News

Iconic Landmark Recently Refurbished with Color-Changing Flex Neon by YESCO

Click Here For Downloadable, High-Res Photos

On Tuesday, February 21, YESCO illuminated the historic Hillcrest sign in purple, yellow and green in celebration of the start of Mardi Gras. The iconic sign owned by the Hillcrest Business Improvement Association located in San Diego, California, tasked YESCO with upgrading the landmark with color-changing flex neon.

The project included 106 man-hours of work over a 2.5 week period. Now, the sign is outfitted with 16 million color hues, including pre-programed light shows for various holidays and events.

“As a beloved icon of the Hillcrest neighborhood in San Diego, YESCO was thrilled to restore the sign back to its former glory,” said Andrew Russell, sales service manager, YESCO. “Many residents expressed how fond they are of the sign’s historic charm, so we kept the retro look and simply restored the lighting with color-changing flex neon.”

YESCO announces the retirement of Patrick O’Donnell, president, YESCO Outdoor Media. A 40-year veteran of out-of-home advertising who earned top industry accolades during his tenure, O’Donnell will continue to serve as a consultant for YESCO throughout 2023. Nathan Young, a fourth-generation descendant of YESCO’s founder Thomas Young, Sr., will succeed O’Donnell as YESCO Outdoor Media president.

O’Donnell’s career in out-of-home advertising earned him induction into the Outdoor Advertising Association of America’s (OAAA) Hall of Fame in 2017. He began working in the advertising industry in Reno, Nevada, in the 1980s, joining YESCO in 1985, where played an instrumental role in growing and providing structure for the company’s outdoor media business. Under his direction, YESCO Outdoor Media developed a culture that took time to analyze every client’s marketing needs to determine the right campaign components and locations to speak most effectively to the desired audiences. Today, YESCO Outdoor Media operates more than 3,000 traditional and digital outdoor advertising display faces along major routes across eight states in the Rocky Mountain West. O’Donnell served on the OAAA Board of Directors as both chairman of the legislative committee and as a member of the executive committee. He currently serves on the governing boards of Geopath—an organization dedicated to market research and measurement related to the outdoor advertising industry—and was a longtime board member of the Foundation for Outdoor Advertising, Research and Education (FOARE).

Nathan Young began his career at YESCO in 2004 as a building maintenance manager, before becoming director of training and development for YESCO Franchising LLC—the company that oversees sign maintenance and repair franchisees in 215 territories throughout North America. Prior to being named president at YESCO Outdoor Media, Young served as general manager of YESCO National Service. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Westminster College and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Utah.

“We congratulate Pat O’Donnell on an outstanding career with YESCO, and we look forward to continuing to benefit from his monumental experience and insights as a consultant over the next year,” said Jeff Young, executive vice president, YESCO. “Meanwhile, we welcome Nathan Young and his nearly two decades of experience with the company into this new role and look forward to his leadership.”

YESCO is honoring the life of Riley Scott Byington, the son of YESCO Las Vegas’ paint foreman Eric Byington, on Wednesday, January 18.

As a part of a commitment made to Eric by YESCO Executive Vice President Jeff Young on the CBS series “Undercover Boss,” which aired on January 15, 2016, it is the company’s great honor to remember Riley every year on his birthday, Jan. 18. This year marks the eighth year in a row the company has shared his picture on digital billboards located in Utah and Nevada.

“Eric Byington has been an indispensable member of the YESCO Las Vegas team since 1991,” said Jeff Young, executive vice president, YESCO. “It is our company’s privilege to recognize his son each year on his birthday to honor his extraordinary life.”

Young went undercover as the YESCO “boss” on Season 7, Episode 5 of the popular series, which is available for download on YouTube, Hulu, Amazon Prime and Paramount+.

Click Here For Downloadable Photos

YESCO announces the YESCO Conservation Fund, which was established to maintain, repair and improve signs in The Neon Museum’s collection. Encompassing $50,000 worth of repair, maintenance and improvement services per year for five years (for a total of $250,000), the fund will help preserve the history and legacy of neon signage in Las Vegas. The fund may be used independently or as a match with donor dollars to support even greater restoration initiatives.

