"Water finds its own level."
"Any sincere emotion is involuntary."
"Recognition is the best motivator."
"A will finds a way."
"Joe the Plumber shops here."
You can rent a lot of stuff at Bobcat of Watertown & Equipment Rentals Inc., but the words of wisdom and advice, like the ones above, have always been free.
People cruising by the business on outer Bradley Street, Route 12, on their way into or out of Watertown are accustomed to shooting a glance over at a large orange sign in front of the business to catch a glimpse of the discussible diction.
They continue on their way, after perhaps after a quick smile or a passing thought sparked by the sign.
Such a reaction is mission accomplished for Christopher D. Matthews, president of Bobcat of Watertown, and Adam L. Hungerford, Bobcat's rental manager. They take pride in finding and posting the sayings.
A Guy on a Bike recently stopped by the business. He was invited in to chat in Mr. Matthews's office — located just past the Pepsi machine with the lifelike stuffed bobcat on top of it.
"We get a lot of feedback on it," Mr. Matthews said. "To say people depend on it might be a little too much, but they look forward to what's on the sign."
He said that the sayings have been posted in the neighborhood since the late 1990s. In 1984, Henry W. Rouse established Equipment Rentals Inc., which is now the site of Watertown Supply Co., located next door to Bobcat of Watertown.
"They moved here in 1988," Mr. Matthews said. "That's when they set up the sign."
Mr. Matthews said Mr. Rouse's wife, Amy, began the tradition of putting sayings on the sign in the late 1990s.
"The sign was initially meant for additional advertising," Mr. Matthews said.
But comments have trumped commerce, at least on the sign.
Mr. Matthews became president of the companyin 2006. Mr. Rouse serves as a company consultant.
Mr. Matthews said he tries to change the sign each Monday. There are two different sayings on it: one for eastbound and another for westbound traffic.
Mr. Matthews said that many of the sayings on the sign are from business books he reads and noted he got several gems from Donald Trump's latest tome, "Think Like a Champion."
He said Mr. Hungerford gets many of the sayings from Internet searches.
"He does a search for phrases on Google," Mr. Matthews said. "It's amazing what you can find."
Mr. Matthews said the sayings can be humorous, philosophical or political.
"We try to make it pertinent to today's world and life in general," he said.
Customers and passersby, especially from Clayton, where Mr. Matthews was brought up, have contributed.
"We've had people e-mail us, saying, 'Here's a suggestion for your sign,'" Mr. Matthews said.
Even relatives pitch in.
"'Water finds its own level' — that was from my uncle's mother who lives in Rochester," Mr. Matthews said.
The sign, he said, was remodeled last summer. "It's now Bobcat-branded, making it similar companywide," he said.
But he said he made sure the sign included a space for changeable block letters.
One thing Mr. Matthews isn't considering is a fancy electronic sign, the kind that he could change the sayings on via computer from the comfort of his office, away from the unpredictable north country elements, such as the 20-below-zero day last winter when he climbed up to the sign and posted a question: "What happened to global warming?"
"I don't think I'd like an electronic version," he said. "People see us making the effort to change the sign. I think people appreciate it more with a manual, changeable board."
Hundreds of sayings have been posted on the sign over the years, but Mr. Matthews isn't afraid of running out of things to post.
"If we stop doing this, we'd get a lot of negative feedback," he said. "Not only from customers, but from people who travel Route 12."'
A Guy on a Bike is an occasional column in which the rider introduces you to people and places along roads you might easily miss. If you have a suggested ride/column idea, contact cbrock@wdt.net, or write to Chris Brock at the Watertown Daily Times, 260 Washington St., Watertown, N.Y. 13601.
