The first things that people see upon entering Santa Maria Signs are a seeming clash of identities: professional business desks and blue-collar tools and equipment. A cushy leather chair waits for customers, and the owner, Will Husselstein, is both professional and relaxed.
Husselstein is proud that his business is passing the 15-year mark, and recently moved from College Drive to the more visible building at 1020 Betteravia Road, a busier street that’s closer to more businesses.
Many different kinds of signs are visible to customers as they walk in, and Husselstein notes that he and his team of four employees—all together they have more than 80 years of experience—can conquer anything from banners to business cards.
In fact, he said he can “create nearly anything from a hand-drawn sketch.”
If the standard motionless sign isn’t quite your thing, you can choose something with a little more flash—say a banner that flies high or a bold neon spectacle that could be the center of attention. Of course those come with a bigger price tag. Maybe it’s something mobile you’re looking for: Husselstein asks, why not “wrap your vehicle bumper to bumper” with graphics?
Yes, it’s even possible to ride around Santa Maria and beyond sporting zebra stripes or leopard print if you are into that sort of thing—or you could just stick to the business benefits of decals.
As far as customers go, Husselstein said all walks of life come in looking for signs. He does business with large agricultural entities, while also serving the needs of individuals. One may be larger and more influential, but both are looking for outward manifestations of what they visualize in their minds.
Creating works of art isn’t even the best part of Husselstein’s job. He said he enjoys interacting with day-to-day clients sometimes more than the creative process.
Santa Maria Signs puts the same level of importance on interacting with customers, the design process, and manufacturing the signs themselves. That way, Husselstein said, his business has few areas of weakness
For him, driving around Santa Maria and seeing his work on buildings and vehicles definitely lets him know that he’s having an impact on the community. His main goal is to see his business grow in what he calls a “business-friendly town” such as Santa Maria and expanding his operations in terms of both employees and square footage.
Contact Santa Maria Signs by email through its website, santamariasigns.com, or by phone, 928-7446.
Biz Highlights
• The French Hospital Medical Center recently received a $10,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation that will be used to support a new bilingual community outreach and education program called Sano Corazon, Vida Sana—Healthy Heart, Healthy Life. The program will conduct bilingual outreach to underserved Spanish-speaking Hispanic/Latino communities in San Luis Obispo County to educate community members about basic cardiovascular health and healthy eating, as well as provide free Healthy for Life nutrition classes and Zumba exercise classes.
• Wine and Design Orcutt created a special studio for young artists called Art Buzz Kids. It’s a six-week, after-school series that meets on Thursdays from 3 to 4:30 p.m. starting Sept. 8. Students can create handcrafted artwork; explore painting, printmaking, and drawing; and learn art appreciation by observing the styles and famous works of master artists. Classes are open to kids from 5 to 12 years old and the series costs $120.
To sign up, visit wineanddesign.com/location/orcutt-ca/home. m Contributor Jackson Velasco wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Managing Editor Camillia Lanham contributed to the column. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, email, or mail.
This article appears in Sep 11-18, 2014.
