Wherever you are as you’re reading this article, chances are good that you’ve seen a sign made by Ideal Signs in Georgetown, Texas. Ideal Signs creations can be found throughout Austin, such as at the Dell Diamond. But even if you’ve never set foot in Central Texas, you’ve probably seen their work on TV, including many NCAA tournaments.

Mark Dillon got an early start in the sign business, working at his father’s shop in New Orleans. Even so, he didn’t always dream of a career as a sign maker. Growing up, after listening to tales of his grandfather’s time as a traveling his actor and watching his father twice rise to national champion country dancer (with the belt buckles to show for it), Mark wanted a backstage career in the entertainment industry. After college, he got a job with a local television station but made more money doing side jobs for his father. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that designing and making signs could provide the creative outlet he needed, as well as a good life for him and his family.

He took over the business from his father in the early 1990’s. Ideal Signs was one of the first companies to introduce large format digital printing to New Orleans. Whether clients needed a hand-painted or digitally-printed sign, Ideal Signs could help.

Business grew as word spread about their quality product and, perhaps more importantly, their superb customer service. When the Dell Diamond was built, the Round Rock Express flew Mark to Central Texas to produce signs. Mark was very impressed with Williamson County. The people were friendly and supportive, and the community was very family-oriented. He enjoyed his trip so much that he raved about the area to his wife Michele. She had visited Central Texas many times and was very open to the idea of moving here.

Hurricane Katrina sped along their decision to move when they lost their home, rental properties, and business. The thought of rebuilding was overwhelming, but the Dillons didn’t quit. They bought another large-format digital printer to replace those they’d lost and set up shop in the Alamo Dome in San Antonio.

They had never forgotten the friendliness and sense of community they’d experienced on their trips to Williamson County. They bought a house in Round Rock  and industrial space on Highway 29 in Georgetown, just past TX 130. (TX 130 didn’t exist at the time. Nor did the new high school, which is now just down the street.)

Several employees made the move to Central Texas, as well, so Ideal Signs still has a wealth of experience in their staff of ten full-time employees. Thanks to word-of-mouth and old-fashioned “pounding the pavement,” they’re more successful now than they were pre-Katrina. Mark and Michele named the business-friendly, supportive atmosphere in Georgetown as a main factor in their current success. After Katrina, Ideal Signs didn’t have money to advertise, so they relied on local support to help spread the word.

They still love to get local business. “No job is too big, and no job is too small,” Mark said. Ideal Signs can create everything from magnetics to massive banners that can be seen from a stadium away. They’re thrilled with their current roster of large venue events and sport teams, hence their website www.signsforsports.com, but are still open for more big clients.

One of the things the Dillons love about this community is the spirit of generosity. They’re determined to do their part. They create free signs for several local non-profits, including the Ride On Center for Kids (www.rockride.org) and the Red Poppy Festival. More than that, Mark truly gives of himself. He grows his hair long so that every two years, he can donate 12 inches of hair to Locks of Love, which makes wigs for pediatric cancer patients. He’s about due for a haircut.

Ideal Signs is located at 79 Eastview Drive, less than a block off of Highway 29 East in Georgetown, across from the new high school. They can be reached by phone at 1-877-930-7446 or by email at mark@ideal-signs.com. Find them on the web at www.ideal-signs.com.

-Jenel Looney

Georgetown 4A Board presents Enflite, Inc. with $144,000 check. Pictured left to right: Paul Brandenburg, City Manager; George Carver, Mayor; Kevin Kieper, Enflite COO; George Gomez, Georgetown Economic Development Department; Bill Weaver, LifePort CEO; Rick Smith, Chair of Economic Development Advisory Board; Dale Mortenson, Enflite Operations Manager; and Mark Thomas, Georgetown Economic Development Department

On May 28, the Georgetown Economic Development Corporation (also known as the 4A Board) awarded $144,000 to local company Enflite, Inc. as incentive for the recent expansion of their aircraft cabin accessories manufacturing facility. The facility nearly doubled in size, from 20,000 square feet to 38,000, and Enflite anticipates adding approximately 70 people to its current workforce of 84 employees. On hand to accept the check from the 4A Board were Kevin Kieper, Executive Vice President and COO of Enflite; Dale Mortensen, Operations Manager; and Bill Weaver, CEO of parent company LifePort. Mr. Weaver had traveled to Georgetown from LifePort’s headquarters in Woodland, Washington. Presenting the check were Rick Smith, Board Chair of the city of Georgetown Economic Development Advisory Board; Paul Brandenburg, Georgetown City Manager; Mayor George Garver; and, from the Georgetown Economic Development Department, Director Mark Thomas and Program Manager George Gomez.

