Let’s face it, nobody wants to go to a hospital. A trip to a medical center usually means an unexpected emergency, a worrisome test, or a visit to a suffering patient. In fact, rarely is it pleasurable, unless the occasion is joyous, such as the birth of a child.
But if you do have to go, the last thing you want to worry about is trying to navigate your way around unfamiliar territory. Thanks to Sandie and Jerry Foland, that process has been made a lot easier. The founders of Baron Sign Manufacturing are responsible for the wayfinding signage at many of South Florida’s hospitals.
As Jerry describes it, “‘Wayfinding’ is directing peoplefoot trafficinside to get to their destination and to return to where they came from; and for vehicular traffic, to be able to find emergency rooms quickly, to find the main entrance, to find parking, in times of duress.
“Medical facilities have a unique situation. They’re not dealing with ordinary circumstances. They’re dealing with emergency circumstances. So the wayfinding signage has to be clear, simple, concise and low maintenance, and that’s what we gear it toward.”
He added that in South Florida, the Spanish population is also taken into consideration. “We have Spanish translations in the interior signs, for our Spanish citizens who don’t speak or read English very well.”
The Folands started Baron Sign Manufacturing in 1983, and in the past 25 years the company has grown from two people to 51. Jerry said they got involved with hospital work when the general contractor for Broward General Hospital asked them to assist in completing the wayfinding signage throughout the new hospital in Fort Lauderdale.
Following the signage for Broward, Baron pitched and received the work for Cedars Hospital recently purchased by the University of Miami, and St. Mary’s Hospital, and Baptist Hospital in Miami, among others.
And because of their quality product, the Folands perform ongoing work for their clients. “Broward Hospital is changing its logo to Broward Health,” Jerry explained, “and we did all the temporary signs and banners that you see around town. We are now slowly starting to change them out, and have given new designs to all the different facilities in Broward County.”
But lest you think Baron Sign Manufacturing only does work for hospitals, and that they just do it locally, think again. Along with hotels and restaurants, Jerry said the company is currently working on four major airportsOrlando, Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami Dadeand “we also do a lot of work in retail. We have national clients. We have a contract with a cell phone company that has us shipping signs weekly to various ports in the Caribbean and South America. So we’re not just a sign company that deals with a local market. We’re multi-faceted. We’ve done work all over the United States and the Caribbean.”
And Sandie commented, “Our expertise also goes to the mixed-use projects.” She added that hospital work “is a specialty division that this company has built. I’d say it’s about 20 percent (of our business) and it’s growing.”
More importantly, Baron Sign is a full-service company. Sandie went on to say, “The key is that we do design/build for both interior and exterior, that we have the full service of designing, permitting, manufacturing, value-engineering, and installation of signage for any facility.” And Jerry added, “We’re a complete design/build company. ‘From concept to completion’ is one of our bylines.”
One thing about being in the sign business is that your work is in front of you practically wherever you go. Jerry agreed. “The sign industry does have that unique capability to day-in-and-day-out remind you of what you did well, and also what you didn’t do so well, and to make sure you do it better the next time. It’s a constant reminder. Every time you pass a sign that gave you a problem for any reason, you think about it, and it’s a self-perpetuating reminder.”
The next time you pass a sign that clearly directs your way, you can be reminded of the Folands and Baron Sign Manufacturing.
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