Walt Henry was 35 years old when he founded Henry Neon in 1956. He had a 1954 GMC pickup, a knowledge of sign and lighting repair, and a commitment to treating his customers the way he would want to be treated. He ran Henry Neon as a one-man service business for two years until he could purchase a 45’ hand-crank crane truck. This was a serious piece of equipment in 1958. More reach meant bigger projects, and it allowed him to begin installing signs shipped in from other vendors. It also meant he could hire help. Another two years and Henry Neon moved into its first commercial location, on Candler Road, in Decatur, Georgia. In this new space, Walt set up a neon plant and a basic metal shop. Not only could he now repair neon signs completely in-house, but Henry Neon was now a sign manufacturer. In ‘65 Walt had outgrown Candler Road and moved into a larger space on Glenwood Avenue, and again in 1970 to Melville Avenue. By now, Henry Neon was a full-service sign shop, employing a variety of skilled craftsmen, and running a small fleet of trucks. This growth and expansion, based on outstanding customer service, and continual reinvestment in the company, continued under Walt’s leadership for another ten years.

In 1980 Walt’s son, Ric, took the helm and incorporated the company. Major clients he picked up in his early years included Atlanta’s own Rich’s Department Stores, and the McDonald’s installation account. McDonald’s signs have been manufactured by several companies over the years, but everything within about one hundred miles of our office has been installed by us. In ‘87 Ric built our first ‘shop of our own’ on Park Central Boulevard, in Decatur. It is still our corporate headquarters. Because neon was past its heyday and our capabilities had expanded into manufacture and repair of all types of signs and awnings, Ric changed our name to Henry Sign Systems. The next decade, leading up to our 50^th anniversary, saw us expanding into new and larger markets. Clients and projects included Underground Atlanta, Six Flags Over Georgia, the new International Terminal at Hartsfield Airport, Georgia World Congress Center, numerous projects for the ’96 Summer Olympics, Coca-Cola, and Philips Arena. Under Ric’s leadership, we grew to ten times the size we were when he took the reins, and we became the team to beat if you wanted to compete in the commercial and architectural sign industry in Georgia.

Ric’s son, Grant Henry, had been an integral part of the team since the beginning of his professional career. In 2012 he was appointed COO and took over day to day operations of the company his Grandfather founded.