Enflite produces top-of-the-line cabin accessories for ultra first-class jets, primarily private. Their range of products includes tables, lifts, doors, and even appliances. Almost everything they create is designed specifically for an individual client. Many of their engineers who came from the other industries are excited by the variety of unique items they get to design. They’ve done cabinet work for the plane of Russian president Vladimir Putin and galley products for Air Force One and Two. (Not to mention, gold-plated tables for a wealthy Saudi who converted a Boeing 757 into a luxurious private jet.)

During the design phase, each part undergoes a weight saving process to make it as light as possible while maintaining structural integrity. Sumptuous looking wooden cabinets are, in reality, comprised of honeycomb aluminum composite covered by a thin wood veneer.

”Your economic impact on Georgetown goes beyond your own offices,” Mayor Garver said during a tour of the facility. Kieper and Mortensen estimated that they outsource four to five million dollars of machine parts to local companies each year. 98% of their vendors are within a 50-mile radius of Georgetown. Local architects Voelter Associates designed the building expansion, and local firm Bonnet Grant Constructors oversaw the construction.

The expansion of Enflite here in Georgetown is a great success story for the Georgetown Economic Development Department’s Retention and Expansion program. During a routine retention visit, Mark Thomas and George Gomez learned that Enflite was planning to expand. At the time, the company hadn’t decided on a site, and Georgetown was one of several options. Thomas and Gomez worked with the 4A Board to find ways to encourage the company to grow here in Georgetown, where it had seen the success that made expansion necessary. By law, 4A money is earmarked to foster creation of primary jobs and capital investments in the community in which the board is located. Georgetown is particularly interested in the type of high paying, clean technological manufacturing jobs created by Enflite.

Kieper is energized by Enflite’s growth and expects it to continue. “At some point, we feel that our galley product family will spin off to become its own company,” he said. The galley product family includes everything from microwaves to wine chillers, refrigerators to coffee pots, each designed to the unique specifications of individual clients. “That new company may stay here while the other product families move to a new site, or vice versa.”

Either way, Georgetown will be ready to step in to help again, in whatever way it can.

-Jenel Looney

Where do they get their wine?

Dan and Rebecca Marek, Owners

The Mareks have been surprised by the number of times customers ask this question. They don’t “get” their wine anywhere. They make it, right here in Georgetown. Forty varieties, in fact. They get about 40% of their grapes from Texas and import the rest, mostly from California. They are one of 162 wineries in the state of Texas, according to the state’s Department of Agriculture. This number is sure to increase as the state puts its marketing muscle behind the Texas wine industry.

The Mareks set up shop in September of 2007 and, in under 18 months of business, have racked up an impressive number of industry awards.

• Lone Star International Wine Competition – Grapevine, TX
  • Sangiovese – Silver Medal Winner
  • Super Texan – Bronze Medal Winner
• Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo Wine Competition – Houston, TX
  • Sangiovese – Gold Medal Winner
  • Chocolate Cherry Port – Bronze Medal Winner

So impressive are these early awards, in fact, that Dan Marek has been invited to serve as a head judge at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition in New York in March. This honor is bestowed only on vintners deemed to have an impeccable palate. Mr. Marek will be the only judge from Texas at this year’s competition.

Why Georgetown?

