2026 Women in Signs: Cathie Bozman

Cathie Bozman
Owner and President
Bozman Sign Co. (Nashville, TN)

AS A CHILD, CATHIE BOZMAN used to help her mother install real estate signs. “Between the two of us we were strong enough to put one in the ground,” she recalls.

She was introduced to both the real estate and the sign worlds by her father’s handlettering of local racecars, fire trucks and police cruisers, as well as signs and murals. In addition to helping with installation, she spent weekends learning how to lay vinyl, sandblast and hand-trace artwork using a projector. Since her father opened the family signshop when she was seven, she has always been around signs.

“We’re a smaller company so we all wear multiple hats. I try not to put on any that I’m not good at, and there are a lot of things I’m not great at, so I try to stay away from that — that’s what you have a good team for,” she says.

Little Rey “Al Carbón” in Nashville, TN, one of the recent projects by Bozman Sign Co.

As owner and president Bozman helps out wherever she is needed. “I actually have a better day when I can sneak away from my desk and go in the shop and help make something, because it just feels good to have something tangible in your hands,” she says, adding that she particularly enjoys producing large custom signs.

The problem-solving component of working with signs, either fabricating something completely new or holding true to an antique sign’s original style during restoration, is one of Bozman’s favorite aspects of the industry. “You might be asked by an architect to do something in a way that is maybe impossible, but it’s your job to try to figure out how to bring it to life, even if it’s not exactly what they were hoping for,” Bozman says.

As good signage requires creative input, it also demands astute attention to detail. For Bozman, managing personnel and figuring out how everything fits together — from design to permitting — are always challenges, as is being too hard on herself. “It’s my biggest hill to climb because you’re mostly looking at what you should do and how it should’ve gone, should’ve been better,” she explains.

Bozman has also faced some issues being a woman in the male-dominated sign industry, such as not being listened to, though she pays them no mind. “Instead of looking at it as a challenge, you should look at it as giving you an opportunity because sometimes being underestimated is not the worst spot to be in, because there’s a little less pressure. It’s gonna be up to you to apply that pressure,” she says.

Bozman is seeing change in the industry around her: more women entering signage and construction, along with the exciting pace of technological development. “Change is always healthy and always good. I have yet to make a change, however frightening it was, that didn’t help us to be better, so it’s really your friend,” she says. She looks forward to seeing her company grow as well as new products on the horizon that can make jobs easier and improve quality of life.

Giving advice to other women in signs or looking to take on signage as a career, Bozman is always looking ahead. “Whatever it is you specialize in this industry, be confident in that,” she suggests. “Don’t worry about the person next to you. Worry about what you can do, how you can be better, what you can improve. Let that be your focus and not looking at a competitor, the way another company does it.”

She also reminds that no one knows everything, which is compensated for with teamwork. “Rely on your team and know that they have ideas that are better, that make you better, and listen to those,” she adds. “Listen to those around you because their voices matter and will help you make a better outcome, which is what we’re all after.”