Warren, it has been almost two years since InterState was last featured. Can you update us on your current inventory?

Absolutely, we’ve been building as hard as we can.  My philosophy and passion is to find sites in a good location and to be able to sell that inventory at a good rate.  It’s hard to go into a market now and build a footprint, but we try to add to our existing footprint if we can.   Over the last year, we’ve added 25 faces and have plans to start 2026 by finishing another 9 faces before the end of February.  Currently, we have 690 billboard faces, of which 24 are digital.

How were your 2025 results and how is the new year shaping up? 

We had really solid growth without the new boards, and with them, we were able to exceed the goal that I set at the beginning of the year.  I’ve got expectations that we continue this growth trajectory, but know it takes the whole team to reach those goals.  It’s not just sales, but the shop, labor staff, and office staff.  The whole group has to move in the same direction for us to succeed, and we also have to continue to do right by our advertisers.  When they win, we all win.

It seems like North Carolina may be the most active state in the US for acquisition activity.  What is it about North Carolina that is so appealing?

North Carolina’s population growth for sure.  Our state has grown by over 1.5 million people over the last 15 years, we now have over 11.5 million people, making us the 9th most populated state in the country. Based on growth patterns, we’re projected to be 7th in the early 2030s.  This growth means that many companies from all industries want to invest here, including the billboard industry.  Businesses need to be advertising, we’re already to a point where 46% of  the population wasn’t born here, that means people don’t know where to go to the doctor, get their teeth cleaned, who to call with plumbing problems, HVAC fixed etc.   Businesses need to advertise and people need to be advertised too so they know who to call before the need arises.

You’ve been battling some cold weather out there.  Has it had an impact on your operations? 

Yes, it’s slowed down what we had hoped to accomplish in January. We’ve had a few days where we couldn’t get outside and work, but we’ve moved some things around and changed some schedules, and hopefully we’ve had the last of our inclement weather challenges.