Mr. Marek comes from a long line of Central Texas vintners, and he dreamed for years of turning his family’s hobby into a career. The Mareks did a demographic study of Georgetown, Round Rock, and Bastrop. Two main factors led to Georgetown in the site selection process. First, the square provides the tourist draw the Mareks wanted, with its quaint Victorian hometown friendly feel. And second, their research indicated that a large portion of their business would come from folks aged 50 and up, so Georgetown’s reputation as The Best Place to Retire in the United States promised an established clientele. Georgetown Winery hosts periodic wine tasting parties at the Sun City Social Center, and will arrange to do so in other neighborhoods or family homes upon request.

The Georgetown Winery sells wine directly to the public from their storefront and will continue to do so from their new location on the east side of the downtown square. Prices per bottle range from about $6 to about $37, with the aforementioned Sangiovese coming in at the midpoint. Local real estate agents often take advantage of the custom label promotion by giving clients a commemorative bottle of wine with a picture of their new home on the label. Wine classes are held the first Tuesday of every month

Plans for expansion

The Georgetown Winery has a number of commercial accounts locally, including Silver & Stone restaurant at the top of Tamiro Plaza, the City Center Market in Sun City, and the Cotton Patch Café in Wolf Ranch Town Center. The Mareks hope their wines will grace the tables and shelves of more restaurants and liquor stores in our area in the months to come.

Soon after the move to Main Street, the Georgetown Winery will offer a truly unique memento of Georgetown: a Courthouse Edition bottle of wine, with a picture of the refurbished courthouse on the label. The Winery can also ship their wine upon request.

For more information, call the Georgetown Winery at 512-869-8600 or email texaswinery@yahoo.com.

Parking should no longer be a problem at their new location, one block north of the square. Even with seating capacity increased by one-third, customers will find space in the Café’s parking lot, along the street, and in an empty lot on the next block. The décor at the new location will retain the feel of a classic roadside diner, but with a few subtle updates. Customers who have to wait for a table will find a more welcoming entrance.

Much of the additional square footage in the new building is behind the scenes. A larger kitchen was needed for serving the extra customers, expanding catering operations, and producing foods for the new Rock Street Market.

The extra space should come in handy at Christmas. 2008 will mark the Monument’s sixth year of providing a traditional Christmas meals at no cost for anyone who needs one. Volunteers line up in cars outside the restaurant to take the meals to hundreds of shut-ins. Others come to the restaurant and are fed on site; it’s hard to say whether they come for the food or for the warm community feeling to ease holiday loneliness.

THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY

The company’s generous spirit extends beyond the Georgetown borders. Wherever possible, the Monument enacts green policies to protect the environment. The company philosophy is to “Think globally, act locally,” which they’ll take to exciting new heights by adding a thermophilic bio composter which will turn the restaurant’s food and paper waste product into compost that will be used in the Monument’s organic garden. The composter and traditional recycling will collectively handle approximately 99% of the trash generated by the development.

The sustainable building practices were in place from the beginning. When building, they reused everything they could of the existing structures on the site and recycled 90% of the debris. Local-sourced building materials were utilized as much as possible to reduce the Café’s carbon footprint. As development continues, solar panels will be erected to generate electricity, and they’ll be used to provide shade for the roof and parking areas.

MORE CHANGES COMING

Residents will continue to see changes for a year or two. Construction on Rock Street Market should take place in 2009. At the natural fresh food market, they plan to sell meat, poultry, and vegetables from local suppliers and fresh seafood daily. The market will also house a full bakery and a deli with convenience foods that patrons can grab on the run.

A three-story office building will be added to the left front corner of the Monument block as one looks at the development from Austin Avenue. A professional building will be added to the opposite corner.

The Monument Café development and Georgetown’s charming historic square just a block away will enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship. The Monument is a destination in itself and the café, office, and retail will bring more traffic to the square. The Monument will, in turn, benefit from its more visible location and from the downtown activity generated by the shops and restaurants on the square, especially on days with regular events, such as First Fridays, Market Days, and the Red Poppy Festival.

The new location opened Monday, November 10th.

Each of the 45,000 handguns STI International produces annually is nearly perfect. The approximately 70 workers at the Georgetown manufacturing plant have a vested interest in doing so — literally. This is because STI is a 100 percent employee-owned company.
President and CEO Dave Skinner said the transition to employee ownership in 2005 dramatically improved the company he purchased in 1994.

