Billboard Insider is running a series of interviews with Comstor Outdoor CEO Jason Duff.  Last week Jason talked about getting started in out of home.  Today he talks about what it takes to develop signs.

Tell us about the first sign you built.  

The first sign was in the community of Indian Lake Ohio.  There’s a big lake there and it’s very busy during the summer months but in the winter months it gets it slows down and so the power of building that first sign the Indian Lake is that it was a tool that you could get premium revenue on the in the summer months but in the winter months it kept a lot of those small businesses strong

What’s your attitude towards easements?

That’s our preference.  We saw we saw a problem in the industry – a lot of the leases were structured for 10 to 15 – once that time is over you’re kind of beholden to the landlord.  Maybe the original people may not be there anymore yeah.  So if I could be purchase a long term lease or perpetual easement or buy the land I’d did it.  I would say 80% of our portfolio are properties that we own or have 50-99 year leases.

How many of your faces have you built organically?  

At least 90%.

What have you learned about finding a good location. 

The key is finding what your local market deems a good location. It’s not just traffic count.  We do not have any signs on interstates.  We’ve pursued busy routes, local routes, state routes where there are traffic patterns that local customers and local businesses traverse. 80% of our customers are defined as local businesses we would prefer to work with the local realtors and bankers and shops and restaurants because those are the people that we understand.

Incremental Growth

We’re growing slow and steady.   I want to grow grow smart. We add between 5 and 10 sites a year.  I think that  400 to 600 faces for an operator like me is what I would define as the sweet spot.  We have enough equipment and capabilities but are a small and nimble team.

To receive a free morning newsletter with each day’s Billboard insider articles email info@billboardinsider.com with the word “Subscribe” in the title.  Our newsletter is free and we don’t sell our subscriber list.

Paid Advertisement