Two Sign Guys, Superheros of Signage; naw, just a couple of artists with a really big canvas

2 Sign Guys is fun. Yes, fun. Take the titles of the employees, the Empress of Operations and the Guru of Graphics; or Jolee Moffett and Jeremiah Peterson respectfully. Imagine pulling your business card out with those titles on it; they do every day.

Maybe that’s what drew the pair together, Jeremiah is from near Chicago and Jolee moved here from California. Both were pulled here for family reasons, both have artistic backgrounds, and both want to have a good time doing something they love.

If all they did was build signs then maybe the interesting titles and the crazy workspace would just be their inner artists trying to claw out of the boredom. But they aren’t bored; they really love their jobs and it is much bigger than just building signs. In a way the entire county is their canvas.

Jolee said. “How can you be bored when you are constantly being challenged?”

The two relish the time they spend working with clients developing ideas and creating identities for that individuals’ dream.

“A lot of times, 99% of the time actually, a client comes in for some help in building a sign for their business,” Jeremiah explained, “and they don’t have anything or all they have is an idea. We get to learn about their business and then build them a logo or icon that represents that vision.”

But their work isn’t just limited to business identities. Among the corporate identities, the business logos, the business cards, and brochures scattered around the office are family crests and homestead names sandblasted into giant decorative rocks.

In an hour at the office, Jasper mayoral candidate Terry Seitz came into pick up door magnets he had made for the Strassenfest parade. He was followed by a farmer picking up a slab of rock with the family farm name sandblasted into it. The rock would be welcoming friends and family to the entrance of his 75 year old family farm.

The pair love that process and they love interacting with the people. “We meet a lot of great people and we have built a lot of relationships in the community.” Jolee said.

2 Sign Guys has always had a great relationship with the community. Gary Jones started the business in 1995 and had a lot of fun from the beginning. When he wasn’t building signs he was building a plane.

“We were known for that plane being in the garage and Gary’s two dogs.” Jolee said.

Unfortunately Gary is gone now. In a strange twist of fate he crashed his plane, broke his neck, and during a scan of his body for injuries they found liver cancer. When Gary was diagnosed he decided to sell the business to a friend; Rick Payton, but even today Gary is still a major part of the business. Photos of Gary and Jeremiah, Gary and the dogs, and Gary and his plane adorn the shop’s walls.

In keeping the business in the family, so to speak, Rick brought Sally Gogel, a good friend, on board as the company’s accountant and eventually Sally moved into the position of part-owner and president of 2 Sign Guys.

She still operates her accounting business out of an office at the shop, but one gets the impression she is the happy mother working in the background soundly assured that her two children are playing well in the shop.

“I help with installs if I am needed but these two and some part time help take care of the business” Sally commented.

As you drive around anywhere in Dubois County you can see their work. Most notably the company just finished the new signs that adorn the county crossroads.

“Those signs were our babies,” Jolee said. “Three years of meetings and then three months to put them together.”

So the work varies and it isn’t all business but actually with the love business owners put into their businesses, sign making is very personal.

2 Sign Guys is located at 990 Fairview Avenue (812) 482-9136 or signguys@insightbb.com.

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