“We were the best 10 years ago, and we’re broadening the gap,” he said.  Salesman Rabbit Boyett concurred, saying it was a matter of personal liability.  “Used to be, when someone wasn’t doing what they were supposed to, who cares, it’s Dave’s company,” he said. “If you’re slacking off now, you’re costing me money.”

Skinner and his wife, Pauletta, STI’s exports and sales manager, were competitive shooters when they bought Austin-based Tripp Research Inc. in 1994.  They immediately moved the company to Georgetown because Skinner already owned the building.  When the Skinners bought the company, they had eight employees. The company produced about 600 guns annually, machine operator Richard Ringwood said. Skinner said he normally projects an 11 percent annual growth rate for the company, but sometimes exceeds that by 10 to 30 points.
The company became STI in 2004 and now occupies 25,000 sq. ft. of space east of the Georgetown Municipal Airport. It offers 29 models of handguns that retail from $650 to more than $3,000 each. The company does not sell directly to individuals, but markets to regional distributors throughout the United States and about 30 foreign countries in Europe, Asia, South America and Australia.
Revenues from domestic and foreign sales are about equal, Skinner said. STI is in the top five for foreign sales among U.S. companies. For example, the Indonesian military, Danish special forces, some Thai police units, Polish police officers and United Kingdom cops carry STI sidearms, Pauletta said.

Of the people who buy STI guns, Skinner estimated that 15 percent are competitive shooters; 15 percent are in the military or law enforcement; and 70 percent are collectors or “people who believe in the Constitution.”

STI and another company share a patent for the 2011 pistol, which is similar to the 1911 pistol, except that the unique design of the magazine allows it to hold twice as much ammunition. STI sells about as many 1911 pistols per year as the 2011 model.  Roughly two-thirds of STI’s revenues are derived from the sale of guns, with the rest coming from the sale of gun parts to other manufacturers. If a person handles a 1911 pistol, “the odds are very good” that STI made at least one of its parts, Skinner said.  The patent for the design of the 2011 pistol, issued in 1994, expires in 2012. That opens the door for much larger manufacturers to build the 2011 pistol. But Skinner and his employees welcome the competition and believe the personal touch they give each gun will keep them head-and-shoulders above the pack.

Skinner’s business philosophy is simple: “Build guns. Make money. Go home on time.”
STI gun sizes
“Caliber is the size of the bullet the gun shoots,” said David Cupp, assistant manager of quality control in STI’s warranty department.
Caliber refers to the diameter of the bullet and the diameter of the inside of the gun barrel.
Cupp said STI’s guns are made in three basic sizes:
• .355 inches — .357 SIG, 9 mm and .38 special ammunition
• .400 inches — .40 S&W ammunition
• .450 inches — .45 ACP ammunition
STI International, 114 Halmar Cove, 819-0656, www.stiguns.com

Patrick Brendel

Friday, 12 September 2008

Little League trophies, tokens for loved ones, urns for cremated remains. Yours For Keeps will personalize just about anything that can be carried through the door of the Georgetown store. Nowadays, choices of individualized gifts and awards are constricted only by the givers’ creativity and cash flow.

“People have this preconceived notion of what a trophy is. They should come in and see all the things we can do. It’s not just trophies and plaques. It’s a whole lot more than that,” owner Caroline Willingham said.

Willingham entered the trade in 1982, when she and a friend opened a shop called B&C Trophies on Anderson Mill Road in north Austin. Initially an engraving neophyte, Willingham learned the craft by hand, using a metal device called a pantograph to copy each character individually.

But soon computers and automatic engraving machines changed the business by improving speed and accuracy while lessening the tedium of the task. Once a logo or design is scanned into the computer, copying it onto one or several media is as simple as pressing a few buttons.

“Computer engravers were pretty new at that time and very expensive,” she said. “[Nevertheless, it] was only a couple of years later that we got the laser engraver and a computer engraver.”

In 1986, Willingham married Robert, who joined his wife’s shop in 1993 after retiring from IBM. In 1997, she fell in love with a historic home in Georgetown. The couple moved and began commuting to Austin.

