Sign Maker Profile Keeping it in the family
What started as one man’s passion for handwritten signage, has transformed into a hugely successful family-run business. Now under the third generation of management, Greens the Signmakers has made recent headway in the industry. Assistant editor Benjamin Austin, reports.
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rom artisanal pinstripe handwritten signs to being the exclusive UK signage supplier for one of the leading EV companies; Greens the Signmakers has made a name for itself within the sign making industry. Having been in operation since 1963, the family-run business is currently under the guidance of the third generation. Grandson of its founder, Lawrence Green took over the business in 2018, taking it from strength to strength, now having around 60 employees on its books.
He said: “It all started with my Grandad, Reg Green. He was pinstriping and handwriting originally which unfortunately is a skill we don’t have any more and one I’d like to get back. “It was for a lot of haulage kind of advertising and wagons, and he even started doing a lot of motorcycle number plates for some reason, but that grew into more shopfront work when my dad got involved.”
Like with a lot of family businesses, Lawrence was introduced to it early. He continued: “My first memory of being involved with the company was at the kitchen table at home. My dad brought home line drawings and things and I was colouring them in, doing the technical colouring so I was doing that occasionally. “I have done every role here pretty much, working my way up. In the summer holidays when I was 15 or younger I’d come in and help sort the yard and separate the recycling and just generally keep on top of that. “When I finished sixth form, I decided I wanted to a have a year out as I wasn’t wanting to go straight into further education.
“I felt I needed a change from people telling me what to learn and so the day after my last exam I was in here.”
A fork in the road
However, Lawrence wasn’t as fully committed to the company like his father initially, opting instead to follow a
Lawrence Green has been the managing director since 2018
path to university and study motorsport engineering, but after passing his first year, his sister got both him and their dad to sit down to discuss the future. He said: “I think generally that first summer was the first time I paused and thought about it.
“My sister had already finished uni and was off doing her own thing and so if she wasn’t to join there needed to be a plan for the business so we had a good think and talk that summer and decided that yes, I would join.
“It did interest me, I did enjoy it, I liked the freedom, and it gave the opportunity to steer something on my own course. “So, I went back second year and changed to motorsport technology to free up a bit more time and did a few more business modules so when I finished, I came to work straight away.
Lawrence Green sitting on the Printing Charity panel at SDUK
| 36 | July/August 2025
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