Operations Assistant

The Operations Assistant at La Crosse Sign Group plays a key role in supporting daily operational efficiency across our facilities, yard, and production departments. This position is responsible for maintaining the cleanliness, organization, and functionality of our buildings and grounds, including proactive upkeep of the shop, truck garage, exterior spaces, and yard areas.

In addition to facility care, the Operations Assistant assists with material handling, loading and receiving, and supports fabrication, paint preparation, assembly, and other production activities as needed. This role also manages the sorting, salvaging, and disposal of old signage and components, helping ensure our yard remains safe, orderly, and optimized for workflow.

What You’ll Do:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. This list of essential functions is not exhaustive and may be supplemented as necessary.

• Building and Grounds:
• Empty garbage containers throughout the facility including the fabrication and truck shops.
• Maintain lawn and exterior landscaping by trimming, edging, and weeding.
• Keep walkways, driveways and outdoor areas clean and free of debris.
• Perform minor repairs including replacing light bulbs, painting, and basic maintenance tasks.
• Sweep the fabrication and truck shops, dust working surfaces, and clean ledges, stairs and railings.

• Yard and Material Management
• Maintain the overall condition, organization, and cleanliness of the yard area.
• Sort incoming and outgoing sign materials, identifying components that can be salvaged or reused versus those that must be disposed of.
• Safely scrap out old or decommissioned signs, ensuring proper separation of metals, electrical components, plastics, and other recyclable or waste materials.
• Organize and store usable sign components, hardware, posts, brackets, and other materials for future production or service needs.
• Coordinate with Fabrication, Service, and Project Management teams to ensure yard materials are properly labeled, staged, and documented.
• Maintain clear pathways and safe outdoor storage practices to support efficient shop and service operations.

• Operations Support:
• Assist in fabrication activities such as cutting, grinding, drilling, sanding, and basic assembly tasks under the direction of production staff.
• Support paint preparation processes including cleaning components, sanding, masking, and organizing parts for finishing.
• Participate in assembly operations, helping fit, fasten, and prepare sign components for final production.
• Provide assistance on the loading and unloading of signage, equipment, and job materials, ensuring proper staging for upcoming installations or service calls.
• Aid in receiving operations by checking in deliveries, organizing inventory, and transporting materials to appropriate departments.
• Support installation and service crews as needed, including on-site tasks such as material staging, cleanup, equipment handling, and basic labor functions.
• Maintain readiness to jump into high-priority operational tasks across departments to keep workflow moving efficiently and safely.

• Safety 
• Adhere to all safety protocols and procedures to ensure a safe working environment.
• Report any safety hazards or maintenance needs to the Operations Manager.

What You Need:

• Experience and a willingness to perform routine maintenance tasks such as lawn maintenance and groundskeeping
• Ability to safely use hand tools, power tools, and material-handling equipment (training provided).
• Comfort working in outdoor conditions year-round.
• Ability to learn basic fabrication and assembly processes.
• Strong sense of organization and pride in maintaining clean, functional work areas.
• Ability to perform physical tasks, including lifting heavy objects
• Good communication and teamwork skills
• Strong attention to detail and proactive approach to problem solving
• Willingness to learn
• Valid driver’s license

Who We Are:

For over 100 years, La Crosse Sign Group has worked diligently to develop an organization dedicated to the service of our clients. From our humble beginnings in 1917, we have adapted to an ever-expanding and diverse industry. Our evolution into what we are today happened because of company leaders, hiring the best people in the industry, and empowering them to act decisively. We now have three locations in Wisconsin: La Crosse, Madison, and Eau Claire. Through everything we do, we will continue to reach higher and not only meet, but also exceed the expectations of our clients with our proven process of consultation, creation, and conclusion.

Our mission is to help companies make an extraordinary first impression. We all know how important a first impression can be, it can make or break someone's decision to be your friend, buy your product, or to even enter your business in the first place. At La Crosse Sign Group our purpose is to help businesses make a statement that will "wow" customers and leave a lasting positive impact. This purpose, paired with our expertise in custom fabrication and design, fuel our cause of helping our communities and local businesses succeed.

La Crosse Sign operates under EOS, the Entrepreneurial Operating System, where we value input and ideas from all employees and live by the following Core Values:

• Leading with a commitment to excellence
• Supportive of one another win or lose
• Grateful every day
• Mindful of our actions
• Adaptable to change
• Always putting safety first

Working Conditions:

Operates in a demanding, fast-paced, people-oriented production environment with routine exposure to dirt, noise, temperature variance, chemicals, and solvents. Works indoors and outdoors in various weather conditions. Works with a variety of people including vendors, customers, employees, and leadership.

Required Work Schedule:

Work hours are variable Monday-Friday.  This role can be permanent or temporary during the summer.  There may be small variations in work hours due to special projects.

Physical Requirements:

Will alternate walking, sitting, and standing throughout work shift. Ability to operate in a variety of positions including, but not limited to kneeling, crouching, bending, twisting, turning, and climbing. Must be able to climb and stand on a ladder for periods of time. Ability to lift and carry 50 pounds at times during the shift.