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Business & Tech

Signs of the Times

Weber Hill Signs can make any type of sign, from huge billboards to little desk plaques.

Before running Weber Hill Signs Jodi Thomas worked in sales at a printing company, while her husband Bill was employed as a graphic artist. Their sign business grew out of Jodi’s love of the cute signs and wall lettering she used to decorate their home. She said she had a fascination with Uppercase Living, the Tupperware of wall art. Bill suggested they just buy a vinyl cutter so she could make whatever she wanted.

He also thought they might make a little extra money by doing vinyl lettering for others.

Their home-based business grew from that first purchase of a 24-inch vinyl cutter. One day they noticed that Weber Hill Signs—then located House Springs—was for sale. They talked themselves into making the leap to self-employment and bought Weber Hill in Apri1 2010.

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Jodi said the former owners, Tom and Kathy Durham, trained them on the equipment before moving out of town.

“They shared their knowledge,” Jodi said. “We worked with them for a long time—months—but we weren’t going to buy it if they weren’t around to help us with the transition.”

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In September they made another move, this time taking the store front out of House Springs, where it had been established behind the former owner’s house. Jodi is thrilled with their new location on High Ridge Boulevard. They now have better visibility for potential clients—as well as a better view.

“The old place was in a hole,” joked Jodi. She said their old location may have made sense for the Durhams, who walked to work every day. But since they only bought the sign business and not the house, they needed to move.

“When we moved here we lost a lot of space,” Jodi said.

Their current location doesn’t have enough space for some of their heavier shop equipment or for the manufacturing of big signs, so the Thomas’ now split their time between the High Ridge business and their Grubville home where they converted a barn into a workshop. 

“Most of the time we can carpool,” Jodi said. She admitted that balancing their children’s activities with running a family business keeps them on their toes. The Thomas’ don’t have any full time employees, so they split their duties: Jodi takes care of customers and the office, while Bill focuses on manufacturing and installation.  They share the design work.

“He’s artsy, I’m crafty,” Jodi explained.

Jodi and Bill can design and create just about any type of sign imaginable. They letter vehicles, giving customers a choice between magnetic signs, vinyl lettering or car wraps. They print banners and create three dimensional signs in either wood or hardened foam. They also letter windows, hang billboards, make lighted signs and create traditional monument type signs.

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