Member Spotlight:听2-Scale
2-Scale: The business of creating the brand, the image, and the inspiration
Aaron Churchill, president of , certainly uses his engineering degree in the daily operations of the company that provides design, development and construction of custom identity and branding pieces for its customers. However, there鈥檚 something he finds more valuable than technical expertise.
鈥淢y engineering background really taught me problem-solving,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something I use constantly, even before the current situation.鈥�
He鈥檚 referring, of course, to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit trade shows 鈥� accounting for half of 2-Scale鈥檚 business 鈥� particularly hard. More on that later; Aaron鈥檚 point was that the company鈥檚 30+-year history was never without problems to solve.
Founded in the mid-1980s mainly to provide traveling exhibits for Owens-Corning Fiberglas, 2-Scale鈥檚 specialized focus on customized products meant that the company struggled at times. Filing for bankruptcy finally became necessary, which was when Sharon Skilliter, who had previously assisted 2-Scale鈥檚 founders on the financial side, assumed control of the company and took it through the bankruptcy process before becoming its president.
鈥淚 was lucky because I inherited a lot of talented people and most of those employees are with us today,鈥� Sharon says. 鈥淚 never get tired of seeing our teams come together to discuss projects and the uninhibited creativity they bring to the solution phase.鈥�
The company achieved both financial stability and consistent double-digit growth 鈥� and the challenges that come with success. Bringing the family鈥檚 talents into the business was beneficial to all parties, Sharon says. 鈥淎s with most of us, family comes first, and we wanted to be sure we did it right. That鈥檚 when I discovered the UT Family Business Center. They鈥檝e been a great source of continuing education along with providing support and mentorship around family issues.鈥�
Meanwhile, 2-Scale continued to prosper. Customers like Owens-Corning remained loyal, while new names such as Pilkington were added. The financial crisis of 2007-08 expanded the company鈥檚 focus to interior branding. Displays and signage now became part of their customers鈥� corporate interiors as permanent installations. Company branding, new at the time, became a 2-Scale specialty, enabling the company to emerge successful from the economic downturn.
Meanwhile, Aaron Churchill was working in sales management in the Columbus area. He and his wife Sarah, both Toledo natives, felt drawn back to their family ties in northwest Ohio 鈥� something Sarah鈥檚 mother Sharon fully understood. Sharon approached Aaron to write a sales plan, subsequently bringing him on board as head of sales. Sharon鈥檚 son Dan had already joined the company in 2010.
When Sharon decided to semi-retire in 2019, Aaron moved from general manager to president. He and Dan are now business partners, Dan handling the financial and administrative operations, Aaron in charge of the rest: design, sales, production, and running the company as a whole.
Sharon is confident in her successors鈥� abilities, saying, 鈥淎aron and Dan have the passion and drive to take the company further and succeed.鈥�
Branding, now an accepted part of every company鈥檚 business model, remains a source of challenge 鈥� and fun 鈥� for Aaron: 鈥淓verybody pays attention to the brand, more than ever. It鈥檚 who you are as a business. People see your brand and get an impression of your company. Our goal is crafting a high-quality product that鈥檚 reflective of the business.鈥�
He understands the challenges of branding for small companies, noting, 鈥淣ot every customer has a large budget, so we use a good-better-best system. We鈥檝e also expanded the branding concept into company interiors, an approach that also conveys an impression.鈥�
If a customer has an existing brand that isn鈥檛 as dynamic or up-to-date as it could be, that鈥檚 when Aaron鈥檚 enthusiasm for problem-solving goes into high gear. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 actually change their brand,鈥� he says, 鈥渂ut we can explode it. We鈥檒l find new ways to use the brand that are visually interesting. That鈥檚 a lot of fun.鈥�
When Aaron and Dan have their own internal business challenges, the University of Toledo Family Business Center is a regular resource. Aaron says, 鈥淪haron got us involved initially. Dan and I are in affinity groups, which to me is the best. The relationships that grew into friendships are fantastic; so is the exchange of ideas.鈥� The affinity groups have used virtual meetings during the pandemic so members. can share how they鈥檙e changing their business practices 鈥� 鈥淰ery helpful,鈥� Aaron says.
COVID-19 has closed trade shows for now, but 2-Scale is supporting the community by fabricating acrylic partitions and other distancing options. In thinking about how the virus will affect 2-Scale in the long term, Aaron taps into his other management role. 鈥淚 have to be the visionary, planning for where we鈥檙e going to go next,鈥� he says.
鈥淎fter the global shutdown, will companies cling to their old brands, or will they change?鈥� he asks. 鈥淚 started having conversations with Dan in January about being impacted by the changes to travel, since our company is based on physical interaction with customers.
鈥淒o we think that the pandemic is going to completely change how we interact with each other? It鈥檚 too early to say, but as we talk about the long-term future, although people will be adjusting more and more to remote technology in the future I don鈥檛 see the loss of personal interaction.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be difficult. We all know how movies show virtual r4eality as being common in the future, but the person-to-person connection is still ingrained in all of us.鈥�
But that鈥檚 a problem he feels certain he鈥檒l solve, with help from his team and with his own sense of every problem holding the potential for opportunity. 鈥淲hat drew me to 2-Scale was to grow it,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 happened, and I see our growth continuing in the years to come.鈥