Vietnam Vet Makes an Impression Every Day

Signarama owner Harry Titus and his team come up with creative solutions every day for the sign and graphic needs of their customers, but Thanksgiving holds special meaning for the 65-year-old Vietnam War veteran.

Titus served as an Army infantryman with 1/46 Delta Company/1st Platoon at Fire Base Mary Ann in the Quảng Tín Province of South Vietnam from 1970-71. And each year Titus’ Signarama store at 62 Main St., in Kingston provides float graphics for multiple floats in America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Parade in Plymouth.

One of Titus’ most cherished memories comes from 2011, when he headed a special effort to show appreciation for the sacrifices Vietnam veterans made for their country.

With the help of 50 volunteers who devoted five months and countless hours, the group constructed a commemorative float that replicated a full-size Huey helicopter, complete with pilots and gunners. It was set on a rolling platform surrounded by a reproduction of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall. In addition, three actors at the front of the float portrayed The Three Soldiers statue located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

“The 2011 float was my opportunity to publicly welcome home Vietnam veterans, and to acknowledge all of the lives lost. Vietnam was a life altering event for me and many other soldiers. I was fortunate enough to be able to walk away, and with a greater appreciation for life. Unfortunately there were many men that weren’t as lucky. The float brought together many Veterans who assisted me in the production of it, and honestly it helped me to put to rest issues I’ve carried with me since the war. I wanted other Vietnam veterans to know I empathize; I was in your shoes. We weren’t exactly welcomed home but with the help of wonderful people such as America’s Hometown Thanksgiving Parade Executive Director Olly DeMacedo., The VFW and many others we were able to come together and give the Vietnam veterans their day to shine and say ‘We appreciate all you endured and did for us’.”

Titus is celebrating his 26th year as a Signarama franchise owner, opening initially on Summer Street in Kingston in 1990, before moving to his present location on Main Street five years later. His business provides comprehensive sign and graphic services to both private and commercial customers in today’s constantly evolving market. Signarama’s impactful solutions range from digital signs to vehicle wraps, banners, monuments, neon, LED and pylon signs.

Before becoming a Signarama franchise owner, Titus was a 25-year partner in Design Mark, a high-tech screen-printing company in Wareham when the partners decided to sell the business. Looking to put his extensive pre-press and management skills to use, Titus saw Signarama as a perfect fit.

“You stick with what you know works,” Titus said. “I’m just an average guy who’s a hard worker. I stick with things and I also like what I do very much.”

Signarama has been at the forefront of the $49-billion-plus sign industry for more than two decades by taking sign production from industrial facilities and warehouses to clean, accessible retail space. Signarama’s success is evident since it makes up 80 percent of the sign franchise market when all sign stores are combined internationally.

“There is no substitute for hard work, but when you stick with it the rewards are worth it,” Titus said. “We see our work everywhere.”