Seeing that they could fill a niche in Georgetown, the Willinghams opened Yours For Keeps on Rock Street in 2000. A couple of years later, they sold B&C Trophies to Robert’s grown son. The Austin store is still in operation.

The Willinghams intentionally chose not to include the words “gift” or “trophy” in the name of the store because they wanted to emphasize the variety of services they offer. Yours For Keeps is not simply an engraver, an awards store or a gift shop. It is all of those and more.

“At first we really didn’t want to do trophies. We wanted to just be an engraving shop for gifts and stuff like that,” Caroline said. “But we realized in a small town you really have to do everything.”

Yours For Keeps is the only retailer in Georgetown with a laser engraver — they have two — which they use to personalize items made of plastic, wood or leather. For example, all Williamson County Jail employees have their plastic name badges made inside the laser engravers at Yours For Keeps.

The shop also has a diamond drag engraver that scratches lettering or designs into metal, while a sandblaster is used to carve glass. For other requests, such as printing a company’s logo on ribbons for an awards ceremony, Yours for Keeps coordinates with its suppliers to get the job done. The quality and professional look of engraving belies its price, the owners said.

“Engraving is the least expensive way to personalize things,” Caroline said.

The prices for individualized trophies range from about $4 for a small item to $80 for a high-end award.

What to give?

Three websites for gift ideas:

www.tropar.com – The Airflyte Master Catalog specializes in listings for products meant to recognize corporate achievements.

www.jdsindustries.com – JDS Industries supplies a variety of items, including trophies, cups, gifts, medals, ribbons, plaques, acrylics and glass awards.

www.pdu.com – Plastic Dress-Up Company offers awards for sports accomplishments, corporate recognition and military honors.

The items in the above catalogs can be ordered and personalized through Yours For Keeps.

Yours For Keeps

1915 N. Austin Ave.

Georgetown, TX 78626

1-512-868-5881

Community Impact

Monday, 07 January 2008

As a young man, Robert Wood had dreams of practicing environmental law, but after trying several times to get interested in a required accounting course, his plans changed. Wood saw a sign for a physical therapist office in Austin and was intrigued by the thought.

“I was always interested in working with people,” Wood said. “I had always loved biological sciences. When I was taking a shuttle bus back and forth to school in Austin, I kept running across that sign.”

After doing some research and interviewing a physical therapist in his hometown of San Angelo, Wood changed majors from pre-law to physical therapy, earning his degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston in 1974.

After working in San Angelo and Victoria, he moved to Georgetown to set up a private practice in 1984. He helped develop physical therapy practices as a private contractor for the hospital.

“When I went to work as a contractor, it was myself and one physical therapy assistant. That relationship went well for 14 years,” he said. “When I left, we had 32 employees and contracts with nursing homes and the school district. We had opened up an out-patient center, a skilled nursing unit and the cardiac rehab.”

Patient representative Kathy Hahn and owner Robert Wood, Photo courtesy Georgetown Therapy

Wood established his own practice and opened Georgetown Therapy in 1998.

“[Having my own practice] is great. It gives you an appreciation for anyone who operates and manages any small business,” he said. “Running your own business is challenging. We’ve got a great staff.”

Like many in the medical field, Wood said he has experienced several challenges in his work.

“There are a lot of unique challenges in health care right now,” he said. “In physical therapy, specifically, [it can be difficult] keeping up with regulations.”

The office is an accredited rehab agency with Medicare and recently had a surprise inspection to continue its accreditation and passed, Wood said.

Other challenges include insurance, reimbursement issues and trying to get patients in and out of rehab programs quickly to combat rising fees, he said.

Patients who seek the aid of a physical therapist must have a doctor referral for insurance to cover the cost, he said.

“We are limited in the fact that you can’t just walk in our business and say, ‘I need physical therapy services,’” Wood said. “You can do that with your physician, your chiropractor. But if you want to come to us — even though most therapists have either master’s or doctorate level degrees — you have to see a doctor [first].”

Georgetown Therapy sees a variety of patients ranging from high school athletes to men and women whose bodies are succumbing to old age.

