FRANCHISOR.
ffftAND ANY PARENT. PREDECESSORS AND AFFILIATES
Franchisor
The franchisor is Signs By Tomorrow-USA, Inc. For ease
of reference in this disclosure document, Signs By Tomorrow-USA, Inc. is
referred to as "we," "us," or "our," and the
person who is considering the franchise is referred to as "you" or
"your."
We were formed as a Texas corporation on April 10, 1986. We were reorganized as a Maryland corporation in
December 1996. We do business as Signs By Tomorrow-USA, Inc. or Signs By
Tomorrow. We do not do business or intend to do business under any other name. Our
principal business address is 8681 Robert Fulton Drive, Columbia, Maryland 21046. Our agents for service of process are disclosed in Exhibit A.
Other than the Texas corporation described above, we
have no predecessors. We also have no parent or affiliates. We have operated 1 or more company-owned
SIGNS BY TOMORROW stores since 1986, and have sold franchises for SIGNS BY TOMORROW
stores since 1987. We currently operate 1 SIGNS BY TOMORROW store in Columbia, Maryland. We have not operated or sold franchises in any other line of business.
On November 1, 2002, we
acquired substantially all of the franchise assets of All American Sign Shops,
Inc. ("All American"), a North Carolina corporation that maintained
its principal place of business at 3803-B Computer Drive, Suite 200, Raleigh, NC 27609. All American offered franchises for business similar to the type you
will operate under the trade name American
Sign Shops from
January 1987 to September 2002. All American conducted a business of the type
that you will operate, but All American did not offer franchises in any other
line of business. The acquired franchises may continue to operate under the American Sign Shops trade name for various
periods, until each franchise signs a new franchise agreement and adopts either
the SIGNS BY TOMORROW trade name or the American
Signs By Tomorrow trade name. We will not offer or sell American Sign Shops franchises.
The Franchise
You must operate your
franchised business according to our standards and specifications, and sign our
franchise agreement and related agreements (Exhibit C). The franchise agreement
describes your rights and obligations concerning the SIGNS BY TOMORROW System.
You should read the franchise agreement carefully. The franchise agreement also
gives you the right to purchase additional franchises for reduced initial
franchise fees.
As a franchisee, you will
operate a store that sells computer-generated signs and graphics, and related
products and services. Letters, logos and shapes that are designed on the
computer are produced so that they can be affixed to various surfaces and
materials. The primary customers for these types of products are businesses of
all sizes and types. You will compete with local and regional full-service sign
companies, neon and other specialty sign companies, copy and print retailers,
hand painted and gold-leaf sign makers, silk -screen printers, and other
computer-generated sign outlets. Before signing a franchise agreement, you
should survey your market to determine the number and quality of competitors.
The market for signs, and
related products and services, is well-developed in most areas of the U.S. However, the 1-day sign segment is still relatively new, with its origin dating to
1985.
Laws and Regulations
When conducting business as a franchisee, you must
comply with all laws and regulations governing businesses generally. ThereWe are aenot aware of anv national or state
industry-specific laws or regulations that you must follow in the production of
signs. In some states, the laws regarding the licensing of contractors may
apply to you if you install signs. In some communities, there are zoning
ordinances whiehthat
place
limits on the sizes and/or types of signs permitted in certain locations. These
regulations generally are reasonable and do not create a significant business
problem. We urge you to inquire about these laws and regulations.
