Influential Woman · Sign Industry

Jean hardeman

Fabrication Manager, Bauer Sign and Lighting

Greenfield, WI

Her Story

About Jean

I've been in the sign industry for 25 years, working at about 7 different sign shops throughout my career. I designed for almost 10 years at Pabloki Sign Company until COVID hit, and now I've been a fabrication manager at Bowerstein for 5 years. In my current role, I'm not designing per se, I'm taking all the design files and making them ready for fabrication for all the people in the shop. I love it because my design work is all good math and science, no opinions, just back and forth with the files. The best part is that I get to build these files for the people in the back and I deal with everyone: the welders, the installers, the neon guy (we still have a neon blower in shop), and the office people too for permitting and all that. I get everyone's best energy and their favorite little parts, and then I have to make it all work together. My main responsibility is making sure when I make these files, they have to be spot on. I've developed a really good system where my files are labeled and consistent, marked with aluminum, acrylic, and little side nuggets of information so if another designer or fabricator has to come in, they can understand everything. I really try to double and triple check because if I make a mistake, it's not just costs and materials, it's a loss of time, labor, and frustration. I'm always thinking about how to be creative and make things easier for the guys in the back. Anything I can do to improve their lives, because that's what I'm there for, is to make the ship sail and do everything cute and pretty till it gets out the door. Everything we make needs to be 110% quality, and if I don't know how to make it, I have the ability to find whoever I need to help me figure it out, and then we know for next time. The best part is when our work goes to that client and they are just so excited they have a lump in their throat, because we're creating their name on the wall, representing all their hard work and everything they work for. It's something so precious, and if I can have something that makes a human connection to somebody, I'm taking it.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Jean

01What do you attribute your success to?

I would say working on myself, because making myself the strongest for me is gonna make me the strongest team member. It's not just one person, it is a collaboration. I've always worked in smaller shops, so it's a little on the small side, but it's always a yes-can attitude. If you don't have the answer, you have your people there to help you out. I think that's the foremost thing that gives me the human connection. The second part is the artwork and the projects I've worked on throughout the many years. It's cool to see my signs all over the place, like when I ride my e-bike through the Wisconsin area and see signs at The Rock resort where people are taking their kids to play a game or whatever, and they're creating those moments. Or seeing my work in the background on TV segments on CBS Good Morning. Even working on the giant letter G on the back of the Packer Stadium in Green Bay, being part of history. It's a beautiful orchestra by the time you get from a little drawing on a piece of notebook paper from the client to the very end. My human connections and relationships are everything to me. They motivate me in the morning, and I would do anything for anyone.

02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

I see challenging opportunities would be keeping up with technology. It's always changing, and it's like as soon as I learn something, something new comes along. I feel like I can never grasp it enough, but I know that there's something there. It's just amazing how when I started out, I started out making patterns for the neon tube for the neon guy in the back. Now things like LEDs have taken over that. You can get LED tubing that looks like neon. It's really incredible to keep up with the times, but you still can't take away the nostalgia of beautiful neon with an LED tube. When you see a Walmart pumping out an open sign, it's hard. It's like a home-cooked meal versus fast-made. You just cannot replace that. Something that's built by precious hands, not a production line. That's what makes the difference.

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