FORTY YEARS STRONG

FEATURE NAME SIGN SHOP BY AUTHOR BY ROGER WHITTLE

Persona, Inc., experiences a fortieth year like no other.

Since its founding in 1980, Per- place as a top sign manufacturer.” site in west Watertown, South Dakota sona, Inc., has grown into one Persona annually performs around near the Watertown Regional Airport. of the largest and most-respect- 8,000 new sign installations each year. Its first expansion came in 1994 when ed sign companies in the Unit- When Dennis Holien founded the it opened a facility in Madison, South ed States. As the business wrapped up its company, he chose the name “Persona” Dakota, specially equipped for channel fortieth anniversary last year, it found it- to stress the importance of people and letter production. self as the nation’s top producer of signs their impact on a company—namely the Then, early in 2001, Persona opened for the hospitality and restaurant indus- employees and customers of Persona. a second production facility in Watries and fourth-largest overall. He wanted his company to be the stan- tertown, known as Persona West. The

Wherever you travel in the United dard for excellence in customer and em- 27,277-square-foot plant operates as States, you will undoubtedly see a sign ployee experience. a face-decoration and distortion-form manufactured by Persona. It was his goal that customers enjoy screening facility.

“We’re proud to be one of the top sign the highest levels of service, quality, and In 2004, Persona Madison outgrew companies in the country,” said Mike value resulting in long-standing relation- that original building and moved into Peterson, president of Persona, “but it ships. And he saw Persona’s employees the current 80,000-square-foot plant doesn’t just happen. It is the result of flourishing in an environment of respect, with updated machinery and a larger hard work by our professional, dedicated collaboration, and opportunity. production team. staff and our entire team constantly fo- The result is an organization that is Persona established a lighting division cusing on the needs of the customer. growing, profitable, and enduring. in 2012 to supply customers with “green

“Every person at Persona is commit- responsible,” energy-efficient LED lightted to serving our customers, and our The Origins of Persona ing solutions for parking lots and safety. success in doing so is what earned us our Persona began in 1980 with a single Five years later, Persona also opened an

office in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to house the growing lighting division.

Reimaging Campaigns Provide Big Boost Persona launched nationwide reimaging campaigns in the early 2000s for brands like Marriott, Choice, and Wyndham.

Companies often update or refresh their brand’s image, including new logos. That requires new signage across the company. Persona continues to produce thousands of signs each year for the U.S. hospitality market.

In 2010, Persona earned designation as an approved supplier for the McDonald’s Corporation. Persona expanded its expertise in signage and drive-thru components specific to the industry and continues to increase the number of its Quick Serve Restaurants and fast-casual corporate and individual franchisee customers each year.

Persona is one of just two authorized manufacturers of McDonald’s famed Golden Arches—one of the world’s most recognizable symbols—that adorn more than 14,000 restaurants in the United States.

In 2014, always striving to be the technological leader in the industry, Persona invested in state-of-the-art digital print capabilities to offer customers the highest image quality in seamless sign faces. The company has continued to upgrade its printing capabilities with the latest technology. Persona now has four high-tech printers that can seamlessly and quickly produce huge sign faces up to sixteen feet wide, reducing costs and production time.

Today, in addition to hotels and restaurants, Persona serves convenience stores, retailers, gas stations, banks, and just about any market you can name. Persona works closely with more than 200 national brands—including some of the most recognizable companies in the world—to produce an average of 7,000 sign projects each year.

Commitment to Quality The steady growth from a start-up to an industry leader was made possible by Persona’s commitment to quality.

The company strives to deliver the best, investing in people and equipment to produce signage of every type: channel letters, wall signs, pylon signs, monument signs, directionals, drive-thru components, and digital message centers.

Persona puts forty years of sign building experience to work for its customers, ensuring they get the best, most cost-effective interior and exterior signage and LED lighting to benefit and grow their business. The company proudly works on projects that include: new signs; new faces for old signs; conversions from neon and other light sources to LED; and re-imaging and re-branding.

“We have to be a learning organization—always striving to be the best, always looking to improve. That is how we will maintain customer focus in the marketplace,” said Greg Kulesa, president of Persona’s parent company Anza.

Surviving COVID Complications That focus helped Persona stay strong during the company’s fortieth anniversary year, which was unlike any other due to the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses the company serves.

Kulesa said the pandemic necessitated a change in strategy while maintaining a focus on the customers. “2020 has served as a good lesson in planning for the future,” he said. “If we’ve learned anything from this year, it’s that change is a constant and that, as a company, we must stay nimble. We also must look outside our company and be in tune with our customers so we can drive the change the market is asking for.”

