Case Study: Stadium Commons Mixed-Use Development
Huntsville's newest destination for connection, commerce, and community is happening near Wicks Family Field. And Trav-Ad Signs has been invited to help visitors find the retailers, businesses and residents they're looking by creating custom pylon signs and other exterior signage, including channel letters and raceway signs.
Case Study: Adtran
Adtran, an advanced technology company headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama recently invited Trav-Ad Signs to redo outdoor building signs on their 10-story building located in Cummings Research Park, including illuminated channel signs. Trav-Ad originally produced and installed channel letters, also known as dimensional letter signage, for Adtran on a raceway 30-years earlier, using a helicopter to install the channel letters on the top sign band.
Case Study: St. William Catholic Church
St. William Catholic Church, a progressive church located in Guntersville, AL, holds many festivals and activities for their community throughout the year. As part of a multi-faceted renovation project, St. William recently invited Trav-Ad Signs to install a new custom cabinet and Electronic Message Center (Digital Message Center) provide by Optec Displays.
Case Study: Madison Wayfinding
Trav-Ad Signs is grateful for the opportunity to work on this very important project for the City of Madison, Alabama, which allowed us to demonstrate the skills of many of our talented teams, including staff from our design, CAD, fabrication, painting, graphics and installation departments.
Case Study: Wicks Family Field
NSH NEXTCO invited Trav-Ad Signs to design, produce, install, and maintain the majority of exterior signage at the new Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium.
Case Study: Stadium Commons Mixed-Use Development
Opening in late 2025, Stadium Commons is the newest mixed-use development project in Huntsville, Alabama – and it's located within walking distance of Wicks Family Field, another project Trav-Ad Signs created custom signage for. Hattie B's Hot Chicken was the first to open, soon followed by Free People and Ferren Boutique, with many more tenants already committed to this upscale mixed-use development that will eventually include elevated retail, dining, residential, and hospitality offerings in one dynamic, future-focused live-work-play location.
Trav-Ad Signs was proud to be asked by Mr. Wesley Crunkleton, of Crunkleton Commercial Real Estate, the developer of Stadium Commons, to design custom exterior signage, including pylon signs, and other directional signage, with an industrial look in mind. Ms. Sandi Singletary (President, Trav-Ad Signs) was also asked to provide the sign specifications (exhibits) for this location.
Though numerous hurdles had to be overcome, the biggest challenge was identifying a suitable location for us to place our concrete footing at the North Entrance. We were unable to use conventional methods to dig the two necessary holes, so we instead chose to use a Hydro-Vac in order not to disturb any utilities - a very pain staking process. At the end the foundation we poured two poles set with brick anchors (welded in place). The brick was then laid, and the illuminated cabinet was set 30' above grade. The pylon sign is very prominent and enables passing vehicles know what kinds of businesses are located nearby.
For the courtyard entrance to the mall, we created a steel beam arch with illuminated channel letters mounted on a raceway sign.
Many man hours were spent, by numerous Trav-Ad Signs departments, designing, producing, preparing the site, and installing channel letters, cabinets, faces, and raceway signage. We are thrilled to have a hand in this great Huntsville project, including with custom signs for several of the new tenants at Stadium Commons. We also look forward to assisting with two more phases soon to be under development, and with more new tenants that have decided to locate their businesses in this exciting new Huntsville community.
"Trav-Ad Signs made opening my first store super easy! They had a very straightforward process and were easy to get in touch with if I had any questions. The sign itself is absolutely gorgeous, and the timeline they gave me was followed to perfection. I am so happy with the final product and will definitely recommend Trav-Ad for any type of sign."
Thank you,
Madison McFerren
Ferren Boutique
Case Study: Adtran
Adtran, an advanced technology company headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama recently invited Trav-Ad Signs to redo outdoor building signs on their 10-story building located in Cummings Research Park, including an illuminated channel sign. Trav-Ad originally produced and installed channel letters, also known as dimensional letter signage, for Adtran, on a raceway, 30-years earlier, using a helicopter to install the channel letters on the top sign band.
Because of the growth at the Redstone Arsenal United States Army base, the Adtran building is now in the active flight path of landing Armed Forces aircraft, making it necessary to come up with an alternative method to using a helicopter to install the exterior building sign. A large hydraulic crane, which had to reach over the building in two locations, was used for the custom channel letter sign installation. The operator worked blindly, aided only via two-way radio. The outcome, though no small feat, was done very successfully.
