David Shields Neon

Another Day in Which To Excel

2012-01-16T06:03:00.000-08:00

Today is Monday......ouch....came way to fast. Gonna spend time in the plant today doing routine clean-up. Perhaps I can feel better about going to work with a new look....When in production, there just is not enough time to clean up as you go. Today then, is another day in which to excel.

Neon - My Escape

2012-01-07T09:46:00.000-08:00

While the neon business has dramatically shrunk over the last two years, it still provides me with some sort of therapy. I really enjoy spending time in my plant piddling. I have never been one to sit still and retirement is something I don't think I will ever be interested in doing. My business model is pretty narrow....I specialize in custom neon signs. In other words, I take your idea and turn it into a reality that glows. I don't keep any stock neon signs. 10 years ago, the neon sign market on Ebay was pretty darn good. I would make signs from scratch and had very little difficulty selling them. Today, I may list 10 signs and not get a bid on any of them. Something has got to change in our economy that will spark folks to spend. Rising fuel costs have drained any extra money from my household and I can't help but believe it has done the same for everyone else.

Marvelous Monday

2012-01-02T03:29:00.000-08:00

While most of the working world get's one more day off, I will begin my new year on the job trying once again to survive the January after Christmas.....geez, what a long month this will be. I hope the economy improves so we can get things back to more solid ground. The Dogs play today at 1:00 against Michigan State....thank goodness for radio....won't miss a snap. Got a number of projects to wrap up today and tomorrow and then I will be pretty much caught up.....not a bad position to be in, but me without stuff to do is not a good thing.

Oh well, here comes the coffee fix. Come on 2012, let's get the party started.

2012.....A Year of Uncertainty

2012-01-01T08:41:00.000-08:00

I started this blog back in July of 2011 with the hopes of updating it daily with news and insight into the wonderful world of Neon. Like most things in my life, my intent was good, but I failed miserabley in keeping it updated. Perhaps I can do a better job of that this year. Let's hope so. My father continues is battle with Lung Cancer and the year couldn't have ended any worse....my 13 year old nephew was diagnosed with AML Leukemia. He just completed his first 10 day cycle of chemotherapy and his first two weeks of a very long hospital stay at Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksoville, Florida. I am praying that he and my dad can both whip this horrible disease.

I begin 2012 like most of you with a short list of resolutions that I will try and keep. My list includes daily exercise of some sort and magnitude.....any would be more than I got in 2011. It also inlcudes just trying to trust God more and quit trying live this life by myself. Seems as though I try and fly solo too many times. I also plan to try and spend more time with my family and to be a better husband and father to two wonderful kids.

I hope all of you have a Happy New Year. May 2012 be the best year yet.

What a Week

2011-07-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

It's been some time since the last post, but thought I would log on tonight and ask anyone who might read it to pray hard for my wife. I have been at the hospital since Friday morning sitting with my wife who was experiencing severe chest pains and very high blood pressure since Wednesday of last week. Never go to the hospital on a Friday because it is like a ghost town.....no doctors around and no procedures take place. Anyway, we are scheduled for several procedures in the morning and are really concerned that we are going to find some blockage that will have to be cleared. Our hospital here does not do open heart surgery here, so if that is the road we have to travel, then we will have to travel somewhere else. I am very worried. Both of my wife's parents died early of heart attacks and her brother has already had to have a stint put in. Got to get some rest.....I have had none this weekend. Pray Hard.

Back to the Grind

2011-07-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well I am back from a week long sabatical in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with the family. I would like to say that I am rested and ready to return to the war zone....but I am not. I could have stayed there a while longer. It was, however, rest for the soul. I think the kids had a good time.....don't know how much fun me and my wife had because we spent all our time entertaining them. Oh well, we made some memories for sure....even got pictures to prove it.

Do you know where you were when the Casey Anthony verdict came down? I was at Nacho Hippo's in Myrtle Beach....a unique Mexican Restaurant with the family....Music was playing loud.....until the verdict was read.....the owners turned off the music and everyone stopped eating and stared at the TV and listened. You could have heard a pen drop....the reaction was shock.....by most....not me, I remembered the OJ verdict.....Someone killed that kid.....but our legal system spared the one charged and I will support it, however, God will bring judgement upon the killer(s)....this is certain.

I will begin preparation tomorrow for the Christmas Neon Rush that generally starts after the 4th of July.

Neonize

2011-07-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Another day at the beach....stress has become secondary to the sound of the waves against the shore. Vacations are good...... Don't get to do it often enough, but the week I get soothes the soul. Got a little sun burned today in the pool......thank goodness I got out and threw the frisbee for a while with my son or I would be sleeping on top of the sheet tonight.

