About Us

Tacoma Sign Company is a family-owned business operated by proprietors Jim and Pollyann Butler. We are located just outside Tacoma (Gig Harbor), south of Seattle and to the west of beautiful Mt. Rainier.

Our goal is to Make Great Impressions for Your Organization as well as your customers, clients and colleagues. We know that your custom sign creates that very first impression and brand image for your customer. We take great pride in designing and building high-quality signs that create a positive impression for your entity. That impression represents more than an order to us; we know it’s emblematic of everything your organization offers to its customers and to the greater community you serve.

As a full-service sign manufacturer, we can personally ensure the highest quality and service levels throughout the process, starting with our personalized quotation process all the way through to installation.

By providing all of your signage needs — outdoor, indoor, safety, vehicle, wayfinding, merchandising, ADA-compliant and others — we can ensure your brand image is consistent through all of your visual communication tools.

We will also provide project management services to work with you, the local building regulators, architect committees and others to ensure that all city codes, variances, and ordinances are managed so that you can remain focused on your business.

In the end, we will make the designing, building and installation of your custom signs as professional and stress-free as possible, in order to Create Positive Impressions That Last!

Location: 915 26th Ave NW Suite C-2, Gig Harbor, WA 98335 (located across the street from the Tacoma Narrows Airport)

Business Hours:

8:00 am – 4:30 p.m. Monday – Thursday

8:00 am – 3:30 pm, Friday

*Saturdays by appointment – ask Jim about his Saturday “Specials”

Call Tacoma Sign Company today at (253) 265-4421 for your Free Consultation with a Signs & Graphics expert!

Mission and Values

Our mission is pretty simple: Assist Customers in Achieving their Mission with Graphic Communication Products. We offer a “100% Guarantee” on our products. If you are not happy, we are not happy, and we will do everything in our power to make sure that we meet your expectations.

We primarily use 3M vinyl and laminate materials, which are covered with manufacturers’ warranties against material defects. These range from one to seven years in most cases. We can provide you with material warranty information upon request, based on the materials that we use for your signs.

At the end of each project we want happy customers who love to be photographed next to their brand new, wonderful sign.

Our values, or “CREED,” are also pretty simple:
Customer Relationships
Respect in everything we do
Embrace safe and healthy life styles
Excellent Products
Do the right thing.

Tacoma Sign Company Leadership Team

Pollyann Butler

Pollyann is 50% partner in the Tacoma Sign Company. Pollyann is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University. After spending 19 years the world of education and coaching tennis at Charles Wright Academy and Gig Harbor High School, Pollyann joined the family business (then RushTeamApparel). She developed a passion for Customer Service while heading up the online fulfillment department for RushTeamApparel.

Currently, Pollyann is handling the tedious permitting process at the various municipalities that we service. Pollyann has been instrumental in building the inside team within our organization. She brings all of this understanding to your priorities when you become our customer. Through the various positions she has held across her career, Pollyann has held firmly to the ethic that no one is more important than the customer; she is a great leader in customer service at Tacoma Sign Company.

On a personal level, Pollyann still plays tennis at Tacoma Lawn and Tennis, loves walking with her Labrador Retriever dogs, enjoys warm summer weekends when she can be outside on the Puget Sound. In Gig Harbor, we get several of those each year.

Jim Butler

Jim is 50% partner. Jim brings more than 30 years of leadership experience in entrepreneurial endeavors, sales, project management, purchasing, and production to the company.

Jim has worked for both small companies and large organizations. Jim is driven to exceed expectations and believes that the best way to ensure needs are met is to build a strong, competent and engaged employee team. Making sure everyone is on the same page while creating a fun atmosphere is one of his primary objectives.

“I learned a long time ago that the answer to the customer is never ‘no,’ but ‘yes’ or ‘yes if.’
“That’s why our goal is always to find a solution that optimally solves our customer’s specific issues. Our fully-engaged employees find those creative solutions for our customers.”

Jim studied Management with an emphasis on Entrepreneurship from Seattle Pacific University and Whitworth University. Jim is an active member in a couple of industry trade groups and is a member of the Pierce County Chamber of Commerce.

Jim is an active member of his tennis club and plays several times a week. He enjoys boating and, when not at work, can be likely be found at some sort of sporting event.

