(Mark operates Northwest Sign Recycling’s hydrostripping equipment | Photo courtesy of Northwest Sign Recycling)
A traffic sign can travel a long way before it reaches Northwest Sign Recycling’s shop in Prineville.
Some come from transportation agencies closer to home. Others travel thousands of miles to Central Oregon, where a specialized process removes old reflective material and prepares the aluminum underneath for another life.
That growing reach is part of the vision Greg Surgener has for Northwest Sign Recycling, a Prineville company that has specialized in recycling aluminum traffic signs since 2005.
When Surgener acquired the company in November 2025, all of the existing employees stayed on through the ownership change, bringing continuity and years of experience to the next chapter of the business. Since the transition, Northwest Sign Recycling has already grown its staff by 66% and increased revenue by 43%. With that momentum continuing, the company is looking to add employees in Prineville as it pursues new customers around the country.
“We have great customers, new customers coming on board and a lot of room to grow,” Surgener said. “We’re looking forward to building on what Northwest Sign Recycling has already accomplished.”
A Specialized Process in Prineville
Inside the Prineville facility, the work is anything but ordinary.
Northwest Sign Recycling uses a programmable, PLC-controlled system that directs water at approximately 45,000 PSI across the face of an aluminum traffic sign. The process removes reflective sheeting, laminates and adhesives without chemicals while preserving the protective coating on the aluminum underneath.
The resulting aluminum blank can be refurbished and returned to the customer for continued use.
For agencies and contractors that already have aluminum sign material in inventory, the process can provide an alternative to purchasing new material when existing blanks can be put back to work.
“We want to help our customers get the most value possible from the materials they already own,” Surgener said. “If we can help an agency put existing aluminum back to work instead of having to purchase new blanks, that can make a real difference in their budget.”
From Central Oregon to the East Coast
A recent project for the Maine Department of Transportation demonstrated the reach of the Prineville operation. Aluminum sign material traveled thousands of miles from the East Coast to Central Oregon for processing before being returned to the customer.
The project reflects a larger opportunity Surgener sees as transportation agencies, public works departments and contractors look for ways to control material costs, reduce waste and extend the useful life of existing aluminum.
Northwest Sign Recycling plans to deepen relationships with current customers while pursuing new opportunities with state departments of transportation, cities, counties and private sign contractors nationwide.
For a company that has called Central Oregon home for more than two decades, the next chapter is about growing beyond the region while continuing to invest in the people and community that helped build the business.
And that means more than sending signs back into service. It means growing a Prineville business and creating more local jobs along the way.
