ANZA & Persona mourn loss of Founder Dennis Holien

Persona, and its parent company, ANZA Incorporated, is saddened to share that company founder and Watertown business leader Dennis (Denny) Holien passed away last evening from complications of COVID-19 after being hospitalized in Sioux Falls in recent weeks.

Holien founded Persona Signs in 1980. It’s due to Denny’s hard work and dedication that the Watertown-based company grew to be a national leader in the sign industry. Persona has its corporate office and two manufacturing locations in Watertown, a sales office in Sioux Falls and an additional manufacturing location in Madison, S.D.DakotaPost in Sioux Falls and Margle Media in Milwaukee are the other businesses that are part of the ANZA family.

Denny’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to become involved in local businesses that employed thousands of area residents over the past 40 years, including Persona, Midcom, ICONtrol and OEM Worldwide, now known as Spartronics. He guided Persona’s local charity work which has included support for Relay for Life, Watertown Area People Against Hunger, Ronald McDonald House Charities, the ANZA Soccer Complex and many other organizations. In 2014, Persona was awarded the “Above and Beyond Award” for support of employees who are called to active military duty.

The President of ANZA Incorporated, Greg Kulesa, said in an email announcement to employees, “The best way for us to honor Denny is to continue to follow the philosophies and values that helped Persona become what it’s known for today: unequaled customer service, integrity and an unrelenting pursuit of excellence.”

The employees and leadership of Persona and ANZA Incorporated express their deepest sympathies to Denny’s wife, Michele; his children and their spouses, and his grandchildren.