ISA Names Kevin Stotmeister the Kirk L. Brimley Award Winner for 2020

The International Sign Association (ISA; Alexandria, VA) has announced that Kevin Stotmeister, former president and CEO of Federal Heath, has been named the recipient of the 2020 Kirk L. Brimley Distinguished Service Award. ISA presents the award each year to a leader who has made significant contributions to the sign, graphics and visual communications industry. 

Stotmeister, who retired in January after 40 years at Federal Heath, was honored for his work on the ISA board of directors and the California Sign Association board of directors. He also served on ISA s national sign company division committee, as chairman of the government relations and statistics committees, and as a member of the international committee. Stotmeister was also a longtime member of Signs of the Times Editorial Advisory Board.

During his time on the ISA board of directors, the organization changed its name from the National Electric Sign Association (NESA) to the International Sign Association. A lot of time and discussion went into that decision, he said. It spoke of the vision that we had in really expanding what we were doing as an organization.

Stotmeister joined the sign, graphics and visual communications industry in 1980, after eight years on active duty as an officer with the US Navy Civil Engineer Corps. He was drawn into the industry because of the variety of the work, he said. Every day it seemed like it was different. The variety kept it exciting and made it fun to come to work. If it s not fun, you shouldn’t be doing it.

He began at Federal Sign (as it was then known) as an engineering manager based in the Chicago area. After several regional promotions, he was promoted to vice president in 1988 and later president. When Federal Sign and Heath Sign merged in 2003, Stotmeister was named CEO. 

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During his time leading Federal Heath, the company evolved into one of the largest national sign companies. We were always one of the largest companies in the industry, he said. But in the early 1990s, we really developed into a national sign company, as opposed to a big company with a lot of offices. We changed our strategic focus. That was hard to do and we did it very successfully. It’s gratifying to have been part of that.

For more information, visit signs.org.