News Nearby: Meet Gary McAfoose of Sign-A-Rama Pittsburgh South

A new business serving the South Hills and west of Pittsburgh has joined the  community in more ways than one. , located in Lakeside Plaza on Route 19, is a full-service sign franchise.

Owner Gary McAfoose has more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience, and saw an opportunity to take from those positions to help other businesses "expand their brand."

Sign-A-Rama Pittsburgh South opened in late April, which makes four locations in Pittsburgh—including Monroeville, Allison Park and Greensburg. The company is headquartered in West Palm Beach, FL and has 500 stores across the U.S.—250 overseas.

“We’re able to draw from that experience and we have access to larger stores, so we keep it in the family,” he said. “It’s more cost-effective.”

McAfoose just closed deals with , Bobby Rahal, Vasko Dodge and Pittsburgh International Race Complex—to name a few. He also said he’s working with Cedar’s, a restaurant coming soon to Peters, as well as a Chevrolet dealer.

The business provides signage services from awning graphics to real estate signs, channel letters to engraving, as well as menu boards, monument and yard signs, floor signs and much more. 

“We’re big on brand management,” McAfoose said. “It’s about helping grow a business through learning what their needs are—how we can help them get more sales in the door. We take a consultative approach.”

McAfoose said Sign-A-Rama is pursuing the , which begins Monday, Aug. 27, since it’s evolved from the Nationwide Tour to the Web.com Tour. There’s a demand for new signage, he said. 

As a member of the , Southpointe and Washington County chambers and Business Network International—Southpointe chapter, McAfoose also has a past connection to Peters. 

For six years, from 1983-86, he served as the assistant basketball coach at —working alongside Joe Maize.

“I’ve always loved this community,” he said. “It’s a growing community and I really enjoyed living here.”

McAfoose, who’s happy to be back in PT territory, resides in Nevillewood. Recently, he set up shop at .

“It not only allowed me to meet so many people within the school district, police force and emergency services, but I also networked with vendors, which was very effective,” he said.

The Zaricki family of McMurray were the winners of the Sign-A-Rama raffle. They won 3D-rendered signage worth $1,200.

McAfoose said he encourages walk-ins to stop by and take at look at the store’s work that fills the colorful lobby. Also, he’ll be hosting an end-of-summer grand opening, so stay tuned to Patch for upcoming details.

For more information, visit signaramapittsburgh-south.com. Check out the business on Facebook, too.