“YESCO designed and created some of Las Vegas’ most iconic neon signs, so it is an honor to partner with The Neon Museum and create this fund on the occasion of their 10^th anniversary,” said Jeff Young, executive vice president, YESCO. “We look forward to bringing more signs back to their original glory.”

When The Neon Museum was first established, approximately one-third of its collection, more than 180 signs, were loaned to the Museum by YESCO, its official founding partner. In 2018, The Neon Museum launched a crowd-funding campaign enabling YESCO to restore the iconic 80-foot-tall Hard Rock Café guitar sign. These signs remain on view in the Museum’s Boneyard, where visitors from around the world go to learn about Las Vegas’ vibrant visual history.

“The Neon Museum is grateful for the generosity of our official founding partner, YESCO,” said Aaron Berger, executive director, The Neon Museum. “This significant contribution allows the Museum to expand in new directions while repairing, restoring and re-electrifying more of our city’s history.”

The YESCO Conservation Fund can be used independently or as a match with donor dollars to allow for even more restoration initiatives.

ABOUT THE NEON MUSEUM Founded in 1996, The Neon Museum is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying, and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic, arts and cultural enrichment. Fully accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), The Neon Museum has been ranked No. 1 in Las Vegas Weekly’s list of “Twenty Greatest Attractions in Las Vegas History,” Nevada’s “Best Museum” by MSN, No. 1 Pop Culture museum and one of the 10 Best Museums in Las Vegas by USA Today’s 10best.com, “One of the Top 10 Coolest Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do” by Forbes.com, one of the “Top 10 Historic Spots in Las Vegas” by Vegas.com; one of “15 Most Fascinating Museums in the U.S.” by VacationIdea.com; and earns a consistent 4.5 out of 5 rating on TripAdvisor. On its 2.27-acre campus, The Neon Museum has an outdoor exhibition space known as the Neon Boneyard; the North Gallery, home to the immersive audiovisual experience “Brilliant! Jackpot” which uses technology to re-illuminate more than 40 non-operational signs; and its visitors’ center inside the former La Concha Motel lobby. The museum collection also includes nine restored signs installed as public art in downtown Las Vegas. Public education, outreach, research, and arts conservation represent a selection of the museum’s ongoing projects. For more information, including tour schedules and tickets, visit www.neonmuseum.org. Also follow @NeonMuseum on Facebook and Twitter and @theneonmuseumlasvegas

First Of Eight Refurbished, Historic Neon Signs Has Been Installed On Las Vegas Boulevard

Installations Are Part Of The Las Vegas Boulevard Improvement Project

The first of eight refurbished and historic neon signs has been installed as part of the continuing Las Vegas Boulevard Improvement Project. The signs are owned by the city of Las Vegas, The Neon Museum and Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO), and will be installed over the next several months.

The signs will join the existing eight classic neon signs already installed in the Las Vegas Boulevard median from Sahara Avenue to just north of Washington Avenue. The signs celebrate the history of vintage Vegas, beautify a world-famous roadway and create a neon trail to The Neon Museum.

All eight of the neon signs will be officially lit next spring to celebrate the completion of the $125 million Las Vegas Boulevard Improvement project, which also included the additions of the gateway arches and showgirls signage. The eight neon signs were refurbished by YESCO, with funding provided by the Commission for the Las Vegas Centennial.

The Par-A-Dice Motel sign is the first of the new signs to be installed just north of Oakey Boulevard on Las Vegas Boulevard. The sign was originally located at 2217 Fremont St., for a motel that opened its doors in 1953.

The other signs set to be installed on Las Vegas Boulevard in the coming months include:

• Apache Motel, 1965, to be installed north of Bridger Avenue;
• Golden Inn Motel, 1960, to be installed south of Bridger;
• Clark Inn, 1962, to be installed north of Clark Avenue;
• Lone Palm Motel, 1954, to be installed north of Garces Avenue;
• Domino Motel, 1960s, to be installed north of Hoover Avenue;
• Fun City Motel, 1952, to be installed just south of Charleston Boulevard; and
• Rummel Motel, 1968, to be installed south of Oakey.

