Ace Sign Co.’s history reaches all the way back to hand-painting carriages in the 1860s and moves forward to its official launch under the Ace Sign Co. name in Springfield in 1940.
The company’s pride in its heritage, and respect for the evolution of the sign industry overall, can be seen in the sign museum featuring more than 85 historic signs located in the company’s headquarters on First Street. But even as Ace Sign highlights its history in the daily tours it offers at the sign museum, the company also is continually looking forward for new ways to put technology to use to innovate and improve.
In fact, CEO Todd Bringuet said history and innovation are two of Ace Sign’s core values. “We’re always embracing our history head on, and we’re always embracing technology head on,” Bringuet said. “Some people see those two things as being at odds, but when you can combine history with technology, some magical things can happen.”
Recently, the company’s use of technology – and specifically artificial intelligence – landed Ace in the national spotlight.
The company was featured in commercials that went live during the 2025 Super Bowl as part of Google’s 50 Stories, 50 States campaign. The commercials highlighted small businesses that use Google Gemini, the AI models developed by Google, and Ace Sign was chosen to represent Illinois in ads shown across the state.
A spokesperson for Google Workspace said the company wanted to showcase stories about real people using Gemini to benefit their small businesses. “It’s inspiring to see how companies like Ace Sign Co. use AI to evolve the way they work, all while delivering high-quality products and great customer satisfaction,” the Google spokesperson said.
The Google campaign isn’t Ace Sign’s first brush with the Super Bowl. The company made 9-foot-tall-LED numbers for the 2014 Super Bowl. The company has also done a variety of other high-profile projects, including lettering for private planes for major league teams and signage for large companies.
“We’re not immune to big companies reaching out, but there was a moment when Google first contacted us where we were like, ‘Is this spam?'” Bringuet said.
Ace Sign’s use of AI in the creative process was one factor that caught Google’s attention. For example, when Ace Sign’s creative team was developing a unique character for a display for a children’s product client, they used AI to help jumpstart the process. Creating new characters can be time-intensive, Bringuet said, but utilizing AI to generate initial concepts brings new efficiencies – and new perspectives – to the process. It doesn’t produce a final product, he said, but it can be one more tool in the toolbox to get creative juices flowing.
“That’s what the brainstorming process is all about – seeing something and being able to move that forward,” Bringuet said. “You think of automation, and you don’t think of high-level creativity as something that will spawn from that, but it’s pretty amazing how that does happen.”
Scott Bringuet, chief experience officer, noted a couple of examples of how technology and creativity go hand in hand at Ace Sign.
“What is perhaps most exciting is the ability for our team to create real-life, tangible products from AI generated concepts, combining the power of AI with skilled labor and craftsmanship,” he said. “We recently produced a full-size wall mural utilizing a combination of AI tools for image creation, allowing for original AI artwork to be printed physically at large scale. And for an exhibit requiring numerous narratives and storyboards, AI was used to generate detailed and thoughtful descriptions of the subject matter.”
Ace Sign certainly is not alone in its use of AI in the workplace. According to a report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 40% of small businesses reported using generative AI in 2024, up from just 23% in 2023, and 91% of the businesses actively using AI said they expect the technology to help them grow their business in the future.
Ace Sign has always been “bullish” on technology, said Todd Bringuet, who along with his brother Scott and cousin Cory Boatman, chief operating officer, represent the fourth generation of their family to lead the firm.
“When you look at companies that are in their fourth generation of ownership, the odds that they are just sitting back, resting on their laurels is kind of scary,” Bringuet said. “That’s our secret sauce, our willingness to adapt. And Google appreciated seeing that in our organization.”
Since moving to its current facility on First Street in 2012, Ace has grown from 24 employees to its current workforce of 70. The company produces everything from small-sticker decals to theater marquees and signage for high-rise towers. Ace has clients across the country, and currently about 50% of its business is from markets outside Illinois.
But Bringuet said the company still takes great pride in the work it does in Springfield, including projects such as its current work creating the signage for the new Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe.
“That project is going to be pretty spectacular,” Bringuet said. “It’s always rewarding to drive around town and see your work – whether it’s a sign at the local school or the scoreboard at the Lucky Horseshoes ballpark. It’s nice to see some of the hard work you put in making a difference.”
This article appears in SBJ August 2025.