Call Tacoma Sign Company today at (253) 265-4421 for your Free Consultation with a Signs & Graphics expert!

Our Services

Site Surveys. When it’s time to measure your sign location or determine the best placement for signs, our team will assist by visiting your site and providing consultative services at no added cost. We can help you identify the ideal spot for all types of signage – monuments with your building name, wayfinding signs, building directories, lobby signs, and more. We will photograph the area and place a virtual sign in the image so you can visualize your sign prior to production. And, we will take all measurements once you have decided on a location, to ensure you are one hundred percent satisfied with your sign’s ultimate placement.

Design. If you have existing ready art, our designer can translate it into the sign you envision. Or, if you’re looking for a brand new approach, we can create a customized concept and design or logo that reflects the visual image you want to show the world. In other words, our design team is ready to help, whether the project begins with a sketch on the back of a napkin, or a fully vectorized electronic file. All of the finished artwork will be saved to your company portfolio so that it can be accessed quickly for your future sign needs, and to ensure a consistent look and feel with your existing signage and brand standards.

Manufacturing. With our advanced technology platform and our vast network of SignWorld outlets, we can manufacture any type of sign that you need — banners, business cards, vehicle wraps, ADA, LED lighted signs, channel letters, cut letters, and virtually any other type of sign, for indoor or outdoor application. Our facility uses safe work practices as well as “5S” to ensure that we run a high-end, professional manufacturing facility.

Assembly & Installation. We assemble your sign in our Renton facility, and optionally we can add installation services (excluding electrical hook ups) at your site. In addition, we can arrange electrical contracting services, permitting, boom trucks (if necessary), approval with landlords, city permitting, and coordination with utility providers. If your company has its own maintenance and installation team, we can work with them (if you choose) for all or part of the installation.
Project Management. As experienced project managers, complex projects are well within our wheelhouse. We understand that every project and every company is different; and we’ll work with your project architects, brand managers, property managers, utility companies and local government agencies to move your signage project forward. Our team takes the stress out of orchestrating your signage and visual communication needs.

Sign Visibility Index

How big should the lettering be on your sign? It depends on lots of factors, but this chart provides a place to start.

Remember that your sign’s visibility depends heavily on what the viewer is doing – if they’re driving by, then a sign needs to be larger than indicated by this chart. If they’re standing still with 20/20 vision and no obstruction (such as trees, cars or pedestrians), then this chart will suit.
Consider these factors that come into play with your sign; and rely on us to help you define the correct size for your needs:

• • Letter style
  • Color of letter and the color of the background
  • Lighting conditions
  • Road conditions
  • Driver speed
  • Familiarity of the design
  • Location
  • Indoor or Outdoor
  • Eyesight of your target market

Our goal is to use the lettering size that delivers the impact you need at the distances your sign serves. A sign is a long-term investment in your business and its success, so it’s important to use a size that captures the attention of your prospects, referrals and customers.
Another factor to consider is brevity. The most effective signs have few words, and express them in large, clear fonts. When it comes to impact, less is more, and bigger is better.

Call Tacoma Sign Company today at (253) 265-4421 for your Free Consultation with a Signs & Graphics expert!

Quality Control Process

Information Management. At Tacoma Sign Company, our quality control process includes an integrated, cloud-based sales, design and manufacturing system. All email, notes, site surveys, measurements, before-and-after photography, quotes, estimates, bills of materials, and sign proofs are stored in customer-specific portals. This ensures that all communication with our customers about their signs is properly documented and, because it is stored in the cloud, our entire team has access to the information at all times.

Quotation Elements. The quality process starts at the quote stage. Our sales team will take site photographs and detailed measurements. They will ask detailed questions to ensure that our team clearly understands your requirements. In some cases, we will create a hand sketch or mockup to make sure that everyone is on the same page before the design process is engaged. Once your team approves the quote, the order is transferred to the design team where your sign begins its journey from concept to reality.

Design Process. The design team will take the information collected from our conversations and site survey, and create detailed proofs that match the job specifications. These proofs are reviewed by the leadership team to ensure customer requirements are met with a high level of professionalism. Once approved, the proofs are electronically forwarded to you and your colleagues for approval or revision.

Production Process. Upon approval, your project will be turned over to the production team. Materials will be ordered at this stage and manufacturing/assembly will begin. The sales team will inspect the completed project again to ensure that your specifications are met.