“We are nearing completion of the massive Las Vegas Boulevard Improvement Project, and now we get to add the little touches that make our city so special,” Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman said. “These beautifully restored historic signs add to the vintage Vegas vibe in our downtown and provide a connective theme from the fabulous Gateway Arches and our larger-than-life showgirls all the way to the fantastic Neon Museum.”

“I am honored and grateful to partner with the city of Las Vegas and YESCO on this project that will preserve these beautiful neon signs – each of which are more than a half century old - for generations to come,” said Aaron Berger, executive director of The Neon Museum. “Our goal at The Neon Museum is to make Las Vegas history more accessible, and collaborations like this, that exist beyond the museum’s borders, help to achieve that.

Installing these refurbished signs along the iconic Las Vegas Boulevard brilliantly showcases our city’s unique history to the millions of visitors we welcome every year.”

“In a city known across the globe for its spectacular vintage neon signage, it is an honor to be part of this improvement project,” said Jeff Young, executive vice president, YESCO. “YESCO is thrilled with the results of the refurbishment and looks forward to the installation of all eight signs over the next few months."

The newly refurbished signs will join the historic signs on Las Vegas Boulevard already in place that include:

• The Horseshoe Casino, 1951, now located just north of Washington;
• Silver Slipper Casino, 1950, now located near the Neon Museum at McWilliams Avenue;
• Bow and Arrow Motel, 1950s, now located south of McWilliams;
• Society Cleaners, 1946, now located just south of U.S. 95/Interstate 515;
• Normandie Motel, 1940s, now located just north of Stewart Avenue;
• Lucky Cuss Motel, 1955, now located just south of Stewart; and
• Hacienda Casino, 1956, now located at Fremont Street.

ABOUT THE NEON MUSEUM - Founded in 1996, The Neon Museum is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, studying, and exhibiting iconic Las Vegas signs for educational, historic, arts and cultural enrichment. Fully accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), The Neon Museum has been ranked No. 1 in Las Vegas Weekly’s list of “Twenty Greatest Attractions in Las Vegas History,” Nevada’s “Best Museum” by MSN, No. 1 Pop Culture museum and one of the 10 Best Museums in Las Vegas by USA Today’s 10best.com, “One of the Top 10 Coolest Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do” by Forbes.com, one of the “Top 10 Historic Spots in Las Vegas” by Vegas.com; one of “15 Most Fascinating Museums in the U.S.” by VacationIdea.com; and earns a consistent 4.5 out of 5 rating on TripAdvisor. On its 2.27-acre campus, The Neon Museum has an outdoor exhibition space known as the Neon Boneyard; the North Gallery, home to the immersive audiovisual experience “Brilliant! Jackpot” which uses technology to re-illuminate more than 40 non-operational signs; and its visitors’ center inside the former La Concha Motel lobby. The museum collection also includes nine restored signs installed as public art in downtown Las Vegas. Public education, outreach, research, and arts conservation represent a selection of the museum’s ongoing projects. For more information, including tour schedules and tickets, visit www.neonmuseum.org. Also follow @NeonMuseum on Facebook and Twitter and @theneonmuseumlasvegas on Instagram.

ABOUT YESCO - YESCO specializes in the manufacture of custom electric signs, sign maintenance and out-of-home advertising. In addition, YESCO operates sign and lighting service repair stores throughout North America as well as a sign financing business. Thomas Young founded the company in Ogden, Utah, in 1920 after borrowing $300 from his father. YESCO began by offering wall painted advertisements, gold-leaf window lettering and coffin plates. Today, helmed by the second, third and fourth generations of the founder’s family, YESCO creates, services and maintains award-winning displays for some of the most prestigious brands. For more information, go to www.YESCO.com.

Click Here For Downloadable Photos

YESCO was awarded with “Best of Show” for its notable Las Vegas Gateway Arches at this year’s annual World Sign Associates (WSA) conference in San Antonio, Texas.

Named the “coolness” sign competition, members of the WSA vote for the top sign from a renowned collection of North America’s most prestigious sign companies. This year, YESCO’s Gateway Arches received a staggering 72 percent of the vote for “Best of Show.”

