Company:  Kennedy Outdoor

Markets: Ohio

Address: 9327 Martinsburg Rd. St., Louisville, OH. 43071

Email: kennedyoutdoor9@gmail.com

Phone: 740-258-7083

Kennedy Outdoor operates an out of home plant with 75 faces in Ohio.  The company was founded by Richard Kennedy in in 2013.  Billboard Insider talked with Kennedy.

Richard, how did you get into the out of home business?

I got into billboards when I was about 22 years old I believe. Initially I wanted to do something with real estate and rental properties. The problem was I didn’t have any wealthy family or friends and at 22 with no credit this was a difficult hobby to get into. Billboards just seemed like the same concept as a rental property but without the regular maintenance that goes along with it. I didn’t really know anyone in the industry other than my uncle who had a billboard on his property. He gave me a set of blueprints to work off of and with that I was able to order some steel and start fabricating my first structure. It was a learning process to say the least!

At the IBO conference last year you described yourself as “a static guy building C locations”.  What does it take to succeed with this strategy?

I am primarily a static guy, however I’m definitely not opposed to building digital if the location can justify it. The industry seems to be primarily focused on digital locations but I’m still pumped about getting a static board in the ground. I will try to build the type of structure that fits that particular location. If it’s a “C” location, I’ll build an 8×16 stack or something similar to this to keep the cost down. If it’s an “A” location, then I can justify a larger more “industry standard” size board. At the end of the day it’s all about cash flow and ROI. Well….I shouldn’t say that. Sometimes I just enjoy building good lookin’ billboards!

What’s new over the past year?

The past year has honestly been a little slow for me when it comes to expanding. I have locations lined up to build, however communism seems to cost me more and more time and money each year. It is sad to say, but I think that I have paid to put my attorney’s child through college. I figure that I should be getting at least a Christmas card in the mail from him this year.

Any digitals?

Speaking of communism and attorneys, I do have a digital in the works which I hope to get off of the ground here soon. It has been an ongoing legal battle now for a couple years. I think that us guys in the billboard industry spend more time fighting the government than we do building boards. But, “you gotta keep on keepin’ on. Life’s a garden, dig it. You gotta make it work for you”.