Paris Signs has grown from a one-man operation to one of West Virginia’s largest sign manufacturers. This year it celebrates its 30th anniversary and its commitment to craftsmanship.
By Lalena Price
HQ 114 | SUMMER 2021
At the start of every job, team members at Paris Signs already are thinking about the end result, and it’s not because they are in a rush.
“We begin by asking how this project is going to finish,” explains co-owner Tony Wheeler. “How do we take it from pretty to possible, to a curated piece of art that functions well and lasts a long time for our clients? Quality has always come first. If we could not create a product we would want to own, we would not sell it.”
That technique is part of a proven success formula for the business owner who, along with his wife Heather, co-founded Paris Signs 30 years ago. During its humble beginnings in his small apartment, Tony wasn’t even certain it had a future. He didn’t foresee three decades of success, multiple websites, a patented system, large-scale printers, high-tech metal fabrication and paint equipment, computer-aided design, a crane, boom trucks and a crew of 25 talented experts working in a 14,000-square-foot shop. He simply stayed busy making signs by hand and working at his father’s Foodland grocery store in Lavalette alongside his future wife and business partner, Heather Murphy.
“My dad said: ‘Let’s make this sign thing a hobby and you stay in the grocery business,’” Tony remembers. “But I wanted to be a craftsman. It wasn’t my goal to grow the business into something like this, to what we have now with 25 employees. It just happened.”
Heather remembers those early days well.
“We weren’t married when he started Paris Signs, so if I wanted to see him, I had to spend time at his side business,” she recalls. “Today, I handle the business end of things and Tony gets to be in the shop, which he loves. He comes home for dinner and to spend time with our boys, and then he’s back in the shop until 10 or 11 in the evening.”
In the early days, Tony worked exclusively doing handpainted signs and would take on any job he could find. While painting some banners for Fox 11 TV, they asked him if he could put vinyl graphics on their van. Tony’s response was, “Of course.” He then quickly ordered a $5,000 vinyl cutter, the most expensive piece of equipment he had ever purchased at the time. Over time, new methods were developed, new employees were hired and a patented electric installation system was created, paving the way for the success story seen today.
The naming inspiration for Paris Signs was plucked from Tony’s family tree. It’s his middle name, which he got from his father, William Paris Wheeler, and grandfather, Paris Vance, a blacksmith and craftsman. Obviously, family plays a vital role in this business; but when Heather and Tony speak of its success, it’s their employees they credit.
“Our success is based on our people,” they explain, taking turns. “We have really fantastic people. They are the backbone of what we do. Regardless of the technology we use, finding the right people and convincing them to be a part of our journey is critical to our success. A lot of the decisions we make are made on behalf of our people.”
Those people range from versatile artists, engineers, designers, machinists, salespeople, painters, welders, installers and product managers, as well as licensed crane operators and electricians. Many have been at Paris Signs for 20 years and play critical roles on projects like the restoration of historic signs on Huntington’s Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center and Ironton’s Ro-Na Cultural Center. Restoration jobs are delicate but important to the team and their communities.
“If you look down Third Avenue in Huntington, we’ve done probably 85% of the signs — restored or new — on that street,” Tony says.
His team has launched two websites, parissigns.com and signmonkey.com, and installed high-in-the-sky signage on the West Virginia Lottery building in Charleston. They’ve tackled the large block M markers at the edges of Marshall University’s campus as well as signage for law firms, physicians, dentists, banks, monuments, retailers, restaurants and athletic teams. If a client needs it, the team will take it on, especially if it’s a complex job.
“We consider ourselves creative manufacturers,” Tony explains. “Our technology lets us do more brain work and less physical work.”
Critical to the company’s success are top-notch customer service and the ability to set realistic deadlines. Clients are involved throughout the process so there are no surprises along the way. That’s key because signs are a substantive capital investment, ranging in price from $50 to $300,000 or more depending on the design and installation. Though Paris doesn’t really advertise, word of mouth and a repeat customer rate of 90% have kept the company thriving since 1991. “Our products are our best advertisement,” Tony says.
Even during the pandemic, Paris Signs was busy. With quality products come bigger projects like the stunning metal and stained-glass wall Paris recently manufactured and installed for Huntington’s Mountain Health Arena. On site, the entire structure was installed in one day, just as planned. “We used every skill we have on that one job,” Tony says proudly.
Huntington Mayor Steve Williams is proud of the artistic addition to the city, he says.
“I am so pleased with the new outdoor plaza at Mountain Health Arena and all of the ingenuity and hard work that went into it. The wall installation that Paris Signs created is certainly a focal point of the plaza, which will soon become a vibrant gathering spot for community events. I also envision the wall installation becoming an iconic piece of public art over time that many will associate with our eclectic downtown.”
As a kid Tony always loved making his own money in different endeavors from mowing grass to shoveling snow to painting wooden signs. His hard work and drive ultimately led to 30 years of growth and success. “I could have been just a one-man show and been happy,” Tony says. “But, I have been fortunate enough to find others who want to grow and share this dream and turn it into reality.”
