Gail Chiasson, North American Editor
Due to strong growth and market strength in the industry, Vantage LED, US-based manufacturer of LED signs which we met at #2014SignExpo, has moved into its recently purchased new 150,000 square foot facility located on a beautiful 8.66 acre campus in Ontario, California, just south of Ontario International Airport on Vineyard Ave.
Chris Ma, founder and CEO, says that the new expansion shows the company’s continued commitment to faster production, more innovation, and overall dedication to excellent customer experience.
“We started looking to purchase a larger location last year to match our growth projections for 2014 and beyond.” says Ma. “We want to grow smart, and make sure we continue to provide the service our partners expect and deserve. This new location will support that and more, with plenty of room for long term expansion.”
Vantage’s new building originally housed BAE systems who was a major technology contractor for the US Department of Defense.
“We were able to take advantage of the design and basic infrastructure from the previous owners and hop right in with our own equipment,” says Kyle Carnes, chief IT and systems director. “The design really promotes a culture of efficiency, hard work, and high tech innovation.
“Vantage staff have affectionately nicknamed the new space ‘The Vineyard’. In part for the street name, but more importantly for what the space represents: growth, opportunity, creativity, hard work and, ultimately, success.”
Vantage LED was founded in 2003 on these by Ma, then a young entrepreneur in Walnut, California, who saw the need for a better product, better lead times, and better software for the LED sign industry. Focusing on the OEM market, the company has seen steady growth.
“We focused on being a partner to our customers, not just a supplier.” says Ma, “We listened to their needs and learned from their feedback to improve our product and give them exactly what they needed. Today, this continues to be the formula for our success.”
In 2011, Vantage moved from its original location in Walnut, California, to a larger facility in Corona, concurrently building a large traditional dealer network. In 2012, it launched a new interactive website, dealer resources, and the addition of national representatives and industry talent across the country.
“We wanted to focus on helping our dealer partners by sharing the tools and marketing power of the Vantage LED name.” says Paul Martin, director of marketing. “By leveraging our brand, resources, and talent, our partners have been able to increase sales and their own brand recognition at the same time; it’s a win win situation.”
To close out that year year, Ma was awarded the Spirit of the Entrepreneur award recognizing southern California’s top business leaders and their contributions to the economy and community. Selected from over 150 nominees in several categories, Ma won both the manufacturing, and overall Best of the Best award.
Last year, Vantage partnered with Spectacular Media to introduce SM Infinity, a cloud-based LED sign control software for the general market. The software is a part of new product offering Vantage LED calls Series 51 which includes a 5 year parts and onsite service warranty plus one full year of professional content creation through SM Infinity’s content service.
“We aim to stay ahead of the curve, and keep the industry on it’s toes.” says Ivan Perez, director of resources, “Last year, it was SM Infinity and our new warranty program, this year its our expansion, point of sale integration, and automatic campaign management on LED signs. We can’t wait until next year!”
Vantage LED, exhibiting a strong start for 2014, is now developing even stronger dealer partners by providing more resources such as an insured warranty, co-branded marketing materials, and a free press release service.
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