It all started with Brookville Local Schools. One of our employees lives there and wanted a yard sign for her daughter, who was involved in sports. Being a part of the Athletic Boosters, our employee made a mutually beneficial deal with them: for every custom yard sign purchased ($20 each), Awards of Excellence would donate back $5 to the boosters. That meant that if just 5 signs were purchased, the boosters would get $25 in donations. It was a hit!

We put the custom-designed signs on our website and went from there. But it didn't stop at Brookville. It went on to Eaton. Then New Paris National Trail Blazers saw the Eaton signs and wanted their own. The idea spread. This project has brought communities together in support of youth athletics and extracurricular activities, like band and color guard, and we could not be happier about it!

If you'd like your schools to get involved, contact us.

We love when customers bring in unique pieces for us to engrave. Well, love might be a strong word. We should say, it challenges us, and we like a challenge.

Recently, a customer brought in handmade serving trays. Someone took planks from an old barn and made a border around them to create the trays. Then, they brought them to us to engrave. Well, see for yourself how it went:

These kinds of artisan pieces really inspire us to create our own new products, especially for the holidays. Below are some ideas we've had, including custom snowflake ornaments, dry erase boards, acrylic awards, and print marketing materials.

The ornaments and acrylic awards were crafted by us; all we started with was a sheet of acrylic. The rest were designed and produced in shop.

We hope these pieces inspire you to create!

After much deliberation, we finally have ballpark prices for vinyl vehicle wraps to give you! These prices are based on type of car and how long it takes to apply the vinyl. Our exact prices will be similar, but also take into account the quality of vinyl and colors you want. As always, if you want a quote, you can fill out a form here, call us at 937-296-0704, or email us.

When I heard that September is National Little League Month, I got excited. See, I'm from a baseball family. My parents played throughout their childhood and into college, my sister played from age 9 through college, and I played throughout high school and umpired the intramural league at my college. This doesn't begin to mention the shrine my mom set up for the Cincinnati Reds, or the obsession my sister had for the Atlanta Braves in the 90s, or how exciting it was to live in Kansas City when the Royals won the World Series a few years ago.

I still have all my certificates, plaques, trophies, and medallions from participating, winning tournaments, and setting records. I consider these personal achievements of hard work, practice, and love of the sport. Conveniently, I now work at a place that offers these items to the next generation of baseball athletes.

The fact is, I love the game, and I don't even begin to compare to Little Leaguers. If I love it, they breathe it. I played softball during waking hours; they play baseball in their sleep. Worldwide, 2.4 million kids play Little League baseball/softball. It's played in all 50 United States and in more than 80 other countries. That's a lot of baseball! Even celebrities (John Krasinski, Elizabeth Banks, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, to name a few...) grew up playing Little League.

Why is this? Maybe it's the strategy involved in the game. Perhaps it's the adrenaline rush that comes with hitting a line drive. It could be the quality time spent with friends who also love the game. For whatever reason, this game has become almost legendary.

So, if you are one of the diehards, welcome! Have a fantastic month of celebration of the Great American Pastime!

We do a lot of banners. We had been making them before, but since our vinyl services through AEgraphics were improved, we can now offer you a lot more, quicker. So what are your options?

Color
Full-color: This means exactly what it says; we can use all colors on the banner at once.
Front & Back: Technically, this is two banners attached back-to-back to make a front & back banner.
One-sided: This is when we only print on one side of the banner.

Material
Vinyl: A high-quality, durable, flexible plastic. Can be made to be weather-resistant.
Canvas: A durable, weather-resistant cloth that has a rough texture. Typically, 17mil.
Fabric: 9oz. premium polyester fabric that is usually meant for indoors.
Mesh: A material that has tiny holes in it to allow for airflow, reducing the risk of tearing.
Matte: A surface with no shine.
Glossy: A shiny  and smooth surface.
Hemmed: This is where the sides of the banner are folded over to reduce thread tearing.
Not hemmed: The sides are not folded over and occasional threads may come loose. Handling with more care might prevent this.

