STRASBURG Jim Dawson, owner of Synergy Graphics and Sign LLC in Strasburg, and his employees are busy putting the finishing touches on the entrance to the Berlin Encore Hotel and Amish Country Theater.
STRASBURG It's big and it's heavy and it's just about ready to go.
Jim Dawson and his employees are busy putting the finishing touches on the new sign/structure that will mark the entrance to the Berlin Encore Hotel and Amish Country Theater.
The mammoth new entrance way, which will consist of two pillars and an archway, will check in at nearly 20,000 pounds and it will grace the new hotel and theater located on Route 39 next to 'Tis the Season Christmas store.
Dawson, owner of Synergy Graphics and Sign LLC in Strasburg, said the two pillars are made from heavy gauge steel and weigh about 6,500 pounds each. The archway that will be bolted to the two pillars weighs about 4,000 pounds. He said the steel framework is built to last 50 to 75 years.
“In a few weeks we will use a crane and load the pillars and archway on a flatbed trailer to move it. Joe Gilkerson of Strasburg will help us install the structure. It will take about an hour to move it to the site on Route 39,” Dawson said.
“Mike Conn, Jeff and Braden Conn, owners of Conn Holdings at Sugarcreek, and owners of the new hotel and theater, asked if I could design something for the hotel. I started the design last December and just finished it,” added Dawson.
“The Conns gave me the footprint and sent me the preliminary sketches and then we started talking about the size. The pillars are 24 feet wide by 24 feet tall and are three feet thick. The archway is made from structural engineered steel.”
The drawings are all engineered.
“Then the art comes in,” he said. “We used Sherwin Williams exterior grade paint and Kemiko theme paint on the pillars and archway.”
The Amish Country Theater is currently located on Route 39 east of Berlin. It was once a flea market.
Dawson recently took his family — wife, Dana, and children Kale and Kayne — along with Bev and Ernie Schatzel, of Bolivar, to Disney in Orlando.
“This was my first visit to Disney. I took a lot of photos to get ideas. I don’t copy any of the designs, only use them as inspiration. Disney encourages visitors to take photos of their designs,” he said.
When Dawson was young he helped his dad Harold Dawson, Jr. in his cabinet shop.
“I didn’t love it at the time — but now I am glad I got the experience. I enjoy it now,” he said.
Dawson, a 1996 graduate of Strasburg High, attended Kent State at Tuscarawas and was enrolled in computer animation. He was hired by a company in Canton as a design engineer. At age 22 he was designing commercial displays and fixtures.
When that business closed its doors, Dawson purchased the sign making equipment and established a business in his basement.
After operating the business from his basement, he moved to New Philadelphia for a year, then returned to Strasburg in a building on 12th Street NE for three years and then began looking for a more permanent location.
In 2012 Dawson moved Synergy into the former Garver Brothers Feed mill at 147 Stoutt Drive.
“When I was young and passed by the old feed mill I often wished I could buy and refurbish it,” he said.
“I purchased the building and completely gutted the interior. It had been used as a warehouse for about 20 years,” he said.
They use CNC Machines to cut shape routers. The building contains specialty equipment. The designs, printing, and manufacturing are all done under one roof.
The company creates graphic designs and makes banners, signs and vehicle wraps. It also does engraving and flatbed printing.
Dawson met Dan Sawatsky of Yarrow, British Columbia, when he was teaching a class in sign magic. He taught different methods using foam, concrete and steel. Dawson came home from the class and constructed a rusty gear piece which is on display at a business. Dawson participates in the annual Sign Invitational International Sign Expo along with other sign makers.
Dawson has won major awards for his signs. He does volunteer work at New Pointe Community Church at Dover and has built several props used at the church.