By signcraft
Posted on Sunday, November 19th, 2023
Graphics instructor gets the Hero Award
Tom Lamont, instructor at the Design Technology program Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School in Upton, Massachusetts, is one of three national winners of the 2023 eSchool News K-12 Hero Award. The award recognizes teachers who use innovative educational strategies to help students advance. Tom’s hands-on approach to learning sign making skills has made the program especially successful.
Mike came to the teaching profession from the sign industry, bringing practical knowledge and skills to his students—along with a desire to help students succeed. The program that he has developed has earned recognition from both the educational world and the local business community. Many of his students have gone directly from the program into jobs in the industry.
Mel Doherty: 1935 – 2023
Mel Doherty passed away on August 28, 2023, after a short illness. He founded Mel’s Signs in Cavan, Ireland in 1968.
An outstanding sign designer, Mel had a high level of traditional skills. He believed in the value of effective signage especially for small businesses. His skills as a sign artist were matched by his skills as a musician, singer, dancer and comedian. He was a natural showman and entertainer.
Mel was an enthusiastic SignCraft reader and contributor for decades. His positive outlook was contagious and it came through in every call or message—as did his relentless sense of humor.
“He was a great man for the brush and paint even up to a few days prior to going into the hospital,” says Mel’s son, Neil. “He loved his SignCrafts—he had them all from the first issue. It was his go-to reference for tips, tricks, ideas and news.”
Inktavo acquires SignTracker
Joe Arenella, co-founder of SignTracker has shared that SignTracker, a comprehensive management software platform for sign shops, has been acquired by Inktavo, a leading provider of solutions for branded merchandise businesses. The goal is to provide sign shop owners with more support resources and enhanced customer care.
SignTracker is a management tool that centralizes sign shop operations from project tracking to job costing, estimating to invoicing, and customer relationship management to analytics. It is meant to simplify workflows, increase efficiency, and boost productivity.
Inktavo plans to enhance SignTracker’s features and functionalities, leveraging its expertise in software development and design to improve the user experience for sign shop owners. Inktavo says existing SignTracker customers can expect a seamless transition, plus updates that will add new features.
