Shop Owner Sentenced To Jail For Violating Ordinance Banning Video Signs

An auto repair shop owner in Lockport, NY, has been sentenced to 15 days in jail for repeatedly violating the town’s sign ordinance. According to the report in the Niagara Gazette, the ordinance says a sign cannot change a display more than once every 10 minutes.

Below is the article as it appeared on the Niagara Gazette website.

Mongielo sentenced to 15 days in sign case

April 18, 2012

LOCKPORT — David J. Mongielo faces a 15-day jail sentence for violating the town’s sign ordinance a second time, which was a violation of the first offense’s conditional discharge.

Mongielo received a pair of sentences Tuesday night in town court, the first for his 2011 violation of the ordinance. The Robinson Road auto shop owner will pay a $250 fine and receive a one-year conditional discharge. That means Mongielo will serve 15 days in jail if he violates the ordinance again over the next 12 months.

However, the 2011 violation is Mongielo’s second offense of the sign ordinance. He was cited three times in 2009 for violating town law with an electronic sign that can play video and changes displays within seconds. The town ordinance says a sign cannot change a display more than once every 10 minutes.

Mongielo’s sentence for the 2009 violation was three fines totaling $750 and a similar conditional discharge like the one he received Tuesday. So in the end, Mongielo received the 15-day jail sentence because the 2011 offense violated the conditional discharge of the 2009 offense.

To read the entire article on the Niagara Gazette website, click HERE.

When Your Shop Is Worth Much More Than You Thought

Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.

Case Study: Owner of San Francisco-based Import Service Shop Delighted to Discover Just How Valuable His Business is to Qualified Buyers
I sometimes share case studies of the clients I have been able to assist in my role as an aftermarket business broker and provider of intermediary and advisory services. I do that when I think the story will provide a reader in similar circumstances with new insights or helpful information.
In the case of Cowden Automotive, Inc., I acted in a consulting capacity assisting the owner and his broker in valuing the business, creating a marketing plan, finding a qualified buyer, and arranging financing for the sale.
Although every sale of a shop in which I am involved has its own unique set of circumstances, which makes my job both very interesting and very challenging, Cowden Automotive stands out as particularly memorable because I was able to demonstrate to the long-time owner, Paul Cowden, that his business was worth about three times what he had initially thought.
Needless to say, delivering that kind of good news to a shop owner is a rewarding experience. Discovering that the sale of his business would result in his retirement nest-egg being substantially larger than he had ever thought was a fitting tribute to someone who had spent his entire working career as a busy automotive service shop owner.

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