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