Sign MFG Day 2025 Stories

Sign Manufacturing (MFG) Day is an annual event administered by the International Sign Association (ISA; Alexandria, VA), developed to address the challenges of finding qualified workers facing the sign, graphics and visual communications industry. On Sign MFG Day (the official day itself or another), participating sign companies host students from local high schools and trade schools to solve this issue by engaging students and teachers, and showing them the exciting career opportunities that exist within the industry. Sign MFG Day 2025 was officially held Oct. 3, but some companies hosted theirs on other dates.

More than 60 companies participated in Sign MFG Day 2025. Click here for our previous post with the complete list of companies.

“As our industry works to attract fresh talent, Sign Manufacturing Day is a great way to highlight what our industry is all about and help inspire the next generation workforce,” Lori Anderson, ISA president and CEO, is quoted in an earlier release regarding the event.

Signs of the Times reached out to several companies that hosted a Sign MFG Day event at their facility. The following companies responded. We will add to this report as more information comes in.

Signarama Troy | Metro Detroit & National Branding

No stranger to hosting Sign MFG Day events, Signarama Troy | Metro Detroit & National Branding (Troy, MI) hosted students from Troy Community Schools, Oakland Schools Technical Campuses (OSTC) Wixom and Clarkston, which are located within 30 minutes of the company locations, according to Torey Rouillon, director of project management for National Branding.

Students kicked off the day with a tour through the production department, where they watched printers in action and even got hands-on experience laying wrap vinyl on car hoods. From there, they visited the fabrication department, assembling channel letters and exploring the inner workings of a cabinet sign.

“Our theme this year was ‘Through the Decades,’ where we used classic Detroit Lions and Dr. Pepper logos to showcase how design and branding have evolved over time,” Rouillon says.

“Next up was our installation department, where our Installation Manager had three drywall stations set up for students to install channel letters themselves — a true hands-on experience!” Rouillon says.

To wrap up the day, students toured the Sales, Design, and Project Management departments to get a behind-the-scenes look at the business side of the industry and how all the moving parts come together in a signage project.

“I think it went amazing!” Rouillon says. “This was our third year hosting Sign Manufacturing Day, and every year I’m blown away by the effort and energy our team puts into making it special. From the planning to the hands-on demos, every employee plays a part in showing students how creative, technical and rewarding the world of signage can be.”

By the end of the day, the students are always buzzing with excitement — talking about everything they learned and genuinely jazzed about the field trip they just experienced. It’s such a great reminder of how powerful it is to open our doors and share what we do, she adds.

“We had a stellar event with nearly 100 students joining our themed event,” says Bob Chapa, CEO and founder of the two companies. He and Rouillon also continued a fun tradition they started last year: handing out poker chips that guarantee a future interview to any student who participates in Sign MFG Day. “It’s our way of saying, ‘You belong here, too,’” Rouillon says. “Last year, two students took us up on that offer — and ended up interning with us over the summer!” Click here to read more.

“We’re incredibly proud to give back to our community and help inspire the next generation of makers, creatives and sign nerds,” Rouillon concludes. “There’s nothing quite like watching students discover the awesome possibilities that come with a career in signage.”

Bakers’ Signs & Mfg.

Another firm believer in Sign MFG Day, Bakers’ Signs & Mfg. (Conroe, TX) hosted 125 students and teachers from local Booker T. Washington High School and Caney Creek High School, reports company co-owner Matt Baker.

The activities lasted from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., he says. “We broke them up into five total groups and went department by department through the entire company. They got to build signs, apply vinyl, see the behind-the-scenes in sales, permitting, design as well as accounting,” Baker says. “They got to compete in a design contest as well as build their own illuminated school logos that they also took with them to put up at the high schools. Swag bags, pizza, drinks and snow cones were also provided.”

“The event overall was a huge success and Bakers’ as a company could not be more proud to support such a great industry in this way as well as our local talent,” Baker says. This makes the shop’s 11th year participating in this event “and we also look forward to next year!” he adds, enthusiastically.

“A special thanks to the International Sign Association for their support on this event as well as a thanks to both Caney Creek High School and Washington High School for their time and efforts within this event as well,” Baker says.

Legacy Sign Group

“This year was excellent, and it grows every year. Our staff consistently impress us with their ability to take on new challenges and excel in them,” says Megan Swick, marketing director for Legacy Sign Group (Westville, IN), another company that has hosted numerous events. “The students were engaged, excited and participating at every level. The educators were thrilled to see the level of interest their students displayed. We even received a few questions about how to apply,” she says.

Legacy Sign hosted around 150 students from Chesterton High School (Chesterton, IN), LaPorte High School (LaPorte, IN), Portage High School (Portage, IN), Valparaiso High School and Porter County Career Center (Valparaiso, IN). “We have multiple stations throughout our departments, with presentations done by staff and industry/community partners,” Swick says. Legacy had the students hand-bend channel logos that they were able to take home with them at the end of the day. Other stations included assembly, which focused on basic electricity education and wiring a circuit to power an LED module. Brian Davis with Current Electric (GE) assisted on this station.

“Our paint department did color theory and contrast to indicate how best to make signs not only beautiful but legible,” Swick says. The shop ran its channel letter bender and CNC router and had samples displayed. “Our sales department did a ‘Price is Right’ spoof for some projects that we’ve done to show students the immense investment signage can be, along with the benefits of being in a commission-based profession,” she says. The installation crew ran booms and the crane for demonstration, along with safety harness races.

The estimation and design department discussed sign types and how the company goes from a client’s idea to a tangible signage project. “We partnered with some industry affiliates that had booths set up such as Midwest Sign Supply, speaking about distribution in our industry and Watchfire to display their EMCs,” Swick says. Simko Signs (Valparaiso, IN) came with stickers, cardboard cutouts, a 3D printer and laser-etched merchandise to show the many capabilities of a signage shop, she adds.

Legacy also hosted local community colleges Ivy Tech with their Mobile Learning Lab, where students were able to use virtual reality to do an array of tasks like welding, electricity pole installation, roof repair and knee replacements. Indiana Tech came with their robotic arm for kids to use to move blocks and to speak about their remote Engineering Program. “We also partnered with the Duneland Chamber of Commerce for the event and had the president of the Greater Portage Chamber of Commerce come to experience the day and continue to further our interests in his community,” Swick says. “In gaps in the schedule we had students led by a staff member go take part in a scavenger hunt where the clues relied on listening to the demonstrations and absorbing information about signs.”

“If we reach one student with this day, we consider it to be a success,” Swick adds. “But we managed to engage many students and hopefully created some future signage professionals. This success is due entirely to the efforts of our skilled employees that truly enjoy their craft to such an extent that it overflows into others, bringing them into the fold.” Students want to know they have creative options to make a good income that will support them in their futures, she says. “We can think of no better industry to introduce them to. It’s with our staff, and our community/industry partners that this event has gotten to this level of efficacy along with the sheer scale.”

The event had educators leaving the day making sure they wanted to be included again next year, along with educators that have already been a regular occurrence, according to Swick, who shared a quote from an educator with Portage High School, Bryan Bernacki, “It was a pleasure meeting your team today, and thank you for the invitation to visit your company. Our students really had a great time, and although I was hopping around a bit between groups, from what I heard and witnessed, all of your speakers and presenters were friendly, engaging and educational.”