Clark Signs
Published 5:00 pm Friday, April 14, 2006
Clark Signs puts the “family” in the term “family business.” Seven Clark family members and five other employees currently work at Clark Signs. Founder Dale Clark’s three sons, a brother, and two daughters-in-law are involved in various aspects of the design, accounting, production, and installation of signs throughout the West, and as far east as Oklahoma and Texas. Four generations of the Clark family might be found in the front office of the company’s sign building at any time, engaging in congenial conversation and offering each other bag lunches or afternoon refreshment.
This sign company is known for its crisp and innovative designs, bold colors, historic reproductions, and sturdy construction. Dozens of rolls of bright self-adhesive vinyl, used for various kinds of signs, line the walls of the Clark’s second-floor office, suggesting the creative design and fabrication process that takes place inside the corrugated metal building.
The company uses a wide variety of materials, but signs are often constructed of plastic and metal. Some are illuminated by fluorescent or incandescent bulbs, and/or neon gas tubes placed outside or internally to create backlit signs. LED signs, such as the lower portion of the Liberty Theatre sign that announces changing events at the theatre, have recently become popular and are also produced by Clark Signs.
Although the majority of its signs are designed and installed by company personnel, about 25 percent of the company’s business comes from large sign companies back East that have corporate accounts with organizations such as BP (British Petroleum). Evidence of these corporate accounts can be seen in the huge, crated backlit plastic signs that stand upright outside or repose inside the Clark Signs building.
The embryonic origins of Clark Signs began decades ago in another part of the country. Harold Clark, Dale’s father, was an artist. A native of the rural farming community of Licking, Missouri, he developed great talent painting wildlife, and supported his family by pursuing artistic endeavors.
Inspired by his father’s artistic creativity, son Dale Clark began painting mailboxes at age twelve. After marrying in Missouri, Dale and his wife Patty moved to Oregon in 1969, and started painting signs on Deer Island, Oregon, just west of Scappoose.
At first, Clark hand-painted most of his signs. Later he learned how to construct and install electrical signs. He built backlit fluorescent signs for an early customer, a Portland bottling company.
While slowly building up his sign business, Dale worked at a nearby Boise Cascade mill to support his growing family. In 1976, he had enough customers and income from his sign business to leave Boise Cascade and devote all his time to his own business.
Over the next decade, Clark Signs grew and evolved. Around 1984, Dale’s oldest son, John, began working in the family business. One year later the company moved to its present location. Soon thereafter, Dale’s son, Dave, began working for the company. As the Clark family matured and married, in-laws were added to the company payroll.
Today, all twelve employees at Clark Signs work together under the direction of Dale, to produce and install various signs. Part of the construction might be sub-contracted to other firms. When a sign is completed, it is delivered to its placement site, and the Clark Signs team completes all above and underground installation.
When asked about the success of the business, Dave is emphatic in attributing it to customer care.
“We provide full-service customer care, from start to finish of the entire sign design and installation process,” Dave said.
“Our aim is to have the customer do as little as possible,” Dave explained.
Clark Signs even takes care of all the details of obtaining the necessary permitting for signs, and maintains them after installation.
“Dale’s strong motivation to learn whatever was necessary to move ahead in the sign business has helped the company succeed,” Dave said.
The company has worked to stay current with evolving sign tastes, designs trends, and materials. It has also found ways to broaden its business base by adding corporate accounts to its business mix.
Recently the company bought about fifty billboards, mostly along the Columbia River, where they can be easily maintained. Clark Signs rents these billboards to advertising customers, whose signs they install and maintain.
Complete customer care, Dave claims, is probably the basis of all the good referrals that have kept Clark Signs in business and carried them along for the past thirty years.