Team Coordination. To help tie all of this together, we hold a daily team meeting. The sales team reviews all incoming sign orders with the design and production team to ensure everyone is on the same page. The design team then reviews all designs due in the near future and asks clarifying questions if required. In turn, the production team reviews orders in the production queue to be certain that material has been ordered in time to meet agreed due dates. This entire process is managed through our integrated sales, design and manufacturing system.

In the end, our mission is the same as it is in the beginning, to make sure that as our customer, your expectations have been met.

Safe Work Practices

At Tacoma Sign Company, safety of our employees while at work or on the job site take precedence over anything else that needs to be completed. We discuss safety topics weekly during our production and sales meetings. Topics include housekeeping, safe driving practices, working with the equipment, lifting, working on ladders and using cutting tools.

In addition we leverage SAFESTART® methodology in our work place and at home. We remind the team that rushing, frustration, fatigue and complacency can lead to eyes not on task, mind not on task, line-of-fire and loss of balance/traction/grip. By focusing on these triggers we can avoid all safety related issues.
Per our employee policy manual failure to follow safe work practices will result in termination from the company.

We practice 5S in our facility: Sort, Set, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. We schedule the last 30 minutes of every shift to review our housekeeping and 5S for the day. This includes the facility, office and computer files. We routinely talk about there is a home for everything and everything should be in its home.

Processes and procedures are documented and used for training and to insure consistent and efficient operations are maintained.

Call Tacoma Sign Company today at (253) 265-4421 for your Free Consultation with a Signs & Graphics expert!

Color Management

Vibrant, accurate color is a priority. Tacoma Sign Company has a distinct competitive advantage with our color management system and process. We use the most advanced color calibration technology available to create rich, true color for your visual communication needs.

Our design staff has undertaken significant training to ensure that we make your brand impression pop. Our process can manage your color specifications whether they are in CMYK, LAB, or Pantone colors. We routinely calibrate our cameras, computer monitors, printers and even the specific vinyl on which we print your custom graphics. In some cases, we will calibrate your brand manager’s monitor so that we can ensure all devices accurately reflect the same colors as we strive to serve your brand.

This means we support the largest color range (LAB colors), and we provide predictable, accurate, unbiased color as well as accurate soft-proofing PDFs.

Sustainability

Eco-Friendly Options. We provide our customers with eco-friendly material choices such as 3M PVC-free wrap films, 100% post-consumer recycled banner materials, compostable media and substrates, and green recyclable alternatives to foam core. Please make sure to review these options with your sales representative during the initial assessment of your job, before entering the quoting process.

Tacoma Sign Company, we practice the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Tacoma Sign Company is primarily a digital company using email and other electronic tools to provide quotes, order acknowledgements, invoices, proofs, artwork and approval drawings. We encourage our suppliers and customers to embrace this practice in order to reduce the demands on our global environment.

We encourage our team to embrace environmentally responsible work strategies. It has been our practice to reuse printer paper (using the back side) for many years in order to do our part for the environment, and our team routinely uses the back side of documents for hand-sketching and message-taking.

But when it’s not possible to reduce or reuse, we recycle. Used paper and all of our recyclable vinyl scraps fed into the County’s advanced recycling system; and we take special materials such as styrofoam, ink and paint to local specialty recycling depots.

Product Offerings

We offer the fullest product breadth in the market. We pride ourselves with the ability to be your one stop shop for all of your signage needs. From creating logos and business cards to vehicle graphics to monument signs and everything in between.

While we don’t manufacture every product listed below, we have partnered with the best in the industry to insure that highest quality and services are maintained. This allows you to work directly with us simplifying your sourcing activities. Below is a list of common signs that we work with.

Our Commitment To You

We deliver the indoor, outdoor, and off-site signage elements your business needs to entice and retain more customers and clients.

Our company is invested in your satisfaction throughout every stage of sign ownership, providing expert design, manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and repair for all of your Tacoma signage products. When your business wants brand-building sign and graphic solutions, produced to your specs, that fits your budget, and completed according to your time guidelines, you can rely on Tacoma Sign Company. We want to be the local dedicated sign company you can count on for your signage projects, now and future needs.

Contact Tacoma Sign Company today at (253) 265-4421 for your Free Consultation with a Signs & Graphics expert!