One Identity Built on Multiple Brand Implementation Legacies
What do you get when you combine multiple brand implementation companies, each of which has an established history and legacy of excellence and an unparalleled track record of supporting major nationwide brands? You get something truly special — you get Stratus.
When MC Group of Mentor, Ohio acquired ICON Identity Solutions of Rolling Meadows, Illinois in 2019, it was clear that something amazing was taking shape. Both organizations had built highly recognizable brands and reputations over the past several decades in our shared and respective fields of expertise. But together, we knew we were taking brand implementation further and higher than ever before.
That’s why we chose the name Stratus.
In 2021, less than a year after forming Stratus, we made the decision to continue our growth momentum with the acquisition of MLE, Inc. — a major brand implementation company. Learn more about the companies that have come together to form the leader in brand implementation.
MC Group
MC Group of Mentor, Ohio — formerly MC Sign, a signage company with a legacy reaching back to 1953 — was acquired by current Stratus CEO Tim Eippert in 1994. Focusing on signage, energy, and facilities maintenance solutions, MC Group began building a national partner network while simultaneously making strategic acquisitions and rapidly expanding its client base and capabilities.
ICON Identity Solutions
Founded in 1931, ICON Identity Solutions of Rolling Meadows, Illinois specialized in signage, in-house signage manufacturing, refresh and remodel services, and signage and facilities maintenance for multiple nationwide clients. As a leading competitor of MC Group, it made sense that ICON and MC Group join forces — combining their leadership teams, missions, and capabilities for clients’ success.
MLE, Inc.
Established in 2002 in Elmhurst, Illinois, MLE, Inc. was a leader in a variety of brand implementation services ranging from interior and exterior signage, renovation programs, print and production services, warehousing and logistics, and brand installation. In 2021, MLE, Inc. was acquired by Stratus, joining its value-added services to our own. Learn more about MLE and its legacy.
Comet Signs
Founded in 1958, Comet Signs has built a lasting legacy for high quality signage solutions and customer service. After years of strategic growth that expanded its capabilities and reach, Comet Signs joined the Stratus family to continue offering industry-leading brand implementation solutions to its customers in Texas and beyond.
What Our Growth Means for Brands
Together, MC Group, ICON, and MLE now consist of 830 employees across eight offices and three manufacturing plants — all partnering with some of the largest brands across multiple industries, including financial services, retail, restaurant, grocery, hospitality, government, and more. Not only did these mergers join and expand our companies, but they also brought our people, our capabilities, and our extensive networks together.
With a full portfolio of interior and exterior signage capabilities, energy management solutions, refresh & remodel services, and facilities maintenance programs — as well as brand logistics, warehousing, and installation — now available to our clients through a single partner, we have become everything companies would need to uphold a strong brand presence 24/7/365 and at every location — whether it’s a few dozen or a few hundred (or more) — throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Our teams joined forces — working together to help brands maintain critical brand touchpoints, reduce their energy utilization and costs, revitalize their facilities’ interiors and exteriors to strengthen customer experiences, and maintain these essential brand elements at all times. And to make it all happen, we combined the proven field partner networks of MC Group and ICON into one of the largest networks in the country, enabling us to execute reliable brand implementation programs anywhere, at any time, and for numerous industries.