World Wide Sign Systems Celebrates 50th Anniversary

From a single vacuumforming table, and a single artist, and an evolution through a large electric-sign company, a 100% wholesale sign company has now celebrated its 50th anniversary, while having maintained the same address for the past 49 years.

The story begins with Fran Wartman, who operated an art studio called Wartman Studio from rented office space in Bonduel, WI’s Lawrenz grocery store. (Ironically, two decades later, Mike Lawrenz, the son of the grocery-store owner, joined the company, and he remains there today.) In 1958, Fran asked a local blacksmith, Harvey Zernicke, to build him a vacuumforming table, which he added to his studio. Fran used the table to produce formed-plastic church windows, which he subsequently handpainted to resemble stained glass.

A year later, West Allis, WI-based (near Milwaukee) Poblocki Sign Co., itself already more than a quarter-century old, purchased the table and moved it six blocks north to 446 North Cecil St., and named the wholly owned subsidiary Bonduel Plastics. The equipment then began being used to produce wholesale Plexiglas® acrylic sign faces for local sign companies.

Another year later, Poblocki hired Ernie Tischler to manage the subsidiary. Its customer base expanded throughout Wisconsin and into more of the Midwest. An addition to the building also included added capabilities for fabricating electric-sign cabinets.

In 1965, Tischler bought the subsidiary from Poblocki and renamed it Tischler Plastics. More expansion followed. Flashing electric signs became a new product line. An office and more fabrication space were added in 1972. In 1974, the purchase of a Shuman vacuumformer allowed the forming of polycarbonate signfaces. In 1978, a channel-letter department was added. In 1980, Tischler Plastics reportedly became one of the first UL-listed company in Wisconsin for electric cabinet signs.

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The 1981 addition of heat-transfer equipment fostered the decoration of flexible faces. An upgraded Shuman machine was added in 1983 for producing even larger signs. Custom channel letters, sign cabinets and other custom signs became staples.

In 1986, Rick Durante purchased Tischler Plastics and incorporated it as World Wide Sign Systems Inc. (WWSS), even though the Tischler name continued to be used for nearly a decade. Formed faces were now being produced for national programs.

A 6 x 12-ft. router table was added in 1988. In 1990, a 10 x 20-ft. vacuum former was purchased. The Eurocom neon system was installed in 1992.

In the ensuing four years, the plant size doubled with two additions to the Bonduel facility. A new WWSS logo debuted in 1994, as did an expanded marketing strategy. Customers had been requesting a Western presence, and a Carson City, NV, plant was added in 1995. This facility offered all of the services provided in Bonduel. A decade later, the Channel Letter Div. was introduced at the Bonduel facility. But as this business grew, space became an issue, and another facility was purchased in 2005 in Shawano, WI, for the sole purpose of manufacturing wholesale channel letters.

In 2003, WWSS joined Cook Sign Services (Marquette, MI) in winning a second-place award in ST’s International Sign Contest in the Electronic Message Center category. WWSS created the 45 x 15-ft., double-faced sign for the Bad River Casino (Odanan, WI). The sign featured a translucent, polycarbonate face of an eagle surrounded by a yellow neon sun.

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Additionally, in the International Sign Assn.’s most recent Sign Design Competition, WWSS handled manufacturing of the State Theatre Marquee sign (Bay City, MI), designed and engineered by Eric Larsen (Empire Sign LLC, Auburn, MI), that claimed first place in the Traditional/Historical category.

Currently, WWSS’ three facilities occupy more than 100,000 combined square feet of outsourcing capacity. A dozen employees have more than 20 years of signmaking experience. Tom Rankin rates as the most tenured employee, having joined the company in 1968. The company ships signs to all 50 states and select foreign countries. For the future, it plans to continue adding state-of-the-art technologies.