Recently, we had the chance to follow up and revisit a customer who had purchased two of our message boards for their university.  Tucked away in Dekalb, about 60 miles west of Chicago, Northern Illinois University is a growing population of 25,000 students with a diverse group of on-campus traffic control needs.  One of their main focuses are events on campus.  To be more specific, I’m referring to the Convocation Center, a $36 million multipurpose center that seats 10,000 people for a variety of events at the school.  We met with Chris Kostelec, who is the Convocation Center Coordinator to offer follow-up support on the message boards, and also to get a sense from them who they used these message boards. What we found was very interesting as these boards rarely get a days rest. University officials had plenty of good things to say, as they were very satisfied with the performance of their newest equipment.

Chris was very pleased with the ease of use of these boards, especially the simple programming on the computer system. He said what used to take him 20 minutes to enter now takes him less than 60 seconds in most cases and that was a huge benefit. Running the Convocation Center is a big enough job on its own, and what it’s important to Chris is being able to quickly direct people to where they need to go. Being able to place the boards and immediately get the message out with little hassle is a tremendous time saver by comparison to his previous message boards.

He was also very pleased with the price and value of the boards.  His research concluded that we offered the most competitive pricing available, and the university agreed. Upon our first visit we provided him with a Shopworx catalog and I let him know that we would be able to service all of their needs from this standpoint.  Chris plans on contacting me again in the future as those needs come up. He is very interested in purchasing the remote communications modem for each board, as he feels the ability to control the boards from his office computer would streamline his productivity.

The QPR ShopWorx QPRSMC2000 Full-Matrix Solar Message Board is a portable, changeable full-matrix message sign consisting of advanced LED lamp matrix panels capable of emitting bright distinctive messages to the public.  The board comes already capable of displaying 250 text, 60 graphic and 20 arrow board messages preprogrammed and stored in the controller. Additionally, 100 user-created messages can be programmed and stored.

This information speaks to the sheer volume of activity at this facility each year is directly from the NIU Website:

• 200+ events per year
• Concerts
• Family Shows
• Theatrical Productions
• Commencement Ceremonies
• Job Fairs
• Trade Shows
• Huskies Division I Athletic Events (Basketball, Volleyball, Track, Gymnastics and Wrestling)

Chris informed us that these boards will be in constant use throughout the year – not only for the 200+ events they put on at the convocation center, but also for home football and basketball games and other campus events that draw heavy traffic. They also lend or rent the boards out to local high schools for football games, and to the fire department for various different uses. He was very pleased with the outstanding customer service and support he had been receiving from QPR, and was impressed with the follow up from both our team in the field and our inside reps. His overall impression of QPR was very good and in his words, he “couldn’t be happier” with what he has.

For more information on Northern Illinois University and the Convocation Center, feel free to visit their website below.

http://www.niu.edu/convo/info/index.shtml

It seems like summer is finally breaking in most parts of the country, and where I’m from that means college football, tailgating, and going back to watch my East Carolina Pirates on the field.  Recently, ShopWorx has been working with a handful of colleges and universities to prepare for the upcoming football season, specifically dealing with their traffic control plans.  As schools expand in both student population and size, the needs of a college and university can often mirror what many municipalities are doing to control the safety and flow of traffic in an area.  QPR ShopWorx has a full line of traffic control supplies that can increase the efficiency of your current system.

We recently sent out a mailer highlighting our Mini Full-Matrix Solar Message Board for gameday traffic control, and the responses have been great.  This week, I traveled through my home state of North Carolina meeting with a handful of universities about this fantastic piece of equipment.  The QPRSMC4000 is the perfect option for those with traffic control needs that can vary dynamically between construction, public events, lane closures, and a host of other happenings.  The board has 21-day autonomy, meaning when fully charged you could disconnect the solar panels and it will run for three weeks straight.  The board can display 250 pre-programmed messages in text, as well as 60 graphic messages.  In addition, 100 user-created messages can be stored.  One of the best features of the board is its size.  While still giving you maximum visibility of your message display, the footprint and weight of this board is much less than traditional 3-line message boards.

One university was considering the benefits of owning solar message boards versus renting them, and on the spot rattled off a list of nearly a dozen additional ways they could use the board to benefit the university and its students.  Since there are constant events on campuses aside from football and other sporting events, the message board can assist with student parking, lane closures, special events, graduations, etc.  We brought a full-size three line message board along with us in most cases to show people the differences in size and capabilities, and in every case the staff determined the smaller board to be most compatible with what they were looking to use it for.

I brought along a couple of “experts” with me as well to show off these boards.  ShopWorx Program Manager Towner Magill and Charles Frick, our manufacturer’s rep from Precision Solar Controls, both came along for the ride.  The demonstrations went very smoothly, aside from one slight “technical” glitch.  While changing out a component in the controller box Charles accidentally cut open his thumb with a utility knife, but still managed to finish the rest of the demonstration in top form!  Our thanks and well-wishes go out to Charles and his thumb.

