Dow Smith Company renovates old building for FastSigns
Get your work and get it fast
Terry Schneider's FastSigns in Murfreesboro is a recession-born success story. Terry's husband, Bob, lost his construction position in 2008 in the housing market crash, when the couple's two children were ages 4 and 6. His mantra: If I can't find a job, I'll make one.
Fast forward to FastSigns; the couple bought the Murfreesboro franchise and opened shop in June 2009.
Today, Bob is back at work in the booming middle Tennessee construction industry, and wife Terry is the sole head of FastSigns, with Bob as supporter.
The business is thriving, so much so that Terry and Bob needed more space, and purchased a building at 410 West Burton with a 4,000-square-foot space, moving from the rental space they occupied for the past seven years. Their new building was completely gutted and renovated by Dow Smith Company, Inc.
What FastSigns does
"We can do anything from a business card to a vehicle wrap to a lighted sign," Terry Schneider said. "Anything wide format, we do in-house. And, we can help people with any kind of budget."
Terry recently worked with a church building a new building. "They had their wish list, and they also had a budget," she said, "so we made suggestions to help them bridge the gap between their wish list and their budget."
Terry understands what it's like to be a small business on a budget. "We were small when we were starting out, too, so we know what that's like."
The company prints a lot of "banners, ADA signs, apartment complex signage, for sale by owner signs," Terry said. "We do a lot of MTSU's work, and every year we create all of the banners for Gulf Jam in Panana City Beach. That's a lot of fun."
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Is FastSigns...well...fast? "We work hard to turn projects out very quickly," Terry said. "We can turn yard signs and banners really fast, and of course, dimensional signs and monument signs take a little longer. Our goal is three days, and some things we can do even faster."
An investment in new, very large equipment pushed the decision to move to a larger space. The eight-foot flatbed printer, the five foot by 10 foot CNC router and the garage bay for vehicle wraps were key drivers for the new larger space on West Burton.
"Dow Smith knocked it out of the park," Terry said. "I just really can't describe how pleased I am with Dow Smith. They are so organized, and are always making progress. They got us in here under budget and early. I love them, I truly do. I was quite surprised because I never expected a construction process to go as smoothly as it has."
It was important to Terry to retain several of the historic features of the building, like the original wood slat ceiling and the original front door. "We love the old features, and our customers do too," she added.
For more information about FastSigns, visit fastsigns.com/561-murfreesboro-tn or like them on Facebook at @fastsignsmurfreesboro and Twitter @FASTSIGNSMboro.
