Witt Sign Co., Inc. has been helping get the message out since 1922!

With over 100 years of history, Witt Sign Co., Inc. has been a trusted partner in complete sign service. The services of design, engineering, manufacturing, installation, maintenance and leasing of signs delivered promptly and with quality, have been responsible for the company’s enviable reputation and it’s growth to it’s present status.

With signs installed in all of the forty-eight continental states, plus Alaska, Canada and Puerto Rico, Witt Sign Co., Inc. is the oldest sign company in the Mid-South.

We believe that if you combine creativity, graphically organized messages, legibility, pleasing color, and a dash of imagination, the result is GREAT SIGN ADVERTISING.

To understand more of the history of Witt Sign Co., Inc., check out the interview with Russell Witt Jr. featured in the 2010 FTB Business Review Magazine below.

Five Questions with Russell Witt Jr., Witt Sign Co.

by Maryellen Kennedy Duckett, 2010

Russell Witt Jr. grew up in the Lebanon, Tenn., sign company his father established in 1922. The elder Witt was a projectionist at the Princess Theater when he started painting show cards for coming attractions. Witt invested in a sign-painting correspondence course, and his sideline soon became a full-time sign company.

For [88] years, customers across America have turned to Witt Sign Co. for the highest quality signs and service at the most competitive price. While the company's focus has shifted from billboards to on-premise electronic signs, the commitment to quality - and continuous improvement - is still the same.

Russell Witt Jr. told Business Review how a devastating fire sparked a total transformation, why leasing is smart and how an oversized "coloring book" launched his career.

Q. You've worked fulltime for Witt Sign Co. since 1963. Did you ever consider a different career?

"When I was a boy, my mother, father, two sisters, grandmother, and I all lived in one house. The sign shop was behind our house, so the business always has been like a family member. Working for Witt Sign Co. is not like going to work. It's part of who I am. When my younger sister, Ann, and I were little, our father would spread billboard patters on the floor like big coloring books. We'd paint for hours. I started painting signs before I could read."

"My first job was to sweep the shop for ten cents a day. I [skipped] school in seventh and eighth grade, hitch-hiking out to help paint signs in the field. My mother would catch me and take me to school. I started working for the company at 13, cutting bushes in front of billboards and painting the backs green. My goal was to get good enough to paint the front side. Now, I work seven days a week, seven nights if I can. There's always something to do. I love what I do, especially talking with customers."

Q. The Witt product line has evolved considerably since the late 1980s. Why did you focus on sales and service instead?

"We manufactured electrical signs from 1968 until our plant burned to the ground in 1988. People across Middle Tennessee asked if they could make signs for us. I bought property to build a new plant. That was 22 years ago; we never built that plant or another sign. Since the fire destroyed our building and equipment, we started outsourcing. It worked out better for us."

"Today, we sell more signs than ever and have no limitations based on location or facilities. We had 38 people [on] two shifts when we burned. Now we have about 10 people in sales, art and accounting. We have contractors nationwide, but we don't have the burden of overhead and salaries. The fire turned out to be a blessing. It transformed how we do business."

Q.What makes Witt electronic signs different from competitors'?

"The electronic digital sign is probably the most inexpensive advertising in the world. Anything you type into a computer can be displayed on the sign. Every sign we make is custom. As a business owner, you want to lead the parade, not follow. We go to the site to perform field analysis. No one can sit in an office and tell a merchant across the street or across the state what they need. You have to ride to the property, measure the building and so on. We use the information to design the sign or incorporate the merchant's design. The leasing we offer is the best value. There aren't many sign companies that rent electrical signs. My father rented billboards; I thought we should rent electrical signs."

Q. What are the benefits of leasing a sign from Witt Sign Co.?

"Nobody provides a better sign or beats our service. We're price competitive. A sign is like any other piece of electrical equipment - it has to be maintained. We furnish maintenance and insurance, which means a typical savings of about 40 percent, compared to purchasing. If a merchant is signing a lease in a shopping center, why buy a sign to put on someone else's building? Renting gives customers more money to invest in their own businesses, which is always a good thing."

Q. Codes and regulations vary widely. Why is it important for business owners to consider codes before purchasing or leasing a sign?

"We build signs to exact safety specifications. The stronger the codes, the better it is for the industry. There are 'outlaw' sign companies who put things up at night or who aren't licensed or insured. Every sign we sell has to have a permit. We check the exact address to see what the codes allow. We also check the landlord criteria. We design our signs to fit all requirements and codes. Our customers can be confident that they can actually use the sign they purchase or lease."