This is a heart-warming story in more than one way. Let’s start with saying goodbye to Jean-Luc Godard, original artist and owner of the local company known as Belmeade Signs. Godard recently married and moved to France, leaving behind his beloved company. One of Godard’s friends, Granby artist Debby Reelitz, knew of a young man who is very creative and likes to work with his hands—Lars Roti, currently a senior at Granby Memorial High School. Discussions between Lars, his dad Art Roti and Godard culminated in the Rotis purchasing the business on Aug. 1, 2024. It pleases Godard to know that his business is in capable hands.
Both Rotis have always had an interest in carpentry. Art worked in a hardware store while in high school and then worked as a bicycle mechanic until he got his mechanical engineering degree from UConn, and later an MBA from Rensselaer. Lars has always had a desire to create things and, like his dad, has always had an interest in carpentry. Art taught him how to use power tools—what each one is used for and how to safely use it. When he was younger, he made skateboard decks, and recently he and Art have built several bicycle frames for Guipago Cycles and Columbia Bicycles in Westfield, Mass. Art notes that, “the carpentry thing runs in the family as my grandfather was a finish carpenter in Illinois. He built my grandparents’ house!”
In the new business, Lars designs the signs and does most of the carving. He re-designed the Belmeade website and created software to help with quoting and managing projects. He is also skilled in 3D printing, which will be an asset to the company as it grows. Currently Art handles the marketing and sales and assists with carving and painting when necessary. Once graduated, Lars will focus entirely on the business, perhaps taking a course or two along the way.
Housing the family’s lawn mower tractor and snowblower and having only a small workspace, the run-down two-stall barn in the Rotis backyard was not suitable for much of anything else. It was replaced some time ago with a new two-storied barn with the intention of “doing other things out there at some point.” With the purchase of the sign business, it was clear what those other things would be. All the yard machinery is now housed in the garage and the new barn has plenty of room for the router, table saw, sander and other tools of the sign making business. It is insulated to keep it warm enough to work in during the winter and kept cool in the warm weather with a small mini split.
When they aren’t working, both father and son are passionate about all things bicycle. Lars races mountain bikes and snowboards. Art also races mountain bikes and is a cyclocross racer (and team manager) on the Columbia Bicycles Cyclocross Team. Art also coaches the Stoke Collective, a junior team of which Lars is a member. Art and Lars find satisfaction in helping children advance in cycling, whether it’s for racing or just riding for enjoyment.
The final heart-warming part of this story is that Art is finally getting to follow his dream to be an entrepreneur. It started with a heart attack following a bike race in 2021. He was 10 minutes from a hospital and his clogged artery was quickly attended to and a full recovery followed. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been paying attention to his diet and exercise, knowing that his dad had a cardiac event at age 50, but genetics sometimes overpowers our best efforts. After his own heart attack, Art made an even greater commitment to his fitness, and also to make life an adventure, to “do stuff,” make some changes. When the Belmeade business opportunity occurred, he left his 30+ years in manufacturing, most of it in aerospace, and seized the opportunity to follow his dream. To do it with his son is icing on the cake.
Contact Belmeade signs at belmeadesigns.com.