Watchfire Signs Expands With New Offices at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Research Park

Software Development Team to Seek Collaborative Research Opportunities


DANVILLE, IL and INDIANAPOLIS, IN--(Marketwire - February 20, 2008) - Watchfire Signs by Time-O-Matic, Inc. (http://www.watchfiresigns.com), the most reliable LED sign manufacturer in the on-premise and digital billboard markets, announced that it has opened a new office for its software development group at The Research Park at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC).

The new office will house Watchfire's software development team, which is responsible for developing Watchfire's Ignite™ graphics and controller software used for both Watchfire on-premise signs and digital billboards. The expansion to the University of Illinois will position the software development team closer to an available, skilled talent pool and will enable the software team to utilize University of Illinois interns year round.

As part of an aggressive growth strategy, Watchfire plans to double its software development staff in 2008, according to David Wood, president of Watchfire. "The opening of a software development office at the UIUC Research Park is a natural next step in our growth. It follows a doubling of plant capacity in 2007, the opening of new sales and marketing offices and the expansion of our support staff."

The UIUC Research Park provides an environment where technology-based businesses can work with research faculty and students from the University of Illinois to take advantage of opportunities for collaborative research and easy access to University labs, equipment and services. Located minutes from the central campus, the Research Park is home to 50 companies and employs nearly 1,000 people pursuing high-technology careers.

Carl Roth, Watchfire's lead software engineer, said he is excited about the opportunity to be exposed to the ideas and research generated by the University of Illinois, and is looking forward to an environment that will foster the development of new ideas.

"The expansion of our software development offices complements our tremendous growth. The Research Park is a top-notch facility that will allow our software developers to be among other tech firms and benefit from a creative flow of ideas," said Roth, who will manage the new location.

Other companies located at the Research Park include Archer Daniels Midland Company, State Farm Insurance, RiverGlass and Yahoo!.

About Watchfire Signs

Watchfire Signs engineers and manufactures LED signs to help businesses and organizations increase visibility and drive growth. The company has created more than 12,000 LED signs for banks, retail, schools, places of worship and other locations throughout North America. Watchfire Signs is unique in its loyalty to its sign company customers and is committed to the highest level of education, training and support to make sign companies and their customers successful. Founded in 1932 as Time-O-Matic, Inc., Watchfire Signs is headquartered in Danville, Ill. For more information, go to http://www.watchfiresigns.com.

About Watchfire Digital Outdoor

Watchfire Digital Outdoor engineers and manufactures the best looking and most durable digital billboards available anywhere. It is the digital billboard division of Watchfire by Time-O-Matic, which has been manufacturing outdoor electric signs for more than 75 years, has been manufacturing LED signs for 10 years, and has more than 12,000 outdoor LED signs in daily operation throughout North America. Watchfire Digital Outdoor is located in Danville, Ill. with marketing and sales operations in Indianapolis. For more information, go to http://www.watchfiredigitaloutdoor.com.

Contact Information: For information contact: Mara Conklin 847.816.9411 Linda Muskin 847.432.7300