At INTERSIGN, it’s a privilege to help customers with all of their signage needs. No matter if you’re outfitting signs for a room or trying to cover an entire building, we’ve got you everything that you need. Mike Kelly is one of our VPs of National Accounts that helps make this happen, working mainly with long-term care and other healthcare facilities through our Intersign.com brand. In this blog post, Mike shares a little bit about himself, his job and responsibilities, and interesting sign-related tidbits.
Q: Where are you originally from? And where do you live now?
Mike: I was born at Travis Air Force Base in California, but as the son of an Air Force Officer, I moved around a lot. Currently, home for me is definitely Knoxville, Tennessee, so go Vols!
Q: How long have you worked with the sign industry? And/or with INTERSIGN?
MK: I’ve worked in the sign industry for about 20 years, with 1999 to 2008 being for INTERSIGN. After that, I took a sabbatical for a couple of years before returning to INTERSIGN in 2011.
Q: What does a normal day as a sales rep look like?
MK: There isn’t really a “normal” day, and that’s part of what I love about my profession. Some days involve helping my clients understand what their options are and what they need for regulation. This includes conversations over the phone, by email, in-person, or lately, Zoom. Interacting with our team of Sign Artisans is key part to ensuring that everything runs smoothly, be it quoting a new build or renovation to making sure everything arrives as needed. One of the great things about working with INTERSIGN.com is we know things are just getting started when a customer places their first order. Myself and others are here to help for when you need to figure out the details of a previous order or understand new sign regulations. It is my job to be the sign expert so my customers do not have to be.
Q: What’s the best part of your job?
MK: The people, the people, and the people. I work with the best team ever and have a great group of customers from all over the country. These past 18 months has shown me there is nothing my customers will not do to be there for their patients and residents.
Q: What’s one thing professionals don’t often know about signs?
MK: They usually don’t realize how much easier the whole process is if you work with knowledgeable professionals like INTERSIGN.
Q: If you had unlimited money and could go anywhere for a week, where would you go and why?
MK: I would go anywhere with sand, clear water and warm temperatures.
Q: What advice would you give to someone looking to enter the signage biz?
MK: You should understand your customers’ business and be eager to help them find solutions.
Q: Trade shows are back, so why should professionals consider attending?
MK: Professionals should attend trade shows/conferences because nothing beats face to face interaction and the ability to touch and feel our products to see the quality achieved by our Sign Artisans.
(Throughout an ordinary year, our family of companies attend several trade shows.)
Q: What was your best inflight experience?
MK: As bad as it sounds, my best travel experience was right after 9/11. There were only a handful of passengers, so the airlines and hotels made everything first class. It was good to contribute, in a small way, to getting the country back to any kind of normalcy.
Thanks, Mike, for sharing more about what it’s like to work at INTERSIGN! We’d like to than you for serving as such a knowledgable and trustworthy signage resource for our partners within the healthcare industry, particular those who work in long-term care. If you have upcoming signage needs, you can reach out to Mike or any of our other sales reps on our Contact Us page.
Want to work with awesome sign artisans like Mike, Dyta, and our ever-growing sign army? (Well, of course you do!) Apply for one of the open positions at our parent company!