Three Generations of Making Businesses Impossible to Ignore
In 1969, Herb Brady bought a small neon sign company for $500. The purchase came with a 45-foot ladder truck, a handful of customers, and a simple idea: if we can do electrical work, we can repair electric signs.
More than five decades later, Brady Signs is a third-generation family business and a team of commercial sign experts serving Northern Ohio and Southeast Michigan. We design, permit, install, and service signage for local businesses, schools, healthcare organizations, municipalities, and more than 100 Fortune 500 companies, all from a single point of contact. And today, we’re doing it with a bigger team than ever.
National Illumination & Sign Corporation Is Now Brady Signs
National Illumination & Sign Corporation has served Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan since 1985. Like Brady Signs, it’s a multigenerational family business, with a reputation built on installation and service work for regional and national brands.
After three years operating as a division of Brady Signs, National is now fully part of the Brady Signs name. The people, locations, and phone numbers National customers rely on haven’t changed. What’s new is everything behind them: a full design-build team, a service and installation crew that has roughly doubled, and one partner with reach across northern and central Ohio and into Southeast Michigan.
If you came here looking for National, you’re in the right place.
Our Story
1969: Where it started. Herb Brady, founder of Brady Electric, purchases Lake Erie Neon Sign for $500. Within a few months, Brady Signs has a reputation for quality work, and an industry mainstay is born.
1987 — Dick Brady, Herb’s son, takes over management of Brady Signs. Under his leadership, Brady Signs became a larger part of the family portfolio.
1990-2010 — Growth period. Brady Signs expanded its capabilities and built long-standing partnerships and relationships through acquisitions centered in North Central Ohio.
2013 — Ryan Brady, Herb’s grandson, joins Brady Signs. He ushered the company into the modern day by expanding the service area and steadfast dedication to customer experience.
2015: The same call, 40 years later. When a summer storm damages Toft Dairy’s signage, the Sandusky institution calls the company that installed its original signs some four decades earlier. Return customers have always been the norm at Brady Signs.
2023: Two companies, one team. National Illumination & Sign Corporation joins Brady Signs as a division. Crews, projects, and expertise start moving freely between Sandusky and Toledo.
2026: One name. National Illumination & Sign Corporation becomes Brady Signs. Two family businesses, one team, and one mission.
What Drives Us
Everything we do comes back to one purpose: making businesses impossible to ignore.
Our Values
Builders & Problem Solvers. Own it. Solve it. Improve it.
Simplicity. Cut through the noise. Make it easy.
Commitment. To integrity. To each other. Always.
What Sets Us Apart
Communication Focused — You’ll never be left wondering where your project stands. We keep you informed at every stage, from the first conversation to the final walkthrough.
Simplify the Complex — Permits, code compliance, multiple locations, multiple trades. We handle the complicated parts so the project feels simple on your end. Think of us as the easy button for signage.
Compounding Value — We look for the small wins others miss and deliver value at every step of the process, not just on installation day.
Commercial Sign Experts From Start to Finish
Brady Signs manages every stage of a signage project: design, engineering, permitting, fabrication, installation, and ongoing service and maintenance. You work with one partner and one point of contact throughout the entire project.
Our service team brings more than a century of combined expertise to every type of commercial signage, from traditional monument and pylon signs to digital message centers from top-tier manufacturers. We also help property owners cut energy costs with LED retrofits. And because we service signs we didn’t originally install, our relationship with you continues long after the crew packs up.
Get to Know Brady Signs
Meet Our Leadership
Brady Signs is still led by the Brady family, alongside a team with years of experience taking signage projects from concept to completion. Meet the people behind the work.
Meet Our Team
Equalis Group Partnership
Schools, municipalities, libraries, and other public entities can purchase signage from Brady Signs through our Equalis Group cooperative purchasing contract (#COG-2162A). The contract removes the usual RFP hurdles, so public buyers get quality signage without the delays or compliance risk.
Explore the Partnership
The Last Sign Company You’ll Ever Need
Experience, longevity, and customers who keep coming back for decades. If that sounds like the right partner for your next project, we agree. All signs point to yes.
Associations We’re a Part Of
