Sign business settles into new building

SANDUSKY — A sign business has found a new home in Sandusky. Custom Sign & Design moved into a new building on Hayes Avenue across from the Firelands Regional Medical Center parking garage. The company started as a means for Ability Works to supply employment for people living with a disability until two years ago. Jeff Krabill, Celeste Hillman and their respective spouses purchased the business. "I had worked for Ability Works since 2003, and I always oversaw the sign operation," Hillman said. "Having overseen it for so long, I was familiar with how to run it, the customers and the suppliers." "I saw the financials and had an idea of what they should look like, so that's what attracted me," Krabill said. "There was an excellent opportunity." The company's primary work is creating signs for state parks and businesses using a CNC router table to carve boards of high-density polyethylene. "The advantage that most of our customers see is the material is almost indestructible," Krabill said. "It's not affected by heat and the cold." "It won't delaminate. It won't rot. It's critter proof and graffiti resistant," Hillman added. "You could spray paint it, and it would powerwash right off." The material is composed of recycled milk jugs, which makes the company feel good using environmentally friendly material. Like most businesses, Custom Sign & Design wasn't immune to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. They stayed open during the stay-at-home order since they create the locks for electrical panels. But the pandemic has severely disrupted their supply chain for materials. "We got a project, and we had 30 days to do it. Normally that's no problem," Krabill said. "But when we called our supplier to get the board, they said it would be six weeks." They've had to get creative by finding a new supply chain and planning for projects in advance. The company has also looked to expand as it moves into its slow season. Krabill and Hillman are experimenting with offering Christmas decorations cut out from the material.