Client Spotlight: Seven Questions With Lauren Ferraz, Marketing Coordinator From Csl

This is a new project for CSL. I had the pleasure of speaking with Lauren about this huge highway sign, and learning more about this exciting new project.

Question One: Tell me a little bit about yourself! How long have you been with the company? What do you like to do outside of work?

About CSL: Collaborative Structures Limited is a Cambridge based construction services company that was established as a corporation in 2003 by President David Timlock, P.Eng. We provide Construction Management, General Contracting, and Design Build services within the Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional (ICI) sectors across Ontario. Since our inception, CSL has shown significant growth which can be directly attributed to our goal of providing exceptional services to Owners and our commitment to project execution excellence.

About Lauren Ferraz: I am the Marketing Coordinator and have been with CSL for over 3 years. I enjoy exploring nature, spending time with family and friends, and baking.

Question Two: Explain the Hopewell Highway sign project.

CSL is currently completing the construction of two new ‘shell’ buildings in a commercial office complex on North Service Road in Burlington, adjacent to Highway 403 and Walker’s Line. We always erect signage around our project sites, but this prime location presented us with a unique opportunity and a captive audience. As one of Canada’s busiest highways, we took this opportunity to capitalize on the exposure that this project site would afford us. In order to be clearly visible to passing motorists we originally designed the sign to be 32 feet wide by 16 feet high, much bigger than our normal 5 ft by 3 ft construction signs.

Question Three: How were you involved with this project?

I was asked by the Hopewell Project Management Team to create a new construction sign, on a scale we've never attempted before. I worked to scale our usual construction sign template to the new dimensions, and then collaborated with FASTSIGNS on the logistics of creating this GIANT sign (I believe that was the email thread title we worked off of too!)

We went through a few design iterations, based on best practices for the finished product, and settled on a re-designed look, one we have adopted going forward. The original sign was to have a red and green border around it, which FASTSIGNS suggested would be difficult to align when installing the sign, and for a better overall look we should consider a simplified design, still in our branded colours.

Upon approval of the design, the Hopewell Project Management Team submitted an application for a sign permit to the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO), with a full structurally engineered design for installing the sign as well. Our first attempt was denied, as the sign was deemed too large according to MTO guidelines. We scaled down the original sign to 30 ft wide by 14 ft high, resubmitted for approval, and were successful.

On the day of installation a team of Own Force carpenters assembled the sign with the help of heavy machinery.

Question Four: What are some of your highlights of the project so far?

The sign is generating a lot of positive attention and feedback, and has even generated new business for CSL. Businesses in the Burlington area have been contacting CSL with inquires for our services, and other tenants in the commercial complex have inquired about CSL completing tenant fit-outs of their shell buildings.

Question Five: Were there any challenges? How did you overcome them?

Challenge 1: The sign was too big according to MTO guidelines and as such our original application was rejected. This required a quick revision to an acceptable size and then we resubmitted for approval.

Challenge 2: Designing the structural supports for a sign this large required consultation with our Engineers to select a durable yet cost effective solution. Ultimately we agreed upon telephone poles as they could bear the weight and height of the sign, and were readily accessible to us.

Question Six: How did FASTSIGNS help you achieve your goals?

FASTSIGNS worked diligently to understand all aspects of the project to deliver a superior finished product. From project inception the design team worked with me to suggest the best possible graphic layout, as this sign was printed on multiple pieces of paneling, and helped redesign our graphics for a quality finish.

The original design consisted of two thin frames bordering our center graphic, which would have been challenging to align when we installed the sign. By way of their professional expertise, they suggested different options that would still have the same message, look, and feel, but were much easier for the end user and the installation process. This level of care and quality control from the design phase through to the finished product, regardless of size, made this process stress-free.

Question Seven: Is there anything else you want to tell our readers?

If you are in the market for Construction Services, call Collaborative Structures Limited… for your printing needs, call FASTSIGNS.

I really want to say thank you to Lauren. We have been working with CSL now for the past five years and it has been an absolute pleasure.

If you would like to learn more about CSL please check out their website https://www.collaborativestructures.com. If you would like to learn more about FASTSIGNS and everything we do please come and check out our homepage https://www.fastsigns.com/681-kitchener-waterloo-on.