Sign company grapples with being understaffed and overworked post Ian

As businesses come to grips with the aftermath of Ian, some sign companies in the area are so busy they can’t even come to the phone. 

After the Business Observer reached out to six sign companies, phone calls were met with unreturned voicemails, promises to call back and even one who confirmed how busy they were but declined an interview. One sign entrepreneur who agreed to an interview was Hidayet Kutat, president and CEO, of Gulf Coast Signs of Sarasota Inc. Asked if he was busy post-Ian Kutat responded "that’s an understatement."

“Usually signs are first to go in these unfortunate situations,” he says before adding, “It depends on how the sign is designed and constructed.”

Some companies may cut corners to keep expenses down, but eventually the shoddy work will “come back and stick out its ugly head,” Kutat says. 

For example, a monumental sign is designed to sit on the ground with a steel pipe that goes underground. If the sign company that designed it doesn’t use primer on the steel pipe, it won’t last long, Kutat explains. Eventually the pipe will become thin enough that a strong wind would be able to knock the sign down.  

Other signs, like ones hoisted on a pole, have other challenges, such as what type of face is used on the sign, with face being the term that refers to the surface of a sign. A company that uses pan-formed faces, a vacuum-formed sign, will have a stronger sign than those that use flat faces, which is a practice that places vinyl to flat acrylic sheets, Kutat says.  

A flat face, Kutat says, will not last against wind like the area experienced with Hurricane Ian.

Kutat’s company has been contacted for a number of jobs after Ian. In North Port, a customer called about a bank monumental sign. The Mall at University Town Center area has many signs that need repairs. A Lexus dealership lost a sign face, which Kutat was able to provide a temporary cover for but is going to have to order the face as the company isn’t qualified to design a face for Lexus. Kutat’s team will install it once it’s been delivered. 

One of the more difficult asks has been replacing the letter “L” on the high rise sign outside the iconic Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in downtown Sarasota. The team was also asked to inspect the other letters to ensure everything is secure. The problem? Kutat hasn’t been able to find a truck with a high enough lift to fix the problem. 

Unfortunately, that’s not the only roadblock he’s run into. 

The additional business isn’t particularly the biggest welcome to Kutat right now. Through Oct. 5, the company’s safety board represented 5,557 days without injury. With only nine employees, everyone’s been picking up extra hours since Hurricane Ian passed through. Now, Kutat is struggling to find ways to give employees enough of a break that the record isn’t erased. 

“Injuries happen when you get complacent,” he says. “Times like these are when people get complacent.” 

Kutat, for example, has been working 12-16 hours a day for six to seven days a week. The company’s installers are working up to 12 hours a day. 

That makes the additional business both good and bad news. Currently, Kutat's running the company with the smallest crew he’s had in 20 years. But it's been increasingly harder to find workers, he says, especially since the training and certifications needed take five years or more. 

When Ian hit, Kutat didn’t even attempt to look for employees because, he says, the talent he needs is not there.

Kutat expects Ian-related business to keep up for at least another six months, based on what previous hurricanes Irma, in 2017, and Charley, in 2004, taught him.