Legacy Sign Group
Team pivots from plan, follows signs to business ownership
Shaun O’Brien and Shaun Ensign often see their company’s work on display throughout the Region and Chicagoland.
“We get to create signage that we get to drive by and be proud that we created something from design to fabrication to installation,” O’Brien said. “We fabricate architectural elements, artwork and steel structures.”
The Shauns and their team at Legacy Sign Group specialize in constructing signs in a variety of mediums from start to finish as a turn-key signage solution company. They put together metal signs, illuminated letters, vinyl graphics, dimensional letters, wall signs, electronic message centers, marquee signs and more. They collaborate with clients to design and bring the ideas to reality.
“We get to be involved in many different types of projects,” Ensign said. “Doing something different every day keeps it fun and interesting.”
While the company was launched in 2019, Ensign and O’Brien have worked with each other since 2003. O’Brien has his roots in the industry since he was part of his father’s company.
“I was born in the sign industry. My father started his own sign company in 1983. I remember getting off the school bus and signs were being built in the driveway,” O’Brien said. “My first job was cutting up old signs to be scrapped. I then went into the installation side of the business for about 10 years.”
He continued learning all aspects of the industry, including fabrication, estimation, procurement and sales. Ensign joined the business in 2003 after working for a petroleum company and together, they were on a path to business ownership through a succession plan.
“When my father and I disagreed on the purchase of the company, Shaun left with me and we made some quick and important decisions,” O’Brien said. “We began working at his dining room table. We had nothing more than a couple laptops and a lot of contacts in the business.”
Despite the quick pivot from an original business plan, Legacy Sign Group has grown since 2019 and today, has 33 employees and a hand in encouraging the next generation of tradespeople. The Shauns are also building a second company related to the industry, Screen Genius.
“Business ownership is a challenge every day, but those challenges allow for processes to be built, to try new things, and create a legacy for our future,” Ensign said. “The entrepreneurship mindset never really rests!”
Legacy Sign Group
7933 W. US Highway 6 in Westville
https://legacysigngroup.com/