YESCO keeps Las Vegas bright one light bulb at a time By Aleza Freeman Vegas.com YESCO’s bright spots Young Electric Sign Company has been at the t the Young Electric Sign Company, forefront of the sign-making industry since it takes two service technicians to 1920, expanding throughout the Western change a light bulb – one to operate a United States. Here are some of those bright boom truck that reaches upwards of spots, courtesy yesco.com: A160 feet, and the other to brave the heights and screw it in. 1920 On the other hand, it only takes one light Thomas Young Sign Company founded. bulb to change a man. 1925 Just ask Robert Atkinson, a YESCO service YESCO sold neon signs in Utah, Idaho, technician. Atkinson has been hooked on Wyoming and Nevada. They began manu- servicing signs since the first time he rode in facturing neon tubing in 1927. the basket on the end of the truck’s crane. 1932 Service technicians ride in cranes as well Business extended to Las Vegas. YESCO as scale down the sides of buildings using acquired Nevada Outdoor Sign Company and a type of rope ladder and harness designed set up a branch office in Vegas in 1945. for rock climbing. 1948 “There’s nothing like it,” said Atkinson, a YESCO installed neon spectaculars for the brawny but friendly man whose hands were Pioneer Club, Golden Nugget and Eldorado blackened by grease. “It’s scary the first Club creating the famous “Glitter Gulch” in Las Vegas. time, but once you get your legs it’s a ball. It’s kind of like being Spiderman.” 1951 Vegas Vic, a 75-foot-tall, 12,000-pound sign, built and installed. YESCO, a bright fixture in Las Vegas YESCO has designed, produced and 1969 maintained a majority of the brightly-lit, Circus Circus Clown spectacular installed. iconic signs that line the Las Vegas Strip, 1975 downtown and beyond for a good portion of Photo by Aleza Freeman YESCO opened a new plant in Las Vegas. the company’s 80-plus years, from historical Brian Smith, left, and Jason Nichols, right, repair a sign at Boulder Station. 1980 relics like Vegas Vic, Silver Slipper, Stardust YESCO installed the world’s tallest freestand- and Golden Nugget to modern marvels like big or small, old or new, energy efficient enough for them to get a good laugh. ing sign (222.5 feet) at the Sahara Hotel Mandalay Bay, Rio, Palms and Wynn Las “They were just or not, eventually needs fixing, repainting When they’re not battling the weather, & Casino. Vegas. or cleaning. other on-the-job challenges can include 1990 Innovative neon, fluorescent, LED and rappelling like burns and electric shocks. A lot of the guys, Award-winning Rio Hotel & Casino sign iridescent signs hang from the rooftops Have no fear, the sign patrol is here admitted Rundquist, have big calluses on installed in Las Vegas. of 50-story-high mega-resorts and run Members of the YESCO Sign Patrol their hands from touching hot lamps. 1991 up and down the sides of those same crazy monkeys.” spend their evenings scouring the city for Then there are the pigeons. Las Vegas Hard Rock Café guitar sign buildings. Enormous marquees distinguish burned-out bulbs and other sign-related “They get in the signs, make nests, have designed and built. the properties from the street. Signs also fill damages. The team then reports back to babies and die,” said Rundquist. “They pile 1995 the insides, marking everything from slot — Mike Richards, the service department with their findings, up inside the signs, and we have to work YESCO adopted “wedge base” lamp machines to restrooms. typically something like an outage or a in that stuff.” YESCO interior service manager technology used to create Fremont Street With the almost constant installation and broken panel. The hardest signs to maintain are the more Experience’s 1,400-foot graphic display removal of signs throughout Las Vegas (the “Every once in awhile someone shoots at technically sophisticated ones like the Wynn system in downtown Las Vegas. city is constantly growing and sometimes the signs or throws beer bottles at them,” sign, which has a “mechanical eraser” that 2001 imploding), no one at YESCO seems to said Charlie Rundquist, service department moves up and down the sign, or the older Bally’s Las Vegas Casino sign installed at one be able to come up with an exact signage And these aren’t your ordinary, everyday foreman. “It’s a party town, so you know.” ones like the Circus Circus sign. of nation’s busiest intersections. figure … though they estimate that it’s in light bulbs. Then, like your friendly, neighborhood “Really old signs have a lot of loose wiring 2004 the thousands. “One bulb that you buy at Wal-Mart or mailman, the service technicians show up and a lot of shorts,” explained Smith. “You 220-foot-high New York-New York Hotel & “The number of signs?” asked Mike Home Depot will last about 750 to 1,000 rain or shine to make the repairs. never know what you’re going to get.” Casino main marquee installed. Richards, interior service manager for hours,” explained Richards. “The ones On a particularly stormy day, Brian Smith Over the years, things have gotten safer we use last 50,000 hours. They are also 2005 YESCO. “A lot!” and Jason Nichols have the task of updating for the technicians. Historically, most of the YESCO installed its Wynn Las Vegas sign, The company, started by Thomas Young in designed to be subject to outdoor weather. the letter paneling several stories up on signs have been built with pegs or other complete with an innovative “moving Utah in March 1920, is the only manufacturer If we used one from Wal-Mart, it might last the Boulder Station Hotel and Casino main access points to allow technicians to climb eraser.” in the United States that designs, assembles, a week.” marquee. But they’re not too worried about on them. sells/leases, installs, creates content for and With the current trend leaning toward the weather. But until more recent years, they didn’t services electronic displays -- all under one energy saving bulbs, YESCO recently sent “It’s a judgment call,” said Nichols, and even use ropes or harnesses to climb on roof. This is abundantly clear when touring technicians to replace all the regular bulbs Smith agreed. “If the lightning got really those pegs, no matter how high the building. the buildings that comprise YESCO’s Las on the Rio Hotel’s sign with more energy close or we felt unsafe we’d shut it down,” “They were just rappelling,” said Richards, Vegas site. They are just as much a testa- efficient ones. said Smith. “like crazy monkeys.” ment to customer service, craftsmanship, “It looks different and it acts different,” Since they work placing the letters on the So next time you’re enjoying the bright and innovation as they are to neon tubing, admitted Richards, “but it saves a whole marquee from the center out, they admit lights of Las Vegas, thank YESCO. Without metal siding and light bulbs … lots and lots lot of power.” that the occasional humorous spelling error this Las Vegas fixture, the city would likely Wynn Las Vegas of light bulbs. Of course, every sign no matter how may accidentally slip through, but only long be dark and dull..