Early in the pandemic, Persona kept its focus on the customers and developed a plan to help struggling businesses.

Persona’s plan allowed customers to complete their sign projects while retaining vital capital for operating expenses. The plan offered low interest rates, friendly terms, options for deferred payments, and no vendor deposits. The company worked with its lenders to offer customers an easy and convenient way to work through the effects COVID-19 was having on their business.

“The early months of the pandemic were difficult,” Peterson said, “and by keeping in tune with our customers, we were able to help them focus on the future. It always comes back to helping the customers.”

Adjusting in the middle of the pandemic was nothing new for Persona. There were other economic downturns in the forty years since Persona began, and by remaining nimble and adjusting to those situations, the company kept growing.

“Persona relentlessly focuses on serving the customer,” Peterson said. “The values that Dennis instilled in the company enabled Persona to grow and become a leader in the industry. We hire the best people, give them the best tools and the best technology, and always emphasize customer service.

“That’s a solid recipe for success.”

The WOW Factor During Persona’s early years, management assembled twenty-one fundamental business principles that embodied the values Holien wanted in the company. These principles became known as “Dennyisms.”

Over the years, those twenty-one principles have been boiled down to five core company values: • “Wow the customer.” • “People are our most important asset.” • “Do the right thing.” • “Be the best, not necessarily the biggest.” • “Pursue continual improvement.”

“The secret is not just having those values written down,” Peterson said. “You have to live those values every day and put them to use in everything you do.”

With its four facilities, Persona boasts more than 170,000 square feet of manufacturing space and employs nearly 300 people in production and support roles. Persona’s location—known for a strong, Midwestern value system and an equally strong work ethic—serves the company well.

But Persona does more than just manufacture signs.

It’s a full-service company that manages projects from beginning to end, thanks to its staff of salespeople, designers, engineers, project managers, printers, metal workers, welders, fabricators, drafters, estimators, installers, marketers, IT technicians, packagers and maintenance personnel.

Persona is also sought as a consultant, helping companies review, refine, and polish their branding and signage programs.

“While change seems to be a constant, the one thing we will never change is the values the company was founded on, starting with our commitment to employing the best and brightest people and putting them in positions that best fit their abilities,” said Kulesa. “The company’s past success is a result of the excellent people we employ and the culture they have adopted to serve the customer.

Persona is a full-service company that manages projects from beginning to end.

“People are our most important asset. A lot of things will change going forward, but our focus and commitment to the people aspect of our business—customers and employees—will never change.”

MISPLACED YOUR FAVORITE ISSUE?

We can help. Back issues are available.

Call for availability: 1-800-895-4389 or 1-402-346-4740

www.signshop.com

PRODUCT PORTAL

Receive vital product and service information from manufacturers and distributors by visiting www.signshop.com/product-portal

InfoDirect #

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

COMPANY

Echod Graphics FASTSIGNS International

France Lighting Solutions MacTac North America

Nova Polymers SDS Automation

Signs365.com SinaLite

Southern Stud Weld

Stamm Manufacturing

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

COMPANIES IN SIGN SHOW

3A Composites USA EFI, Inc. Epilog Laser Fisher Textiles

Gemini

INX International

Laser Research Optics LG Business Solutions USA

Mimaki USA

Showdown Displays Trotec Laser

Universal Laser Systems

3 EASY STEPS

1. Go to our website at, signshop.com

URL

www.EchodGraphics.com www.fastsigns.com www.francelighting.com

www.mactac.com

www.novapolymers.com www.sdsautomation.com

www.signs365.com www.sinalite.com

www.studweld.com

www.stamm-mfg.com

www.3acompositesusa.com www.efi.com

www.epiloglaser.com www.fishertextiles.com

www.geminisignage.com www.inxinternational.com

www.laserresearch.net

www.lg-informationdisplay.com www.mimakiusa.com

www.showdowndisplays.com www.troteclaser.com

www.ulsinc.com

2. Click on our ProductPortal box on the website

PAGE

22

C2

19

15

C4

22

25

12

10

11

12

11

10

11

11

12

10

11

11

3. Request info about advertisers & products

WORLD’S MIGHTIEST SIGNAGE MAGAZINE!

SIGN BUILDER ILLUSTRATED

Sign Builder Illustrated is the “how-to magazine” of the sign industry. Each issue includes SBI’s signature “how-to” columns and features with detailed, step-by-step instructions covering a wide range of signage.

fb.com/SBIMag

@SBIMag Sign Builder Illustrated