Marquis Who’s Who, the publication that recognizes exceptional individuals who have made lasting contributions to their fields, has added Paul Williamson to its roster.
Williamson has an education portfolio that includes multiple degrees, including a Bachelor of Science in engineering physics, a Master of Aerospace Engineering from Cornell University, and a Master of Science in engineering and economic management systems from Stanford University. Combined with his 55-year career spanning engineering, program and contract management, and entrepreneurship, it’s clear that Williamson embodies the spirit of innovation and adaptability that Marquis Who’s Who celebrates.
Moreover, Williamson successfully transitioned from a distinguished engineering aerospace career to being the chief executive officer and owner of a national leader in custom signage manufacturing. Founded in 2005, his company, Art Sign Works Inc., specializes in designing and manufacturing a wide range of custom and unique dimensional signs and plaques, which are hand-crafted from wood, bronze, brass, silver, gold, and polyurethane.
Under Williamson’s leadership as president and chief executive officer, Art Sign Works Inc. has become the largest manufacturer of high-quality carved and dimensional signs in the US. It produces 8,000 to 10,000 custom dimensional signs and plaques annually and serves a diverse clientele, including federal, state, and local government agencies, federal and state courts, the six military services, educational institutions, corporations, businesses, churches, and private families and individuals across the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and Canada.
Design Portfolio: From Big Institutions to Small Businesses
Art Sign Works Inc. has established itself as a versatile and outstanding player in the custom dimensional signage industry, showcasing an ability to cater to an impressive and demanding clientele. Its clients include high-profile institutions such as the White House, various federal departments and agencies, Congress, the Supreme Court, various federal appeals and district courts, the Pentagon, various U.S. embassies, state governor offices, and large corporations. Additionally, Art Sign Works produces products for small businesses, stores, and individual residential customers.
The company also sells its products wholesale to over 850 independent and franchise sign retailers and resellers in every U.S. state and Canada. Several national sign companies, including SignWorld, FastSigns, Signs-by-Tomorrow, and Signarama, list Art Sign Works Inc. as their preferred supplier of carved wood and high-density urethane (HDU) signs.
The company excels in producing a wide array of custom dimensional signs and plaques using various materials, serving customers throughout the U.S. and internationally. Williamson says, “I started Art Sign Works as an amateur artist and wanted to produce a wide variety of high quality beautiful and unique artistic signs and wall plaques for a national clientele.”
Art Sign Works makes certain that all signage it creates perfectly captures the customer’s purposes and specifications and has the highest quality, taking great pride in always guaranteeing customer satisfaction with the products it delivers.
The company’s subsidiary, The Wood & Metal Plaque Company, further specializes in designing and hand-crafting custom dimensional carved wall and podium plaques of all sizes that are made of materials such as mahogany, cherry, oak, and maple woods; artist-painted high-density-urethane; and bronze, brass, aluminum, copper, gold & silver-leaf gilded metals.
Secret to Industry Dominance
Williamson’s story of building Art Sign Works from the ground up reflects his entrepreneurial spirit and adaptability. Despite being an amateur artist with no formal signage design background, he used his extensive business profile acquired through decades of corporate experience to launch his venture.
Williamson’s position as corporate staff vice president of engineering at Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and his 32 years of experience at Lockheed Martin Corporation, where he retired as director of programs and led a $200 million-a-year line-of-business, gave him invaluable experience in solving challenges and insight into various aspects of marketing, sales, production, and financial business operations.
Williamson acknowledges that whatever success he has comes from perseverance and a commitment to continuous learning. He approached the challenges of starting a new business in an unfamiliar industry with determination, refusing to give up during challenging times.
“Making a small business successful requires a combination of basic business and technical knowledge, the ability to learn quickly and adapt to changes in markets and technology, and considerable perseverance despite setbacks. Starting and growing a national manufacturing business is difficult. There are a lot of problems and disappointments, but as I continued, I realized that hard work and determination will overcome all challenges,” says Williamson.
The recent Marquis Who’s Who recognition challenges him to step up his game and elevate companies one sign at a time.
