About half of all businesses don’t survive past the five-year mark,* much less the FIFTY-five year milestone.
That’s why we feel so honored to recognize our recent 55th anniversary. While there are many factors that contribute to a company’s success, for us, we know that it all comes down to one thing – our people, who we consider to be family. And with our recent transition to an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan), we’re all employees, family and owners.
In 1963, Don Muir founded Muir, Molleck and Pelini, which started as a hand-lettered sign copy. Sensing a shift in the market and spotting an opportunity to acquire Foto Screen from the retiring owner, our company began the first of many evolutions that would keep us on the front-lines of trending business needs.
From that time forward, we developed a diverse customer base starting with Montgomery Ward, Caterpillar Tractor Co., Standard Oil Company, State Farm and Whitman Publishing Company. But that was just the beginning! By 1971, we were printing more than a million decals and emblems annually, making Muir Omni Graphics the largest provider of our kind between Chicago and St. Louis.
Today, we continue to serve some of our early customers while also adding many other fantastic businesses to our mix. In addition to local companies such as Excel Manufacturing, Intellihot and Caterpillar, we now serve national brands including American Family Insurance, Chicago Transit Authority and Verizon.
Starting as a graphic design firm specializing technical drawing and graphic illustration, we’ve continued to refine and expand our offerings to meet the market’s current (and anticipated) needs. Today, we offer turn-key decal production and management solutions for the world’s leading manufacturers, utility companies and service organizations.
So, what does “management solutions” mean in our industry? Our end-to-end offerings include design and prototype developing, production, inventory management, engineering and installation guidance. Our onsite laboratory is able to replicate weather conditions for different types of graphic treatments to help our customers choose the best materials, inks and mounting methods for enduring, effective messaging.
To ensure consistent quality production and output, we incorporate Six Sigma methodologies into our planning and processes. We also earned our ISO 9001:2008 certification for quality assurance and ISO 14001:2004 certification for green assurance.
One of the most enduring elements of our company’s 55-year history is our commitment to a healthy culture, cultivating an employee-family mindset and the continued delivery of superior customer care.
Many of our employees have been with the Muir family for more than a decade and have embraced positive change and growth. And because they’re been empowered to make decisions, they can act quickly on the customer’s behalf and in the customer’s best interest.
Building on the Muir Omni Graphics team, a passion for our product, dedication to our customers and forward-thinking innovation, 55 years is just the beginning. And we look forward to continuing to serve our customers for many decades to come.
*Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics.
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