Most signs begin the same way.  Someone has an idea or an image, of how they would like their business to be perceived.  Some people sketch designs on cocktail napkins, some people spend hours with software packages they barely know how to use.  Dave Becker of Wheeling Auto Center chose a different approach.  He called his marketing company and his sign company together to meet with him, and together, a design began to take shape. For many years, Dave had wanted a sign that reflected his business.  Modern equipment, up-to-date support systems, progressive marketing campaigns, and first class service has been their standard, yet their sign looked tired and dated.  Finally, after numerous meetings with the local government, Wheeling Auto Center was able to move forward and the project started. During the design meetings, several requirements were established from the onset.  Since their business philosophy is forward-thinking, their sign needed to have a modern feel to it. Wheeling Auto has a great logo and they use it throughout their marketing pieces.  It was important to include his logo and have it be prominent in any sign design.  The changing seasons in Chicago call for different types of service reminders.  A changeable letter area would be a great way to accomplish this task.  And lastly, it needed to be illuminated.  Why have the sign "working" only during the daytime? After several sketches and tweaking of materials and color schemes, we were ready to present our design to the Village of Wheeling for approval.  After including a landscaping plan that included a stone wall and ground plantings, the Village granted approval for us to begin fabrication. After several weeks, installation day had arrived.  We had to bring in the "heavy equipment".  The sign, with the support poles weighed in at about 600 pounds.  Digging the holes, placing the sign in place, filling the holes with concrete took about half the day.  The last task was to have our licensed electrician connect the electricity, and the new Wheeling Auto sign was operational.  What was the first message Dave placed on his new sign? "NEW SIGN SAME GREAT SERVICE"