Says Ferguson: “We needed a person like Bob to help us jump ahead of curve. “It was a wonderful creative touch that blew me away,” Pham says. Gordon revamped it completely, making the letters looks like they’re actually frozen. Pham, who jokingly claims he does not possess an inkling of creative ability, came to Focal Point with a colorless, flat logo. Gordon’s level of expertise, creativity and talent is clearly illustrated when Focal Point was working on a project for a new Garden Grove company called The Frozen Bar. The two hit off and voila! – they now work side by side and have created one of the most sought-after signage companies in the area. At 63, he was leaning toward retiring and helping his wife with her business. With nearly four decades of experience – and a creative eye to match that knowledge – Gordon could not have stumbled into Ferguson’s life at a better time … or for his life, for that matter.Īfter being in management at a top real estate signage firm that folded under the crush of the 2008 economic crisis, Gordon worked as a consultant for several years. Exhibit B is Bob Gordon, her right-hand man. This is where Focal Point excels and distinguishes itself from the competition.Įxhibit A is Ferguson. The differentiator is what kind of quality are they producing? How eco-friendly are they? What kind of equipment are they using? How much time are they putting into projects? What kind of talent does the company possess? Do they offer serious consultative services? There are custom signage shops out there. For me, the idea of making customized signage to where it’s the only piece like it in the world is quite entertaining, creative and very rewarding.” “We’re a custom shop in the truest sense of the word,” Ferguson says. It’s rare for a signage company to have a consultative approach from a full-design standpoint. “What we can do through digital imaging and signage combined is powerful and almost limitless,” she says. “We also consult on ways to communicate culture and create employee engagement through our large format digital printing capabilities.”Īs Ferguson walks through a client’s office, she will say: “Let’s print your mission statement in vinyl lettering and place it in the conference room and outfit the individual offices with custom dry erase walls that include your core values printed along the border.”įocal Point utilizes etched vinyl to help with privacy for conference rooms by placing - at eye level - a pattern or the company’s logo. “We extend your company brand through actual signage throughout your office space and building,” Ferguson says. Focal Point also addresses ways to communicate the client’s company vision, mission, and core values through digital imaging. “We wanted to provide the best of the best to corporations and small- to medium-sized business who normally wouldn’t receive the kind of consultative approach we take.”įocal Point Signs & Imaging, a five-star rated Yelp company, specializes in what Ferguson calls “on-location branding,” which includes traditional signage, like a reception area lobby sign. “There are retail sign shops that cater to quick turnaround banners and the like, and then there are huge sign companies that cater to large developers and municipalities with quality design at the ready,” she says. She also discovered there was a huge gap in the marketplace. “Having worked in both print and web-based media, the creative aspect to marketing through messaging is attractive to me.” “Signage is advertising and that’s where I spent the majority of my adult life,” she says. She named it Focal Point Signs & Imaging and established it in Costa Mesa, Calif. “I wanted to create a company that would not be so narrowly defined on what we did.Īfter months of deliberation, she made her choice: She decided to launch her own full-service media signage company. “When you look at entering into a franchise agreement, you’re handcuffed on what you can and can’t do because of compliance requirements,” she says. She looked at buying a franchise, but deferred. Luckily, the decade she spent helping to build the largest automotive classified web site in the country had its perks - namely stock options, which afforded her the luxury of launching her own company. WHEN CYNTHIA FERGUSON LEFT HER HIGH-PROFILE POSITION AT A HIGHLY-SUCCESSFUL INTERNET COMPANY, she pondered her future. Few companies possess the consultative approach and the overall talent of Cynthia Ferguson’s high-end sign and imaging firm.īy Rick Weinberg, California Business Journal.
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