Ray Titus is one of the few people who can honestly say that franchising runs in his family.

The son of franchise pioneer Roy Titus, Ray began his career with Minuteman Press, the 800-franchise printing business his father founded in 1972. In 1987, Ray helped Roy establish yet another successful franchise system, SIGNARAMA, the world’s largest sign franchise , which now boasts more than 650 locations. Ray became the president in 1995 and has been instrumental in helping guide the company’s expansion into 32 countries and nearly every U.S. state.

In 2000, Ray used his extensive franchising experience to form EmbroidMe, which has been ranked the #1 custom embroidery, screen-printing, and promotional products franchise in the world by Entrepreneur Magazine for the past two years running! Under his leadership, Ray’s franchise has rapidly grown to more than 150 locations throughout the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Hal Sklar joined Billboard Connection as the Director of Sales and Operations in June of 2004. Hal brings over seventeen years of franchising experience, fourteen of which were with A.T.L. International Inc. a nationwide chain of automotive repair centers. As the Vice President of Operations and Training he was responsible for training all new franchisees and their management staff as well as coordinating the opening of all new locations nationwide. Hal brings an extensive background to Billboard Connection in the areas of marketing, sales, training and store operations.

J.J. Prendamano is often described as BillboardConnection's "head mentor." Since joining our sister company SIGNARAMA in 1991, he has effectively launched and managed many of our key projects, including the World Expo, the Executive Training Seminars , and our most recent initiative, the Global Accounts program. This program which he claims will be a "blockbuster program that will feed a large volume of business to owners who find it hard-pressed to acquire on their own."

J.J. is still big on personnel and has always reiterated that our people are and will always be our greatest asset. He believes strongly in continuing education, both inside and outside of the office and has spearheaded learning programs for all levels of employees, both in corporate and in the field. The Executive Training Seminars, (ETS), a 3-day training program for corporate employees, held twice a year at corporate headquarters, exemplifies the progress we've made in continuing education.

Prior to joining our company he spent 21 years with General Electric Company, where he managed more than $35 million in consumer sales and was responsible for 13 branches and over 100 employees.

Gary Lengel is a company veteran of six years and has recently been promoted to Executive Vice-President. He initially handled our Midwest Region as Regional Vice-President. During his tenure there, he sparked remarkable store growth; and mentored many franchise owners and employees to help meet their objectives.

Lengel's primary role as Executive Vice-President now includes overseeing 15 regional offices worldwide, franchise development and our royalty department. He was also a previous owner of several national franchises and a successful senior executive.

As BillboardConnection's vice president of operations, Ken Gutman oversees the company's financial and legal functions - and develops the programs and procedures that will insure the financial security of the company well into the future.

A 1985 graduate of Florida State University, Ken began his career with our sister company SIGNARAMA in January 1988 when the company had only four franchise locations. Since then he has worked in virtually all capacities, as a marketing representative in SIGNARAMA's original store, and a regional vice president for the Mid-Atlantic states. He also has helped develop the initial Start-Up program for franchise owners to follow once they graduate from training school. He was promoted to his current position in 1999.

Jim Tatem has been a mainstay of SIGNARAMA since the company's first store opened its doors in 1986.

While company president and co-founder Ray Titus grew SIGNARAMA on the outside, Jim was busy growing the pilot store from the inside out -- producing orders, handling customer accounts and managing the operation.

Once the company became a franchise, Jim assumed the role of Training Director for new franchisees and their employees and was instrumental in developing the structures and course content of our proven franchise system. He also helped supervise new store installations, secure vendor and supplier relationships and provide existing franchisees with the initial phases of what has now become our world-class back-up and support system.

Today, Jim works closely with a staff of nearly 30 employees both within the corporate and regional field offices to provide the continued training and support that our franchise owners have come to rely upon.

He is a frequent attendee at trade association expositions within the sign and franchising industries, continually participates in ongoing employee education efforts and is a frequent contributor to industry trade publications.