Avery Brothers Sign Company was founded by Milt and Noel Avery in the basement of their parents home at 913 23rd Street in Sioux City, Iowa. At the start of The Great Depression, they sought more opportunity in a bigger town, so they went to New York City, where Noel and his wife Marles worked in a hotel while Milt worked in a sign shop (for no wages) to learn the craft.
In 1935, the brothers, with Marles as their bookkeeper, moved back to Sioux City and opened their first sign shop at 1222 4th Street. Within two years, the business had grown into a building at 419 Pearl Street. Their young brother Chuck joined the company in 1948, expanding the business to include billboards. Avery Brothers grew substantially during Chuck’s tenure, even though it was a time marked by the challenges of regulation and a new environmentalism. It was during this time that the company took on a decidedly more urban profile.
Chuck’s sons, Steve, Noel and Milt, came in to the business in 1972, 1979 and 1983 respectively. “We always liked each other even when we were kids, so it seemed pretty natural to work together in the family business,” Steve said.
Today, Milt oversees the outdoor business which moved to 2420 Correctionville Road in 2003, while Noel and Steve operate the commercial sign business at 416 Water Street. In September of 2003, Steve’s son Ryan Avery joined the company at the age of 26, becoming the fourth generation of his family to work for the business his great-uncles founded when they were 26 years old.