Display Abilities
With stand: We have several different stand options (supported on sides, from top to bottom, bottom to top, from behind, etc.), but the banner will have to be a specific size to fit with each stand.
Grommets at corners and/or every couple feet: These are metal ring eyelets placed in the banner so that hanging from rope will prevent ripping the actual banner fabric. We can place them at the corners only or every couple of feet.
Pole pockets: These are little pockets at the corners of banners that support a pole being inserted into them.

Size
Any size up to 9' x 30' (the material options for huge banners is limited).

So now that all the options have been put out there, where do you order? You can do it 3 ways:

1. Fill out the form on our AEgraphics page.
2. Go to our Banners/Signage page.
   
3. Click the "Shop" button below.
   

Your employees do a lot (hopefully)!The last thing you want to do is make them feel unappreciated or unwanted (see above picture for realistic scenario), but you're having trouble finding a way to let them know how vital they are to the company. A gift is always nice, but here are some other ways to boost their morale:

• Feed them - This is probably an obvious suggestion, but it's a fact of life that people like food. It can be little snacky things, lunch, dessert, or even candy. Just make sure that your employees enjoy the kind of food provided.
• Encourage fitness FREE - Whether it be an optional walk, exercise perks with insurance, workout equipment (like a yoga ball instead of a desk chair), or on-site fitness classes, keeping healthy and fit encourages employees and improves workplace energy.
• Send Thank You cards FREE - It may be a little old-fashioned, but Thank You notes for a job well done go a long way. At times, employees can question whether what they are doing makes a difference at all, so a hand-written note validating them will boost their morale and make them feel valued.
• Have a work-from-home day FREE - If it is feasible for your line of work, hold a work-from-home day once per month or quarter. Email, Slack, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, Basecamp, and other programs make it much more possible to keep employees accountable and productive.
• Celebrate with employees FREE - Knowing a little about each others' personal lives is inevitable when working side-by-side every day, so when an employee achieves something great (running a marathon, having a baby, graduating an educational program, buying a house...), find a way to celebrate with them. This acknowledges that they are more than just their office title.
• Hold a Staff Appreciation day - This can be simple or elaborate, but having a designated day to show appreciation to your employees can mean a lot. During the day, you can provide lunches/smoothies, games, encouraging notes, gift cards, awards, and/or other things.
• Recognize birthdays and work anniversaries FREE - Even if it's just with a hand-written card, acknowledge your employee's day of birth and work anniversary. Some people may not have many friends outside of work, so this little gesture can be really meaningful.
• Customize the appreciation to the employee - Every person has different interests, so figure out those interests and reward each employee accordingly. Does your employee like to read? Get them a book or Kindle gift card. Do they like sports? Get them merchandise from their favorite team. Do they love music? Give them concert tickets. You get the idea. This will add a supremely personal touch to the appreciation you'd like to show.
• Beautify the workspace - Add flowers, books, pillows, wall art, or more color to the workspace to increase comfort and decrease stress. This simple change will allow your employees to see that you care about their work environment.
• Ask employees their opinions FREE - It is the worst feeling in the world to feel unheard. Battle this by asking the opinions of your employees. This can be what they think about staff appreciation ideas, work culture, marketing plans, consumer reports, products, or even benefit plans. And you need to actually listen and consider their thoughts; the point is to make them feel like they are being heard.
  

If a gift or award is the way you want to go, here are a couple of items deserving of a shout-out:

We've partnered with J.D. Legends for a few projects, so our contact, Wasfi, wanted to make a video tour of our shop. We were told to dress a little nicer than normal because we might be interviewed. We did. However, some of us did not realize the format of the video.

It was a Facebook Live video, and we found this out 2 minutes before going live!

Hearts suddenly pounding.
Straightening outfit.
Smoothing hair.
Checking teeth.

"And we're live..."

Each of us were interviewed in turn about our specialties within the shop: Kerri with vinyl, Tyler with management, and Danielle with marketing and products. We were all nervous, though, so excuse our demeanors.