The illuminated arches form a towering gateway to Las Vegas’ burgeoning Downtown and feature a pink, retro-inspired emblem suspended above the boulevard. Since its completion in 2020, the new, brightly lit, Gateway Arches have continued to welcome visitors to the City of Las Vegas as they travel north on Las Vegas Boulevard.

FUN FACTS:

• One leg of the Gateway Arches weighs 18,400 pounds
• Number of lights on the arches: 13,016 
• City Of Las Vegas emblem measures 20-feet x 40-feet and weighs 7,300 pounds
• The entire arch draws over 61,000 watts of power
• The arches are comprised of more than 13,000 + RGB light-emitting diode (LED) pucks that are individually programmable
• Over 700 feet of fully programmable RGBW LED Flex Neon, each pixel is 4.92 inches 
• Fully programmable, the color-changing sign contains more than 170 IP addresses
• Each arch leg spans 140 feet across Las Vegas Boulevard
• 900-plus LED lamps in the southern face of the hanging “Las Vegas” cabinet
• Four footings were drilled with a drill rig and are 20-feet-deep x 4-feet wide with a steel reinforced cage

“The World Sign Associates conference features the best companies in the industry, so it was an honor to be awarded with ‘Best of Show’ for our Gateway Arches,” said Jeff Young, executive vice president, YESCO. “Our team worked extremely hard on this project, and we are thrilled to be recognized with such an honor.” Other winners at this year’s WSA conference included Davinci Sign Systems for Brighton Crossings in Windsor, Colorado, in the category of signs over 100 square feet, BSC Signs for National Jewish Hospital Donor Structure in Broomfield, Colorado, in the category of signs under 100 square feet and Nagle Signs, Inc. for Farmers State Bank in Waterloo, Iowa, in the category of wall signs.

How does a 100 year old sign company get into billboard financing?

In the spring of 1922, a tailor in Ogden, Utah found himself in need of a double-faced electric sign to advertise his business. He approached Thomas Young Sr., founder of Young Electric Sign Company (known as YESCO). Tom had been in business for two years and already had a sense for the difficulty his clients faced getting financing through traditional banks for sign projects. So, in exchange for a small down payment and a newly tailored suit, he agreed to offer extended payment terms to this customer.

Fifty years later, YESCO installed its first billboard in Utah. It would be the first of over 2,600 faces, including 60 digital faces, operated in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and eastern Nevada. After 100 years in the sign industry and 50 years operating a growing billboard business, YESCO still finds very few banks that understand the billboard industry and can provide a seamless process for obtaining digital billboard financing. Banks don’t seem to understand the value of a new digital billboard, they often require appraisals, and they often push for a variable interest rate.

Building off the lending legacy of its founder and in an effort to confront the challenge of obtaining financing from traditional banks, YESCO hired its lead banker to separate its lending business from its manufacturing and billboard operations. YESCO Financial Solutions (“YFS”) was born. YFS provides billboard financing for the construction of new digital billboards as well as conversion of static to digital. Its reputation as one of the best non-bank lenders to the billboard industry comes from credit policies and procedures designed by people who KNOW the billboard industry!

So, why do billboard companies choose to finance their digital billboard projects with a non-bank lender like YESCO Financial Solutions?

1. Quick approval process. YFS can learn about a new project, complete its underwriting, and close within a week.
2. No appraisal required. YFS understands the value of your project based on the forecasted revenue, expenses and billboard cash flow it’s expected to generate. If you have a good ground lease and valid permit, YFS can determine the estimated value using its many years of experience in the OOH industry.
3. Flexible finance terms. YFS can offer interest only payments for the first 6 or 12 months to give you time to build occupancy on the new digital. It can offer terms that vary in length based on your needs. Rates, fees, early prepayment, personal guarantees are all open for discussion and can be modified for each specific circumstance. YFS will understand your circumstances and present a few options in order to find the solution that works best for all parties.
4. Location and experience focus. Rather than underwrite your last few years of financial performance (which won’t exist for a new company, or new location), YFS is focused on billboard location and experience of the operator.

