Flipping the Switch to a New Chapter | Lumineo Signs
The company formerly known as Luminous Neon Art & Sign Systems was founded in 1928, but their business philosophy is anything but old.
Now called Lumineo Signs — the “neo” in Lumineo refers to both neon and the Greek word for “new” — they hope the rebrand signals a fresh chapter for the 96-year-old sign company.
SIGNS OF CHANGE
After 53 years of ownership under Mert Sellers and family, the company switched hands in October 2023 to Mike King, a former executive in the construction industry. He said he’s ready to bring value to the company that puts other businesses’ names in lights and is excited about what the future holds.
Mike is no stranger to Topeka. He served as the Secretary of Transportation for the state of Kansas from 2012 to 2016 and was the director of the Kansas Turnpike from 2013 to 2016. In November 2024, he was elected to represent District 74 in the Kansas State House of Representatives and will begin his term in January 2025.
After Mike left general contracting to acquire Luminous Neon, he sought to apply his experience in a meaningful way. When shopping around for companies looking for a new owner, he was clear about what he was looking for: a best-in-class legacy company with statewide and regional reach.
“I didn’t want a broken company,” said Mike, who liked that Luminous Neon had already forged strong collaborative relationships with their customer base. “There was nothing broken here. Only high quality and high standards.”
With Joe Ontjes, the president and CEO of Lumineo Signs leading beside him, the company is embracing a fresh mindset and prioritizing growth.
Joe has been with the company since he took over as president in 2015. He previously served as vice president of marketing for Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology. He sees Lumineo’s long-term customer relationships as one of the key reasons for the company’s longevity.
“Those customer relationships we prize so much are still there,” Joe said. “Even though we’ve had a change of ownership and name, it’s the same team working with our customers.”
After just over a year in charge, Mike is most proud of how the customer base has remained active and engaged through the leadership change. He credits the achievement to knowing what to keep, what to change and when to do it.
BRIGHT IDEAS
Lumineo Signs offers a full suite of lighting services — from planning and design to fabrication, installation, servicing and maintenance. Their design offerings are vast, but include illuminated monument signs, pylons, electronic message centers, billboard advertising and vinyl graphics.
In the time since Mike bought the company, he and Joe have focused on strengthening the company’s collaborative design services. Their designers partner with clients’ internal marketing teams, as well as architects and contractors, to produce a successful end result.
“It’s about determining what would be most impactful and most strategic, with the best chance to meet the customer’s unique requirements,” Joe said. “Which ideas can we collaboratively pursue to make the absolute biggest splash?”
Lumineo’s staff includes four graphic designers, three project managers and 11 account managers. Customers are assigned to a dedicated specialist who manages their project from beginning to end, overseeing specification, design, local permitting, fabrication and installation.
The team embraces custom orders and said they’re committed to delivering exactly what their customers want.
“We have the experience and the expertise to match exactly what someone wants,” Mike said. “We do not try to ask our customers to fit in our shoebox. We want to fit in theirs.”
Mike and Joe know the company’s success is rooted in their relationships, 2such as the ones built and maintained by Virginia Baumgartner, a senior account manager in Topeka.
“Everyone deserves to be taken care of well,” Virginia said. “Their images need to look the best all of the time.”
Perhaps their most recognizable project is the electronic message center they created for Capitol Federal’s downtown location on Kansas Avenue. They’ve handled projects for several Capitol Federal locations throughout the region.
Other well-known Lumineo projects include work done for Berry Tractor, CoreFirst Bank & Trust, Hazel Hill Chocolate, Pathway Family Services, Rebound Physical Therapy, Saylor Insurance, Stormont Vail Events Center and Yaeger Stadium at Washburn University.
ILLUMINATING CULTURE
Mike preserved much of Luminous Neon’s company culture. Upon seeing they had a strong team in place, he knew there was no need for an overhaul.
“I would caution any new owner against changing a culture overnight,” Mike said. “Instead, I tried to fit the culture that, in my case, had already been thriving.”
One thing Mike and Joe did implement was an enhanced training plan.
“We’re reinvesting in our employees, so they may continue to be the best in the business,” Joe said. “With 100,000 projects completed in 96 years, we have a lot of repeat business from customers who see us not just as a transactional provider, but really as a partner. Best-in-class employees create results that stand apart.”
FLIPPING THE SWITCH
When it came to changing the company name, Mike waited a year to flip the switch on their rebrand.
“I don’t think new owners should wait too long to put their fingerprint on a business,” Mike said. “A year felt like it was the right amount of time for us.”
Of course, the rebrand faced its share of administrative hurdles, made even more complex because of the different rules governing each community and state where Lumineo does business.
Joe said the bulk of the paperwork related to the ownership and name change took between 90 and 120 days.
“The administrative changeover should not be underestimated,” Joe said. “There are all kinds of boxes to check and they require a team effort and a lot of perseverance.”
“I’d advise sitting down with your team and thinking about every potential place a new name and new ID number is required,” Mike said. “There will be hundreds of places.”
To announce the change, the company used social media, as well as mailings to customers and vendors. Lumineo also used events like the Topeka holiday parade to show off their new brand with trucks donning holiday lights.
“You can’t reach everyone in one way,” Joe said. “Success requires a combination of integrated marketing strategies to get the word out.”
