Alan Pippenger is a successful entrepreneur and businessman, a consultant in the graphic arts industry and a passionate and captivating speaker. 
He has started 4 companies including the 30 year old sign and graphics company that he is most known for, SignPrinters that he still owns and runs.
As a young man he was a self-taught archer, winning 7 Florida State Archery Championships. Concurrent with archery Alan achieved champion status in wrestling, fencing, and speed skating. All his working life, nearly 40 years, has been in the graphics/sign industry. The last 18 years spent as a consultant in graphics systems to corporations and state and local municipalities. Just two of his clients are the cities of Jacksonville, Florida, and Charleston, South Carolina.
These achievements and successes were never preordained. Being born with low tone deafness made it almost impossible for Alan to work a regular job. Unable to hear most male voices he found it easiest to work alone at night cleaning floors. Fortunately he discovered at an early age that along with his disability he had an uncanny ability to draw and create art in almost any medium. As a teenager he started to explore the options of using these skills as a way of making a living. In 1975, after spending two years as an apprentice to a master sign craftsman in Dothan, Alabama, Alan started what was to be the first of four companies. A move to Tallahassee, Florida in 1978 provided the opportunity to start SignPrinters.
During the year 2000, Alan joined Toastmasters as a way of improving his speaking and presenting skills. Just six years ago, while doing research for a speech, he came across the name W. Edwards Deming. So taken was Alan with Deming’s wisdom that he began an intense study of Dr. Deming’s life and work. Today he gives speeches and presentations to business and government groups alike on the remarkable life Deming lived as well as explanations and demonstrations of his management philosophy. In addition to aiding the implementation of Deming’s ideas in many small and medium sized businesses, Alan also oversaw the embrace of Deming thought at his own company, SignPrinters.
Today in addition to running SignPrinters and consulting in the graphics art industry Alan is dedicated to spreading the understanding of Deming’s principles throughout the world to whoever and wherever there is an interested audience. He is one of the founding members of Deming Collaboration a team of experts dedicated to sharing Deming’s profound ideas with the rest of the world.
Founding member and president – Professional Speakers Workshop
Toastmaster 11 years
Thirty years a small business owner
Eighteen years consultant in graphics systems
V.P., SignPrinters, a Division of Mag-Tags, Inc.
He resides with his wife Carolyn, in Tallahassee, Florida.
Speeches Include:
- W. Edwards Deming: A Real American Hero.
- Implementing the Deming Management Philosophy for fun and profit.
- The System of Profound Knowledge: Key to Success.
- The Case of the Mysterious Menus.
Systems Thinking for restaurant wait personel, workers, management. - Why are we here? Guidance for business and personal growth.
- The “Whack-A-Mole” system of management – Compares current management practice to the arcade game.
- The Accident that Changed a Sport – Deming Philosophy at work on Drag Racing teams.
- The Cadillac and the Crisis -Things go very wrong at your car dealership – could you have prevented it?