Hello readers!

Welcome back to Meet the Makers, a series that takes a playful, engaging approach to showcasing the personalities and expertise of sign pros while staying rooted in the signage industry.

Each feature highlights a different sign professional, sharing their favourite projects, industry insights, and fun stories.

This week, we feature Erik Houde, vice president of the Sign Association of Canada and president and co-owner of PM Signs Corporation in Edmonton, Alta. With more than two decades of industry experience, Houde’s journey began in business development at Neon Contractors in Calgary, later overseeing the Edmonton sales office. After a stint as general manager at Electra Sign, he joined PM Signs in 2015, becoming president a year later. Known for his steady hand under pressure, Houde excels at leading teams through tight timelines, material shortages, and shifting client needs. Former president of the Alberta Sign Association, Houde shares anecdotes, inspiration, and advice from his fulfilling life in signs.

What’s your sign superpower?

Simply put: Steady in the storm. No question, my superpower in the market is our team. The skill or trait I feel is my sign superpower is being steady in the storm.

In my early days, I worked extensively in busy restaurant kitchens—flying orders, meal timing with other stations and staff, etc. It was high pressure most nights, and it was easy to figure out that if the leader panics, everyone else does too. I quickly learned how to prioritize, focus, and keep the team steady, no matter what happens.

I’ve found over the years that this approach has served me well and relates well to the signage industry. Whether it is managing multiple projects on tight timelines, supply disruptions, staffing concerns, or managing customer expectations, a steady voice speaks louder in most situations.   

What’s the most challenging project you’ve worked on?

From 2018 to 2019, we worked on converting more than 70 Loblaws’ gas bars into the Mobil fuel brand throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan.

The scope of work was fairly straightforward. De-brand the existing canopy fascia, manufacture the new cladding, panels, and word marks, along with the downlighting, along with a few fascia cabinets. We were initially handed a few sites to do in Alberta, with the potential of a few more down the road. As we completed one site, more sites kept coming in. Then the offer to take on Saskatchewan came in, and we thought, sure, why not? Along with our manufacturing facility in Saskatoon, we were able to manufacture the components for the program strategically, then kit, crate, and ship the sign packages to the site.

At the height of the rebrand effort, we completed up to five stations per week and pulled installation crews from all over the Prairies to help us out. We managed through scope changes, material shortages, spec changes, and customer lead times to complete these locations in a relatively short timeframe—oh yeah, and we had other clients to take care of as well. PM Signs had its start servicing the Petroleum sector, but this was a scale we had not experienced previously. At the end of the day, there were a lot of lessons learned, the program was a success, and our team made it happen.

What’s your favourite sign or sign system you’ve created?

There have been more than a few cool projects we have worked on over the years, from installing the Wayne Gretzky statue at Rogers Place to some big fish cabinets for a recent rebrand. One that sticks out for me is the Premium Outlet Collection at the Edmonton International Airport, adjacent to Hwy 2. This project stands out not only because of the number of signs but also because of the variety of sign types, which allowed us to showcase what our team can do.

We worked initially with the developer and construction company to consult on various aspects of the project, including the logistics of their marquee “Hollywood” sign and to develop a sign system for the building that allowed signs to be swapped out without damaging the mall exterior. We manufactured the complete exterior, interior wayfinding, pylons, and marquee signs for the developer, totaling more than 300 individual signs manufactured in our Edmonton shop.

Highlights of the project included six pylons, a Hollywood-inspired sign featuring 1.82 m (6 ft) tall front and halo illuminated letters painted faux rust, six 3.04 m (10 ft)-tall exterior building letters painted faux rust, 14 illuminated interior hanging tenant directories, and many others.

If signage could talk, what’s the funniest thing a sign has ever ‘said’ to you?

“Welcome Home!!!” If you spend enough time in the sign industry, you eventually bring some work home with you. In my case, it is a 1,828.8 mm (72 in.) illuminated Jollibee sign hung proudly in my garage. Long story short, it was a minor logo update, which moved an antenna 76.2 mm (3 in.), and meant a sign redo, and I had a special place for this old one.

However, I must admit that the installation of this sign was not preapproved by the other person I share the garage with, a.k.a. my wife, and it is still a contentious issue. If anyone reading this gets a phone call to uninstall a Jollibee sign in a garage, please do me a favour and give me a heads up.

What’s the one piece of signage advice you wish everyone knew?

My number one piece of advice for anyone is to get involved. Get involved with what is going on around you, get involved in your company, get involved in your community, get involved in a board, get involved in coaching or mentoring…. just get involved.

Getting involved has provided me with countless personal and professional opportunities over the years—opportunities to grow, opportunities to learn, and opportunities to give back. I’ve sat on several boards over the years, held various roles within youth sports organizations, and had the privilege of coaching both my daughters over the years through Ringette and Fastball.

I have found that through getting involved, you end up around a table, in a room, or with people you would otherwise never find yourself with. You get to experience different people’s working styles, people’s learning styles, and communication styles. It will teach you a lot about yourself in the end, making you a more valuable team member and effective leader.

Here’s to celebrating the industry’s creative minds! See you next time. 

Follow Erik Houde on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erik-houde-33773427/?originalSubdomain=ca