Siblings carry on father’s legacy through FASTSIGNS business

James and Katie Grosklaus recently inherited the FASTSIGNS center their father first opened.

COOKEVILLE – FASTSIGNS® of Cookeville is celebrating 10 years in business this year as siblings Katie and James Grosklaus recently inherited the FASTSIGNS center their father first opened. James manages the day-to-day operations in house while Katie consults on business decisions and planning strategic growth to keep their late father’s business moving forward.

“In this industry, I have learned how much goes into creating different sign solutions,” shared James. “The product is never something you think about until you either need it or are selling it.” 

In a small community like Cookeville, it’s all about a handshake and building relationships with local businesses and organizations. Their father, Mike Grosklaus, had an incredible work ethic and provided great customer service to his customers.  

“We truly value the relationships our father created, and each one is significant to us as business owners,” said Katie Grosklaus. “Repeat business keeps this business moving forward, and we are thankful for their continued support.” 

Their lean but mighty team is the backbone of their efficient center. In addition to Katie and James, the team includes Pete Ferro, the general manager and graphic designer, who has been with the business since the day they opened the doors. Liz Laws is also on the team, and she has grown her knowledge from outside sales to include inside sales over the last year. Laws’ talent was recognized in 2020 when she received a FASTSIGNS Bronze Sales Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement of Outside Sales Professionals who generated record sales during the prior year. 

“I have seen technology and methods change quite a bit since our center first opened,” said James. “There are new machines and signage solutions that I look forward to working with in the future. One particular example is our Point of Sale system which has helped with our workflow and flexibility from anywhere. We can assist customers in real time or from our home, and we can also keep track of current projects.”

This team of experts has created comprehensive signage solutions for well-known Cookeville businesses and organizations over the past decade. Mike Grosklaus was also a strong believer in donating to local charities, and Katie and James plan to continue that in addition to being involved with the local chamber and BNI groups.  

“We’re excited to keep working toward providing the same great service and level of care that dad did,” said Katie. “We have pride in what we are doing here at FASTSIGNS, and we want to continue to grow a business that would make him proud.”

About FASTSIGNS®

FASTSIGNS® of Cookeville is a locally and independently owned and operated sign, graphics and visual communications company that provides comprehensive visual marketing solutions to customers of all sizes—across all industries—to help them attract more attention, communicate their message, sell more products, help visitors find their way and extend their branding across all of their customer touchpoints including décor, events, wearables, digital signage and marketing materials. To learn more, visit fastsigns.com/578 or call (931) 854-9007. 

Submit your story ideas to the Upper Cumberland Business Journal! via email.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.