Stopped by a neon shop today and spent a good hour with Gary Johnston of Neon Works http://www.neonworksmb.com/ in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. My son and I passed his shop this morning and then returned for a visit after lunch. Gary was very cordial and we shared some neon stories as I admired his fantastic work. Gary has a vast portfolio of work on the Grand Strand and his shop is responsible for some of the most fantastic neon here. If you are looking to pick up a ready made sign while vacationing in Myrtle Beach, look him up. He has literally a hundred signs hanging all over the place for admiration and for purchase. I really enjoyed seeing how someone else in the business gets it done and he was very helpful to me.

Got a few more days of serenity to go before I return to the war zone and I am going to make sure I enjoy every minute of it.

Comfortably Numb

2011-07-05T20:37:00.000-07:00

Myrtle Beach and Neon applications are the bomb. Wow is the only way I can describe the craftsmanship and originality of the work that illuminates the Grand Strand down here. I will take a lot of pics to share with you tomorrow night. It is simply amazing to me that NEON is king here. Obviously, there are a large number of neon benders down here who do really good work, but the most amazing thing of all is the fact that you don't see any cheezy LED used at all. Frankly, LED would look like horse crap next to real art. Ok....I will quit bashing LED, but it sure comes easy when you can embrace the showcase down here.

Spent most of the day getting settled in on the Grand Strand. Been 8 years since we brought the kids down here and boy do I regret that......lot's to do......lot's of good food......and the fellowship of family rocks. Seems like all we have done today is eat......in fact, just left Fuddruckers and had the best built hamburger this side of the great Mississippi River......as we were riding back to the Condo, the Krispy Kreme light came on and my car jumped the curb....almost killed two stray cats....and my son ran in and scooped up a dozen hot doughnuts.....I whipped into Dunkin' Doughnuts for a 20 oz Coffee and now I lay here Comfortably Numb.

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

Well spent most of the day with the wife and kids zooming around on Lake Murray on ski boats, p'toons, and jet skiis. I must say, watching my fearless daughter race out into the great wide open on the Jet Ski by herself was a humbling experience. She really worried me because she is fearless and carefree. I rode on the back with her once and it was all I could do to hang on. My son on the other hand, reminded me of a Terrepin.....much more cautious and easier on my stomach. Tomorrow and sunrise, we take off for Myrtle Beach for the week.....long overdue indeed. I look forward to seeing all the neon Myrtle Beach displayes with great pride. At least some places still have a passion for the stuff and haven't been bumped out ot the way by the LED guys....Well....gotta scoot....on someone elses 'puter.....http://www.davidshieldsneon.com/

Vacation Time

2011-07-03T06:24:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhhh......the smell and serenity of the ocean awaits me. There is just nothing quite like the feeling I get when I am on the beach. I am totally disconnected from the rat race that I participate in while engulfed in society and the poison it provides......for the next 6 days, I will walk in a steady pace only to the sound of the waves as they splash against God's Earth. Rain or shine, this week is a blessing. If work was a drug, I would have died many years ago. I can't seem to turn off the switch and feel quite certain that if I don't find someway to manage time and delegate better, the grim reaper sits just around the corner. I am in the worst physical shape I have ever been.....perhaps I can begin my time away from chaos with morning walks and exercise and bring this new routine back to the 'cross. Let's hope so.

Neon Signs Sell

2011-07-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt at this blog thing, so here goes.....Neon signs sell. Have for years and years. Despite every attempt to take Neon to the matt, it still stands as the most powerful advertising venue on the planet.
I am a frequint visitor to The Sign Syndicate. I do not post much there, but I read all the time. Topics here have helped me tremendously and I salute Erik and his lovely bride for the time they invested in our future. First, let me say that I am 100% NEON....not half time......not part time.....not even a little.....I am a custom neon sign shop that has gotten fat on doing Channel letters and border tube for the normal everyday....I do everything....sign shop....which most of you guys are.... no problem with that....That stopped three years ago. The rest of my business is focused on custom neon signs. I have lost most of my cheese channel letter jobs to LED. No problem here. In my opinion, big sign companies are probably better off with LED than NEON on channel letters because of the jack asses they have working for them. They break the neon etc.......I do not want to write a long winded editorial, but I do want to say that Neon has been a staple in our economy for many decades.....It has a place and an application. There are some things that LED will not do and there are some things that Neon will not do....My beef comes with the angle the LED manufacurer have taken at me personally. I am living the American Dream. I buy my product from Americans....I build my product for Americans.....and I sell my product to Americans.... I pay taxes on every dime I collect....I can deal with change....change is good.....I have an ex-wife : ) but I want the LED and NEON dudes to call a truce and spend their time on how they can help me rather than how they can hurt each other. Perhaps EGL's announcement will lay the ground work for that to happen..