Alex and Kateryna Karasyk escaped war in their home country of Ukraine to build a better life for themselves and their two sons.
They had to restart their successful signage business from scratch when they came to America in 2017, leaving behind everything they knew.
“We left behind our house, our factory—everything that we built,” Alex told the Business Journal.
The two overcame several financial hardships and created a company that has completed over 300 signage and installation projects nationally, offering an array of LED displays, custom banners and consulting services.
The Karasyks’ business, Elephant Signage & Display Int., was among five companies honored at the Business Journal’s Family-Owned Business Awards held June 12 at the Irvine Marriott. They were recognized in the Up & Coming category.
An emotional Alex recounted his family’s journey, crediting his wife Kateryna for keeping him and the company grounded during challenging times.
“You never know when you will win or when you will lose, but don’t forget that love can save anything,” Kateryna said.
Escaping War
The couple originally founded the company in 1995 in Ukraine as Elephant Project Management with only three employees.
It initially focused on printed products before branching out to outdoor advertising.
By 2012, the company had grown to 130 employees.
The company was doing projects for international airports, stadiums and large shopping malls, including the Central Universal Department Store of Kyiv.
The business was in Donetsk, the eastern part of Ukraine, where the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out in 2014.
“They started bombing and the conflict was crazy,” Alex said.
He said that they took their sons, four and seven years old at the time, and fled to the central part of Ukraine in Kyiv. There, the company transitioned into more of a project management company and began outsourcing core work such as engineering, which proved to be more profitable, according to Alex.
With the war dragging on, projects eventually dwindled, so they moved to Orange County.
A close friend and mentor of Alex heard they were moving and suggested they go into business together.
He convinced Alex to use the money he made from Elephant Project Management to fund the new business with the promise he’d pay him back. Within six months, Alex said that he had only a couple dollars left.
“Me, my wife and two boys were sitting in 2017 with $8,” Alex said.
The Turning Point
Two weeks before COVID, Alex had to take up driving part-time for Uber to keep the office open.
He said he drove from three in the morning to noon in the Laguna Beach area, pitching his company to whatever business owner got into his car.
In 2021, he had a client who was interested in his business.
The client turned out to be with Tricolor Auto Group, a car dealership in Dallas, which happens to spend more than $2 million on signage every year.
Eight months after the encounter, Elephant Signage & Display received a $750,000 contract from Tricolor.
Alex said that business is currently growing “little by little” and that they’re always looking for more projects.
What sets the company’s products apart from competitors is its smart systems and energy-efficient solutions, he said.
Elephant Signage & Display is a member of organizations including the California Sign Association (CSA) and International Sign Association (ISA), for which Alex founded the Ukrainian association.
“That’s how we helped the company to work internationally,” he said.
Locally, Kateryna, who serves as managing director for the business, is a board member of the Mission Viejo Chamber of Commerce.
The company is also a foundation sponsor of Love Mission Viejo, a nonprofit initiative behind community beautification projects.
