Jan Ennis, President and CEO of Ennco Display Group, founded the company in 1983.

With the use of laser technology, Ennco Display Group has perfected the utilization and integration of acrylics and unique materials into the design and manufacturing of store fixtures.

When given a challenge, Seattle-based Ennco Display Group President and CEO, Jan Ennis, steps up and delivers. Looking at optical store displays, he saw a need for a better way to display eyewear. Not only did he design a solution, but he developed a proprietary software program that allows his team to design and manufacture the products all in one building.  

Ennis landed in the optical industry after graduating from college in 1975. While working as a laboratory manager and factory rep for major optical companies, he observed a lack of attractive displays for eyewear. He launched his company in 1983 and has created store designs and concepts that typically increase clients’ average selling prices by 20 percent, he tells us. 

“We developed an acrylic display that didn’t yellow and provided all the support at the bridge of the glasses, like an upside-down nosepiece allowing the frame to sit perfectly without collecting a lot of dust; it altered the way things were done,” he says.

With Ennco’s designs, an acrylic rod could be applied to drywall and the eyewear could be illuminated. After interacting with doctors and retailers, Ennis saw a need for more than a wall display. They wanted floor-mounted displays that rotated, but those proved to be more difficult to create because the manufacturers of the base parts were not producing a steady, high-quality product. 

Custom Tech = Lean Shop Operations

That’s when Ennis started making the products himself in his garage. He began with plastics and then added wood manufacturing. That led to his desire for better automation and began his hunt for proprietary software and machinery. He wanted to create a more accurate product, consistently, and at a faster rate. 

“All of our upgrades were built for that purpose,” he says. “We have not only proprietary software, but also several custom-made machines that we use for these processes.”

These efforts required a major capital investment. Initially, there were some setbacks. First, there was some trial and error with a non-refundable software, which ultimately couldn’t deliver what Ennis needed. Additionally, there were a few failed attempts at creating automation machinery to produce the desired uniform results. 

Eventually, Ennis approached a colleague who writes software and, together, they developed Ennco’s program to integrate patterns software with a camming software. The process took them three months and resulted in a software program that could markedly speed up the design process.

Next, Ennis traveled to Kentucky to meet with a custom machinery builder. There, he acquired a machine that incorporates drills, routers and saws all in the same device. When he combined the software and the machinery, he was immediately able to create three customized cabinets more quickly and more accurately than ever before.

The custom-created software and machinery allows Ennco to run as a very lean shop because the processes of drilling, cutting and edging are all basically completed in one operation. These elements also helped to perfect the company’s design capabilities, which has paid off with national contracts for major optical chains.

“We understand the dimensions needed for displaying contact lenses and glasses. There is a science to blending retail, commercial and professional spaces and not make them look more like one than another. We can get the floorplans dialed down and work within them to pick flooring, lighting, ceiling, paint, finishes, etc. Then, we pass along our design to the general contractor to get bids,” Ennis says. 

Long-term Vision

The investments that Ennco made in machinery and software 17 years ago certainly paid off, especially when the company dealt with the recession that followed the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and then the Great Recession of 2008, Ennis says. 

“Everything fell apart and we had to cut staff, but we had just put in two new pieces of automated equipment,” he says. “We had a big amount to pay on those notes, but we had [made those investments] to improve our production capacity so we could grow. We were fortunate that we had scored a contract for major area retailers for optical displays, as well as for jewelry displays. Because of the machinery, we were able to deliver on those contracts with fewer employees.”

Beyond the optical industry, Ennco has also delivered merchandising and image concepts to dental, cosmetic surgery, veterinary and professional offices. Within five years, Ennis plans to be working on even more commercial projects beyond the markets he’s currently vested in. 

“We would like to diversify and capitalize on our abilities, to manage budget expectations prior to the bid process and to tighten coordination with general contractors and clients,” Ennis says. “We have some abilities that give us an advantage that we’d like to pass on to our general contractor partners. For one, we can manage budget expectations ahead of bidding. Added to that is our ability to quickly respond to typical small tenant improvement projects because of our plant automation systems.” 

Eye on the Prize

Ennis would like to partner with more general contractors and increase opportunities to blend his company’s retail expertise with basic commercial work and tenant improvements. For instance, if a contractor is finishing out an office, but needs a particular-sized table or desk, Ennco can step in and custom-create the furniture from design to production.

“Where we create the most value with our existing general contractor partners is stepping in to help with a project in crisis,” Ennis says. “If you need a project done in six weeks, tell us your budget and we’ll make it work. We have an architect on staff, so we can work with clients from start to completion.”

The team can manage multiple manufacturing disciplines of design, along with injection molding and fabrication processes involving various materials, such as wood, metal and plastic, he adds.

“There’s a big difference between us and firms that only build store fixtures and display cases. They’re only doing institutional cabinets and basic tenant improvement work—unless they’re partnering with a big shop that does custom work,” Ennis says. “Because we do casework and store fixtures, we deal a lot with specialized hardware, lighting signs, and more. We’re in a different genre; the guys we know who do store fixtures locally call us for specialized cabinets and the like.”

Ennis gives an example of his work with his accountant, who had hired an architect to design a space for an office relocation. However, the new design wasn’t ADA compliant or even a functional space. “We came in, looked at the space, did some measurements and created a custom-designed desk that exactly met his needs,” he says.

“That’s what we hope to deliver for more general contractors and their clients—a consistently high-quality product that meets their needs within budget and on time,” Ennis says. And, we know he’s always up for a challenge.