Thumbs up, Charles! The customers loved your demonstrations.

Whether you’re a college or university, a small municipality, an event facility, or many other types of users, the Mini Full-Matrix Solar Message Board has a host of great features and potential for use in your day-to-day operations.  Please contact your nearest QPR representative for a demonstration of this great board!

Hopefully you’ve been able to enjoy some vacation this summer, and relax somewhere cool and shady.  Of course, that seems to be harder and harder to do as weeks go by.  Our country has been in the grip of a tremendous heat wave over the last several weeks, and this is on pace to be one of the hottest summers in record.  For those of you in the asphalt & paving world, this isn’t news.  Hopefully this isn’t news to you either: it is critical that those working around hot pavement and machinery take extra precautions to remain hydrated and cool.  There are many ways of doing this, but the most obvious is drinking plenty of water throughout the day.  QPR ShopWorx wants to help keep your crew hydrated this summer.  We have great prices on our 5 & 10 gallon Igloo coolers, and are even giving away coolers for free with a minimum purchase of Personal Protective Equipment.

Has your plant manager thought out providing warm mix asphalt to your customers and paving crews?  While traditionally thought of as a additive for cold weather paving options, our QualiTherm warm-mix additive can be used to lower the temperature of both your plant, saving fuel, and your production temperatures, saving your paving crew from additional heat exposure.  These crews are already exposed to extreme temperatures and conditions improving our infrastructure, and a 75 degree difference in laydown temperatures can mean a lot less stress on a worker’s body.

Paving Crews work better in hot summer conditions when the laydown temperature is lower using WMA

Staying cool while out on the job site can also be done by taking more frequent breaks, staying in the shade as often as possible, and wearing loose-fitting clothing with a lighter fabric for summer heat.  Staying out of the sun is also important for a worker’s skin health – be sure to wear plenty of sunscreen with high SPF rating (55+).  Make sure someone on your crew is trained in first aid in case of a heat emergency.  Stay safe this summer – hopefully Fall won’t be along too late!

Some other news of note – QPR ShopWorx reps are coming to your area with demonstrations of our great line of message and arrow boards.  We have demonstration units throughout the country and are visiting with contractors, local government, and other agencies on a regular basis, and we can come to you too!  Contact your rep today and schedule a demonstration of our user-friendly, durable message boards.

With Tropical Storm Beryl on our heels, ShopWorx Program Manager Towner Magill and I set out to give some customer demonstrations of our newest portable message board, the QPR SMC 4000 Mini Full-Matrix Solar Message Board.  Moving North and East at around 60 mph, we blew across Florida bringing a handful of a counties a new message.  Well, a new message board, that is…a mini message board.

Most governmental agencies are familiar only with larger message boards that are rated for highway use.  However, most cities and counties are not generally maintaining very many highway miles.  After demonstrations with Charlotte County, the City of Punta Gorda, Lee County, Indian River County, and the City of Melbourne, potential future users were impressed with the smaller message board. Several of the staff in each location crowded around the board, and had plenty of compliments.  They admired the QPR SMC 4000 for its small size and maneuverability, ease of use in programming a custom message, the brightness of the board’s full matrix LED display, remote communication and radar features,  and competitive pricing.  Plus, since it can be placed on any road with a speed limit of 55mph or lower, it would allow them to use it in a variety of ways.

Additionally, the QPR SMC 4000 has every feature you want in a compact size. Featuring Energy Efficient LED displays, an industrial-grade trailer, 4 leveling jacks to provide stability, and powder-coat paint that resists fade from weather and scratches. Inside the secure controller unit an off-the-shelf QWERTY keyboard attached to the on-board controller by USB can be easily used or replaced, and (2) 4D Deep Cycle batteries within the locked battery box allow the SMC 4000 to operate for 21 consecutive days without sunlight.  And speaking of Tropical Storms, the unit can withstand winds up to 70 mph.

The Full Matrix display provides both graphic messages and arrow board capabilities. The unit’s on-board controller provides the user with 250 pre-programmed text, 60 graphic and 20 arrow board display messages. The controller also has enough memory to save up to 100 user programmed messages.

Our message boards are manufactured in several locations across the United States, drastically cutting shipping costs and allowing replacement parts to be readily available – should you need them in moment’s notice.  The East Coast avoided any major damage from Tropical Storm Beryl this weekend, but should disaster strike QPR will be there to help supply you with what you need at a moment’s notice.

Are you interested in a hands-on demonstration of our Mini Full-Matrix Solar Message Board or any other product from QPR ShopWorx? Contact your local ShopWorx representative today to set up a free demonstration!