BRINER SIGNS CELEBRATES 80TH ANNIVERSARY
Briner Signs, a prolific player in Victoria’s real estate and commercial marketing scene, this year celebrates a monumental milestone, chalking up 80 years of operating.
The business was founded in 1945 by sign writer, Les Briner, and still carries his name, servicing the Victorian marketing scene with outdoor, point of sale, real estate and commercial advertising solutions.
It’s been behind some of the most recognisable brands in the state including Crown Casino, Mercedes Benz, and, albeit briefly, a bold project for Niki Lauda’s airline, stringing up a banner on the Rialto building to literally fly in the face of the then Melbourne Grand Prix sponsor Qantas.
“Niki Lauda came to us and said I want to put a big sign on Rialto,” said the current managing director of Briner Signs, Cons Tsakonas.
“We said we won't be able to do it, and he said ‘no problem, I know the owner.’ So he got permission to put a Lauda Air sign wrapped around Rialto, I think we wrapped it on a Monday, and the Grand Prix started Thursday.
“Qantas obviously wasn’t happy, but Lauda got his sign up there for a couple of weeks.”
The cheeky job for an F1 legend is one of a number of anecdotes Tsakonas can share following his 30 years at the business, beginning as a contractor before eventually becoming managing director.
He said, “It’s come a long way in quite a short amount of time, the technology we have now in regards to production and installation is a far cry from when I joined.
“The evolution of the business was quite steady, but in the last two to three years, we’ve taken some great strides.”
Briner began with its sole proprietor until the business was purchased in the 1940s by Joe Lombard in partnership with Brian Stegley, following their return from military service.
With Lombard managing the day-to-day operations of Briner, Stegley served as director, at the same time he was developing noted manufacturing business, Stegbar.
Under Stegley, Briner operated under The Stegbar group of companies, which was floated as a public company at the time. With the financial support, Briner carved out the major share of the real estate sign industry.
“We do specialise in the real estate industry, and have for a long time, but essentially the business can be split into two, real estate, and commercial, where we’ll supply business and commercial signs which advertise, identify and promote businesses and products,” added Tsakonas.
“Briner stepped into the real estate side of things under Brian McNamara, it became the bread and butter of the business.
“Brian brought myself in and, over time, the business has evolved in line with technology developments, and that has given us the capacity to deliver on commercial production, as well as continuing to see where we can improve our real estate side. A lot of our commercial work compliments our real estate clients, so it’s quite cohesive between the two.”
Under Tsakonas’ leadership, Briner Signs has become a pioneer in the industry, implementing custom robotics to assist in production, printing hardware, and intuitive online platforms to assist in every step of the customer journey, from enquiry to installations by Briner’s fleet of drivers.
“We’re at the forefront of technology in computer-based design and production, and that’s made us unique for our real estate clients,” said Tsakonas.
Briner maintains and improve its reputation courtesy of its constant innovation in marketing and production, while not neglecting the importance of nurturing traditional craft skills involved in sign writing.
Tsakonas said, “The combining of these two aspects has led to our ongoing success. What we do best however, boils down to the people who work with us.
“We look forward to bringing the 80 years of experience behind us to the forefront with the added benefit of innovative technology.”