8: How Steel Art Built a Top Workplace | Ashley Borell Miner on Leadership, Culture & Sign Shop Growth

Is AI a threat to your sign shop, or just another tool in the toolbox? Joe and Liz cut through the noise after their Sign Builder Illustrated column "Me, Myself and AI" sparked strong reactions in the Behind The Signs community. They explain why AI isn't coming for real design work and where it can save shop owners hours: pulling sign counts from full construction sets, building sales and AR reports, and drafting SOPs, job descriptions and customer emails. You don't have to adopt it to succeed, but you do have to keep up with speed to market.

Public speaking isn't just stages and TEDx talks — it's every time you talk to a client, pitch a job, or coach your team. Joe and Liz break down why simple conversations can trigger real fight-or-flight, where imposter syndrome comes from, and the confidence framework that actually works.

Matt DiSalvatore runs Creative Signs Inc., a second-generation, family-owned sign company in Apopka (Orlando), FL — specializing almost entirely in permitting and installation for national sign companies. In this episode, Matt breaks down the pivot that changed his business, the EOS (Traction) framework he runs the company on, why mentorship is harder to find than it should be in the sign industry, and the story behind one of Orlando's most iconic old signs.

The sign industry has a skilled labor problem — and for decades, there's been no formal education pipeline to fix it. Wendy Graves (Make It Happen Signage Academy) and Christy Ralston (Ivy Tech Community College) are changing that with the first community college sign design and production program, launching August 2025 in southern Indiana.

In Part 2 of our conversation with Victoria Lioznyanski of Brilliant Speaker Academy, we get into the practical side of overcoming public speaking anxiety — and what happens when you finally do.