Dean Wille applies graphics to the National Guard vehicle. (Submitted photo)

WARRENSBURG, Mo.—Dean Wille went into the sign business 10 years ago, after Rich Swisher, owner of Farm and Home, took him to a trade show.

It started as a part-time job opportunity, but after five months of making progress, Wille decided to move forward with his own sign business. He opened it off West Young Street, where his father had previously owned a body shop.

“The sign business is all vinyl now,” said Wille. “All of the road signs and things like that are done by the government; we do everything else.”

Wille said he wanted his business to reflect a “specialized one—not a mom-and-pop one,” which was the reasoning behind the name Gator Graphics, instead of “a name like Wille's Signs or Warrensburg Graphics.”

Wille and his crew specialize in custom signs, banners, window lettering, car wrappings and optic LED signs. They have had big-name clients, such as UCM, Warrensburg High School and the Central Missouri Speedway, as well as doing the signs for area stores, including Alewel's Meat Market and Central Pawn.

Wille, a 1997 UCM alumnus, used his automotive technology degree for a year and half before pursuing a job in the industry of signs and graphics.

What Wille learned most, he said, was discovering “how to communicate with people” and “how to handle people at the job, that could be potential customers.”

Wille's biggest influences were his coaches when he played on the football team during his four years at the university.

“I played defensive end for Terry Noland,” said Wille, “and then, my last fall semester, I played for Coach Fritz.”

Four years ago, James McMillin, a safety management graduate at UCM in 1992, partnered with Wille at Gator Graphics.

“I wanted someone who could afford the business, because the winter months can sometimes be slow,” said Wille. “We were actually in a short partnership before Gator Graphics; we did a side business venture together at T-Mobile in 2006, so I knew he was good for it.”

Wille and McMillin met while racing at the Central Missouri Speedway. Wille said that McMillin was a customer at first, like a lot of the CMS drivers are today.

Rebecca Valdez, Wille's newest addition to Graphic Gators, said that racing is a common topic around the workplace.

“Dean and James talk about racing all the time,” said Valdez. “Most of our repeat customers are drivers.”

Valdez, a UCM alumna who went to graduate school, was hired in May as the marketing and public relations representative. She said she likes working for Dean because of the “laid back” working environment and having Chloe, the “shop dog” around, is always nice.

Wille has been racing at CMS since his high school days and his car has his old football number: 68.

“Racing is part of the structure of our business,” said Wille. “Wrapping race cars is the foundation and base of our work.”

He and McMillin wrap their own cars, as well as the cars of friends they race with. Currently, the store is working with the Army and National Guard on wrapping its recruiting vehicles.

Wille explained that wrapping is a three-step process that usually takes an average of 16 to 20 hours for an entire car and costs about $2,500. The image is printed on vinyl and then is laminated to protect the ink from outside exposure. The graphic is placed on the car dry.

Gator Graphics does all its wrappings dry, a change from the “old-school vinyl style of everything being wet,” he said.

Wille and McMillin are known to be very competitive when it comes to the race track.

“We race against each other as hard as anyone else, so, over the years, we've bumped into each other from time to time,” McMillin said with a smile.

Wille finished 2nd and McMillin 9th in the overall modified-division points in 2009. Wille's most memorable race was the state fair this year.

“I totaled my car during the state fair,” said Wille. “We stayed up the entire night fixing the damage. I came back during next day’s race and ended up placing first—it was awesome.”