E V E RYDAY H E R O
Signs of
Quality
Getting people where they need to
go, safely and efficiently: That’s Kelso
Brennan’s mission with Hi Signs – The
Fath Group Ltd.
By Lisa Gordon
It’s not until you’re lost that you
truly appreciate a good sign.
While we encounter hundreds of
signs every day, we seldom stop to think
about the important role they play in
helping us navigate safely through the
world. But whether you’re trying to
find a hospital emergency department,
a university classroom or even just the
food court at the mall, signage helps
you find your way.
At Hi Signs – The Fath Group Ltd.,
that’s a mission the staff takes seriously.
Founded in 1974 and acquired by The
Fath Group in 2005, Edmonton-based
Hi Signs specializes in manufacturing
a full range of signage, from regulatory
and compliance-based signs to safety
placards for the oil and gas industry.
At the time of writing, the company
was wrapping up a massive project for
Amazon, a 66 by 16-foot logo mounted
on one of the company’s buildings.
According to general manager Kelso
Brennan, it’s the largest such job Hi
Signs has ever completed.
Brennan joined the company in
2017, when the e-commerce plat-form
he had developed, 310-SIGN,
was acquired by Tom Fath. A software
developer by trade, Brennan was deeply
affected by the 2004 workplace death
of his cousin, who was killed at a gravel
pit due to a lack of proper training and
adequate signage.
“I thought of ways I would be able to
help out,” he said. “I set out to learn the
standards of signage to make sure we
were doing things rights. My next chal-lenge
was how to make that informa-tion
accessible, so people could get the
right signs and get them done quickly.”
When he moved into his role at Hi
Signs, Brennan didn’t have any experi-ence
with construction or project man-agement.
But he saw an opportunity to
join an organization with an excellent
reputation in its field.
Today, Hi Signs completes 80 per cent
of the City of Edmonton’s capital sig-nage
projects, including parks and trails,
recreational facilities and downtown
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