State Treasurer Clint Zweifel (ZWY-ful) was in Joplin today to announce Sign Designs, a full-service sign creation and installation company, has been awarded an $180,000 Missouri Linked Deposit Program loan, and will keep its 18 full-time employees at its location at 1720 West 7th Street.
Sign Designs received 24-hour approval through the HELP, or Harmed-area Emergency Loan Priority, system. Small businesses and farmers in the Joplin area have been eligible for 24-hour emergency approvals of their loans since the tornado hit. Nearly $26 million in loans impacting 780 jobs have been placed since the launch of the HELP system following the April 22 tornadoes in the St. Louis area.
“Sign Designs is receiving this emergency loan because it is critical to get investment into Joplin, and Sign Designs is committed to staying and keeping its 18 employees on board,” Treasurer Zweifel said. “This loan saves John and his team $12,000 over the next five years. We are rewarding a strong local business that is working hard for his customers as they rebuild – including making temporary signage and helping dozens of customers repair or replace damaged signs. This is also a strategic loan because not only do we need to attract business to this side of the border, but we need to keep them here as well. John exports products to Arkansas, Kansas and Oklahoma and keeps his employees in Missouri.”
Sign Designs has been designing, manufacturing and installing lighted and custom signs since 1991. It specializes in business identity signs, which can appear on the store front and the street. The low-interest loan lowers company operating expenses, and Sign Designs recently added three new full-time employees to an original 15 employees to meet growing demand.
“This loan is helping us grow to meet the needs of our community. As dozens of our customers begin to rebuild, we know that we need to be able to provide the high-quality service they demand,” said John Hipple, Jr., owner of Sign Designs. “We have added three new employees and continue to add new customers. I can tell you this, after two decades in Joplin, we are here to stay and we are going to rebuild Joplin better than ever.”
Commerce Bank partnered to make this loan.
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