From Humble Beginnings to Industry Leader

In 1936, Vern E. Messner founded the Cleveland Porcelain Enameling Co., starting in a small garage where he provided porcelain enameling services for stove parts and produced porcelain advertising signs. Just six months later, with the financial support he needed, Vern relocated the business to its current home in Cleveland's Slavic Village, employing skilled Polish and Czech immigrants from the neighborhood.
 

During World War II, the company adapted, using its expertise in porcelain enamel to treat aircraft parts. In 1955, Vern expanded the business to include the production of porcelain enameled safety signs, and the Cleveland Porcelain Enameling Co. rebranded as Standard Signs.
 

Now led by the third generation of the Messner family, Standard Signs has grown into one of the nation’s premier manufacturers of long-lasting, porcelain-enameled signs.