We sit down with Mike and Monica Mordecki of Ram Studios to trace how a Farmington sign shop grew from early word-of-mouth hustle into a regional operation serving the Four Corners. We talk candidly about the unglamorous parts of the work, from permits and scheduling to employee challenges, plus the mindset it takes to keep building for decades.
• the origin story of Ram Studios and what it took to get traction early
• doing the work by hand before the digital shift in sign making
• what a typical week looks like coordinating installs, travel, digs, and concrete
• how permitting and local regulations shape timelines and costs
• why administration and job flow management can be the heaviest lift
• how customers find them through relationships, trucks, and community presence
• vehicle wraps and why signage is really advertising that must stay fresh
• the biggest surprises and hardest lessons around employees and leadership
• outgrowing space, upgrading equipment, and planning the next stage
• advice for starting a business in a relationship-driven small town
Farmington’s streets are a living portfolio of local work, and Ram Studios has quietly shaped that look for 36 years. We sat down with Mike and Monica Mordecki to hear how a family-owned sign company goes from one early job and pure word of mouth to producing everything from vinyl decals and vehicle wraps to monument signs, pole signs, and major rebrands across the Four Corners.
We get specific about what “making signs” actually means: scheduling installers across a 250 to 300 mile radius, lining up digs and concrete, managing travel, keeping crews productive, and navigating permits and municipal regulations that can change from town to town. They also share why administration often becomes the real engine of a successful custom signage business, and how they’ve had to evolve their systems and project management software as their workload and complexity grew.
The conversation moves into the modern sign industry, where CNC routing, robotic letter systems, LED message centers, and subscription-based software have replaced the older hand-painted world. One of the most useful takeaways for any business owner is their marketing lens: a sign is advertising, and advertising goes invisible when it never changes. We also talk about the hardest part of leadership, the challenge of employees, and the long-game lesson of building a life that includes time away from work.
If you care about small business, local branding, and what it takes to grow in Farmington NM and the Four Corners region, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a local owner who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show.
