How many of us would chose to give up a secure job in order to pursue a dream of starting our own business. JB and Abby Meyer did just that by taking what Abby describes as a “leap of faith,” and opened Chief Graphix in December 2011.
After speaking with Abby about their company, I came to realize their leap of faith was accompanied by ingenuity, creativity and above all brevity due to the fact this was coming to fruition throughout the economic crisis. The outcome was a success. They have doubled their revenue each year they have been in business.
When walking into Chief Graphics, you are greeted with wonderful pictures of family and employees that decorate the walls, a sample of what is offered. In addition to wallpaper, they supply custom vinyl wraps, logo designs, banners and engraved signs.
Graphic experts and designers collaborate with customers and everything is custom made. Vinyl panels are installed on trucks and cars right on the premises. The scope of their customer base is amazing. They have designed logos for the Port Washington Police District, banners for Unlimited Sports and vehicle vinyl wraps for North Shore Animal League.
If you are looking for a special way to enhance your celebrations or special events, photos can be made into cutouts or wallpaper and used for decorating. Vases have even been decorated for parties.
As Abby puts it, “You can make anything into wallpaper, even children’s art work.”
The company started with JB, Abby and a production manager, and now employs a team of seven. The atmosphere is professional and friendly and after what I am sure to be a productive work week, everyone enjoys a barbecue on Friday afternoons. Family life is definitely taken into consideration. For example, calls from schools regarding sick children are met with understanding and not conflict.
Abby and JB went from running one printer to three printers and one router used for cutting rigid materials and engraving signs. The printers are eco-friendly, authorized for use in schools and hospitals. They did not have a customer base when Chief Graphix first opened, but relied mainly on friends, local people and word of mouth. They also had much success with an Internet campaign targeting specific customers. This gave them the ability to expand the vehicle wrap aspect of the business and today they supply wraps to fleets of vehicles, including air conditioning and heating companies from all over the tri-state area.
Chief Graphix is not just about the mechanics, the templates of each vehicle that require exact measurements and the customer service, it’s about how two people started a great business, a warm yet productive environment where customers will receive top quality results. Upon leaving, I was offered homemade cookies brought in by an employee—they were the best.
Somehow I didn’t expect anything less. If you would like to learn more about Chief Graphix, you can visit their website @chiefgraphix.com. They are located at 82A South Bayles Ave.
