A Family Business, Then and Now

Neon signs were the height of popularity in 1931, when Thomas R Allen of Greensboro, North Carolina, opened Allen Neon Display, with four employees. The business prospered, growing into a family affair with the addition of Allens three sons, James, Bob, and Tom, Jr.

In the pursuing years, the brothers paths diverged. In the early 60s, James assumed control of the original business, and brothers Bob and Tom Jr. spun off with a separate branch, Andco.

James Allen changed the company's focus, from custom sign builder to large-scale sign program manufacturer built on longstanding partnerships with the burgeoning fast food industry and numerous other business sectors.

James three sons, Tom, John and David, began work in their father and grandfathers business as teenagers. Beginning at the bottom as shop floor sweepers and progressing through estimating, accounting and sales, the three gained a thorough knowledge and understanding of the family business. In 1988, the three took the helm, devising a new business model for the business they had acquired from their father and grandfather. Included in their strategic plan were the purchase of Florida sign manufacturer, Peninsular Sign Company in Clearwater, and the reincorporation of Andco under the Allen Industries umbrella.

Since that time, Allen Industries has grown by leaps and bounds. Currently one of the nations largest sign manufacturers, the company boasts the capacity, equipment and expertise to design, build, and maintain every type of signage and re-image program.