The aluminum channel letter size was 5' tall and more than 16' wide. All the acrylic faces had to be routered, and all letters were hand-formed, painted, and assembled at our Huntsville, Alabama signage facility. This custom signage project took only two weeks to bend, form, add LED, and install - the entire Trav-Ad fabrication team had a hand in the creation of this hi-rise backlit channel letter sign, as well as a 2-sided monument sign, which was handled flawlessly by the Trav-Ad Signs design, graphics, fabrication and installation teams.
Many hours were spent planning the logistical aspect of this project because of so many moving parts. As you'll see in the video we could not have asked for a prettier day – no clouds and very little wind. In the end it was a great project with a successful installation that took nine hours to completely install all 3 outdoor custom building signs using multiple cranes and a lot of experienced and talented manpower.
"Job well done by Trav-Ad Signs on the fabrication and installation of three LED building signs. The installation was completed in just one day, and everyone was impressed with the refreshed, rebranded look of the Adtran Holdings corporate headquarters. The Trav-Ad team excelled at communication, planning, and execution, and they were a pleasure to work with. I look forward to partnering with them on future projects."
- Thanks,
Bryan Taylor,
FMP
Facilities Manager
Construction and Improvements
Adtran, Inc.
Case Study:
St. William Catholic Church
St. William Catholic Church, a progressive church located in Guntersville, AL, holds many festivals and activities for their community throughout the year. As part of a multi-faceted renovation project, St. William recently invited Trav-Ad Signs to install a new custom cabinet and Electronic Message Center (Digital Message Center) provide by Optec Displays.
Our more than 50 years of experience was certainly put to the test for this project, due to the requested location of the EMC and the importance of not impeding foot and auto traffic on a busy commercial street. Of course, it was just as important to not break or damage any curbs or sidewalks.
By effectively using cranes, and several installers, Trav-Ad Signs was able to seamlessly maneuver around numerous obstacles. You'll see in the accompanying video how the Trav-Ad team dug a hole for the footer, laid the foundation, and installed the pole designed to hold the custom cabinet and digital signage display, in place. When this project was completed, the LED sign fit perfectly into this space. Prior to installation, Trav-Ad custom designed and fabricated this electronic message board from aluminum produced to size to ensure a perfect fit and painted a custom color to complement the aesthetics of St. William Church.
Trav-Ad Signs has a lot of experience creating exterior building signs, and interior signs, for places of worship like the St. William Catholic Church, and considers projects like these keys to our continued growth and success. Though this particular EMC project was one of the most challenging so far, we believe our fabrication and installation team contributed to making this project a great success. Thank you to the team at St. William for inviting us to be part of your exciting multi-faceted renovation project.
Case Study:
Madison Wayfinding
Trav-Ad Signs is grateful for the opportunity to work on this very important project for the City of Madison, Alabama, which allowed us to demonstrate the skills of many of our talented teams, including staff from our design, CAD, fabrication, painting, graphics and installation departments.
Under the guidance of Joel McWhorter, President & Creative Director for the McComm Group, and with the important support and cooperation from Ms. Mary Beth Broeren from the City of Madison, and Ms. Sandi and Ms. Charlene from Trav-Ad Signs, 30 different signs were designed, produced, and installed throughout the historical City of Madison over a 6-month period.
One major hurdle the team had to overcome was determining how to place some of the wayfinding signs in locations where, because of strategically placed utilities, we were not allowed to dig. Thanks to the cooperation from the City of Madison, alternative locations were approved.
The construction of the wayfinding signs required the use of heavy gauge sheets of aluminum to be routed to a unique shape, and then, in most cases, the welding together of two sides. Once this was completed the signs were readied for paint (special color), and the application of vinyl. The signs were then affixed to ornate poles that had decorative caps. Each sign took multiple hours to produce and install.
We are so appreciative that professionals from the City of Madison, and the McComm Group, were willing to make multiple visits to the Trav-Ad Signs facility in Huntsville, Alabama to triple check colors, fonts, and sign configurations, ensuring everything was exactly as intended.
Because of the addition of these beautiful and functional new wayfinding signs throughout the historical downtown district, it is now so much easier for visitors and residents to quickly locate various points of interest the City of Madison knows they would like to explore.
