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IDOT Blog – Friday, September 22, 2023
Employee Spotlight: Standard Sign Unit Chief Cory Pelc
Cory Pelc began his career with IDOT in 2012 as a support technician in the Central Office Sign Shop in Springfield. Several promotions and a brief stint in District 6 Operations later, he now serves as the shop’s Standard Sign Unit chief.
Here are some of his thoughts about his job and life outside of IDOT.
Tell me a little bit about your job?
Our purpose as the Standard Sign Unit within the Central Sign Shop is to manufacture new and refurbish old road signs for the district sign shops to install on IDOT-maintained roads. My position is responsible for overseeing production by ensuring the required material is available for use, equipment is functioning, and sign-design guidelines set forth by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and IDOT are being followed.
What’s the most important impact of your work?
If someone asks me about my job, I feel good explaining what we accomplish at the Central Sign Shop and how it is a great example for taxpayers to see their money at work. We produce roughly 50,000 signs annually, of which 80-85% are made using reclaimed or recycled aluminum.
Although we do utilize some new aluminum stock for producing signs, a majority of our substrate comes through our sign refurbishment process. We are able to straighten old bent signs returned to us from the district sign shops and either keep them in the same size and format or cut them down into smaller dimensions. Then, using our Hydrostripper, we remove the old reflective material and replace it with new reflective sheeting before sending the signs back into the field to mark roads for the motoring public. Each sign can spend up to 15 years or more in service before being returned and then be sent back out for a minimum of two or three additional lifecycles – which means that we have “new” signs being shipped out made with aluminum that has been part of our operation for decades.
What’s your favorite part of the job?
I have two favorite aspects of working at the Central Sign Shop. One, as with any job, things can become routine – however, occasionally we are presented with the chance to design a new sign or work on a special project that allows for some creativity and collaboration and plays to the strengths of the entire shop.
Two, anywhere I travel within the state of Illinois, I get to see our handiwork. It’s both exciting and rewarding to know that something as simple as a stop sign at the top of an exit overpass made a stop or two at our shop.
Anything to highlight?
Along with my supervisor, Central Sign Shop Section Chief Rickey Davis, I am focused on constantly keeping our production operation at the forefront of technology and efficiency. Over the past few years, we have added a wide-format digital printer, which is able to produce highly complex graphical signs with user-friendly latex ink. We have also begun the process of replacing our aging production equipment, having already brought in new material-handling equipment, a wide-belt sanding machine, metal shears and radius-cutting machines.
We have also increased safety measures in the production space by adding additional guardrail protection in our elevated spaces and new tools and equipment to cut down on risk factors, such as static electricity generated during our production process. One of our long-term goals is to add solar panels to the roof of one or more of our buildings to further help with our mindset of leading the way nationally in recycling and “green” sign manufacturing.
Anything people might not realize about your work?
Something that people may not realize is the size of signs. Anything put on a pole in the air begins to look smaller than it is due to lack of a reference point. A standard stop sign is 36 feet by 36 feet and a speed limit 70 sign on the side of the interstate is 48 feet by 60 feet!
What prepared you for your current role?
I have a bachelor’s in communication with a focus on interpersonal and organizational communication and a master’s in environmental studies with a focus on planning and management from the University of Illinois Springfield. In the course of completing my graduate degree, I worked for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency in the Graduate Public Services Internship program, where I was able to gain experience working for a state agency and work with GIS software, which helped with my initial position at the Central Sign Shop.
What do you like to do outside the office?
I like to spend time with my family. We enjoy taking family vacations. Beginning this past year, I started coaching my son’s baseball team. I also like working on small projects and repairs around the house, try to play guitar here and there, and enjoy fishing when time allows. We live in a great neighborhood with families around the same ages, so we often spend weekend evenings outside enjoying food and drinks with all the other parents and kids.
Anything else you’d like people to know?
I really enjoy my position with the Central Sign Shop and being able to work for IDOT – it’s an agency that affects the daily lives of so many residents of Illinois. Signs may seem boring or overlooked at first glance, but they literally serve as guides and markers to our trips across the state. I look forward to all the roads and paths my journey with IDOT still has in store.