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| Immediately after
finishing his Army tour in Europe, Gerald Lipscomb founded Lipscomb
Signs. Lipscomb and his two employees began hand-lettering trucks
and billboards, repairing signs, and installing parking lot
lighting. The small Lipscomb Signs workforce quickly mastered
the skills of the sign industry, enabling the company to begin
sign component production. |
| Lipscomb Signs moved
to its first production facility in 1975, only two years after
the company started. Gerald Lipscomb's plastic face forming
system, which consisted of a large plastic heating oven and
a table for vacuum forming the heated plastic, enabled Lipscomb
Signs to precision produce seamless plastic faces up to 30'
feet long. Lipscomb's success in plastic face manufacturing
during 1975 provided the momentum necessary to expand its services
and production potential. |
| In 1976, Lipscomb
Signs again moved to a larger facility, over twice the size
of the previous, and began producing complete sign systems.
The larger facility also enabled Lipscomb Signs to utilize specialization
in each department, greatly increasing the company's production
potential. |
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| The expanded product
line and higher production level enabled Lipscomb Signs to handle
work for national and franchise clients such as Eckerd Drug,
Family Dollar, Phillips 66, and Texaco. As the 80s opened, Lipscomb
Signs was again expanding its production capability by adding
to the building to accommodate the overflow of demand in the
plastic and paint departments. The physical expansion eased
Lipscomb Signs' immediate growing pains, while computerization
and the development of new fabrication technology such as the
Apple IIE and Gerber cutting system brought heightened precision
and efficiency to Lipscomb's expanding operation. Computer-generated
patterns, vinyls, and diagrams helped streamline Lipscomb's
growing operation. To satisfy his loyal customer base and to
take advantage of the new technology, Gerald Lipscomb began
plans to build a new production plant. As the 80s came to a
close, Lipscomb Signs moved into its new facility, a sign shop
designed by Lipscomb Signs for high volume sign production.
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Following
the births of Gerald Lipscomb's sons in 1979 and '81, Lipscomb
Signs began utilizing child labor (just kidding). |
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| The new Lipscomb
Signs plant, with its new fabrication technology and spacious
departments was an instant success in high volume sign production.
The facility featured several overhead cranes, separate plastic
and metal paint lines with separate ventilation systems from
the main ventilation system, a neon division with numerous fires
and a bombarding system, and an advanced drafting department
with large-format routers and plotters. Now a nationally recognized
sign provider, Lipscomb Signs decided to use its new technology
and seasoned work force to focus on building the highest quality
permanent sign systems possible. Programs such as interdepartmental
training, in which employees gain a broader perspective of the
production process through working at different stages of development,
has given the departments a better understanding of sign production. |
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| Lipscomb Signs'
history of innovation and achievement has led it to become a
national sign provider of quality, permanent sign solutions.
Customer loyalty and Lipscomb Signs' determination to serve
its customers has propelled the company to the peak of technological
advancement. Building signs to last has become an important
theme at Lipscomb Signs. If nothing else, Lipscomb Signs' history
has revealed that high quality signs are, ultimately, more cost
effective than less expensive, low quality signs because of
the high costs of sign repair and loss of business. The long-term
cost advantage of quality signs has brought confident, successful
companies to Lipscomb Signs over the decades and we are grateful
for their confidence in us. |
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