Working together
Sisters at home in Ontario sign shop
BY LARRY MEYER
ARGUS OBSERVER
Monday, September 1, 2008 10:40 AM PDT
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| Heather Kesey (left) and Aimee Andrews demonstrate how they use their sign printer at Graphic Impressions, their sign business. The sisters are situated in their third location since starting out five years ago in Ontario. |
ONTARIO — While they never planned to operate a business together, sisters Aimee Andrews and Heather Kesey, owners of Graphic Impressions, Ontario, have been so successful they are in their third location in five years and their business just keeps growing.
“We are doing really good. We want to offer good service, but quickly,” Andrews said, adding they will not sacrifice quality.
Graphic Impressions produces signs of all sizes — “little ones are important too,” Andrews said — but the business has some large customers that are important in helping pay bills, customers that include contractors and manufacturers.
“We have a lot of repeat customers,” she said.
The sisters are very happy with their new location on Southeast Second Street, next to the Wonderbread store. Andrews jokes people can pick up their signs and bread at the same time.
With their latest move, their goal was to have space, which there is plenty of, as they have enough room in back to bring in a semi-trailer and wrap their banners or signs on them instead of having to work outside. They are also increasing their capacity as they buy the latest equipment, and one machine can produce a sign 54 inches wide, doing large banners and the vehicle wraps. They will also laminate the signs.
“We can add three years (to the life of a sign),” Kesey said.
“We are now licensed contractors,” Andrews said. “We’re able to do our own installations.”
Kesey and Andrews, who have lived in Corvallis and Eugene, are the daughters of a book publisher father, whom they credit for some of their creative talents.
Their father’s work took him to England for about eight years, and they spent a significant part of the youth overseas.
One of their memories was mandatory uniforms for school, which they both said they liked.
The pair returned to the United States before graduating from high school. Kesey has a degree in graphic design from Oregon State University, and Andrews has an associate’s degree in drafting.
Their talents did not bring them together right away, but Kesey does have 18 years in the sign business. She moved to the Treasure Valley eight years ago, followed by Andrews two years later.
It was Andrews’ need of a job that brought the pair together to start the business after she was laid-off from a job in Boise, and they saw an opportunity in Ontario for a sign shop.
“We are both very artistic,” Andrews said, but allows her sister to do the designing, and they both work on the production.
“We’ve pretty much gotten to know a lot of people,” Andrews said, commenting they feel a part of the community.
They use technology to take and confirm orders so people do not have to come into the shop.
“We get a lot of e-mails,” Andrews said, but added they like to work with the customers directly. “We like to see people.”