“It is a fabulous field. If I had to do it all over again or if I was making a recommendation to a young person, there is not another profession that has the expertise and deals with the type of problems, patient load and patient types that we have,” he said. “You get to know not only the disease or injury process a person is going through, you get to know the person.”

Shoulder injuries are very common, Wood said. Here are some steps he advises before seeking medical attention.

1. Try to determine when the pain started and why.
2. Avoid lifting the arm above the head.
3. Think about sleeping positions.
4. Ice massage or place ice on the shoulder.
5. After checking with a doctor, take anti-inflammatory medicines.
6. Practice maintained motion, by using the uninjured arm to slowly move the injured one.
7. Do not allow the muscles to freeze.
8. If pain does not go away, seek medical attention.

Georgetown Therapy,

204 S. IH 35, Ste. 203,

863-776, www.georgetowntherapy.com

Community Impact News

Friday, 13 June 2008

As the price of gas continues to rise around the country, people are beginning to look for alternative fuels. Curtis Donaldson is doing his part to make them accessible.

Donaldson began CleanFUEL USA in Georgetown in 1993 with three employees. Now, 15 years later, the company has 38 employees in Georgetown, an office in India with 33 employees and a new start-up office in Argentina.

CleanFUEL USA manufactures and distributes fuel stations, dispensing devices and engine systems for alternative fuels, including propane and E85, which is 85 percent alcohol and 15 percent gasoline. Propane is typically used in fleet vehicles and school buses, while E85 is used in flex-fuel cars, trucks and vans.

“We really believe that even back in the early 1990s, there was a need for alternative fuels and there was going to be a market in the United States — but there wasn’t,” Donaldson said. “We immediately turned our attention international and sold dispensers we made here in Georgetown to about 23 different countries. Basically, for the first five or six years, we lived off of international sales.”

The company did business in Texas during that time, but had limited sales in other states, Donaldson said.

“There was some business in Texas, but it was kind of Texas and the world. There wasn’t much else going on in the United States,” he said.

Donaldson first became aware of alternative fuel while working at Conoco Oil Co. He joined the company after graduating from Texas A&M University. The oil company believed there was a need for alternative fuel and started up a work group, which was basically only Donaldson, to study options, he said. When the price of crude oil dropped, Conoco dropped its alternative fuel division.

“I was really excited about [alternative fuels] because I thought [using them] was the right thing to do,” Donaldson said. “I really fell in love with alternative fuels and the whole concept so I quit [when they shut down the alternative fuel division] and started this company.”

Donaldson, who at that time was living and working in Houston, knew he wanted to move back to Central Texas, where he grew up.

“I drove through Georgetown one day and said, ‘This is the city I want to start my business in,’” he said.

Georgetown is home to two CleanFUEL facilities, the company’s headquarters and a manufacturing facility that also includes research and development.

The company works mainly with two alternative fuels, but Donaldson said he does not believe there is a single solution to the oil situation.

“We believe you are going to need all alternative fuels. It helps us mitigate our need for foreign oil. There is no silver bullet. None of these fuels are going to be the answer,” he said. “We think it is going to take a menu of fuels, and we are always going to need oil and gas. We are never going to get away from gas — there is no way — but if we can balance it per gallon from 60 percent imported, if we could just back that down 15 percent, we could be a little pickier who we get our imports from.”

CleanFUEL USA now has propane fleet options for trucks and school buses. For more information on fleet vehicles and alternative fuels, visit www.CleanFUELusa.com.

Curtis Donaldson’s three E’s of propane

• Economical – After the government offered 50-cent rebates through the Energy Bill of 2005, some school districts are paying about $1.80 a gallon versus $4.35 for diesel fuel.
• Environmentally friendly – The system on an 8.1-liter engine or on a school bus is the cleanest truck in the world, Donaldson said. It meets all the Environmental Protection Agency requirements. Propane is a very clean-burning fuel.
• Energy independence – Ninety percent of propane is made in the United States, and a good portion of that is made in Texas. Most of the country’s surplus is stored outside Houston.

CleanFUEL USA, 1104 S. Church St., 864-0300