Success Stories
Fast Signs, Downtown Oakland
As Linda grew her business, she wanted to make sure that she established a company culture that supported and created good jobs for her workers.
Linda Fong is the owner of Fast Signs in downtown Oakland, a manufacturer of custom-made signs, in Oakland. As an Oakland, CA native, Linda built her business in 1995 in the city she grew up in and expanded her Oakland showroom and production team in Jack London Square, a mile from her original location and just steps from where she grew up as a child. Linda is committed to her local community and strives to provide good jobs to those she hires.
Linda was made aware of PCV’s Business Advising program through our Small Business Support Circle partner Inner City Capital Connections (ICCC) and signed up to receive business advising in November 2020. As Linda grew her business, she wanted to make sure that she established a company culture that supported and created good jobs for her workers. Linda expressed her desire to create a growth plan, improve employee training, set policies and procedures, and identify roles. We introduced Linda to pro-bono advisor Nicole Blevins, HR Business Partner at Xenium HR, and kicked off their partnership in December 2020, in the heart of the first wave of the COVID pandemic.
Linda is enjoying her engagements with Nicole and appreciates having her as a thought partner. Linda expresses that “Nicole has been a great fit. She understands the needs of my company and is fluid and flexible as we navigate not only with the challenges of the ever-moving needle during this pandemic, but also how I work and the wish lists I have.” This comes as no surprise as Nicole has shared a similar sentiment stating that “Linda is incredibly knowledgeable and has great ideas on how to grow her business. She just needs someone to bounce ideas off of and help formulate more concrete plans to make sure all the ideas she has turns into actionable goals that she can achieve. I’ve really enjoyed working with her so far!”
We’re inspired by Linda’s resilience, pivoting her way through the pandemic and so appreciative of Nicole’s huge heart and her willingness to support Linda with her business challenges and priorities.