Plaques and Patches

What Plaques and Patches does

Plaques and Patches, operated by American Plaque Company, is a privately held, veteran-owned custom wood products manufacturer founded in 1991 in Mishawaka, Indiana. The company designs and fabricates hand-crafted plaques, seals, emblems, military shadow boxes, desk and door nameplates, tail flashes, award display cases, coin holders, and commemorative furniture for U.S. military branches, federal agencies including FBI and CIA, diplomatic missions, law enforcement, fire and EMS, and educational institutions. The firm is structured as a subsidiary of American Plaque Company and holds CVE Certified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) status, with disclosed DUNS 963256842 and CAGE 63V32 identifiers supporting federal procurement access.

Core manufacturing occurs in a 10,000-square-meter purpose-built facility completed around 2025 and equipped with climate-control systems for consistent finishes. The product line centers on kiln-dried solid mahogany for indoor items and 1-inch-thick High Density Urethane (HDU) for outdoor emblem and seal plaques rated UV- and weather-resistant from -30 to 200°F and resistant to warping, rot, and cracking. The company maintains an extensive proprietary library of federal and military images that enables conversion of uniform patches into identically detailed plaques, supplemented by hand-engraving and hand-painting for desk nameplates.

Revenue is generated on a one-time custom product sale model with no minimum order quantity and free U.S. shipping on standard items. Pricing is unit-based, ranging from roughly $174 for 5-10 inch seals up to over $8,000 for 60-72 inch HDU seals, with desk nameplates starting near $190, and an optional 14-day express service priced from $51 to $625 depending on size. Distribution combines a 24/7 direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront at plaquesandpatches.com with phone-based enterprise sales and government procurement channels accepting Government Purchase Cards and net-10/net-30 terms, supported by Facebook and Instagram social presence and direct email sales outreach.

Name

Plaques and Patches

Legal name

American Plaque Company

Website

https://plaquesandpatches.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Plaques and Patches is a privately held, veteran-owned custom wood products manufacturer founded in 1991 in Mishawaka, Indiana, producing hand-crafted plaques, seals, emblems, shadow boxes, and nameplates for U.S. military branches, federal agencies, and diplomatic missions under SDVOSB certification.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mishawaka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Plaque and Commemorative Product Sales: One-time product sales of custom wooden plaques, seals, emblems, shadow boxes, desk nameplates, and commemorative items. Products sold in various sizes and configurations with custom design options. No minimum order quantities. Production time typically 4-6 weeks with optional 14-day express service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Plaques and Patches is a veteran-owned custom manufacturer of hand-crafted wooden and High Density Urethane (HDU) commemorative plaques, seals, emblems, shadow boxes, desk nameplates, and recognition products. The company produces fully customized items to exact client specifications for military, government, law enforcement, fire/EMS, corporate, and individual customers, manufactured in a purpose-built, climate-controlled facility in Mishawaka, Indiana using kiln-dried mahogany and HDU.

Product overview

Plaques and Patches is a veteran-owned custom wood products company specializing in commemorative plaques and military memorabilia. The company offers a diverse portfolio of hand-crafted products including custom military plaques (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force), HDU (High Density Urethane) outdoor plaques, military shadow boxes, desk nameplates, door signage, tail flashes, award display cases, coin holders, mouse pads, and custom furniture. Products are manufactured at their eco-friendly facility in Indiana using mahogany and other high-quality woods. The company serves U.S. military branches, government agencies, law enforcement, fire departments, and civilian organizations with both stock items and fully custom designs available in various shapes and sizes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• APC: Brand abbreviation used for American Plaque Company products, seen on product pages and branding materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30 years in business serving military and government clients
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• U.S. Coast GuardminorOthersLicensed use of U.S. Coast Guard related symbols and branding on products. The company is officially licensed with the U.S. Coast Guard for use of Coast Guard related materials on commemorative products.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PlaqueMaker: Online manufacturer of custom plaques, signs, and nameplates with no minimum order requirements and a self-service configurator. Directly comparable custom plaque manufacturing and e-commerce go-to-market model.
• Crown Awards: Large online retailer of trophies, plaques, medals, and custom recognition awards serving schools, sports leagues, corporations, and government buyers. Directly comparable product line (custom plaques and awards) and overlapping customer segments in institutional recognition markets.
• Awards.com: E-commerce-first custom awards and personalized gifts retailer offering plaques, trophies, and engraved recognition products. Closely comparable direct-to-consumer and B2B custom recognition model with similar SKU breadth.
• Signature Engraving Systems: Custom engraving and awards specialist serving corporate, government, and military buyers with plaques, desk nameplates, and signage. Comparable custom engraving workflow and government/military customer overlap.
• Trophy Awards (Glass Image): Custom awards, trophies, and plaques manufacturer serving corporate, educational, and government clients. Closely comparable custom recognition product offering and institutional buyer overlap.

Emerging players

• Etchey: Online custom-engraved gifts and corporate recognition products platform. Comparable custom engraving business model and corporate recognition use cases, though with broader consumer orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Jostens: Large established manufacturer of commemorative and recognition products including class rings, yearbooks, graduation regalia, and awards. Operates in adjacent commemorative space at significantly greater scale; comparable in product category but not in customer focus (military/government).
• National Pen (Custom Pen & Gift Provider): Large direct-to-business promotional products and corporate gifts supplier offering branded merchandise including engraved and printed items. Adjacent business model (B2B custom recognition/promotional products) with government and corporate buyer overlap.
• SignWarehouse: Established supplier of sign-making equipment, materials, and finished signage serving commercial sign shops. Broad incumbent in the wider sign/identity product space where Plaques and Patches also competes with seals, emblems, and door nameplates.

Regional players

• Medalcraft Mint: Manufacturer of custom military medals, challenge coins, and insignia serving U.S. military units and veteran organizations. Comparable government/military buyer base and commemorative product category, with partial overlap in military recognition use cases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PlaquesnPatches
• Instagraminstagram.com/plaquesnpatches

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Plaques and Patches