“We’ve developed expertise in design yet maintained our reputation as a quality manufacturer,” President Rich Carrigan says.

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As United Displaycraft celebrates its 55th anniversary, the Des Plaines, Ill., company is taking a look back at its history and making big plans for the future. President Rich Carrigan’s grandfather, Dick Carrigan, founded the company as United Wire Craft with a focus on wire components.

In the late ’60s, the company shifted its focus to advertising displays, working primarily with outside design houses. When Carrigan’s father, Sandy Carrigan, took over the company in the mid-’80s, he decided to expand their services into the design and engineering of displays and not merely manufacture them. The name was changed to United Displaycraft in 1986.

This meant taking some risks. “It was scary because it meant we were starting to compete with our customer base, and a number of customers saw it that way,” Carrigan says.

“Yet, it was the right move. It allowed us to work directly with brands and retailers, and many of them we have retained as customers 20 years later.

Flexible Expert
Today, United Displaycraft operates facilities in Illinois and Ontario, with additional sales staff in Dallas and Pennsylvania, and a sourcing office in Shanghai.  

The company’s clients include big-name brands such as Kraft, Hasbro, Quaker, Frito-Lay, Hershey, American Greetings, Miller Brewing Co., Armstrong flooring, Shell and Bridgestone-Firestone. Its Canadian customers include Staples Canada, Sobey’s and Costco. The company primarily manufacturers its own designs and currently does very little work with outside design houses.

“We have this dual personality of [being both a] designer with sales experience in the marketing world and an in-house domestic metal manufacturer,” Carrigan says.

True Family
United Displaycraft employs a staff of 230. The company also has several families with multiple members on its staff.

“There are 26 different families with at least two people working here,” Carrigan says. “The largest family has 15 members working together. Another has eight. We don’t discourage family members from working together. In fact, our best new hires have been relatives or friends of current employees.”

He says the company maintains an approachable culture by being open to employee suggestions and offering a performance bonus pool, similar to a profit-sharing plan.

Looking Ahead
Carrigan says his role as a leader is to help United Displaycraft move forward and take the company into a new direction. To this end, he has established three main initiatives:

1. Make a big push into the front-end checkout business – “You see these in grocery stores and mass merchandisers like Wal-Mart and Target – it’s the gum/candy/mint/magazine shelves near the checkouts,” Carrigan says. “There are two competitors in marketplace already, but one is struggling. We feel that we will be a solid third option for many retailers. “

2. Enhance sustainability initiatives –  The company has been reusing energy and materials for about 10 years and is now expanding its green commitment and marketing those efforts.

3. Execute a multiyear capital expenditure plan – “This should keep us busy for the next 18 months,” he says. It includes lean manufacturing concepts, new equipment and automation.

The company reported sales of $36 million in 2007 and expects to reach $40 million for the first time in its history this year.

Carrigan credits this success, in part, to the shift in advertising dollars from television to in-store displays. “Everyone is using Tivo or DVRs these days,” he says. “Most people aren’t watching TV ads anymore, so the money previously spent on mass media is flowing in-store or to the Internet.

“Also, retailers are growing in power,” he adds. “There are fewer commercials for Tide or Oreos and more for Target or Wal-Mart. They’re trying to get you into the store, and then the brands can focus on their in-store messaging at the point of purchase. It helps all of us in the display, signage and fixture business.”