When Fred Bennick purchased Zip Signs (Burlington, ON, Canada) in 1983, the company was a one-man operation. Not one man in an office; one man in a small garage. With hand-painted signs and handwritten invoices, Zip Signs had been in business since 1971 — 12 years. Today, the company is celebrating its 40th anniversary and its 28th consecutive profitable year.
Zip Signs navigated the introduction of neon in the 1980s, electronic signs in the 1990s, LEDs at the turn of the century and, more recently, flat panel lighting and the growing demand for environmentally-friendly signage.
Today’s company is no longer a guy in a garage; the company employs 85 people and says it has manufactured and installed more than 100,000 signs across Canada. Still privately owned, Zip Signs has grown 18% in the last several decades. Among its accomplishments, the company counts two accredited LEED Green Associates and a finalist standing in the 50 Top Managed Companies in Canada competition.