Young entrepreneur gets dollars, signs in his eyes
At age 10, Seth Davis would go door-to-door offering his lawn mower service to any neighbor who would give him a chance.
Back then, the child showed a budding chutzpah, said Mel Kornbluh, the father of one of Davis’ childhood friends.
“He was never afraid of a challenge, never afraid to try anything,” Kornbluh said recently.
That same entrepreneurial spirit has carried over to Davis’ adult career.
As the founder and owner of Urban Sign & Crane Inc., Davis, 28, has managed to break into the regional sign design, fabrication and installation market, with his company reaching gross sales of about $2 million last year.
Three months ago, the 25-employee company relocated into a 28,000-square-foot warehouse on Chestnut Avenue, its third move since Davis opened for business in 2003. Again, Urban Sign & Crane had outgrown its space. These increasing profits and expansions are because of the high-profile clients the company has landed, Davis said, such as the city of Philadelphia, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, and clothing retailers H&M and Aeropostale.“It’s been like a blur,” Davis said of how quickly he’s seen his business grow.
Davis, a graduate of Vineland High School, earned a bachelor’s degree in industrial design from Philadelphia University in 2003.
His first job in the industry was as a draftsman for the Philadelphia Sign Co. in Palmyra, Burlington County. The company, which has done work for Subaru, Commerce Bank and Home Depot, helped Davis understand what goes into designing a sign, building it and getting it installed.
But Davis wanted more.
“Ever since I was young, I always wanted to have my own business,” he said.
He turned to Kornbluh, a mentor and a former boss who once employed Davis to fix bicycles.
Kornbluh agreed to co-sign the loan that allowed Davis to buy his first crane for installing signs. Urban Sign & Crane was on its way up.
Davis’ big break came courtesy of hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, who was planning on opening a second location of his 40/40 Club in Atlantic City in 2005.
Davis had heard about the project and decided to track down the developer. Maybe they needed some help? So he made a cold call - a childhood tactic he had no qualms about using.
The call paid off, but Davis only had a five-week timeframe to work on the sign. It needed dozens of lightbulbs flashing in an ongoing loop.
“We got a lot of work after that sign,” Davis said.
The sign cost about $28,000. In his first year in business, Davis said, his company’s gross sales were about $250,000. This year he expects to reach about $2.5 million.
“He took that business from a very primitive start to a very quick success,” Kornbluh said.
Urban Sign & Crane’s signs run from $3,500 to $100,000.
In Atlantic City, Davis’ company has done work at The Walk and The Pier Shops at Caesars, and it is currently reviewing plans to create the awnings and signs for the upgrade to the 2600 block of the Boardwalk commissioned by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.
Urban Sign & Crane’s touch also can be found in Philadelphia. Last year, the company installed directional and interpretive signs around the city to guide pedestrians.
Davis also has work planned in his hometown of Vineland, where his company has been charged with creating the new sign for the Landis Theater, which is undergoing a $6.5 million makeover.
The original sign - blue and pink and rusted over - has been kept in the parking lot of Urban Sign & Crane. It will be replaced by a new marquee, Davis said.
The projects seem endless.
In a tour of the warehouse, Davis pointed out a circular sign for a shopping center in Pennsylvania. Then he showed off pieces of black aluminum that will spell out the name of the Borgata’s forthcoming hotel - The Water Club.
Davis said he can’t help but appreciate the finished products when they’re up for the world to see.
“It’s nice to see where you start and where you finish,” said warehouse foreman Tom McTighe, supervising another project.