Tom Young was only 15 years old when he sailed from his home in Liverpool, England to North America where he started his company, The Thomas Young Sign Company, only a few years later with a borrowed $300 on March 20, 1920. Soon after, the company was renamed the Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO)  as the company grew and gained traction nationally.

Over the last almost 100 years, the Young family has grown YESCO to be an internationally recognized company for their innovation and creativity in both sign creation and repair. At a recent Alumni Family Roundtable event hosted the Eccles School, they explained the importance of relevance in their business and how it has helped them achieve such success.

The company always comes first.

The Young family puts high priority on family, meeting every week for breakfast together and striving for strong communication and relationships, but they don’t let family ties affect their business. They put emphasis on hiring the right person for the role with the right education and experience, and members of the Young family are encouraged to pursue those goals.

Don’t be the “king of neon.” 

The Young family shared a story about some of the companies to first delve into neon signs when they were developed, and many of those companies put all of their money and energy into creating neon believing they were the way of the future. These “kings of neon” didn’t last long, as changes to the industry and new technology came around. YESCO has credited a large part of their success to being adaptable and striving to not become a “king of neon.” Being adaptable is the key to staying relevant.

Seize opportunities as they arise. 

With rapidly developing technology presenting opportunities for new types of signs, YESCO has had the chance to innovate some of the mot iconic signs around the nation. Along with opportunities to innovate these large, well-known pieces, YESCO also found opportunity to stay relevant to their customers in providing franchise stores, online ordering options, and repair services to better serve a wider variety of customers for all of their potential sign needs, expanding the YESCO empire.

The Young family continues to grow the family business through practicing relevance, evolving to continue the growth and success of YESCO.