Today we’d like to introduce you to Tony Nicks.
Hi Tony, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started in the Graphics industry in 2006, At that time we didn’t have any equipment, we had a local sign installer Shane Pentico, helping us get started. He would cut graphics and lettering for us and teach us tricks of the trade. We would install the graphics we got from him for our customers. In 2007 he encouraged us to get our own equipment. In the fall of 2007 we purchased our first plotter that we actually still use today. My youngest brother (Patrick) and I taught ourselves how to design and use the plotter to make simple designs. Over the years we spent a lot of time studying design and taking graphic design classes. we continued for the next decade learning and investing in more equipment and learning other skills like sign building and digital print. Today we service hundreds of customers a year and have expanded to a more industrial audience with contracts with some of the largest companies and school districts in the state.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say that for the most part we had a pretty smooth ride to this point. Obviously like any business there were challenges along the way. One of the most impactful stories I love to tell is from 2011, We started offering printed shirts and had one of our biggest orders we had ever received for a youth football organization. When they placed the order they gave us a list of sizes and we processed the order without any issue and we were so proud that we turned it around so quickly. The day after we delivered them I received a call from the customer and she was so upset that all of the sizes were adult sizes and the shirts were useless to them. That was tough to hear after we were so excited we turned around such a great product. I told here that we just printed what they sent and she said that “we should have know they should all be youth.” I can see where maybe she thought that but she didn’t specify. I told her to give me a minute to see what we could do and I would call her back. I consulted my Dad who had run many businesses and surely had dealt with situations like this. He gave me the best advice I could have ever heard, he said “You have two options, stand your ground and lose the customer on any future work or make it right and earn a customer for life” of course I didn’t want to hear that I wanted a quick fix. I decided that we would eat the cost and reprint the entire order. We took a big loss on that job but My Dad was right, we earned that customer for life and today that same customer not only order signs and banners from us but is one of our biggest supports.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a sign and graphics business first and foremost. We offer custom signs, vehicle wraps and graphics, wall and door wraps and store front graphics. Early in my career we focused solely on vehicles like commercial graphics and striping kits. As we learned how to build signs that tended to become more of what we made and we moved away from a lot of vehicle work. As vinyl vehicle wraps became popular and we learned digital print we started getting back into the vehicle game and offering full packages for businesses with graphics/wraps and store front signage. In recent years we have put a lot of focus on interior wall wraps to bring that branding from businesses vehicles and storefronts inside. I think what sets us apart from others is our Customer focused approach. We have elected to not setup a traditional storefront for ourselves to focus on mobile installs. We have found that going to our customers for installs actually helps us cut down on install times and gets the customer back in business quicker. I am proud of the way my team and myself have built a brand that can stand the test of time and gives back to our community in a big way. We want your readers to now that when you work with us we are building a partnership that we want to last. We are not just looking to make a sale but, we want our customers to be successful because their business is our business. We were recently voted the best of the best sign and wrap shop by Cleburne Times Review which is a testament to the hard work and dedication from our entire team and the relentless support from our community.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t really believe in luck. When times got tough and the weight seamed like too much to handle I turned toward my faith. When big decisions need to be made I turn to my bible for answers. In every circumstance God provided a way and continues to do that for us everyday. We believe that non of this is for us but everything is for him.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.apogeegrafix.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/apogeegrafix/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apogeegrafix
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/apogee-grafix/?viewAsMember=true
- Twitter: https://x.com/ApogeeGrafix
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@apogeegrafix
