Our Community 2020 | Page 21

appreciation and we loved that, so we kept rolling out with more signs.” Those smiles were important, they said, because Hall of Fame and its sister companies — Sunset Funeral Home and Trigard Memorials — serve the funeral industry. All three businesses are under the umbrella of Greenwood, Inc. Also, the staff of more than 100 employees at the three businesses — who have been working through the crisis — have benefited from the outreach. “We noticed a more positive morale in our businesses because they knew we were supporting them and other essential workers in the community,” Ethan said. “I believe they are proud to be a part of our team.” Thus, the free signs were a win-win for everyone. Greenwood, Inc. got its name out in the community more, and the community was able to send a positive message. While Hall of Fame was giving out free signs, the Darbys started hearing that graduations were getting canceled, and that was heart-breaking. Ross said, “We knew family members and schools would still need ways to recognize those graduates, so we started showing people some creative ways to give their graduates some sort of sendoff. “Our social media and web traffic during this time allowed us to push this message to a larger audience, and we have produced signs for hundreds of graduates.” Because of in-person restrictions, signage has become increasingly important to send messages during this crisis, Ethan said. Businesses and consumers need to communicate without face-to-face interaction. Before the pandemic, signs were fun. Now, they’re a necessity, he said. “Whether you want to let everyone know what your business’ new rules are or you want to recognize a graduate, we want to help our community send positive messages during a negative time,” he said. Hall of Fame also produces safety signs for businesses, such as reminding customers and staff to stay 6 feet apart. In fact, the company is having a 10 percent SUSAN JOY MCKINNEY/COMMERCIAL-NEWS A display case shows off examples of signs made by the Hall of Fame sign shop. sale on those signs through September. Hall of Fame and its two sister companies, like other businesses, have had to adjust to a quickly evolving situation. At one point, its management team was meeting daily to come up with internal guidelines, as well as those to deal with the public. Ross said, “We were pleasantly surprised that no matter how often we adjusted, our team members and the public have been understanding and patient. The general understanding that we are all in this unprecedented time together has been extremely encouraging.” Greenwood, Inc.’s goal is to continue to serve customers while keeping employees as safe as possible. When possible, employees work from home. “We are rotating shifts and spreading people out to keep as few team members in our buildings as possible,” Ethan said. “We are requiring masks and we have a dedicated disinfection schedule.” Ross noted that this is a scary time for small, family-owned businesses. “Luckily, we had already been exploring digital channels for advertising and messaging. Our challenge was to take the foundation we had already built and expand upon it,” he said. To interact with customers, the staff relies on websites, Facebook, phone calls and other alternative methods of communication. “Our team has been amazing at adapting,” Ross said. Looking ahead, Ethan said, “I hope we can look back and say that we did everything we could to provide a safe work environment for our team members. “We have made many tough decisions, and we have always tried to keep the financial well-being and health of our team in the forefront. “I hope in a year from now, we will have an even stronger relationship with our family of employees.” Hall of Fame manufactures its products on Kimball Street. The business provides plaques, trophies, awards, signs, banners, and more to the local community and the entire country. It has provided products for businesses such as Disney World and the NASCAR Hall of Fame. There are 20 employees at Hall of Fame Plaques. Especially related to the COVID-19 situation, Ross said Vermilion County has been “absolutely wonderful to our family and businesses. “Whether someone is buying a sign from us or trusting us with their loved one when a death occurs, we are so blessed to be a part of such a supportive and tight-knit community. Our customers are loyal, and they shop local. “It doesn’t get any better than that,” he said. OUR COMMUNITY 2020 21