BY JILL NAGY
With more than 90 years in the business,
G.A. West Signs of Hudson Falls has seen
a lot of changes.
The company has added computers and
LED lights to its toolbox over the decades
and, according to current co-owner, Aaron
West, “things are always getting better.”
West is the third generation of his family
to run the business. He is joined by
his brother, Dan West, and their father,
although “partially retired,” remains active
in the business as well.
The company was founded in 1923 and
began by making signs, mainly for stores,
and producing billboards and car lettering.
West said car lettering and wraps remain
the company’s biggest sellers but, over the
years, the product line has broadened to
include other kinds of signs and banners,
as well as embroidered and screen-printed
shirts, hats and other clothing. The shirts
and hats are produced primarily for local
businesses but the company also outfits
some area school teams.
“We have added and gotten rid of multiple
products over the years,” he noted.
The majority of the work, including
embroidery and silk screening, is done
in-house. The plant is a 5,000-square-foot
building on Dix Avenue in Hudson Falls.
Including family members, there are
seven employees. For years, G.A. West
Signs prided itself on being the only local
company to bend its own neon tubes.
However, West noted, LED lights are taking
over now and there is less demand for neon
than in the past.
The introduction of computers over the
past 20 years created the biggest change in
the company’s operation, West said. When
items are designed and laid out by computer,
the process is faster, more precise,
and allows for greater variety and more
complex designs, he explained.
Aaron and Dan West grew up in Glen
Lake and attended Lake George schools.
There is a fourth generation of Wests coming
along but, Aaron said, they don’t know
yet if they will join the company. One of
them, Dan’s son Conner, works part time
at G.A. West Signs while attending Hudson
Valley Community College.
The company has always been in Hudson
Falls and in its current location since the
1960s. For now, they plan to stay where
they are. There is still plenty of room in
the building and the location is “a good in
between area,” allowing them to reach into
outlying areas like Argyle, Fort Edward
and Fort Ann while still serving larger
communities to the south.
The customer base is primarily in
Washington and Warren counties but the
company does reach clients down into the
Saratoga Springs area as well.
The company website is www.ga-west.com. It can reached by telephone at 747-
5283.
Photo by Todd Bissonette – rtbphoto.com