About
Mesa Sign & Stamp Co. Inc.
After almost 48 years of operating Mesa Sign & Stamp, Connie Drizigacker (Connie D) decided it was time to consider retirement and care for her ailing husband, Bob. She soon found a couple that was interested in purchasing the business. She had known them for several years through El Zaribah Shriners. Gerry and Connie Massey had recently been married and were looking for a business opportunity. Gerry had spent most of his career in the Military and Law Enforcement and Connie has been an Office Manager for over 25 years.
After careful consideration, Connie M and Gerry agreed to purchase the business. They also agreed that Gerry would handle the day-to-day operations at the shop. Connie M agreed to assist part time and keep the books straight. They also requested that Connie D continue to assist when she is available. Connie D agreed to train Gerry and comes in to the shop routinely to help. She also makes sure that Gerry keeps a keen eye on attention to detail and measures up to the “Connie D Standard of Excellence”!
We would like to thank you for taking time to read a little bit about us and hope you stop in to see us.
Bronze Manufacturer of the Year:
Mesa Sign & Stamp Co. Inc, Mesa Arizona
by David Hachmeister
Excerpt taken from: Marking lndustry ... June 2006
David Hachmeister: Congratulations! It is a pleasure visiting with you, and I look forward to the interview and talking with you a little about your company. So, here you are in Arizona, and I understand there’s a story behind how you ended up here.
Connie Drizigacker: Yes, there is. My dad had a bad accident the night before my high school graduation-he got burned real bad with anhydrous ammonia, a liquid fertilizer the farmers put
on their crops back in Illinois. He lost his sight in one eye,
received damage to his lungs and lost his taste buds.
In 1971, Dad and Mom went to California for my uncle’s
funeral; on their way home they stopped in Arizona to visit Dad’s aunt and uncle. The liked it here and decided that they might like to move out here. The next morning he opened up the paper and found an immediate opening for an American Oil agent in the classified ads. He went for an interview and was able to transfer from his Standard Oil Agency in Cowden, Illinois
to Mesa, Arizona. He took the job and they moved to Arizona.
Back in Illinois Dad could drive a hazardous vehicle with
one eye, but the state of Arizona won’t let you, so he had to hire a driver to make his deliveries to the different places. The driver was out on deliveries one day and found this rubber stamp business for sale. He told Dad that maybe this was something he could do, so Dad went and checked it out and bought it; that was in 1972. In 1973 Dad called me up and asked me if I wanted to come out and run the business. I said, “Well, yeah.” I lived in Illinois at the time, and after I had been out here for a visit and went back, it rained for three solid weeks, so I was ready to move.
DH: Yeah, that’ll do it!
CD: I flew out here around April 30 with my 15-month-old son, and that was on a Saturday. The following Monday I started working. Dad taught me how to do it in a month’s time, and on June 1 Dad and Mom were out of there for the summer. I was
either going to sink or swim, and I swam.
DH: And you’ve been swimming for 33 years, is it?
CD: Going on 33 years.