. ft. was a major decision, and one that spurred the company growth curve exponentially. Designing and building a 3,000 sq. ft. showroom with everything from flower gardens with every kind of ground sign, to a full size car wrapped in the lobby, Bob was able to put that design degree to use!  

One of Bob’s primary responsibilities is his focus on technology and the impact it can have on the sign industry. Since 2001, Bob and his team have been developing and enhancing an incredibly in depth website to service the Commercial Real Estate Sign Industry. Taking Metro Detroit by storm, it allows Commercial Real Estate firms an online portal answering every imaginable question as they place installation orders. In 2007 this website solution has become a nationwide solution available only to select Sign-A-Rama locations in the United States. Bob has been doing consulting work to help others grow this aspect of their business. Great things lie ahead for this industry! 

The fabrication area has since been filled with various levels of sign equipment. In 2007 Sign-A-Rama invested in automated channel letter equipment to better serve Metro Detroit and beyond. The Accu-Bend system and Gerber Sabre Router Table have multiplied the inhouse capabilities tenfold. This allowed them to be a true full service fabrication company. 

In January of 2008, another very exciting change was taking place. Bob expanded his retail locations and purchased of the Southfield Sign-A-Rama location. This has solidified a fantastic footprint in Metro Detroit, allowing the organization to truly become Michigan’s Number 1 sign company.  

Big things are in the works…  

• Electronic Digital Signage
• Top secret website applications
• National product launches
• Industry specific ordering tools
• And much, much more!

 

It has been an incredible ride building the Sign-A-Rama brand in Metro Detroit… and this is just the beginning!