My Johnny Unitas story.- Roy Delgado ( Sept. 2, (1988 )

My Johnny Unitas Story . . . 

 Back in 1988, I had my sign company in Woodbridge,

VA.  It was a full service sign company with 32 employees in  an 1800 sq. ft. two story bldg. ( picture below. ) which housed a metal fabrication and welding shop, neon shop, 4 journeyman sign painters, automobile-size spray booth, computerized robotic

metal sign cutting machines which were capable of cutting 1 inch thick brass and aluminum letters 48 " tall, 3 sales people, a 100 ft. crane truck w/aerial ladder and welder and a 55 foot bucket truck.

My company was awarded a contract to fabricate and install two 12 Ft. high street clocks and install them at a new multi-use office center and retail shops complex located in downtown Washington, D.C..  The area consisted of three high-rise office buildings located between 20th and 21st streets and between L and M streets, NW, Washington, D.C..  One clock was installed on 20th and the other on 21st street. The site was called Lafayette Centre )

I looked forward and got excited to begin this prestigous project.  I knew this would separate my company from the rest of the run-of-mill-"average" sign companies on the east coast.  This project turned out to be the crowning - achievement most - prestigious job the company ever produced.  The clocks were repainted recently locally by another company in a satin black . . . they look good, reminds me when "Century 21" changed their color-scheme from Dark Brown and Yellow-Gold to Black and Yellow-Gold.

The company: Roy Delgado and Associates was sold in 2001 to a Pakistani Holding Company which owned  2 gas stations, 2 restaurants and an Auto Repair Shop in

northern Virginia.  The new owners operated my old sign shop for a couple years then got out of the sign business.

Looking back,  I probably should have worked something

out with the new owners so I could have stayed . . . I miss the good times in the business . . . and most of the 26 years of uninterupted business were good, exciting and fun !  I guess it was time to pursue my cartooning part of my life to see where IT wood go !