Rising Gas Prices a Boon for Sign-Making Firm

While soaring gas prices are costing Americans more money, they are generating more business for Empro Products, a New Jersey-based firm that makes and supplies signs to the majority of service stations in mid-Atlantic and New England states. "In the last two weeks we've been getting hit hard for digit number 4," says Vinnie Verma, Empro's general manager. "We've also gotten a very limited number of calls for 5s." Most of Empro's business comes from making the aluminum signs that are placed above pumps; however, rather than making new ones each time the price changes, Empro paints "2.95" below the different fuel grades. Gas station workers can then put a magnetic number on the sign whenever the price jumps or falls. Future aluminum signs, however, will be printed with "3.95." Empro also makes paper signs and curb signs. "In the past, they just went up to $2.99," says Verma. "Now the new ones go all the way up to $9.99, because we're not taking chances anymore."