90 years of signs that stand the test of time

Rich Palzewic

Staff

December 29, 2025

NEENAH – Appleton Sign Company marked an important milestone this year as it celebrated 90 years in business.

Co-owners Josh Turkow, Jason Mengert and Eric Cates – who took over ownership in 2019 – said the Neenah-headquartered company “has stood the test of time” because it puts customers first.

“It’s a big accomplishment to make it 90 years,” Mengert said. “We take pride in the fact that we retain our customers. We do that by doing the right thing. How we treat our customers and the product we put out there is second to none.”

Mengert – who previously worked for another sign company before being recruited to join Appleton Sign – said a key part of treating customers well is avoiding any surprise up-charges once a project is signed off.

“With the previous sign company I worked for, that’s how they made more money – up-charging clients once the project was sold,” he said. “I [told Eric and Josh] that I didn’t want to go into ownership [with them] if we were always looking for ways to make more money and not take care of our customers. We absolutely don’t go back to customers and say to them ‘you owe us more money’ because something came up during the process.”

Mengert said nine decades of sign-making experience “definitely has its advantages” in terms of sales and marketing.

“We don’t cold-call people for business – that’s what 90 years will do for you,” he said. “We want customers for life, and I think how we treat customers is paying dividends.”

Turkow said Appleton Sign’s work predominantly takes place within the Badger State.

“We dominate the state, but we will get out of the state if our customers want us to,” he said. “We’ve got a basket of customers, but really, our focus has been Wisconsin.”

Laying the groundwork

The ownership trio said they each had a long history with the company before taking over.

Cates said he started with Appleton Sign in 2005 as a graphic designer.

“Over the years, I worked my way up through the company,” he said.

Mengert – who has a background in construction – said he has been with the company for about 11 years.

“Now I’m into project management,” he said.

Turkow, now in his 24th year with Appleton Sign, said he is the fourth generation of his family to work for the company.

“My father, Lawrence Jr., my grandfather, Lawrence Sr., and my great-grandfather, Wilber, all worked at Appleton Sign,” he said. “I went away to college but then had an opportunity to work here in graphics, but I’ve been in sales for about the last decade.”

Turkow said his family’s history with the company is a big source of pride to him and his father, who retired a few years ago.

“My family members before me were all general laborers,” he said. “My dad is proud of me and this group.”

Fast forward to 2019, and Turkow said there was a great opportunity presented to himself, Cates and Mengert.

“We had an older owner who was ready to get out – he was doing missionary work out of the country and relying on a leadership team that the three of us were under,” he said. “It was a tough time but also a tremendous opportunity where we could right the ship – there was a shift in personnel.”

Turkow said he, Cates and Mengert each bring their own distinct strengths to Appleton Sign.

“Eric is the best designer in the state, we had a construction/project manager guy in Jason and then me in sales,” he said. “We feed off each other and work off our talents.”

Though Cates said with any ownership group, it isn’t always easy because three people may look at a project very differently from one another.

“It’s taking three different guys with different backgrounds and trying to mesh them together,” he said. “But I think that led to a strong start for us – seeing things from different angles. Sometimes it’s tough – there are things maybe we butt heads on, but we all have the respect needed for one another to work through it. I think the ownership has been a good decision for all of us.”

Mengert said his situation was a bit different because of his background.

“Eric and Josh hadn’t really worked anywhere else – all they had known was Appleton Sign,” he said. “I had reservations about a partnership because my personality is more toward not having a lot of input on decisions being made.”

For that reason, Mengert said it took a while before he felt comfortable trusting “two other guys with my financial future.”

“It was a growth process and trusting that all three of us have the same goal,” he said. “We’ve stayed consistent with the company for six years now. You can’t get selfish in an owner partnership.”

According to appletonsign.com, the company originally began as Appleton Neon and Sign in 1935.

In 2000, Appleton Neon and Sign acquired Sign-Tech of Wisconsin, and the business name was updated to Appleton Sign Company.

How it works

Cates said every project begins with conversations to determine a client’s needs and preferences, with on-site visits serving as the first step in moving the project forward.

“We see what the building looks like, discuss what the customer’s needs are, get logos, colors, sizes and then bring that back to the design team, which will work up some awesome proofs,” he said. “Our design team does really good work.”

After a quote is put together and presented to the customer, Cates said they wait for approval.

“Once a client says ‘yes,’ a project manager takes charge, and then we go into production,” he said. “I’d estimate we manufacture about 95% of each sign in house. After the sign is manufactured, we have a great group of installers who install the signs – in all types of weather.”

Turkow said because Appleton Sign “doesn’t make small widgets,” the timeframe from beginning to end can vary greatly.

“We have projects from $100 – like a vehicle decal – up to $150,000, so obviously, that affects how long a project might take,” he said. “The industry standard is typically from six to eight weeks. We also have to ‘play nice’ with customers’ different PO terms and different payment schedules. Each customer has their own payment needs [that] we try to make work.”

Turkow said one example of an Appleton Sign project was the creation of the “Welcome to Neenah” sign located along I-41.

“The City of Neenah reached out to us for that,” he said. “Originally, they wanted to essentially drop a pylon sign into the middle of a pond. We told them it wasn’t going to work, so then we came up with this idea. That sign got the outgoing mayor at the time, Dean Kaufert, a compliment from the Wisconsin governor at the time, Jim Doyle.”

Cates said the signs they complete are a source of pride for him and the rest of the employees at Appleton Sign.

“You can simply take a drive down the street and see examples of signs we’ve created,” he said. “The signs we have created over the years are basically our portfolio. We’ve built things all over the state.”

Because sign-building is basically an arm of construction, Cates said there is plenty of competition out there.

“There are a lot of those types of sign companies popping up…,” he said. “Anybody can buy a printer, do vehicle wraps and call themselves a sign company. That’s [another] component of what we do here – vehicle graphics.”

Supporting these specialized services, Turkow said, apart from the ownership group, is Appleton Sign’s 13 staff members.

“We’re lean and mean,” he laughed. “When we took over, we had about double the employees as we do now, but six years later, our revenue and output remain the same. We’ve become more efficient in what we do. Another key is taking care of the good employees we have with compensation and quality of life. Everybody is trying to find good workers.”

Same quality, better technology

Back in the day, Cates said sign companies hand-crafted and hand-painted each sign, which was “very labor-intensive and a lot of work.”

“It’s still a lot of work, but improved technology and equipment have made things much easier and quicker,” he said. “Vinyl graphics, CNC routers, etc., have changed how we’ve done things. There was a definite art and craftsmanship that went into those old signs. Even when I first started, we lit most of our signs with neon and fluorescent bulbs – now everything is LED.”

Mengert said certain aspects are likely to change even further.

“Our guys are still fabricating, cutting and shearing,” he said. “I’m not sure if that will ever change, but maybe things will become even more digitalized. The craftsmanship and artistry are still there.”

Cates said Appleton Sign also “enjoys giving back to the community.”

“When asked, and we’re able, we use our platform to give back,” he said. “Six years into ownership, we’ve looked at more ways to get involved in the community. COVID-19 put a halt for a bit, but now we’re in the fun part of giving back. All three of us are dialed into our communities.”