Company adding 25 employees at new site

BROOKLYN CENTER - Visual display company Sign-Zone Inc. announced plans today to move its operations to Brooklyn Center and expand its workforce by 25 employees.

The company, which currently employs more than 250 workers at facilities in New Hope and Ramsey, said it will relocate to 6850 Shingle Creek Parkway because it needs more space to accommodate its growing business. The new jobs are expected to pay between $14 and $28 an hour.

To encourage the expansion, the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) awarded Sign-Zone a $125,000 forgivable loan from the Minnesota Investment Fund. The company will not have to repay the loan if it meets hiring goals.

"Sign-Zone has added 100 new jobs over the last five years; and this expansion will create another 25 good-paying jobs for hard-working Minnesotans in the very near future," said Governor Mark Dayton, who working with the Legislature, invested $30 million in the Minnesota Investment Fund in 2013. "I congratulate Sign-Zone on this new expansion, and thank the company for its commitment to Minnesota."

Governor Dayton and state leaders committed $108 million in economic development funding in the 2013 legislative session, including $30 million for the Minnesota Investment Fund.

"Sign-Zone is a rapidly expanding company with a reputation for product innovation and for being a great place to work," said DEED Commissioner Katie Clark Sieben. "This move will help the company continue its recent growth spurt and to add to its workforce."

Sign-Zone, which was founded in 1998, specializes in designing and manufacturing trade show displays, events signage and other visual communication products. The company's products are marketed through a diversified portfolio of brands, including Showdown Displays, Creative Banner Assemblies, Edge Exhibits and Victory Corps.

"The city of Brooklyn Center welcomes Sign-Zone Inc. to our community," said Brooklyn Center Mayor Tim Willson. "The remodeling and re-use of the Palmer Lake Plaza facility, along with the 250-plus administration and manufacturing jobs, and plans for additional employment opportunities, will strengthen the overall economic health of this industrial area and community."

The company was named 2013 Midsize Manufacturer of the Year by Minnesota Business magazine and has been on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the country for six years.

Sign-Zone has added more than 100 full-time jobs in the past five years and introduces an average of 50 news products annually. John Bruellman is the CEO and president.