Back to business
With over nine decades of operational experience, stevensE3 ― often known as Stevens Signs & Displays locally ― has the knowledge and solutions to get you back to what you do best: selling your product or service
THE 93-YEAR HISTORY of London, Ontario-based stevensE3 has seen the company grow and change constantly, evolving from a sign-painting company founded as way to pay for a university education at Western in the 1920s, to building trade show booths in the 1940s and ‘50s, to international exhibits and government pavilions in the 21st century. Change has never been a bad word with the Stevens family.
And then came Covid-19. “We went from 37 employees to less than ten almost overnight,” says Cam Stevens, the current president and third generation leader of the company. “On about the 12th or 13th of March, everything wound down to nothing. Trade shows just… stopped.”
So, the company — which grew from Stevens’ grandfather’s sign-painting shop into a multinational exhibition company — turned towards its own roots, sensing that whatever was to become the new normal, it would probably require some signage.
“Our signage division has the ability to produce many different graphic applications,” explains Rachel Stevens, a fourth generation family member, “so what we did was look to our own customer base to see how we could help them work through the challenges they were facing, and developed a website to make it easy for them to select what they needed.”
The stevensE3 Get Back to Business Safely Online Store makes it easy to source physical distancing solutions
By now, those solutions are familiar features of the economic landscape: floor stickers to promote physical distancing, banner stands, directional markers, doorknob decals and sneeze guards, seemingly placed everywhere and anywhere.
For a business wondering when, or how, they’ll be ready to open, it looks like a lot of moving parts, and stevensE3 has responded with Back to Business Kits — pre-assembled packages of messaging that can get your shop open easily and make it safer for customers and employees alike. They can even customize product colours to match your business branding.
“You get directional messaging, signage, washroom decals,” says Cam Stevens. And the list continues — sneeze guards, custom stickers, and so on. Everything you need to get your business operating safely.
Back to Business Kits are pre-assembled and contain everything you need to get back to business safely
Whether you need a few decals, a basic Back to Business Kit or a more custom option, stevensE3 is ready to handle it. “We’ve come up with some standard packages, but we also design custom ones or people can build their own online,” Rachel Stevens says.
And they’ve made it easier than ever to get your hands on their products. Shortly after the pandemic hit, the company launched their Get Back to Business Safely Online Store, making a complete back-to-business setup no further than a few clicks away.
As the economic reopening continues, Cam Stevens recommends that businesses take an outsider’s view of their own work environment and think about what both customers and employees might need in order to feel safe.
“Any customer-facing facility that needs to manage their clients will need to have some awareness signage,” Stevens advises. “But it’s more than that as well. You have to have accountability to your employees, making them aware and comfortable that they are looked after. It’s second nature to walk through your building, so having awareness messaging makes you think, ‘When was the last time this doorknob was sanitized?’”
Reminder signage for keeping a safe space and good hygiene are an essential part of protecting employees and patrons
For stevensE3, managing the pandemic meant pivoting, at least temporarily, from a global focus to one that is decidedly more local. And that is just fine with Stevens.
“We’re a four-generation company, and I think that longevity shows,” he says. “You can’t make graphics for 100 years without a track record of satisfied customers. We are a family business, and we try to make it easy for our clients.”
If you are looking to reopen your shop or business but aren’t quite sure where to start, stevensE3 has you covered. Check out their Back to Business Kits, the Get Back to Business Safely Online Store or contact the company directly for more information.