Meet the Team: Jimmy Allen

As the owner of his own sign company at age 19, Jimmy had the opportunity to sell it to a larger company by the time he was 22 years old. He became an employee of that company, Custom Display Manufacturing, and served as its graphic design manager.

In 2003, Jimmy’s career journey led him to Big Visual Group where he has served ever since. Jimmy says, “I’ve served in a lot of roles here at Big Visual Group. I started out in finishing then ran the ZUND cutter for a while.” Jimmy has performed installations and vehicle wraps, in addition to running the flatbed printer. Jimmy also ran CNC routers and has continued to do so for the last six years. During the past month, Jimmy assumed his current position as ASD Department Head and Team Leader.

“When I was first hired, I was asked if I wanted to be a manager, but I turned it down because I wanted to first see how things worked at Big Visual Group. I also wanted to develop respect from other employees,” says Jimmy. He has gained a solid understanding of Big Visual Group’s different departments and teams, which he now believes gives him a better edge on how to manage effectively.

A normal day on the job for Jimmy includes being a project manager and a CAD (computer-aided design) and CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) engineer. “I’m essentially managing the entire department and trying to set up files for everything that’s being built,” says Jimmy. “I also do a lot of 3-D renderings and graphic work. I handle anything that’s display or dimensional wall art,” Jimmy adds. As a delegator of many tasks, Jimmy makes sure projects are assigned a due date and stay within budget. Jimmy also handles employee training and loves it because he’s addicted to learning. “If I’m not being challenged, I get bored. I’m constantly trying to push the edge of what we’re capable of doing,” says Jimmy.

As for what Jimmy loves most about working at Big Visual Group, Jimmy says it is the access to top-quality equipment and technology. “Scott Snoyer is good about keeping our equipment and software up to date so our team can work with the latest technology available. We’re using the latest and fastest equipment to get the job done, which makes us very competitive in the industry,” Jimmy affirms.

Outside of work, Jimmy is always studying computer science and architectural engineering. He likes to shop and watch movies, and he occasionally hits up a local park for a hike or other outdoor activities. All in all, Jimmy loves to experiment with new ideas. Jimmy’s most favorite pastime, though, is spending time with his 8-year-old son. “If I’m not at work, I am with my son. I do everything with him, and he loves learning, too,” says Jimmy.