"The staff at Trav-Ad Signs are wonderful to work with. They were responsive and timely in addressing customer needs and approached this project as a partner with the City of Madison, and our design consultant. The pride in the work the Trav-Ad Teams have is evident, and they were committed to ensuring a quality product. The City is very pleased with the positive feedback it has already received about wayfinding signs that have been installed to-date." Thank you, Mary Beth."
- Mary Beth Broeren,
AICP Director of Development Services
City of Madison, Alabama
"It's exciting and rewarding to see the City of Madison wayfinding signage being installed. The response has been positive all around. We've received several compliments on the design, and on the quality of the fabrication. Our goal is to always exceed our client's expectations, and Trav-Ad Signs has helped us meet that goal.
I wasn't surprised that Trav-Ad Signs turned out to be great partners with the McComm Team in resolving location and fabrication challenges. They were flexible and resourceful with their engineering advice and hands-on knowledge. It was also a huge benefit to see a full-sized wayfinder installed in their shop before any were placed in the field. Many thanks, Trav-Ad! Talk soon."
- Joel McWhorter,
President & Creative Director,
McComm Group
Case Study:
MLS Next Pro is bringing professional soccer to
Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville, AL.
NSH NEXTCO invited Trav-Ad Signs to design, produce, install, and maintain the majority of exterior signage at the new Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium, including:
- Channel signs on the raceway, with each channel letter formed by hand
- Push-through acrylic cabinets that had to be precisely cut on an overhead router
- Outdoor Signs and letters wired with LED's in place
- Multiple outdoor building sign locations that required vinyl signage applications to be applied during rainy season
Challenges were many, including a head-spinning turnaround time. The installation team also had to deal with height and location challenges for some of the exterior building signs; an abnormally long distance from power for some of the digital signs that required retro fitting; incorporating old fashioned ingenuity to work around the fact that no heavy equipment was allowed to enter the field during installation time; and the importance of a strict adherence to OSHA rules. With respect to the application of vinyl signs, the project occurred during the Huntsville, AL rainy season, so conditions were constantly changing, and applying vinyl, which is tricky even when the weather is perfect, is an altogether different task when wet, and dry, and wet, and dry, etc. Just about every night that the Trav-ad team was set-up to apply vinyl wall signs it would pour down rain, so swamp fans had to be used to keep the walls completely dry. Ken, the project manager, did a great job keeping all the moving parts together. Communication was the real key to success, as there was no time for errors, or for do-overs.
When it was all said and done, a significant amount of man, and woman, hours went into making sure the stadium would open on time. And every aspect of the Trav-Ad played a key role – design/graphics (who worked many late nights to ensure everything came together), fabrication, project management, and installation. The combination of experience, talent, hard work, sacrifice, and the rolling up of sleeves, by everyone, made it all happen. Sure it was challenging. And, in the end, it was also very, very rewarding, with the raucous sharing of many compliments, and many congratulations.
"Trav-Ad Signs has been a strong performer on any job I've used them for.
When Nashville SC asked me who they should contract to work on their signs for Joe Davis Stadium I did not hesitate to recommend Trav-Ad above all others. Not only does Trav-Ad perform well on projects, but on two occasions they've been brought in to assist when other sign fabricators could not perform well, or meet deadline requirements. Such was the case at Joe Davis Stadium. With only a few weeks before opening day, Trav-Ad stepped up to the plate and provided design and installation of several large signs that another sign company could not handle; and had them operational by game time. Trav-Ad crews were responsive, and communicated well, keeping everyone informed. Two people in particular, Sandi Singletary and Ken Comer, always made it a point to ask questions, and were great about letting the design team know if there was a better way of doing things in order to make the job better. Both provided a level of care that is hard to come by in today's uncertain construction world.
It is obvious that Trav-Ad provides quality work. And they go above and beyond to deliver their work when they say they will. I will continue to support Trav-Ad Signs as a team member whenever the opportunities arise."
- Robert Mercer
Senior Architect / Design Director
Chapman Sisson Architects
Case Study: Movable Billboards
Over a 20 hour period vinyl graphics were applied to the front and back surface of each of these forty different 150 pound boards, which were then rolled into place and set up along the sidelines.
"As is often the case in this industry, Trav-Ad Signs was given a very tight schedule for design and construction of the signage for our Wicks Family Field at Joe Davis Stadium project. They not only met those challenges, but we awarded them additional scope based on their performance."
- Mr. BRENT BEARDSLEE
VP with CAA ICON
Please check back often for future case studies from Trav-Ad Signs.
