ADA Training Session May 2013

[Keith Outten]

Several people have asked me to schedule another ADA Training session in my shop in Virginia. The next possible window in my schedule is Saturday May 18th and Sunday May 19th.

We will need ten to twelve people to commit to the session and there will be a small fee per seat this time. We have improved our presentation once again and I have created a DVD that has all the files, drawings and pictures you will need to get started. Aaron Koehl will present his Corel Draw Tips and Tricks lecture once again.

We will provide a catered lunch both days this time so you will not have to go offsite and this will provide more time in the shop.

We will cover every aspect of making ADA door signs from start to finish. This is a hands on session so we will make a few signs so you can see the process and the techniques we use from making plaques to installation. We will cover the tools you need and discuss marketing and bidding as well.

We will demonstrate laser engraving, CNC machining and our technique for installing braille, text and graphics. Aaron Koehl will provide Corel Draw Tips and Techniques as well as information on how to use his Corel Draw Braille Script.

The hours will be 9am until 5pm both Saturday and Sunday. The session is actually over by noon on Sunday but we reserve the afternoon as an informal work session and open discussion.

The weather here in May should be pleasant with comfortable temperatures and hopefully lots of sun. Should you decide to bring your family the local area is rich in American History, beaches and other attractions such as the Busch Gardens theme park.

Please leave a comment in this thread and send me a Private Message so I can share more details. I have five seats that have been requested but not confirmed at this time.
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[James & Zelma Litzmann]

Looking forward to it!

[Jimmy Phillips]

Count me and GiGi in!


Jimmy

[Keith Outten]

Thanks Jimmy,

Thats 7 of 12 seats requested already.
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[Don Williams Michigan]

Keith,

PM Sent

[Keith Outten]

The closest airport is Newport News / Williamsburg International Airport in Newport News Virginia (PHF)

You can bring a still camera if you like but I prefer we don't videotape any presentations. You can bring a writing pad or laptop computer if you feel the need to take notes, we have wireless Internet in my shop.

The schedule both days is 9am until 5pm but you are welcome to arrive early and we often brainstorm or shoot the breeze at the end of the day. I use a multitude of processes in my sign shop such as dye-sublimation, sand blasting, scroll bending, etc so we are happy to share anything we know about any techniques we use as well as making ADA signs.

Here are the two local hotels that I reccomend:

Hampton Inn

Comfort Inn

They are both very close together in the northern end of Gloucester County. The drive to my workshop is about 10 miles, I am located in the southern end of the county just across the York River from historic Yorktown. Approaching from the south on Route 17 the Coleman is a toll Bridge driving North only, you could stay in York County if you like but you would have to pay the two dollar toll one way each day. If you favor the historic style bed and breakfast accommodations you can probably find one in York County or the historic Yorktown area.

If you plan to spend some time in Hampton Roads you will find that the area is very old. The historic triangle includes Yorktown, Williamsburg and Jamestown. At Mariners Museum in Newport News the new Ironclad Monitor exhibit is worth a look, the original turret and engine parts are on display and the facility has an number of high tech features that opened just a couple of years ago. The battle of the ironclads between the Monitor and the Merrimack was just off of Chesapeake Blvd in Newport News. The city of Hampton, the oldest city in America, hosts the Space Museum as it was the birthplace of American space travel. The first astronauts trained at NASA Langley. The Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe in Hampton is also interesting. If you like battlefields they are located in almost every municipality, Yorktown being the most famous and there are plenty of Civil war areas to visit as well.

Woodworking places to visit here are nonexistent for the most part. There are a number of SawMill Creekers who live here so a Creeker visit would be easy to organize starting with my shop where the main server is located. George Wilson lives in York County, Angus Hines lives in Smithfield, etc.

The area of Gloucester County where I live is rural, when you see my red barn you know you have arrived so pull in the short gravel driveway and park in the yard. My workshop is a two story 3 bay salt box style building in the back of my property, just behind the barn.

The address is:
8770 Little England Rd
Hayes, VA 23072

Dress for a workshop, there will be some dust so don't wear your "Sunday Go To Meeting" clothes. I have Cokes and coffee, there is a bathroom in my shop office upstairs on the second floor. My shop has wireless Internet so bring your laptops or iPads if you like.

Most of you will be traveling long distances to get here so I will make sure that your time and travel costs are worth your investment by sharing with you every tip and technique I have learned over the last few years. No matter if you are a beginner or advanced sign maker I am sure to have something to share with you that will make the trip worthwhile. All of my experience is based on commercial projects, I don't do retail sign design or fabrication. Most of my past projects have been new construction buildings in the 20 to 80 million dollar range. The sign portion of these buildings has been 200 to 400 door signs plus stairwell signs, fire evacuation signs, directories, etc. Other work will come your way as the list of contractors you deal with every day increases such as custom machining work and templates. I will share as much as I know about the entire process from bidding to installation.

I am a sign maker so don't expect a polished presentation. Aaron Koehl is a Professor at CNU, he will take care of the Corel Draw and laser engraving portion of the session.

We are looking forward to having each of you visit our shop.
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[Keith Outten]

Here are some comments from people who have attended my ADA sessions in the past:

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Thank you Keith,
Thanks again for this past weekend, I appreciate it. It was certainly worth the trip from NH as I learned a bunch.
It was also a pleasure meeting everyone else as well.
I will be in touch to let you know how it's going.

Thank you
Ernie
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Hey Keith,

Thanks again for opening up your shop to us and taking the time to pass on some of your techniques. I picked up a number of methods I can put to use right away in some of the items I currently produce. I'll be pursuing some ADA sign work as well.
Also a big thanks to the other attendees who were quite generous in sharing their knowledge as well. Lots of creativity and ingenuity in the room. Very motivating!

Sotos

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Keith,

The time and expense to attend this meeting was worth every minute and penny. After talking with the other attendees it was obvious that the shop was full of people that were creative, full of imagination, doer's and were willing to share ideas and techniques with others.

This was a added benefit above and beyond the ADA information.

Larry

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Keith, thank you so much for sharing your story and techniques with us. I found it very informative and it will save me countless hours in spooling up my CNC-based business. Everyone in attendance had something to contribute. Also thanks to Aaron for providing the braille overview along with additional insights to the whole process. I look forward to the next time we can get together. Long live the creek!

Rich

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[Keith Outten]

We have nine confirmed reservations and one pending as of this morning.
Only two seats left.
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[Keith Outten]

Only one seat left this morning.
We had twelve but one person had to cancel due to a scheduling conflict.

[Keith Outten]

All twelve seats are taken. If there is interest I will offer the ADA Session once again in the Fall.

[Jimmy Phillips]

All twelve seats are taken. If there is interest I will offer the ADA Session once again in the Fall.

Keith,

Thanks bud, we had a great time this weekend!

Also, thanks to the whole Outten family for allowing me and GG to visit your shop and learn some great techniques and processes.

Hope to see you again soon,

Jimmy & GG

[Keith Outten]

Is this a great group of sign makers or what?

[Keith Outten]

Thanks Jimmy,

I'm looking forward to your next visit, thanks for joining us this weekend.

[Robert Hatem]

Thanks again Keith! Lots of information with great people -

bob

[James & Zelma Litzmann]

We had a BLAST this weekend! For Keith to share all the things he has accomplised and then for him share all his techniques with us was GREAT! Thanks Keith/Jackie for all your support, hope to be able to "pay forward" someday!