Signature Streetscapes Highlighted in National Television Show

Port City Signage, the parent company of Signature Streetscapes, has been featured on How 2 Media’s “World’s Greatest!…”, a television series that profiles the most unique and amazing companies from around the world. The business’s 60-year history, in-house manufacturing, and customer-focused philosophy caught the eye of the show’s producers.

“They were looking to do a feature on a company that made street and traffic signs,” says Tim Mills, owner of Port City Signage. “They found us online”. Following the interview process, How2Media visited the company headquarters in Muskegon, MI and filmed over the course of a day. “Our crew here in the shop had a really fun time having a camera crew on-site, taking interest in what they were doing,” added Mills.

The segment has helped Port City Signage in explaining its business model. “It’s always been hard to describe what it is we do here to people. It’s nice to show that we actually make the products they buy from us, not just buy and resell,” Mills says. The Signature Streetscapes brand works to design and create one-of-a-kind products for high-end residential neighborhoods. Its sister brand, Major Markers, manufactures tee signs, in-ground markers, and other signage for golf courses all over the world.

Episode 278 originally aired on September 9, 2019, and features an interview with Mills revealing what gives the company a significant advantage over their competition. “Our foundry capabilities that we have are really what makes [us] unique,” he explains. “That leads us to giving customers the fastest lead times in the industry.” The in-house foundry he refers to allows the company to manufacture customized bronze and aluminum casts for Signature Streetscapes and Major Markers. After casting, the products are topped off with a powder coat finish to ensure their outdoor durability.

Accompanying the foundry is the company’s fabrication department, which uses welding and custom machinery to manufacture aluminum posts and many other molded products available from Signature Streetscapes. The sales and graphic design teams consult with customers from the very beginning to help them make informed decisions and avoid costly mistakes. All teams then work together to create custom products that their clients love.

In addition to its manufacturing capabilities, Port City Signage’s facility houses prefabricated inventory. A new building expansion will add 10,000 square feet to the warehouse, providing the company with the flexibility and space to add even more products.

Check out the segment below to see the foundry in action and learn more about what makes our company and team unique!

Video Transcription

Narrator: With capabilities not many others can match, the next company we visited shows an extreme dedication to their customers at all times. Take a trip with us to Michigan and meet Port City Architectural Signage. Dating back over 60 years, Port City Architectural Signage is a company that takes great pride in creating all of their products in the USA.

Tim Mills: Port City Architectural Signage and Signature Streetscapes is a company that was developed to design product that was aesthetically pleasing, durable, outdoor, applications for golf courses, homeowners associations, developers, and builders around the country. Our product is mostly made of cast and fabricated metal with a solid powder coat finish so it’s super durable outdoor.

Port City is an amazing company. We really have all these unique capabilities all under one roof. We have our in-house foundry capabilities where we pour bronze and aluminum plaques. We fabricate aluminum posts to decorative components that are aesthetically-pleasing for Main Street communities around the world, high-end golf courses. Just a lot of unique places that are higher-end residential neighborhoods or golf course communities that just need that extra bit of class or sophistication that some of our sign components can offer.

Narrator: Port City Architectural Signage works with clients to create products that complement and enhance the look and feel of their establishment.

Tim Mills: We created some really unique signage here with the capabilities that we have. With our in-house foundry, we’re able to make one-of-a-kind, cast, in-ground bronze and aluminum plaques. We have a fabrication department that is able to do a lot of welding and custom machining to create the products we have. The foundry capabilities that we have are really what makes it unique, so a lot of the stuff we do for golf courses through our niche market of Major Markers is the brand name. We will make tee signs and in-ground markers for high-end golf courses all over the world. And we take the same products and capabilities in our Signature Streetscapes brand and we’re able to create one-of-a-kind lamp and light posts, mailbox units, custom address plaques, anything that you would find around a high-end residential neighborhood that brings that upscale look, sophistication. We can manufacture that as well with the same capabilities.

Narrator: Most important of all, everything Port City Architectural Signage does is with the customer in mind.

Tim Mills: We work with our customers right from the very beginning. We help them with our knowledge base to make the most informed and accurate decisions. We guide them on MUTCD and federal highway administration and local municipalities’ guidelines so that they can make the best decision and avoid making any costly mistakes. And once those approval drawings are done, we take our in-house manufacturing capabilities for all customized projects in combination with our vast inventory of posts and bases, decorative components, and that leads us to giving them the fastest lead times in the industry.

We know our products are gonna be seen by tens of thousands of people at high-end golf courses, communities, and establishments all over the world. Our employees know that and they take great pride in it. And we want to make sure those products are durable and aesthetically-pleasing and that they stand the test of time.

Narrator: Helping enhance establishments through beautiful signage, Port City Architectural Signage is one of the World’s Greatest.