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June 2, 2025
NEENAH – Corrugated signs, poly-coated signs, aluminum signs, sign frames – for more than 70 years, Cross & Oberlie (916 Byrd Ave. in Neenah) has specialized in signs, a niche Owner and General Manager Steven Bezella said has served the company well.
However, Bezella said the company didn’t start out focusing solely on signs.
“The company started out as mainly a textile printer,” he said. “We were painting T-shirts and towels for the golf industry. We eventually started printing towels for the NFL and the NBA, and it seemed like a good niche at the time.”
However, as the market grew in popularity, Bezella said other companies throughout the country started to print towels as well – “and it drove prices down.”
“It was at that time that the company shifted to signage, and that is the niche we stuck with,” he said.
A look back
The company originally started in 1954 as Cross, Oberlie and Christensen – “they were the three owners of the company in the beginning” – but Bezella said it eventually became Cross & Oberlie when Christensen “retired or passed away, I’m not exactly sure.”
Bezella said his father, Gary, purchased the business more than 40 years ago.
“About a year later, I was going to college for computer programming, and when I graduated, I started working at the company for one summer – that was 40 years ago,” he laughed. “I haven’t left yet.”
Bezella said he started in the production area of the company and moved up as years passed.
“About four years ago, my father retired, so I took over the business,” he said.
Bezella said one of the things he’s enjoyed the most over the past 35-plus years “was being able to work with my father on a daily basis.”
Since the business had already established itself within the industry when his father purchased it, Bezella said the decision was made to keep the name and continue the company’s upward trajectory.
Today, he said Cross & Oberlie is a subsidiary of “our corporation, which is Aquecs, Inc.”
Necessary evolution
Proud of the reputation Cross & Oberlie has established over the years – “easy to do business with” – Bezella said in order to live up to that and meet the ever-changing printing needs of customers, the company has needed to evolve.
Much of that evolution, he said, has come in the form of technology.
“We started out doing things with a camera and hand-printing everything,” he said.
Automotion, Bezella said, has become an intricate part of the business.
“(In the last several dozen years), we’ve moved from hand printing, to screen printing to digital printing,” he said.
Bezella said much of the company’s success can be credited to its dedication to enhancing its capabilities, which includes the introduction of new, high-quality printers.
Recently, he said, that has included the replacement of its two HP Scitex FB700 Industrial Printers with a new HP Latex R2000 Plus Printer.
“We had two older HP presses, but they were starting to show their age,” he said.
The purchase, Bezella said, was supported by the company seeing the benefits this printer provides from its first purchase of an R2000 in 2019.
“For Cross & Oberlie, adding the new printer was mainly about keeping up with technology and getting a better print quality,” he said.
Unlike the old printers that used UV printing, Bezella said the R2000 utilizes water-based Latex ink, which allows for odorless prints that are environmentally sustainable.
Additionally, Bezella said the R2000 produces a vibrantly colored product on a myriad of different materials and can produce signs as small as 12-inch-by-8-inch and as large as 48-inch-by-98-inch.
“The R2000 provides the business with the ability to offer its customers both poly-coated and corrugated signs, as well as items like magnets, decals and other promotional products,” he said. “The printer provides customers with clear images and vibrant colors on everything they need.”
Having the two R2000 printers at his disposal, Bezella said, not only provides options if one were to break down – “previously, if the R2000 broke down, my production was at a standstill” – it also increases productivity.
“Bringing on the secondary printer definitely increases the productivity and decreases the lead time for customers,” he said.
The newer printers, Bezella said, also have more durable and eco-friendly ink sets.
Ebbs and flows
Owning and operating a company where about 50% of its business comes from political signage, Bezella said “even years are definitely better than odd years.”
“We definitely get busy during election times,” he said. “I’d say it’s probably 50-50 between election and non-election business.”
In addition to political signage, Bezella said Cross & Oberlie offers a broad line of screen and digitally printed products, including signage, decals and promotional items.
“This includes custom yard signs for real estate, business, construction and events,” he said.
With all of its signage options, Bezella said customers have an option of
Customers, he said, can choose from durable corrugated plastic (coroplast) signs or cost-effective plastic-coated cardboard signs – both of which are built to withstand the elements.
Furthermore, Bezella said signs can be screen printed in one or multiple spot colors or digitally printed in full color.
Signs, he said, are available as one- or two-sided and come in a variety of sizes.
And, Bezella said Cross & Oberlie has a full selection of sign holders – including metal H-frames, U-frames, D-stakes and metal posts – in stock and ready to ship.
Banners, car magnets, bookmarks, door hangers, yard sign bags and other promotional items are also available.
‘We love the internet’
Though the company is located in Northeast Wisconsin, Bezella said Cross & Oberlie does business nationwide – thanks in part to the internet.
“That’s what we love about the internet,” he said, “you can reach a broad market.”
The broadened customer base the launch of the internet brought the company, Bezella said, catapulted Cross & Oberlie to the next level.
“Your sales force is open, 24/7,” he said. “Somebody can get online at night and place an order, and it’s waiting for you when you come in in the morning.”
Seeing the growth over the years, Bezella said, has been rewarding.
“Cross & Oberlie has remained a small family owned business producing high-quality products for more than 70 years,” he said.
Bezella said political-focused materials are handled through politicallawnsigns.com, while custom yard signs for real estate, business, construction and events are processed through promotesigns.com.
