Earlier this month, nearly 50 sign companies across the country took part in Sign Manufacturing (MFG) Day, an annual event run by the International Sign Association. Bakers’ Signs & Mfg. in Texas hosted about 100 students for a design contest and a project turning school logos into channel letters. Signarama Troy in Michigan ran a sign extrusion competition and promised every student a guaranteed interview if they apply later. FSG Signs in Austin hosted more than 250 students despite flooding that kept a second group away. We didn’t run a formal MFG Day event this year, but the idea behind it is one we think about constantly.

The shortage is real, and it’s not new news

We wrote a few weeks ago about the skilled trades shortage hitting sign shops as experienced fabricators retire faster than new ones enter the trade. Sign MFG Day is the industry’s answer to the other half of that problem: most students have never considered sign-making as a career because they’ve never seen it. Watching a channel letter get formed, a vehicle wrap applied, or a CNC router cut a dimensional logo tends to change that pretty quickly.

Why this matters even if you’re not hiring fabricators

If you’re a property owner or facilities manager, the sign industry’s labor pipeline affects you more directly than it seems: it’s a big part of why lead times on custom fabrication have stretched industry-wide, and why the shops that are investing in training and retention right now are the ones best positioned to hit a schedule two or three years from now. We’ve leaned into that by investing in our own shop and install team rather than relying purely on subcontracted labor — it’s slower to build, but it’s what keeps a project on schedule when a deadline actually matters.

Curious how our shop handles fabrication in-house, or interested in joining the team? Reach out — we’re always happy to talk shop.