Sign of the Times

A mouse erased any doubts Jaime Harden had about transforming his sign business at the cusp of a recession.

And not just any mouse - Mickey Mouse.

Harden's Tampa-based firm, Creative Sign Designs, won its first project with Walt Disney World in 2008. That was about a year after Harden altered a majority of the business, from residential work, like stop signs and mailboxes for master-planned communities, to commercial work. But it was the firm's ability to land contracts with Disney, says Harden, “that gave us the 'Good Housekeeping' sign of approval.”