The National Association of Manufacturers celebrates factories who are in the manufacturing business each fall. YESCO Custom Electric Signs invited the fifth grade of Franklin Elementary to tour its factory and operations in coordination with events like these all over the country. The International Sign Association (ISA) has embraced this program for many years. After the invitation was extended, the school responded that they likely couldn’t do the field trip – unless the sixth grade joined them! The Youngs were overjoyed to have all of them involved! 
In total, 65 students and other teachers and administrators from the school joined the group for the tour.
Given the overall size of the group, the students were divided into six groups of ten, and they each had a tour guide who started “shotgun” style in various areas of the operation and rotated through six different main work centers. Those areas included design, metal manufacturing, paint, service, installation, and the neon shop. One highlight was that some of the students were able to push a button, with direct oversight, to move one of the two overhead 15 ton cranes that spans the production area and moves along two overhead tracks. Each group also took turns watching a presentation in the conference room about the company’s history including the founding of the business in 1920 by Thomas Young Sr. who immigrated from England as a teenager to Ogden Utah. His son, Thomas Young Jr took over the business in 1969, and his sons, Mike, Paul, and Jeff Young work alongside members of the fourth generation of the business. The students saw a few clips from YESCO’s episode in Undercover Boss some years back. They were able to learn about how technology has played a role in the sign industry up and including YESCO’s role in recently installing the exterior screen on the Sphere in Las Vegas.The focus was primarily a consideration of the possible job opportunities in varying fields of work and the importance of a focus on education from a young age. Among many comments made by the students, there were a few that stood out. After having had a chance to look at one of YESCO’s large RED installation trucks, a young sixth grader responded to the question – ‘What do you want to do when you grow up?’ His reply, “I want to be a fireman!... at YESCO!” It seemed obvious he mistook the installation truck for a fire truck. We all had a chuckle over that one. Another young woman who had just looked at a set of still images of sign projects through the years also watched a few videos, showing drone footage of signs along with upbeat music. After having been asked, ‘what do you think?’ this young girl quietly observed, “Your signs look better with music.” Isn’t that a fact! All of life would look better with a soundtrack in the background.
Each of the students were given a branded flashlight as they left – which they seemed happy to have.
