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Company History:
Our Founders
 Leroy
Douglass began painting signs of all kinds in 1939.
From the first location in downtown Lakeland as pictured on our
history page, he eventually purchased the property on the west
side of Lakeland where the Douglass Signs production facility
was built in the 1950s.
As
the screen printing division of the sign company, our earliest
product was decalcomanias, or water-slide decals (like you see
in model aircraft and car kits).
A
pioneer of "Can Do!" from the start, L.J. - as everyone called
him - responded to the requests of local natural gas
distributors for a way to mark their water heaters. (Click
here to see a picture of L.J. applying a Protane decalcomania on
our history page.) L.J. and Tom Kaiser travelled to many a
trade show in the LP Gas industry marketing their innovative
products. When L.J. retired in 1964, protégé Tom Kaiser
incorporated the division as Douglass Screen Printers.
Read on
to learn about Tom's journey.
Reflections on
the artist
In 1960 it was a job
in a place he'd never been,
his family left in Cleveland,
and anxious to begin.
They didn't know what the future held
or if it'd all work out,
but believed in Doug and Douglass Signs
whatever they were dealt.
By '64 he was in charge,
the path yet to be blazed,
a company waiting to be built
needing his passionate work-hard ways.
So many to
hire and teach and show!
He couldn't begin to imagine
how many years it'd take,
but on and on and on he drove...
The future was at stake.
His creativity was requisite
for products he'd innovate,
whatever customers needed
they knew Tom would surely make.
Years seemed to fly right by
as sales did escalate,
but never was he satisfied
with what he did create.
By '74 his
children came
to Douglass, where they knew
if Dad would simply teach them,
they'd give it their hearts too.
What a job this had become, and all a one-man show!
Never in his life he thought
How much it'd take to grow.
In '84 his brow he'd wipe
Lisa was coming home!
Now the reins he'd gladly hand,
and enjoy it - maybe roam!
Come '94 his company was still
the center of his life,
and though its sales were legion
and he'd suffered it's every strife,
It still was that same company,
that back in '64,
held the future for an artist named Tom,
as it would for dozens more!
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