A Dordt alumnus and his daughter (a current Dordt student) built and installed the DU sign in The Atrium, turning a construction project into a story of connection and craftsmanship.
Walk through The Atrium, and you won’t miss the giant illuminated “DU” logo, where students gather to snap selfies or stop during campus tours. But what many don’t know is that this centerpiece was handcrafted and installed by a Dordt alumnus and his daughter (a current Dordt student)—guided by detailed design work from Dordt’s creative director and supported by a local craftsman who prepared the niche where the sign now hangs.
Bradley DeHaan (’97), owner of Jig Sign—a Texas-based sign fabrication company known for crafting premium trimless channel letters—never planned on going into the sign industry. He attended Dordt to become a high school teacher and taught at a BIE school in New Mexico until the school lost funding in 2012. Needing to pivot, Bradley took a role with SDS Automation, a sign metal-bending automation company. The job sent him across the U.S. and Latin America, installing equipment and training clients—experience that would eventually inspire him to start Jig Sign.
Today, Jig Sign fabricates high-end, harder-to-build signs for other sign companies. The giant DU logo is a perfect example: the illuminated cross is a face-lit trimless channel letter, while the surrounding eight-foot-tall “D” and “U” are reverse-lit channel letters that glow softly against the warm wood backdrop behind them. Overall, the logo is 15 feet by 14 feet in size.
After connecting with Mentorship Program Director David Schenk on LinkedIn and expressing interest in Dordt’s student mentoring program, Bradley reached out to Vice President for University Operations Fred Verwoerd.
Verwoerd still remembers getting Bradley’s message—an exchange Verwoerd describes as “one of those connections that God quietly arranges in the background.” As it turned out, Dordt was actively seeking someone who could fabricate a large, illuminated sign for The Atrium, and Bradley’s call arrived at just the right time.
“It was meaningful to have my alma mater put confidence in my company and what we can do,” says Bradley.
The project also had added significance: his daughter, Elisa, a Dordt student, would help fabricate and install the sign. For her, it was a chance to enter campus life with a unique perspective.
“I was both excited and proud to be a part of the new addition to Dordt,” Elisa says. “Going to Dordt is a big opportunity on its own, and knowing that I had a hand in creating something so bold and meaningful made the experience feel even more personal.”
While Jig Sign crafted the illuminated letters, the niche where the sign would hang required significant preparation—everything from structural backing to staining and finishing the wood slats that rise floor to ceiling. Dordt’s design team and local craftsmen collaborated on the look and layout, creating the warm architectural backdrop that frames the glowing DU.
Once all pieces were ready, Bradley and Elisa came to campus at the start of the academic year to install. Construction crews were everywhere, putting the finishing touches on The Atrium.
“It was a ton of fun,” says Verwoerd. “Bradley and Elisa arrived with this great big sign, and away they went. They’d never worked with lifts before, so they figured it out on the spot. It was impressive to watch.”
“So much construction was happening at once,” Bradley recalls. “We were sharing space with two other crews and a scissor lift—there was definitely some scissor-lift tango happening.”
For Elisa, the experience was eye-opening.
“Both making the sign and installing it took a lot of patience,” she says. “I saw how much planning, problem-solving, and attention to detail was necessary. I’ve worked with my dad for a few years, and those teamwork skills really came in handy when it came to building the largest sign we had ever made.”
She also gained a new appreciation for her father’s expertise.
“I’ve always known my dad is talented and hardworking, but seeing him take on a project of this scale made me realize just how strategic and talented he is,” she says. “He’s able to balance all the different components of a sign and find practical solutions for challenging aspects of it.”
“It’s an important story to tell,” says Verwoerd. “God worked in the background to set up this connection. Hopefully it’s an inspiration for alumni to stay connected with this place.”
About Dordt University
As an institution of higher education committed to the Reformed Christian perspective, Dordt University equips students, faculty, alumni, and the broader community to work toward Christ-centered renewal in all aspects of contemporary life. Located in Sioux Center, Iowa, Dordt is a comprehensive university named to the best college lists by U.S. News and World Report, the Wall Street Journal, Times Higher Education, Forbes.com, Washington Monthly, and Princeton Review.
Dordt University will host a December 10 launch event for Howard Schaap’s debut memoir Brooding Upon the Waters. Beginning at 7 p.m. in the Eckardt Lounge, the event will include selected readings, a Q&A with the author, and book signing.
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