Allen Industries, one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of signage and architectural elements, has acquired Harmon Sign, a company headquartered in Toledo, Ohio. Allen Industries, headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, has other manufacturing locations in High Point, North Carolina; Phoenix, Arizona; and Clearwater, Florida, and serves clients across the U.S. and internationally. The company’s acquisition of Harmon Sign will allow it to expand its manufacturing capacity in the Midwest and bring its total workforce to about 400 employees.
Allen Industries purchased Harmon’s business and manufacturing assets and assumed leases for about 75,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space in Toledo and Detroit. Dan Kasper, the CEO and president of Harmon, will stay on for a one-year period to help in the transition.
Tom Allen, president of Allen Industries, described the acquisition as a “hand in glove fit.” “We have been wanting for some time to expand our manufacturing capacity in the Midwest, but we specifically wanted to buy a company that would be a good fit with our own manufacturing capabilities and company culture,” said Allen. “We serve many national clients with a presence in the Midwest, and having manufacturing facilities there makes us more efficient and cost-effective.”
Like Allen, Harmon has offered turnkey service in all of its division locations. Services include design and engineering of signage and architectural elements, in-house manufacturing, installation, and maintenance and repairs. Each customer is assigned a project manager who oversees the entire process, including assisting the customer with researching zoning codes and permitting for every locale.
“Harmon is a family-owned company, as we are, with very similar manufacturing capabilities,” Allen said. “Harmon was founded in 1937—just six years after Allen was established—so it has a similar long history and sound reputation. It’s never easy to combine the culture of two companies, but it has been a very straightforward process, because Harmon has the right equipment, the right people and the right culture.”
Harmon Sign, which has sixty employees, was founded in 1937 by Chalmer Harmon—the uncle of Dan Kasper—in Wauseon, thirty miles west of Toledo. Its customers have included Little Caesar’s, Guitar Center, and Best Western International.
Allen Industries was founded in High Point in 1931 by Tom Allen’s grandfather, Thomas R. Allen. It was later run by Thomas’ son, James, and now by James’ three sons: Tom, who serves as president; John, executive vice president; and David, vice president. Allen Industries has provided signage and architectural elements for Hardee’s for 50 years, and Family Dollar for more than 30 years. Other clients include John Deere, Mack Trucks, LongHorn Steakhouse, Dunkin’ Donuts, Burger King, Dairy Queen, Panda, and Lowe’s Home Improvement.
