A family owned-and-operated business located in Northeast Florida since our inception of the company in 1987. The Hartley Family has been in the sign industry way before the birth of Banners & Signs, Inc., since the 1970s. They were the pioneers in mass-production of the signs using the existing materials and tools at that time.
It all started with a man named Ray Sabatier, whom haven't the slightest clue of what he was about to do “the impossible in the early 1970's”. He and his wife started to assemble and sell ready-made banners. Starting in the year of 1978, they went across the United States searching for something unique to meet their customer's demand, the ability to do more customized orders.
Ray decided to go to a local library and pulled a book on how to perform the silk-screening technique. He began silk-screening on a table that is over 12 feet long. No one was doing banners that were twelve foot long other than Ray himself. He was a truly pioneer and was determined to do custom orders for his customers in his own house. Everything was hand-cut. He has used thousands of feet of Tyvek™ (used as insulation today in houses), developed by Dupont.
Dupont and its representatives noticed that Ray was one of their largest distributors. They called Ray up and ask what he was doing, then he replied that he was making banners. Dupont thought it was very awkward for a banner maker to use their product, Tyvek™. The company desperately wanted to go visit Ray and his facility because Dupont was convinced that Ray and his production was based on large scale. Ray discovered and made his own formula for the inks including the fluorescents and glow-in-the-dark. Resources in the US were limited for Ray, so he had to go to Canada to get the corrugated plastic materials for the signs.
In the late 1980s, Jan Hartley, the step-daughter of Ray Sabatier, founded the company, Banners & Signs, Inc. with her husband, Louis Hartley. At that time, they were the only business in Northeast Florida to use one of the first sign plotters, the Gerber 4-B. The plotter was nothing like the type we use today, because there was no monitor to display the layout for the job. It has to be used mathematically as using the X and Y coordinates location through a small display screen.
Our philosophy in business has always been to stay ...”Ahead of the Curve” delivering over 20 years of cutting edge products and services. By combining a hometown feel with international clientèle, we continue to grow as a company. We foresee the future of our company with our most important matter, our customers. The company has researched and based its reputation on the highest quality and personalization of their service to the customers.
It all started with a man named Ray Sabatier, whom haven't the slightest clue of what he was about to do “the impossible in the early 1970's”. He and his wife started to assemble and sell ready-made banners. Starting in the year of 1978, they went across the United States searching for something unique to meet their customer's demand, the ability to do more customized orders.
Ray decided to go to a local library and pulled a book on how to perform the silk-screening technique. He began silk-screening on a table that is over 12 feet long. No one was doing banners that were twelve foot long other than Ray himself. He was a truly pioneer and was determined to do custom orders for his customers in his own house. Everything was hand-cut. He has used thousands of feet of Tyvek™ (used as insulation today in houses), developed by Dupont.
Dupont and its representatives noticed that Ray was one of their largest distributors. They called Ray up and ask what he was doing, then he replied that he was making banners. Dupont thought it was very awkward for a banner maker to use their product, Tyvek™. The company desperately wanted to go visit Ray and his facility because Dupont was convinced that Ray and his production was based on large scale. Ray discovered and made his own formula for the inks including the fluorescents and glow-in-the-dark. Resources in the US were limited for Ray, so he had to go to Canada to get the corrugated plastic materials for the signs.
In the late 1980s, Jan Hartley, the step-daughter of Ray Sabatier, founded the company, Banners & Signs, Inc. with her husband, Louis Hartley. At that time, they were the only business in Northeast Florida to use one of the first sign plotters, the Gerber 4-B. The plotter was nothing like the type we use today, because there was no monitor to display the layout for the job. It has to be used mathematically as using the X and Y coordinates location through a small display screen.
Our philosophy in business has always been to stay ...”Ahead of the Curve” delivering over 20 years of cutting edge products and services. By combining a hometown feel with international clientèle, we continue to grow as a company. We foresee the future of our company with our most important matter, our customers. The company has researched and based its reputation on the highest quality and personalization of their service to the customers.
