Insignia Designs President and Co-Owner Todd Moberg lives and works in his hometown- a rare dream in the Bay Area. He moved from Pennsylvania to Pleasanton, CA in 1974, where he attended Fairlands Elementary School, Pleasanton Middle School and Foothill High School. After graduating from Sacramento State University with a degree in Finance, he began what became a successful 20-year career in executive sales with companies such as Dictaphone, SIMS Portex and Orthofix. He and his wife and partner Carol moved around the American west, landing in beautiful places such as Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Washington State before finally returning to the Tri-Valley, and ultimately his hometown, Pleasanton, where they raised their children and still live today.

Why Start a Family Business?

After close to two decades in corporate America covering multi-state territories, Todd says he was tired and decided there was more to life than chasing planes and living in hotels. Moving back to his hometown made it even more clear that spending quality time with his family was his first priority.

Taking a much-needed break in 2012 allowed him to explore business opportunities closer to home and the journey led him to Bill Hall of Entrepreneur Source who presented a series of companies to him. He researched a variety of businesses and industries and talked with owners, crossing a lot off the list before settling on a sign business.

“The sign business never got crossed off,” he says, “It brought together all the things I had done in sales and executive management: branding, product launches, sales, marketing, presentations, finance, operations. Now I had a chance to do all that for myself and my family.”

Best Part of the Job?

Though Todd states emphatically that he’s not a hero, but he gets to carry the capes of his heroes: his clients. “When you install a sign, people are so excited- you’re helping them establish their business, give them their identify and everything they’ve been building towards. The sign is the one thing that makes them feel proud- whether it’s in a lobby, tradeshow or outdoors, they invest all their blood sweat and tears into it and the sign is the visualization of it all coming to fruition.”

Where Can We Find You Off the Clock?

For Todd, being off the clock means being on the go with Carol. They enjoy exploring the local wine country together, riding bikes, and playing gin rummy or backgammon in the backyard.

How About a Fun Fact?

Life has come full circle for Todd and coming back to his community meant coming home – literally, given that Todd and Carol now live in his childhood home. When his parents retired out of the area, they bought the house and remodeled it. Every day is like a trip down memory lane for him: their daughter’s room was his sister’s room and their son grew up in his old room. Todd was a paperboy in the neighborhood he lives in now, and he makes signs for a lot of families he grew up with, as well as the local cabana club where he swam, his high school, and his first ‘real’ job: The Pleasanton Hotel.

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