superGraphics, a division of GM Nameplate

A lot of things were changing in the United States in 1954. And in the Northwest, a cutting-edge company called Boeing was making waves in the aviation industry. Two Seattle natives, Lester Green and Beale McCulloch, devised an ingenious process to manufacture metal foil nameplates to fulfill the growing need for durable identification components for aircraft manufacturing. Within a few years, GM Nameplate was a million dollar company with a dozen employees.

In 1962, Don Root, a recent graduate of the University of Washington, was hired as an account manager by Lester Green. Over the next several years, the company’s sales more than doubled. The growth continued steadily for the next decade and the Seattle manufacturing plant was expanded several times. Don Root, along with several other employees of the company, purchased GM Nameplate from Lester Green and Beale McCulloch in 1977, marking a turning point in the company’s history.

In 1981, GM Nameplate established a 27,000 square-foot manufacturing facility in San Jose, California, its first plant apart from the Seattle headquarters. The late 80s and early 90s brought explosive growth for GM Nameplate and in 1993, an 85,000 square-foot plant was added in Monroe, North Carolina with the acquisition of Acme Nameplate. In 1995, the Oregon Division opened in a new 40,000 square-foot facility in Beaverton, thus broadening the corporation’s capabilities to include injection and compression molding. In 1997, GM Nameplate expanded internationally by opening a manufacturing facility in Singapore. GM Nameplate Asia, Pte, Ltd. moved into a new company owned 45,000 square-foot plant in December 1998.

GM Nameplate’s newest addition, the China division, opened in June of 2005, in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, China. GM Nameplate is also the parent of SuperGraphics, a large and grand format digital printer with company owned facilities in Seattle, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

Now an $80 million world class custom manufacturer, GM Nameplate and its more than 800 employees are proud of the trust and loyalty our customers place in us each day. Our history is evidence of the pioneering spirit that guides the company and inspires us to continue to challenge ourselves to provide our customers with the incredible quality and service that has made GM Nameplate the company it is today.