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State senator orders distinctive wrap, wins election...cause and effect?

By Steve Aust

Kevin Sinnette, a Democrat who represents Kentucky’s 100th District in the House of Representatives – which includes part of Ashland, a town just across the state line from West Virginia – wanted to enliven his campaign with a vehicle wrap that features more than the standard campaign colors and hackneyed photos of the candidate’s family or the would-be legislator kissing babies and shaking hands.

He enlisted Crux Roadboardz, a Hebron, KY service provider that decorates all vehicles from motorcycles to buses, to handle the graphics. Crux Roadboardz earned the job through a referral; the shop is located approximately 100 miles away from Ashland – proof that good work, and a good reputation, travel.

With some direction about key elements Sinnette wanted to use, the shop’s design team developed the wrap using Adobe’s Creative Suite 5. Although the electorate can certainly identify with a candidate who uses patriotic colors, Sinnette likely made an even greater impression with tribal flames, a well-placed slogan (“Powered by Jobs and Education”, resonating themes in eastern Kentucky, where both can be challenges) and website and using a fortuitous district number to his advantage.

The shop generated the wrap on its Mimaki JV3-160 SP printer with Mimaki’s SS2 solvent-based inks with 3M’s Controltac IJ180c media. To keep the flames burning, the shop applied 3M’s 8519 luster-finish overlaminate on a Seal 54-in., pressure laminator.

Crux Roadboardz prepped the surface with denatured alcohol and RapidTac application fluid to provide additional “tooth” for the media. Although the “substrate” – a Ford Transit Connect commercial-grade van – has relatively few contours and is less challenging than, for instance, a Chevrolet HHR (anecdotally, the bane of many installers), it did provide some hurdles.

“The ribs on the van’s lower panels required very precise cuts and timely heat-gun usage,” Adam Coffaro, Crux Roadboardz’s president, said. “And, although its bumpers don’t flare out as far as other models, getting vinyl to stick to [bumpers] is never a picnic. Sometimes, we remove them, but we decided to keep them on to help create a seamless wrap, and we carefully adhered them with a heat gun and 3M Blue and Teflon® squeegees.”

According to Coffaro, Sinnette enjoyed ample mileage from the wrap; he featured it in parades, campaign stops and various events. And, most importantly for all parties, he was reelected – boosting the odds of repeat business for Crux Roadboardz.

“Hopefully, we can take a little bit of credit for that,” Coffaro said.