Billboard Insider has been expecting this announcement ever since Circle Graphics owner H.I.G. purchased Watchfire Signs. Makes no sense to own two independent competing digital billboard manufacturers. Better to combine the two product lines and facilities under one roof.
DANVILLE, IL – October 21, 2022 – Watchfire Signs, a leading manufacturer of premium digital displays owned by an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital, is pleased to announce that it has completed the purchase of the assets of Anthem Displays, LLC.Headquartered in Elizabethtown, NC, Anthem Displays has been engaged as a digital billboard manufacturer since 2014 and was previously held by Circle Graphics. The company has produced and installed over 350 digital billboards.
Steve Harriott, CEO of Watchfire, said, “We fully intend to support legacy Anthem products and will work with customers to ensure a seamless transition.” Watchfire is known in the digital display industry for best-in-class lead times, product quality, customer service and support.
Key employees will be retained, and the products and services provided by Anthem will be integrated under the Watchfire brand.
“Watchfire is a terrific company with a world-class team, product, and wealth of experience. We are very confident that Watchfire will provide a good home for Anthem customers and that existing units will be well-maintained and serviced. We wish the Watchfire team every success going forward,” said Rod Rackley, founder of Anthem displays who now serves as the President of OOH at Circle Graphics. Circle Graphics purchased a majority stake in Anthem in 2020.
This transaction represents the first add-on acquisition that Watchfire has completed since H.I.G. Capital acquired Watchfire earlier this year.
About Watchfire
Watchfire designs and engineers the best looking, most durable outdoor LED signs, indoor displays, digital billboards, and video scoreboards, which help businesses and organizations communicate effectively, increase visibility and drive growth. Headquartered in Danville, IL, Watchfire has manufactured electric signs for 90 years and LED displays since 1998 using meticulously sourced components from around the world. Watchfire has more than 65,000 LED displays in operation worldwide and has more digital billboard customers in the U.S. than any other brand. For information, please refer to the Company’s website at https://www.watchfiresigns.com.
About H.I.G. Capital
H.I.G. is a leading global private equity and alternative assets investment firm with over $50 billion of equity capital under management.* Based in Miami, and with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogotá, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to small and mid-sized companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused/ value-added approach.
Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 300 companies worldwide. The firm’s current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of $30 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at www.higcapital.com.
About Anthem
Founded in 2014, Anthem Displays covers the full digital display value chain from design and production to commercialization of LED displays. Located in Elizabethtown, North Carolina, the Company provides a range of turnkey products, including supporting parts and services, that enable Anthem to deliver an end-to-end value-added customer experience to OOH advertising companies. For more information, please visit http://www.anthemdisplays.com/.
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