Signs of Success – IDF Pen Sign
IDF Pen Sign understands the value of iconic and recognizable signage – the first physical impression for any business. Located in Chesapeake, they have grown to serve clients throughout Hampton Roads and the entire country. A full-service team of designers, craftspeople, and installers, they handle projects expertly from conception to completion, integrating design, structure, and color.
It was owner Wade Crane’s lifelong dream to have his own business – and that became a reality for him in 1993 when he and his wife, Debbie Crane, purchased Peninsula Sign and Letter from Ral and Shirley Price. Founded in 1946, the company already had an established customer base and was immediately successful. They added Integrated Development Features (IDF) in 2004 and became IDF Pen Sign.
Wade built his business throughout the years by never shying away from new opportunities or challenges: “If I didn’t really know how to get a project done – I just learned as fast as I could. We took everything that came our way. Every now and then huge opportunities came to us in small packages.”
Wade notes that each project was a learning opportunity in a different way. Over the years, IDF Pen Sign completed small projects for various clients that often led to long-term business relationships with companies such as Baymark Construction, LM Sandler and Sons, The Breeden Company, and East West Partners.
When a scouting team from Harbor Group International was looking at various signs throughout Hampton Roads in search of a vendor, they found that their three favorites were all made by IDF Pen Sign. The multi-billion company has now become a major client. Wade says,
We think of our work as being a small part of others’ large success.
Wade is proud of every project they deliver successfully to clients, but some of their favorite signs include those produced for Parkside at Bennett’s Creek, Red Knot, South Harbor, Runaway Bay, The Mayflower, Riverside Station, Cork & Bull, and New Realm Brewing. Outside of signage work, they also construct many amenity structures and masonry projects.
Beyond the excellent projects they produce, Wade is equally proud of his company’s commitment to customer service. Many clients have specific timeline requirements, and the team is committed to working within those timeframes. Wade shares, “I would say that some of the signs I am most proud of are the ones where we are able to show our clients that they chose a company that will not let them down.”
IDF Pen Sign continues to grow and expand. As many of their major clients grow into different regions throughout the country, it is the goal of the company to be able to serve them in those places as well.
Wade started the business with just two part-time employees. Debbie joined the company in a full-time capacity in 1995, bringing her professional administrative abilities and organizational skills to the team.
The company now has 24 employees, including the Cranes’ children, Mitchell and Faythe, who are helping to ensure the long-term and continued success of the company. Wade shares, “We fully trust that they will continue to develop this company towards an even brighter future.”
Wade believes that joining the TowneBank family was one of his best business decisions. Wade notes that the level of service and commitment provided by his banker Dave Hare, president of TowneBank Chesapeake, are incomparable. “Dave embodies every core value that TowneBank expresses that they want to be.”
IDF Pen Sign is located at 1028 Executive Boulevard in Chesapeake. To learn more or contact them, visit them online at IDFPenSign.com.