Skip the hassle and call YESCO Financial Solutions to explore finance options for your next digital billboard project.

Read the article at billboardinsider.com

YESCO announces the design, fabrication and installation of new signage for Freedom Credit Union in Springville, Utah. The brand-new exterior signage included Watchfire's high-resolution, trimless 10-millimeter electronic message center (EMC) display. The tight pixel pitch on the high-resolution sign allows Freedom Credit Union to display important messages and additional graphics on the 6-foot-tall by 10-foot-wide monument sign.

Additionally, YESCO added a lighted 6-foot-tall by 10-foot-wide letter letter set to the building, a 6-foot-tall by 6-foot-wide directional sign and a hanging 1-foot-8-inch-tall by 10-foot-wide entry sign off the portico.

FUN FACTS:

• YESCO began fabrication of the Freedom Credit Union project in July 2022
• It took approximately 180 man-hours to complete the project.
• This is the second location of Freedom Credit Union in Utah County.

"YESCO maximized the Springville sign codes to complete the best sign package for Freedom Credit Union," said Jeff Krantz, account executive, YESCO. "We are thrilled with the results of the professional branding sign project and so is our client."

There are some new lights shining in downtown Kennewick and with them comes exciting changes for the Tri-Cities’ first indoor public market.

An employee of Yesco custom signs worked earlier this week from a bucket truck welding and grinding on a new sign being installed for the Public Market at Columbia River Warehouse.

The first phase of the first indoor market in the Tri-Cities opened in June and is in the former juice plant on East Bruneau Avenue. There’s no date yet set for the second phase, but it will include more stalls for vendors and a commercial kitchen.

Already shoppers can find food, decor, clothing, candles and dozens of other vendors selling locally made wares at the market. Beginning this week the market will shift to its fall and winter hours. That means no market on Thursdays. Friday and Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and they’ll be open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.

Read the full article at tri-cityherald.com

Click Here for video courtesy of City of Las Vegas

YESCO and the city of Las Vegas announce the installation and official lighting of two brand-new, 50-foot-tall showgirls on the corner of Main Street and Las Vegas Boulevard. These new showgirl signs are double the height of the prior showgirl icons installed in 2018, which each stood 25-feet tall. The showgirls will light up for the first time August 31 at dusk.

The retro-style showgirls will create a lasting legacy for the city as they join the previously installed dice sculptures and sidewalk roulette table to welcome visitors to downtown Las Vegas.

“With an extensive history of fabricating, installing and maintaining Las Vegas’ most internationally recognizable signs, YESCO is thrilled to complete the newest iconic project for the city,” said Jeff Young, executive vice president of YESCO. “These historic signs will welcome visitors to downtown Las Vegas for decades, and we’re proud to have partnered with the city of Las Vegas to bring them to life.”

“Over the decades, YESCO has created some of the most notable signs in Las Vegas, with other recent examples including Downtown’s Gateway Arches and signage at the Circa Resort & Casino,” said city of Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn G. Goodman. “These gorgeous signs will continue to elevate Las Vegas’ image as a world-class travel destination beloved by people around the globe.”

The previously installed, 25-foot-tall showgirl signs are currently undergoing refurbishment due to weather damage. They are scheduled to be installed in the Las Vegas Arts District this fall on the corner of Fourth Street and Las Vegas Boulevard, in front of the Las Vegas Deuce double decker bus stop.

FUN FACTS/OLD SHOWGIRLS:

• Height: Each showgirl was 26-feet tall by 8-feet wide
• Weight: Each showgirl weighed 3,250 pounds.
• The showgirls were internally illuminated with white LED modules.
• The headdresses were part of the graphic face and not separate.

FUN FACTS/ NEW SHOWGIRLS:

• Height: Each showgirl is 50-feet tall by 15-feet wide
• Weight: Each showgirl weighs 6,800 pounds
• The showgirls are internally illuminated with white LED. The headdresses are lit with exposed full-color LED pucks designed to scintillate or twinkle.
• Each headdress is more than 5-feet tall and 6-feet wide. They were fabricated separately and were the last elements to be installed after the showgirls’ graphic panels were installed.