A bronze statue of legendary coach Ron Schipper was recently unveiled at Central College’s football stadium.

“X’s and O’s don’t win football games; people do.”

Ron Schipper, Central College’s Hall of Fame football coach, said these and many other inspiring words during his 36-year tenure at the helm of the Dutch football team. A moving bronze statue of the coach was recently added to the stadium in Pella, Iowa, which already bears his and his wife’s names. Dedicated on September 17, the statue is accompanied by a bronze plaque on a stand manufactured by Pella Engraving.

The black-painted aluminum plaque stand was manufactured and installed by Pella Engraving.

The bronze plaque lists the many accomplishments of Coach Schipper, among them 36 consecutive winning seasons and 18 Iowa Conference titles. The statue depicts him in a moment of mentorship with a player, which he is known to have valued more than any of his 287 wins.

The stand for the plaque, which PEC installed on site, is black-painted aluminum. Its durability and subtle yet solid presence is the perfect option for displaying the plaque honoring this legend.

See more from the dedication of the statue here: https://youtu.be/Fg6uHZCwZXE?t=54s

A plaque destined for exterior display often needs a durable, attractive stand on which to be installed. Pella Engraving offers garden stakes, memorial stakes, and other types of plaque display stakes for this purpose. These display stakes are available to both customers placing individual plaque orders and dealers interested in placing bulk orders to offer to their own customers. 

We offer two standard sizes and styles, but we are always willing to discuss manufacturing a custom plaque stake or heavy-duty stake that will better meet dealer and customer needs.

Two-piece, heavy-duty stake. A 4-, 6-, or 8-foot solid, black-painted aluminum pole with a separate backer head-mount. Shipped in two parts. If a plaque is part of the order, it ships attached to head-mount.

Plaque stake. A 22-inch tall, black-painted aluminum stake with a backer plate on which your plaque can be mounted. Maximum plaque size recommended for the plaque stake is 8×10 inches. Ships assembled.

Watch our plaque stake video to see these options.

Bulk orders of both plaque display stakes options are available. To qualify for a bulk-order discount, just order 10 or more stakes of the same kind. No plaque purchase is necessary. We will consider discounts on bulk orders in custom sizes as well—just contact us to start the process!

If you’re creating a memorial plaque destined for exterior display, Pella Engraving Company offers stake options to meet your presentation needs.

Life is full of people, places, and events that deserve to be remembered. One way to preserve those memories is with a long-lasting, personalized memorial plaque. With a memorial plaque, you can honor a company founder, commemorate a historical event, or pay tribute to a friend or family member.

Pella Engraving offers several types of memorial plaques—the right one for you will depend on your specifications. The type of material Pella Engraving will use for your plaque will depend on the environment in which it will be installed, whether you’ll want to include a picture or artwork, and the overall feel you want for the final product. Give us a call at 877-549-5447 and we’ll help you decide what material is right for you:

• Magnesium – An economical option perfect for detailed artwork, but exclusively for indoor use.
• Zinc – Great for detailed artwork and indoor or outdoor durability; an excellent lower-cost alternative to bronze.
• Bronze – A classic option that conveys a sense of importance.
• Metalphoto – A nice, less expensive material for a lasting plaque. Whether it is all text, or includes a photo, Metalphoto is for you. These plaques can be used indoors or outdoors and resist weathering, fading, and abrasion from UV rays, heat, salt spray, and cleaning products.

The Garden Stake

If you’re creating a plaque destined for exterior display, consider ordering a stake from Pella Engraving Company to meet your presentation needs. 

We offer two types of stakes. Our garden stake option can display smaller plaques closer to the ground. Our taller, two-piece heavy-duty stake comes in three different height options. With any of these stakes, your plaque can be in a landscape or portrait orientation.The garden stake is a 22-inch tall, black-painted aluminum stake with a small backer plate onto which your plaque is mounted. Normally, a zinc 1/8” thick plaque will be mounted to the backer with studs, or a Metalphoto 1/16” thick aluminum plate will be mounted to the backer with exterior tape. The plaque comes pre-attached to the stake, ready to be placed in the ground. Maximum plaque size recommendation for the garden stake is 8×10 inches.The two-piece heavy-duty stake is used for larger sized plaques, or if a taller stake height is desired. This stake comes in two parts for assembly after shipping:

• A 4, 6, or 8-foot solid, black-painted aluminum pole
• A separate backer head-mount with the plaque attached

This allows the customer to secure the stake into the ground before attaching the head-mount. On the back of the head-mount is a bracket that slides onto the pole once the pole is in the ground. It can then be tightened with screws.

A plaque attached to a heavy-duty stake

Back view of a plaque attached to the heavy-duty stake

The heavy-duty stake will arrive in two sections: the head-mount (shown here) and the pole

 

The head-mount slides onto the top of the pole (shown here) and can then be tightened with screws

The bottom of the pole – solid, black-painted aluminum

 

Custom stake colors and sizes are also available upon request. If your plaque is wider than 24 inches, you may want to consider ordering a two-stake support. Call Pella Engraving for more information.