ABOUT US
Tom shearing tags in Dean Bauman's basement business around 2002. Much of our work is still done by a detailed hand to this day.
What our new location on John McNeil Drive looked like in early 2004 when we bought it. Custom golf clubs were made here, and before that it was an auto detail shop.
Our engraved outdoor sign in 2005 that was hung from an existing frame, in which the top was made from a wood cradle used in the CA4G glider production line during WWII at the then Ford Motor Company factory a couple blocks away from us.
Owner Tom with Marty and Rick Lagina of The Curse of Oak
Island at the Kingsford Centennial celebration car show
August 2023.
An icon of Kingsford for generations, these are the Ford Motor Company power house smokestacks. The nearly 100 year-old brick stacks were demolished in the early 2000's due to severe deterioration which posed a safety hazard.
Our new expanded facility today.
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Doing Business in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for over 60 years!
In 1960, our founder, Orville Bauman, set the foundation for the business by using his New Hermes pantograph engraver part-time to produce quality nametags and signage to local industries and businesses in the U.P. of Michigan and northern Wisconsin. He firmly believed in the ultimate satisfaction of the customer by fulfilling their orders in a personalized, timely, and courteous manner - all at a fair price. His son, Dean Bauman, began working part-time alongside Orville in 1981 by adding his years of industrial management expertise to his dad's engraving business (which was growing fast by word-of-mouth advertising).
In 1991 Dean took over ownership and operation of the business. Due to Bauman Engraving's rapid growth in the late 1990's, Tom Dudek was a welcome addition with his technical and business background to manage our national accounts and online presence, as well as adding additional support staff and equipment to help process customer orders. Fast forward many years, today Tom is the sole owner and President of Bauman Engraving & Signs, Inc. and takes customer and employee satisfaction as well as production capabilities very seriously, as it is the lifeblood of small business. Having worked in corporate, industrial, and retail capacities in his past endeavors with interaction with many "mentors", Tom's background taught him that the "why" you are in business is the most important aspect of all. And if the entire team knows about the "why", it translates into a productive and profitable workplace. Investing in people and infrastructure helps facilitate growth and makes our business healthy and able to continue to service our customers years later when they need experience and competency in completing their projects. We've been doing this for over 25 years, and we have learned a thing or two.
In 2016 a major two-story addition to our facility was completed, expanding our production area that we desperately needed in addition to a training and conference room and additional offices and storage space. We currently have six full-time employees, and two part-time, each with an eye for detail and great work ethic. It is truly an honor to work with such a great combination of people that exceed our customer's expectations.
Interesting aspects of our area include having the Ford Motor Company operate a very large (even by today's standards) assembly plant here from the early 1920's until the early 50's, and Kingsford Charcoal originated here (a byproduct of the wood used in Ford's production of "woodie" vehicles and WWII CA4G gliders). The stars of the History Channel television show The Curse of Oak Island, brothers Rick and Marty Lagina, grew up here (while not on location in Nova Scotia in the warmer months, Rick still lives here in the winter months, while Marty now resides in Traverse City running a winery and also owns a company specializing in wind energy). In addition, former NFL football coach Steve Mariucci and Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo are also from the area.
What makes our business move forward:
Bauman Engraving uses the latest computerized engraving and printing equipment that help us achieve the quality and efficiency our customers expect. We currently utilize eight rotary engraving machines (6 Gravograph/New Hermes and 2 Vision), a Trotec C02/Fiber laser, another Trotec CO2 laser, and Epilog CO2 laser engraver/cutter (with camera registration point systems for accurate cutting), 3 Mimaki UV LED flatbed printers, 2 Roland VersaCAMM wide-format digital printer/cutters, large lamination and vinyl processing capabilities, custom color and print capabilities, and the latest in graphic design and engraving software. We have earned a reputation for being experts in our field, and have always had very competitive pricing, as well as quick delivery times and great customer service.
Speaking of service, we listen to our customers and always strive to do the job right the first time, every time. Through our customers' needs we have added services that compliment what we already do - becoming a truly "one stop shop". That is why our customers keep coming back to us!
Bauman Engraving values every customer (and potential customer) as if you were our first. If there is anything different you may want us to provide, or if you have any comments or suggestions regarding our website or how we can better assist you, please do not hesitate to contact us. We thank you for taking the time to visit our website, and we look forward to forming and maintaining a great business partnership in the years ahead.
If Orville could see us now… he would be more than proud. That pride carries through in everything we do here - every day.