Stratus Acquires Comet Signs

Stratus (Mentor, OH), a brand implementation and sign company, has acquired Comet Signs (San Antonio, TX), forming a combined organization that now consists of more than 1,100 employees throughout the US.

In an announcement posted on Stratus’ website, the company said the deal “will accelerate its growth in the Southwest and western United States, leveraging Comet’s substantial presence in key Texas areas including Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Tyler. Comet’s expanded  production capabilities and self-perform installation fleet will begin to serve Stratus’ roster of blue-chip, nationwide brands in the region, and will help the company grow its overall business.”

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The Comet deal is the third acquisition in three years for Stratus, which is owned by Vestar Capital Partners, a private equity firm based in New York City.

“Our teams immediately melded with each other – we have a shared value system and strong beliefs in nurturing customer relationships and growth over time,” Tim Eippert, CEO of Stratus, said in the announcement. “Comet’s reputation is stellar, and they’ve been careful and purposeful about growth, including hiring practices and employee satisfaction and retention.”

Founded in 1958, Comet Signs, has become known as a leading exterior branding resource in the region. The company occupies a 180,000-sq.-ft. production facility at its San Antonio headquarters, with an additional 70,000 sq. ft. of operations in Austin, Dallas, Houston and Tyler, TX.

“When Tim and I were getting to know each other, I could immediately picture myself and my team working side-by-side with Stratus,” Pete Sitterle, CEO of Comet Signs, said in the news post. “At Comet, we have grown by taking very good care of our customers. Tim and Stratus share that approach, the customer is always at the center of their minds. That’s why this is such a great fit. We look forward to our customers taking advantage of everything Stratus has to offer, and we look forward to personally servicing Stratus’ customers all across Texas.”

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Stratus has operations centers in Illinois, Ohio, Florida and New Jersey, and production facilities in Illinois and South Carolina.

For more information, visit stratusunlimited.com.