[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 73 (Wednesday, May 22, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E725]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN RECOGNITION OF POYANT SIGNS

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                        HON. WILLIAM R. KEATING

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 22, 2013

  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Poyant Signs of 
New Bedford, Massachusetts, as the company celebrates seventy-five 
years of business this month.
   Founder Maurice J. Poyant first began his signmaking company in 
1938, originally operating under the name Artcraft Sign Company. His 
small business would see great expansion and many changes over the 
course of the following decades, such as moving into its well-known 
Acushnet Avenue storefront, the purchase of its first 45-foot crane, 
and incorporation of the business under the new name Poyant Signs in 
the 1950s. Several members of the Poyant family would go on to lead the 
company over the years following Maurice's retirement, including 
Maurice's son Leonard Poyant and grandson Richard Poyant. As sales 
continued to increase, Poyant Signs maintained its growth and success, 
and over the years the company was even able to acquire several 
competing signage companies. Although it has since outgrown its 
Acushnet Avenue location, Poyant Signs still calls New Bedford home, 
and is headquartered today in a modern 45,000 square foot facility 
located in New Bedford Business Park.
   The success of Poyant Signs has continued into the twenty-first 
century, and today the company stands as the largest sign manufacturer 
in New England. It serves both well-known local businesses and clients 
that operate on a national level, and the company has been the 
recipient of numerous awards within the industry. In 2009, Poyant Signs 
was honored as a finalist in the Massachusetts Family Business of the 
Year Awards, as well as by the New Hampshire Sign Association Awards 
for the company's excellence in signmaking.
   Since its founding in 1938, Poyant Signs has played a central role 
in the development of New Bedford's local economy. The company is 
emblematic of the type of business that makes New Bedford the great 
city that it is today, and it is certainly fitting to celebrate this 
company's many years of success.
   Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize Poyant Signs upon the company's 
seventy-fifth anniversary. I ask that my colleagues join me in this 
recognition and in congratulating Poyant Signs for its many decades of 
prosperity.

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