At the end of the video, Wasfi gave out a $25 gift certificate, and just like that, his assistant shut off the camera and they were on their way. What a whirlwind!

Let's just say that now we know to expect the unexpected when it comes to videos.

Making awards and keepsakes seems simple, but we would not be able to do it without key things we learned in school from some fantastic teachers. Here are some examples of how we use the subjects in school to help us make quality products for our customers:

• Science - The machines we use for engraving utilize lasers, diamonds, air pressure, extreme heat, and observation.
• English - We constantly edit and spell-check our work, analyze conversations with clients, and effectively communicate with team members to complete our projects.
• Math - While designing a project, we have to make sure exact measurements are taken, double-check that angles are accurate, and problem-solve issues that arise.
• History - We keep records of all previous jobs and customers. This way, when someone asks about their previous orders, we can look into our archives and find pertinent information.
• Social Sciences - We come into contact with people of many cultures and backgrounds and constantly analyze client behavior.
• Art - We use a variety of artistic methods and applications to design our products: painting, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, CorelDRAW, aesthetics, color theory, etc.
• Technology/Computers - Our machines have complicated user interfaces that we utilize every day and we use computers to design, communicate, market, and analyze our work.
• Health/Safety/Physical Education - Within our workshop, we have potentially dangerous chemicals, sharp tools, and mechanical dangers that we make sure to manage safely. We are also often on our feet to finish our projects.

So, I guess what we're trying to say is "Thank you!" to our teachers for giving us the skills and knowledge necessary to do our job.

This year for the Spring season, we are on a mission: to save the Easter bunnies (and their friends)! See, every day, animals suffer from lack of proper care and/or a loving home. The Humane Society of Greater Dayton helps those needs by providing vaccines and other veterinary care, investigating animal cruelty and abuse, and seeking out great homes for animals of all sorts. This is why we've teamed up with them from now until April 30th; we'll be donating 10% of proceeds from all St. Patrick's Day and Easter products that are sold. 

How can you help? Spread the word! Anyone who wants these items can call us, email us, or come in to make a purchase. Share on your social media sites and tag us. That way, even if you can't purchase anything at this time, you can still help save the Easter bunnies.

Beginning this month, we are offering vinyl vehicle wraps through our division AEgraphics. If you are not a car aficionado, a vinyl wrap is like a giant sticker put on a vehicle, except these stickers hug the vehicle's every contour, so it seems like the sticker has been painted on. The vinyl wrap process is done in 3 stages: design, production, and installation.

Design
This is where our graphic designers get the exact measurements of every part of the car where the vinyl will go, then design how it will look. Sometimes, people only want a decal on their tailgate, a window covered in an advertisement, vinyl lettering for their business, or racing rally stripes down the middle of their sports car. Other times, people want their car to have a new color or design from hood to trunk.

Production
This stage is when the design is printed on giant, sticky paper called vinyl. Each design for each little part of the vehicle is printed and laminated to add an extra layer of protection to the design. The life expectancy of vinyl is around 7-10 years with no damage to the original paint.

Installation
This is when we actually put the vinyl on the vehicle. The process needs controlled conditions, such as a certain air temperature, humidity, and even lack of dust. Any imperfection, like rust, chipped paint, or scratches could prohibit this installation. Wrapping a car takes about 1-3 days. We can also remove old designs to make room for the new vinyl graphics.

Vehicle wraps are perfect for businesses with fleets, to advertise your side-hustle, or to add some flare to your new ride.

Vehicle wraps aren't all we can do with vinyl, though. If you want to decorate your nursery, waiting room, or business with lettering on the walls or windows, we do that (see pictures below). If you want to do vinyl instead of wallpaper (it's much more easy to remove), we do that, too. If you want your own whiteboard, we can do that, too. Even if you want to do decals for your man cave or wrap a refrigerator, we can do it. The possibilities are only as endless as your creativity.

Keep updated on our status here.